Opera Garnier--worth it??

Has anyone seen or heard of Caligula or The Rake%26#39;s Progress that are playing at the Opera now ?

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I know the Garner is beautiful, just wondering if we should see a show to enjoy it more (don%26#39;t know much about what%26#39;s playing there now), or is the 8e tour enough?

Thanks!

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We have tickets to Caligula during our trip later this month. Reviews were mixed in 2005 when Caligula premiered (see http://www.ballet-dance.com/200512/articles/pobcaligula20051104.html) but I like Vivaldi%26#39;s four seasons and thought this would be a good opportunity to see the Opera house from the inside.

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And here%26#39;s another review nytimes.com/2005/…

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Where can I reserve tickets to the opera? How much should I expect to pay?

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Caligula is a ballet. You can buy your tickets online and see all the offerings at http://www.operadeparis.fr/. The site is in english as well and is really nice made. They even show you what the viewpoint is from the seats and will mail your tickets to you anywhere in the world (our tickets arrived within a week of our reservation).

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If you are interested in the Opera House itself, the perhaps a tour would be the better option for you.

Once the lights go down for the performance, there%26#39;s not much to see except for what%26#39;s on stage...and from experience the chairs aren%26#39;t that comfy - lol.

Mez

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This is my favorite building in Paris so I just needed to step in for a minute. First, be sure to walk around the outside of the building. It is so majestic! The inside of Opera Garnier is absolutely spectacular. You can do a self-tour for about 8 euros. The ceiling was painted by Marc Chagall and everywhere you look, it is jaw-dropping. I had seen the inside and decided that on my most recent trip I would actually attend a performance. I saw an opera there (I%26#39;m not a big opera fan.) I bought my tickets on line as soon as they went on sale and I was able to get a ticket for about 35 euros. They did mail my ticket directly to my house, no extra charge, and it arrived promptly. (Be sure to remember to take it with you on your trip.) It was so much fun to see a performance there. The opera was boring as heck but I didn%26#39;t care. The inside of the theatre is so gorgeous (and yes you can see it while the performance is going on) and I sat there in one of the side boxes (which, although the view wasn%26#39;t the best, I thought it was really cozy and inviting) and just thought about how I was in Paris seeing a performance at the Opera Garnier. It just doesn%26#39;t get any better than that. Before the performance you can do some great people watching, as well as walking around and seeing the inside of the building both in and out of the actually theatre hall itself. If all you can buy is very expensive tickets and the performance doesn%26#39;t appeal to you, then you might want to do the self-tour. However, if you can get reasonable tickets or it is a performance of something you think you might enjoy, GO FOR IT! I just can%26#39;t imagine being disappointed. Next time I go I will try to see a ballet since I much prefer ballet to opera.

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