Palais Garnier

Charles Garnier won the competition in 1861 and the building opened in 1875, an exercise in Second Empire display: a grand staircase of coloured marble designed so that arriving audiences could watch each other, a foyer of gilt and mirrors modelled on a palace gallery, and an auditorium in red and gold. Groundwater under the site forced the engineers to build a water tank in the substructure, which became the underground lake of Leroux's Phantom of the Opera; it is real, and the fire brigade trains in it. The auditorium ceiling was repainted by Chagall in 1964, over the original, which survives beneath.

What you actually see

• The grand staircase - coloured marble built for audiences to be seen on.
• The Chagall ceiling - the 1964 painting over the original, above the chandelier.
• The grand foyer - a mirrored gilt gallery the length of the facade.
• The water tank - the substructure reservoir behind the phantom's lake.

When to go

Year-round; daytime visits are possible when no rehearsal is running, which is not always predictable, so checking on the day helps. Performances are a separate and better way to see the auditorium.

Honest expectations

The auditorium is closed to daytime visitors during rehearsals, which happens often and without much warning. The underground lake is not open to the public. Guided tours book out.

Nearby

Galeries Lafayette lies north; the Louvre is south.