Place de l'Opéra Plaza

Address: Place de l’Opéra, 75009 Paris, France

Hours: Public square (open 24 hours)

Admission: Free

Place de l’Opéra is the formal plaza in front of the Palais Garnier in Paris’s 9th arrondissement. It was created during the Haussmann-era remodelling of Paris and functions as a major urban junction.

The square is dominated by the ornate 19th-century Palais Garnier, which fronts the plaza and attracts architectural and cultural visitors; guided tours of the opera house are widely available. Multiple wide boulevards and pedestrian routes radiate from the square, and it sits amid major department stores, hotels and transport links.

The square and the opera house were built in the second half of the 19th century as part of Baron Haussmann’s remodelling of Paris; the plaza was designed to showcase the new opera house and to organise the surrounding urban fabric. It has remained a focal point for city traffic, public transport and civic life since its completion.

Place de l’Opéra sits on Paris’s Right Bank in the 9th arrondissement, at the junction of several major thoroughfares and adjacent to central shopping districts; Opéra metro and several bus routes provide direct access.

• Metro access: Opéra metro station sits directly beneath the square and is served by Paris Métro lines 3, 7 and 8, providing direct access from across the city.

What to See#

• Palais Garnier: The Palais Garnier, the 19th-century opera house, dominates the square and is the principal architectural landmark around the plaza.
• Converging boulevards: Several major boulevards converge on the square, including Boulevard des Capucines and Avenue de l’Opéra, making it a transport and urban node.

Opéra metro station (Lines 3, 7, 8) is directly beneath the square; the Auber RER (RER A) is a short walk. Major bus routes and taxis serve the wide boulevards that feed into the plaza (Boulevard des Capucines, Avenue de l’Opéra).

• Use Opéra metro station (Lines 3, 7, 8) or the RER A at Auber for direct access to the square.
• Stand at the corner near Avenue de l'Opéra at dusk to watch the city change from daylight commerce to illuminated Hausmannian facades.
• Watch for pickpockets in the busy plaza-keep bags zipped and close in crowded periods.