OPENING HOURS, ACcESS & ADMISSION 

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Opéra

General Information

The Opera Library & Museum was attached to the National Library in 1935. Its origins are the Opera library and archives created in 1866 and the Opera museum which opened to the public in 1881. The current layout of the Opera Library and Museum goes back to1991.

The reading room is housed in the parlour, the temporary exhibitions take place in the lower Rotunda and the permanent exhibition is located in the former smoking room.
  • Café

Palais Garnier

Public entrance :
Corner of rue Scribe and rue Auber

Postal address: 

8 rue Scribe
75009 Paris
Phone: +33(0)1 53 79 59 59

Bus

Lines 20, 21, 27, 29, 45, 52, 66, 68, 95

Metro

Lines 3, 7, 8, (Opéra), 7 et 9, (Chaussée-d’Antin) RER A, (Auber)

 

Opening Hours

  • Monday to Saturday: 10AM – 5PM
  • Closed on Sunday

Please note

Exceptional access on Saturday, July 27, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. via 8, rue du Scribe.
The Opera Library & Museum is closed on bank holidays*
*1 January, Easter Sunday and Monday, 1 and 8 May, Ascension Thursday, Pentecost Sunday and Monday, 15 August, 1 and 11 November, 25 December 

EXHIBITIONS

Open everyday:
10AM - 5PM (latest entrance at 4:30PM)
Please note
The museum is not accessible during exceptional closures of the Palais Garnier.
 
All Opening Hours

Research Library

The Opera Library and archives were founded in 1866 to ensure the organization and conservation of historical and administrative documents owned by the Opera since the creation of the Académie Royale de musique et de danse (Royal Academy of Music and Dance)  by Louis XIV. It was originally placed under the patronage of the Ministry of Fine Arts, attached in 1935 to the National Library and then integrated in the Music Department in 1942. The Library keeps musical, iconographic and archive records from the activity of the Opéra and the Opéra comique and all documents regarding lyric art, dance and circus. The museum is open to the public. The reading room is  accessible to researchers.

Opening hours Research Library

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
10AM
-
5PM		 10AM
-
5PM		 10AM
-
5PM		 10AM
-
5PM		 10AM
-
5PM		 10AM
-
5PM		  

Please note

Document communication stops 30 minutes before the closing of the reading room. 

Day Research pass

6 €

5-Day Research pass   (consecutive or not)

24 €

Unlimited research pass

This pass additionally grants you free access to the Research Library and the General Library reading rooms, exhibitions, and events at the BnF. Valid for 1 year.

.

55 €research pass

Reduced fare

35 €

 

Document consultation 

To access the reading room of the Opera Library, you must be holding a Research Pass. This pass is available online or at the François-Mitterrand and Richelieu libraries.

Passes

  • Day Research Pass
  • 5 Day Research Pass (consecutive or not) 
These two passes grant you free circulation during your day in all reading rooms of the Research Library as well as on all our sites. 
  • Unlimited Research Pass

This pass additionally grants you free access to the Library upper garden reading rooms at the Frnçois-Mitterrand site, exhibitions and events at the BnF. 
The three passes are valid for one year from their delivery date. They are strictly personal.

To know more about the research pass

Before purchasing a pass

You can prepare your visit by consulting our online catalogue or using our Ask a Librarian-SINDBAD service by phone or email.

Access and admission prices

  • You have to be at least 18 years old.
  • You need to show proof that you are conducting academic, professional or personal research. 
Heritage collections consultation is chiefly meant for extended, long-term research. It can also respond to short-term research, especially in case of not being able to find a document in other libraries.
Readers are invited to leave their personal belongings at the entrance of the library. While consulting documents from the Reserve or especially fragile or precious items, only pencils are authorized. 
Please note: A request must be made prior to any communication of documents from the Reserve, addressed to the person in charge by phone or directly in the reading room. 
Consult the prices

How to get an Inscription

The conditions to get an inscription depend on our status and your specific needs/
To know more about inscriptions

Electronic Resources 

The library offers many electronic resources – periodicals, monographs, databases, Gallica and Internet Archives - which can be accessed on-site or online.
To know more about our electronic ressources

Making your visiting experience easy

Cloakroom

You can leave your personal belongings in the cloakroom before your visit (within storage capacity), except valuable and large items.

Access to reading rooms 

On the Richelieu, Opéra and Arsenal sites, in addition to the compulsory use of transparent briefcases, your personal belongings will be visually checked as you leave the reading rooms. 

Please note

Cloakrooms work with 1 or 2 euro coins or with tokens available at the General Information desk. 

Under Plan Vigipirate at ‘Heightened Security/Risk of Attack’ level, security and controls near the Library entrance have been strengthened. Only cabin luggage (55cm × 35cm × 25cm) are accepted inside BnF. 

Consequently, access can take a little longer than normal. We thank you for your understanding. 

Mandatory deposits 

To make your visiting experience easier, some items must be checked at the cloakrooms: 
  • Motorbike helmets 
  • Umbrellas and walking sticks 
  • Backpacks and small luggage 
  • Sharp and harmful objects  
  • Cardboard portfolios 
Please note: Some collections are submitted to specific rules. 
 
[In French] Règlement des espaces ouverts au public