The Palais Garnier(Opéra) : The palace, often refered to as "l'Opéra", with its somptuous grand staircase, is a monument of the ostentatious wealth of the French Haute Bourgeoisie under the Second Empire (1851-1870). It was built by Charles Garnier, with added decoration from Chagall (1964), who painted a false ceiling. Address : Place de l'Opéra, 9th; phone : 40 01 25 14- Open for visits daily 10am-4.30pm; museum daily 10am-5pm. The Tuileries gardens :
It lies between the Opera and the river, bounded by the vast Place de la Concorde in the west and the Louvre to the east. These gardens have replaced the Tuileries Palace, that burnt down during the 1871 Paris Commune unrest, leaving only the real tennis court, the Jeu de Paume, which is now used for contemporary art shows, and the Musée de l'Orangerie. Address : Entrances along rue de Rivoli, 1st. Open summer daily 7am-9pm ; winter daily 7.30am-7.30pm.