Paris Opera Area Apartments in the 9th Arrondissement

From Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport station you have the following option:

• By RER B train and walk or RER E. Take the regular RER B train to Gare du Nord train station (about 30 minutes). Opera area is metres from the station so you can walk into the eastern part of the district in only a couple of minutes. To get to the south western part where many of our Opera apartments are located walk from Gare du Nord to Magenta station (about 4 minutes) and take RER E train to Haussmann-Saint Lazare station (about 4 minutes). Total travel time is approximately 35 – 40 minutes.

From Orly airport station you have the following option:

• By Orlyval, RER B and metro. Take the regular Orlyval shuttle service to Antony train station (about 8 minutes). Board the RER B train for Gare du Nord (about 30 minutes). From Gare du Nord walk two minutes into the eastern part of the Opera area or walk from Gare du Nord to Magenta station (about 4 minutes) and take RER E train to Haussmann-Saint Lazare station (about 4 minutes). Total travel time is approximately 40 minutes.

From Gare du Nord train station you have the following options:

• On foot or by RER. Gare du Nord is right next to the 9th arrondissement so you can walk a couple of minutes into the eastern part of the district. For the area around Opera Garnier where most of our Opera apartments are based walk to Magenta station (about 4 minutes) and take RER E train to Haussmann-Saint Lazare station (about 4 minutes). Total travel time is approximately 8 minutes.

You can find more travel information and a route planner at www.ratp.fr

Opera tips for food

Paris’s bustling 9th arrondissement is filled with food stores, many of which are near our Opera apartments. So head out to the supermarkets, purchase all your favourite foods, snacks and drinks and make it a successful self-catering short stay. When you want a night off from cooking you are in for a treat as the area is a food adventure for tourists and locals alike and includes a great selection of bistros and small restaurants with a great vibe and tasty food.

Opera tips for drinks

• Le Depanneue Pigalle, 27 Rue Pierre-Fontaine. Tequila cocktails and lively al-fresco seating
• Les 36 Corneil, 36 Rue de Rochechouart. Great wine amongst local regulars
• Dirty Dick, 10 Rue Frochot. Tropical themed, Hawaiian shirt wearing bartenders and rum-based drinks
• Kooka Boora, 53 Avenue Trudaine. The perfect spot for an afternoon coffee
• Le Richer, 2 Le Richer. Intimate bistro with great cocktails and freshly squeezed juices

9th Arrondissement – Opera

Located on the right bank of the Seine, the 9th arrondissement has a uniquely vibrant energy with a broad range of entertainment venues attracting thousands of visitors to the area daily. The beautifully ornate theatres and cabaret halls in the neighbourhood are a treat for anyone in search of a truly energetic Parisian experience. Meanwhile the elegant 19th century shopping arcades in the district are also no less theatrical. If you are a keen shopaholic then you are likely to need to set aside almost a whole day to really do the neighbourhood’s Grands Boulevards full justice. The enchanting hilly streets will give you a great workout as you make your way around some of the city’s most fantastically ornate department stores and charmingly unique one-off boutiques.

9th Arrondissement Highlights

The district of Opéra is named after the fantastically beautiful Opéra Garnier, the city’s oldest opera house. Even if you don’t actually have time to see a performance here it is highly recommended that you take a closer look at the building and take a peek inside. A perfect example of neo-Baroque architecture, its exterior is no less dramatic than some of the events portrayed on the stage inside. Adorned with statues of winged figures, columns and friezes, the interior is resplendent with opulent gold leaf and frolicking cherubs and nymphs. The chandelier that famously hangs above the auditorium weighs an incredible six tonnes and the ceiling itself was painted by none other than Chagall in 1964.

The 9t arrondissement is extremely famous for its shopping possibilities. Be sure to visit the astonishing Galeries Lafayette. Located close to the Opera Garnier, this popular shopping centre has the most incredible architecture including a sumptuous glass dome and an extremely stylish Art Nouveau staircase. The department store is now recognised as an official heritage sight of the city of Paris. If you are visiting the city in the early winter then be sure to take a look at the holiday season store window displays which rival those of any New York department store. The Printemps, another of Paris’s authentic premier shopping halls is located nearby on Boulevard Haussmann. It’s certainly also worth a look just to check out its ‘couple’ or glass ceiling that was constructed for the World Exhibition in the 1930s.

The district’s fascinating Musée du Parfum is one of the city’s few free visitor attractions. Created in 1983 by the Fragonard perfume company inside a beautiful townhouse dating back to 1680 it provides a gloriously smelly insight into how perfumes are created today. It also exhibits lots of delightful antique perfume bottles, takes a look at the importance of stylish packaging and promotion throughout history and presents a wealth of other fragrance paraphernalia.

The district’s Musée Grévin is the Parisian answer to Madame Tussauds with its 500 plus wax figures of international stars of stage, screen, politics, music, sport and history. The entrance fee is fairly steep but it’s certainly an entertaining few hours inside.

The stuff of legends, a visit to Les Folies Bergère on the Rue Richer provides one of the most intrinsically Parisian experiences you can have in the city. Originally opened as Les Folies Trevise in 1869, international icons such as Josephine Baker and Charlie Chaplin have famously performed to its atmospheric auditorium. With its famously bawdy sense of humour it became known as the ‘theatre for the people’ remaining anything but highbrow entertainment. The tradition continues today and you too can experience the spice and energy of Paris’ cheeky side at one of the venue’s nightly shows.

An area worth while exploring from one of our Opera apartments!

Opera must sees

• Opera Garnier. Stunning building inside and out with ballet shows by Paris Opera
• Galeries Lafayette. Paris’s celebrated department store with its grand glass dome – located on one of Paris’s famous Grands Boulevards
• Musee Grevin. Paris’s answer to the world-known Madam Tussauds
• Les Folies Bergere. Classic Paris cabaret and people’s theatre
• Musee Gustave Moreau. Museum and former house of this Symbolist painter

Be at one with Opera’s must sees as you stay in one of our Opera apartments.