Our next day was one of our less jam packed days. It would be a breeze!
- Palais Garnier (The Opera House)
- Le Train Bleu
We walked to the Opera House first and, since we had plenty of extra time this day, we were able to take a little side trek to Place Vendome for a looksie…
Prior to our first tour of the Opera, we hit a creperie for lunch and we did another quick tour of Galeries Lafayette…since we were in the neighbourhood.
The Galeries Lafayette are just so gorgeous…we had time and it was right there.
We were booked for TWO tours of the Opera Garnier. I wasn’t entirely sure what the difference was between the two. It seemed one promised to reveal mysteries of the opera house and the other more the building itself.
Here are the two options from the website:
Visit Palais Garnier in the Belle Epoque
Visit The Mysteries of the Palais Garnier (after closing)
As someone who has now done both, I can tell you that there is no value in seeing both tours. And, I can tell you which of the two to choose. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, I would choose the Mysteries Tour after closing! That’s the one you should go on, if you decide to tour the opera house.
The daytime tour is FILLED with people. Everywhere you turn, there are bodies…hundreds and hundreds of people everywhere.
The tour after closing time is more interesting and there are FAR LESS PEOPLE AROUND.
During the daytime tour, it was almost impossible to take photos. We were wedged into the building like sardines. The night time tour made us feel we were there alone. There may have been 2 or 3 small intimate tour groups walking around taking the tour. We saw the opera house unencumbered by crowds.
There were two things everywhere you looked…one was beauty and one was people.
We were blown away by the beauty of this building. A lot of what we covered in the daytime tour was covered again in the night time tour. Again, that’s the tour you want to book.
Here’s some shots of the night time tour…we actually got to view the performance hall, AND the Ghost’s box! This is the box that was reserved for the ghost in the famous Phantom of the Opera book by Gaston Leroux.
What you will notice in the above photos is a lack of people.
The most stunning part of the night tour was seeing the theatre. And the best part of being inside the theatre was seeing the Chagall ceiling. It was absolutely breathtaking. Such whimsical colours and scenes. I LOVED it! Sheer perfection!
The theatre…
And then we were escorted inside the box of the opera ghost…all those re-readings of Phantom of the Opera came to life for me. I had goosebumps!
Not much can compete with the second tour of Palais Garnier. But we were willing to let Le Train Bleu give it a try! It was as decadent as the palais and just as magical…
If you’re pondering Le Train Bleu, but you’re not quite convinced…do it. It is worth the price tag. A beautiful dining experience, from the food to the atmosphere to the architecture. One of our favourite dining experiences so far!
It really had it all…
That’s it. That’s the entirety of our day. Not a lot in it, but jam packed with wonder all the same. We took the Metro home, and as usual it was super easy! I love to walk, but it’s handy knowing the Metro is there for those late nights when you just want to finish your day.
KEVIN CRAIG 
2 comments