Guide for the Few

Paris, Access

The private backstage tour of the Palais Garnier

A guided tour of the Palais Garnier's backstage areas for your party alone, arranged by Arop, the Paris Opera's patrons' association, and reaching the ballet costume workshops the public never sees.

Opéra national de Paris, Place de l'Opéra, 75009 Paris

The foyers of the Palais Garnier

Why it is on the list

Charles Garnier's opera house was built from 1861 to 1875; it has 1,979 seats and the largest stage in Europe, a seven-ton chandelier, and a ceiling painted by Marc Chagall in 1964, and it has been a monument historique since 1923.1 The self-guided visit keeps to the public areas, and shows the Foyer de la Danse and the Costume Depository only on a tablet, in augmented reality.2 The private tour arranged by Arop goes backstage, into the ballet costume workshops of the Palais Garnier, with a speaker Arop selects.3

It is the wrong choice when the auditorium is the point and the date is fixed: rehearsals close it often and without notice.2 For 80 guests or more, Arop arranges a tailor-made evening instead.4 For a court theatre in a palace, take the Opéra Royal at Versailles, opened under Louis XV in 1770,5 or the Imperial Theatre at Fontainebleau, Napoleon III's theatre of 1857, seen on a 45-minute guided tour.6

How to get it

Write to Arop's corporate desk at entreprises@arop.operadeparis.fr or call +33 1 58 18 35 57, and ask for a private backstage tour of the Palais Garnier.3 Arop presents the tours as made for companies, for their clients, partners, staff or close ones.34 The tour can be joined to a performance: Arop sells Optima and Category 1 seats without membership, up to 100 for one performance, with champagne, a cocktail or a dinner afterwards in a reception area kept for your party.3

Discretion

The tour is for your party alone, led by an Arop speaker in French, English, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese or Russian.3 After a performance, dinner can be served in a reception area closed to other guests.3

A tutu in the costume workshop
A tutu in the costume workshop
The Rotonde des Abonnés
The Rotonde des Abonnés
Sources
  1. Palais Garnier - Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org, read 7 November 2026.
  2. Visit the Palais Garnier - Opéra national de Paris. operadeparis.fr, read 7 November 2026.
  3. Your PR campaigns - Opéra national de Paris. operadeparis.fr, read 7 November 2026.
  4. Your company & the Opera. arop.operadeparis.fr, read 7 November 2026.
  5. L'Opéra royal | Château de Versailles. chateauversailles.fr, read 7 November 2026.
  6. Our guided tours, for family and friends. chateaudefontainebleau.fr, read 7 November 2026.
  7. Film and spaces locations - Opéra national de Paris. operadeparis.fr, read 7 November 2026.

Last checked 7 November 2026, against the venue's own pages. The next check is due by 14 November 2026.