Opera Garnier tickets: visits, tours and performances

Booking online is mandatory for a visit. The Opéra says it does not sell visit tickets on site, so turning up and queuing will not work. Self-guided visits can be booked up to 30 days ahead, either on the Opéra’s site or through authorized agencies.

Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Entry is allowed up to 30 minutes after your scheduled time, so a late train is survivable, but a missed slot is lost money. Guided tours run about 1 hour 30 minutes. Last admission is one hour before closing.

The page does not publish fixed opening hours or a list of closure days. It uses a booking calendar that marks dates as closed or sold out, so that calendar, not a general rule, is the source to trust for your date.

The auditorium can close without warning

Rehearsals can close the auditorium without notice. The Opéra tells visitors to check the booking calendar before they go, and a listing from a reseller says much the same: the theatre and some spaces may be closed without the Opéra notifying them. Expect it as a risk, not an exception.

Going direct, or through a reseller?

For a plain self-guided visit, go direct. The Opéra’s own prices are listed above, and a reseller adds a margin. A reseller is worth considering only if the official calendar is full on your date, and then you should read the cancellation terms, which are strict.

Start with the Opéra’s own guided tour, which runs about 1 hour 30 minutes. The page does not list departure times or languages, so use the booking calendar to find an English slot for your date and check that the language is shown before you pay. We could not confirm English departure times, so we do not promise any.

The three listings below are what we checked on Viator. Ratings and review counts come from the listings, and from-prices are the lowest listed option in US dollars. The two guided listings were priced on October 28, 2026 and the self-guided one on October 29.

Napoleone Tour’s private walk lasts two hours. It meets at Café de la Paix on Place de l’Opéra and ends at 21 Boulevard Haussmann, which the listing ties to the Galeries Lafayette. Entry is included, but the listing is plain that the Opéra does not allow skip-the-line, and that on busy days you can expect some waiting. The guide can work in English, French or Italian, the booking needs at least two adults, and all sales are final.

Visites-Spectacles runs a staged visit in which an actor plays a dancer with a secret. It is in French only, and the listing says it is important to speak French. Late arrivals are refused by the Opéra. Bags, strollers and scooters are not allowed, and the cloakroom is not available during the visit. It has free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Szilkatours’ self-guided visit offers separate options for visitors from outside the EEA and from France and the EEA. It meets at the corner of Rue Scribe and Rue Auber, comes with phone support until you are inside, and is wheelchair accessible. The catch is the evidence: eight reviews, a 3.88 score and no refunds. The Opéra’s own self-guided visit is the cleaner way to book.

A visit ticket and a performance ticket are different products. A visit lets you walk through the building by day, while a performance puts you in the auditorium for an evening show. Check the Opéra’s own site for performance tickets.

We could not confirm the current season, the booking opening dates or the price range for performances, so we do not quote any. If you want one, check the Opéra’s calendar early. Popular dates can sell out.

If a show is the point of your trip, book it first and plan the rest around it. If you only want to see the building, a daytime visit is cheaper and far easier to get.

Start with the grand staircase, which is the image on this page and the reason most people come. It is a sweep of steps under chandeliers, with balconies on several levels, as the photo above shows. Give it more time than you think you need.

The auditorium is the other highlight, when it is open. Because rehearsals can close it without notice, treat it as a bonus and not a promise. Our advice is to enjoy the staircase and the public rooms first, so a closed auditorium does not spoil the visit.

The Revelacio multimedia tour

The Opéra also offers a Revelacio multimedia tour, which runs daily from 10am to 3:30pm (4:30pm in August). It costs less than a guided tour, at €8 for adults or €7 if bought online in advance. We have not tried it, so we cannot say how it compares with a live guide, but it is the lowest-cost way to get some context.

How long to allow

A guided tour takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. The self-guided listing on Viator is about 1 hour 40 minutes. Add time for security and the entrance queue, because the Opéra does not allow skip-the-line.

The Opéra district is built for an afternoon of wandering. One listing’s title pairs the Palais Garnier with the Galeries Lafayette, and its tour ends at 21 Boulevard Haussmann. The Café de la Paix, that tour’s meeting point, is on Place de l’Opéra.

If you would rather have a whole day planned, see our private Paris tours, which compare guides who build the route around you. For after dark, our Paris night tours cover evening walks and drives.

Visiting in December? The Christmas in Paris page covers the lights and what is open over the holidays. Check the Opéra’s calendar for that period, since holiday hours are published late.