Palais Garnier guided tours, which one?

We did the self-guided tour which was very good, tho just a word of warning for all the tours- the main reason we did the tour was to see the Chagall ceiling in the auditorium but the day we went the auditorium was closed for rehearsals. I guess this happens pretty regularly- so if you are interested in the ceiling the only way to guarantee you'll see it is if you're there for a performance. The rest of the building is definitely worth the tour, however.

@Cat VH - you must go again. I'm not a painting person but that ceiling was amazing!

Thanks Cat! Actually we are skipping Versailles, as we’ve seen it. I told our adult children we’d help them plan the day, but with just 4 full days, they’ve elected to not go. I figured they’d be back again at some point in their lives. The Palais would be a nice alternative for the grandeur and opulence, and I e not seen it.

BTW, we visited your beautiful city in January. None of us had a clue as to how much we’d love it. Figured if we love it this much in winter coats, hats and gloves, think of how well we’d love it with flowers! (Although there is nothing quite like popping into pubs when it’s cold outside!) I’m definitely going back soon. So much we didn’t get to in just 7 days…but we did get to go to the Van Gogh exhibit!

One fun surprise was Gordon ‘s Wine bar!

Skunklet, I definitely plan to- our next trip to Paris will have to include a performance at the opera!

Lulu, I am so glad to hear how much you enjoyed London. January can be a bit grim here so if you enjoyed it then, you will certainly enjoy it in the spring and summer, when we have lovely long days and it's warm enough to sit outside! That Van Gogh exhibit was one of the best we've seen, well done getting tickets.

I have toured Palais Garnier twice. The English language tour offered by the Palais was C-. The one offered by Paris-Walks was A+. Why? She was an opera goer and explained the social customs of opera going.

Thanks NYCmom, I’m going to check into Paris Walks!

Cat, they were actually sold out the week we were there. That’s the main reason we went that week. My son works at a museum in the states, and they loaned their one Van Gogh to the exhibit. They gave his department a week off. The curator contacted the curator at the National Gallery and he and my son communicated. He gave him 3 tickets (for son, DH and I). Wasn’t that nice? Or else we wouldn’t have gone. My son loves Van Gogh and was thrilled beyond belief. It was amazing!

May I ask, has anyone done the Mysteries tour? Is that preferable to the Intermezzo tour or are they sort of interchangeable?

I haven't been in years, but AFAIR we were told upon arrival that current production operations would prevent our going backstage as part of the tour. I certainly would book a proprietary (their) tour in the hope of seeing things that a third-party company cannot show you.