I showed my mobile confirmation code and handed my photo ID to the box office person at “group tours”. The tours limit the number of guests, so to avoid missing the first English tour of the day that fit our schedule, I booked ahead on Viator. If you just show up as an individual at the Paris Opera you have two options – a DIY tour €11 (add the audio headsets for €5) or join a guided tour in either English (2xs/day) or French (3xs/day) for €15.50. I tried to do the self-guided tour last year but the auditorium was dark due to technical work (need to check the schedule) so I said “another time” because what is the Paris Opera tour without seeing the stage and theatre? Art and architecture on overload at the Paris Opera

It wasn’t until last year on my Musee D’Orsay tour that the guide provided such a rich history and I saw the stunning model of the Opera with all of its details and stories that I was keen to visit. While I’ve taken numerous photos of the Opera over the years as I walked by on my way to Galleries Lafayette, I hadn’t really considered going inside. So when researching tours to provide a flavor of Paris for Mom’s trip, I decided to add one tour that I had never done – The Paris Opera Tour (aka The Palais Garnier or the Paris Opera Garnier tour). It’s really not a secret when it’s right in plain sight but like so many other Paris attractions, how often do you go inside? Do you only have the top 5 on your list ( Tour Eiffel, Mona Lisa at The Louve, Versailles, Seine Cruise and Arc de Triomphe)? If you are like me, you’ve missed a few (many) things over the years.

How many times have you passed this building? Looked at the gold statues on top but never entered the Paris Opera?

Tours of the paris opera house