Admiring the Palais Garnier at sunset from a high viewpoint allows you to experience a vivid panorama of Paris with the Eiffel Tower on the horizon.
Known internationally as the Paris Opera House, the Palais Garnier is one of the defining monuments of 19th-century Paris, designed by architect Charles Garnier.
And even though today it is one of the most visited and photographed buildings in Paris, I still felt the urge to find new ways to photograph the Palais Garnier at sunset. It’s hard to resist: the columns, the mosaics, the statues… I could spend days and nights exploring it and I would still find something new to photograph.
The best place to capture Palais Garnier at sunset
It’s hardly a secret anymore, but one of the most impressive elevated views of the Paris Opera House can be found at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann. This viewpoint is completely free and open during store hours.
The department store’s rooftop provides an unbeatable perspective over the rooftops of Paris, including a near-perfect view of the Palais Garnier with the Eiffel Tower to the southeast and the Sacré-Cœur to the northeast corner of the terrace (not visible in this photo because I prioritized the glowing sun to the right!).
A panoramic photo allows you to add a wider Parisian backdrop to the Paris Opera House exterior. But you can also go closer: the setting sun reflects off the statues and decorative stonework, creating even more textures in a building that is already full of contrasts.
Other options for photographing the Palais Garnier at sunset include the hotel InterContinental Paris Le Grand (some rooms offer direct views) and nearby cafés and restaurants (Café de la Paix being the most famous, but also very touristy).
The controversy of the Palais Garnier architecture
With the Paris Opera House being so celebrated today, it’s hard to believe that some architects and critics actually rejected the Palais Garnier facade when it was first unveiled because it was considered excessive and overly theatrical.
It’s true that the Palais Garnier architecture combines multiple styles and elements like sculptures, mosaics, colored marble and gilded ornamentation, which may have seemed extravagant at the time, but later served as an example and inspiration to many other opera houses around the world.
The Paris Opera House building remains one of the finest examples of Beaux-Arts architecture Paris visitors can explore today. If you are interested in Beaux-Arts design, the Opéra Comique and Le Petit Palais are modest alternatives to Palais Garnier, while the most popular Beaux-Arts buildings include Le Grand Palais, the Musée d’Orsay and Paris City Hall.
The Palais Garnier also anchors my photographer’s guide to France.
