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Palais Garnier - Paris

Hello Travel Friends!!

I am booked on the RS 7 day Paris tour and am trying to plan out my free time. Has anyone visited the Palais Garnier? I am wondering if the 6 day museum pass RS provides includes that? If so, was admission free or discounted and did you take a guided tour.

Am I right to assume we can't use these passes until the following day?

Thank you all so much for your ideas and suggestions. It has all been such a huge help!

Posted by
4637 posts

We visited Palais Garnier and did not have 6 days museum pass but we were there with R.S. Tour. At least I don't remember that we had that pass. We took a guided tour. There is a movie Fantom of Opera and that allegedly happened there. Our guide was very reluctant to talk about it.

Posted by
7886 posts

I recommend that you go to the source and read about the pass here:

http://booking.parisinfo.com/il4-offer_i148-paris-museum-pass.aspx

Expand the "read more" area.

As they explain, it's best to start using the pass in the morning, because it is good for six consecutive days. That means it's for calendar days, not 24-hour days. I haven't been on a Rick Steves tour, but it seems clear that you must save the card's days of validity so that you can quickly enter covered museums with your group, instead of gumming up the works because you used it too soon.

That is, the card isn't "dated" until you use it for the first time. Then it starts to run and expire.

Posted by
183 posts

My wife and I toured the Palais Garnier on our own last September , if I remember right it was about 14 euros . We strolled through at our leisure , then the second week we went to a opera in the evening . Beautiful , enjoy

Posted by
8 posts

I took the Engish speaking tour of the opulent and gorgeous Palais Garnier. Full of wonderful tidbits about the architecture and history and the original patrons of the Opera. And we got to admire the beautiful Chagall ceiling. Well worth the time and money. One if my favorite Paris buildings. Hope you enjoy.

Posted by
21153 posts

A modest suggestion would be to actually attend a show there. Smaller operas and ballets are the norm. Not too pricey.

Posted by
4161 posts

One of the grandest examples of late nineteenth century Beaux Arts architecture . Be sure to see the cutaway model and related exhibition at the Orsay as well . Charles Garnier was also the architect of the Casino de Monte Carlo . The Palais Garnier is home to The Paris Opera Ballet , one of the world's greatest companies .

Posted by
48 posts

My wife and I did not take a tour but did go to a performance there by a Dutch dance company.

In one of performances it actually rained on the stage! Never seen anything like that before or since.