Opéra (9th Arrondissement)
Opéra is where the Right Bank goes to work. Behind the Palais Garnier the boulevards are lined with bank headquarters, insurers, law firms and the big department stores, and two stations make it the best-connected base in Paris: Auber on the RER A and Haussmann–Saint-Lazare on the RER E both run to La Défense in minutes, and the Roissybus to Charles de Gaulle leaves from Rue Scribe.
Mornings start with a coffee on Place de l'Opéra before the offices open. Lunch is a serious business around here — a table at a historic restaurant on Place Gaillon, or a quick plate at a century-old bouillon on the Grands Boulevards when you are on your own. After work, office crowds fill the bars on Rue Daunou.
The downside: this is not a neighbourhood that feels lived-in, the pavements are packed by day and the area goes quiet late in the evening. Ask for a room away from the boulevards.
Local picks
For Business
1Before workPalais GarnierWalk around the opera house before the offices open, when Place de l'Opéra is still empty. It is the landmark everyone uses for meeting points, so learn its sides — the Roissybus stop is on Rue Scribe, on the west side.
2Breakfast meetingCafé de la PaixThe grand café on the corner of Place de l'Opéra and Boulevard des Capucines has been a meeting place since the 19th century. Book a table inside for a breakfast meeting — the terrace is noisier.- 3Gifts and a viewGaleries LafayetteThe flagship department store on Boulevard Haussmann is the fastest place to buy a gift for a client or a forgotten shirt. Go up to the rooftop terrace for a view over the opera roofs.
4Business lunchDrouantA classic French restaurant on Place Gaillon, where the jury of the Goncourt literary prize has met since 1914. It suits a client lunch — book ahead and ask for a quieter table.
5Break between meetingsPassage JouffroyA glass-roofed 19th-century arcade off Boulevard Montmartre, full of small shops. It is a dry, quiet shortcut when it rains and a good place to clear your head before the next meeting.
6Quick dinner aloneBouillon ChartierA huge, loud dining room from 1896 with waiters in black waistcoats and simple French dishes at low prices. It gets busy at peak times, so come early to avoid the queue.
7After workHarry's New York BarA wood-panelled bar on Rue Daunou, open since 1911, that claims to have invented the Bloody Mary. It is a classic place for a drink with colleagues after the last meeting.- Getting aroundOpéra · Auber · Haussmann–Saint-LazareThe RER A from Auber and the RER E from Haussmann–Saint-Lazare reach La Défense in about ten minutes. Metro lines 3, 7 and 8 stop at Opéra, line 14 at Saint-Lazare goes to Orly airport, and the Roissybus runs to Charles de Gaulle from Rue Scribe.
- Where to stayLook for a hotel within five minutes of Opéra, Auber or Saint-Lazare, which gives you the RER to La Défense and a direct line to one of the airports. Rooms on the boulevards can be noisy, so ask for the courtyard side, and check that the room has a real desk.
Did you know?
| Opened in 1875 The Palais Garnier took 14 years to build and opened in January 1875. |
| A competition won at 35 Charles Garnier, then a little-known architect, won the design competition for the new opera in 1861. |
| A lake under the stage A water tank under the opera, built to steady the foundations on wet ground, inspired the lake in The Phantom of the Opera. |
