58 Best Performing Arts in Paris, France

Rising up from the Seine like a futuristic ocean liner, Le Seine Musicale answers Paris's desire to compete as one of the world's prime music destinations. The structure's two state-of-the-art concert halls, the largest with a seating capacity of 6,000, feature a range of musical performances, from classical to the legends of jazz and rock (Bob Dylan played the inaugural concert). Behind the sleek mirrored facade—whose solar panels generate enough power to dramatically illuminate the building at night—lie a jazz club, three restaurants, art galleries, and outdoor gardens offering panoramic views of Paris. The 28-acre island on the Seine is technically in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb of Paris, but is easily reached by métro or bus.

The Forum organizes thematic viewings in five state-of-the-art screening rooms, often presenting discussions with directors or film experts beforehand. Archival films and videos, workshops, and lectures are also on the schedule here. Movie tickets cost €7.20, but roundtables, discussions, and access to the film library are free; you can also download the Forum app for smartphones.

Half-price tickets for same-day theater performances are available at Le Kiosque Théâtre's Madeleine location. See the website for information on outlets in Place Raoul Dautry (Montparnasse) and Place des Ternes (Les Grands Boulevards).

Occupying an abandoned factory, Le Lucernaire wins a standing ovation as far as cultural centers are concerned. With three theaters staging a total of six performances per day, plus three movie screens, a bookstore, photography exhibitions, a lively restaurant-bar, and the equally animated surrounding neighborhood of Vavin, it caters to a local audience of young intellectuals.

Formerly Le Desperado, then Les Écoles 21, the refurbished Les Écoles Cinéma Club continues the tradition of presenting version originale American classics and cult films for €9 on two screens.

Formerly the Cirque National Alexis Gruss, Les Folies Gruss remains true to the Cirque à l'Ancienne philosophy, featuring a traditional circus with showy horseback riders, trapeze artists, and clowns. The large-scale production runs mid-October through early March, with performances twice daily at 3 pm and 9 pm. Tickets cost €20 to €80.

This popular dance venue just outside Paris often attracts top-notch international and French companies, such as Blanca Li and Bill T. Jones; it also hosts the cutting-edge EXIT Festival, which runs over 10 days from the end of March.

This mammoth ultramodern facility, designed by architect Carlos Ott and inaugurated in 1989, long ago took over the role of Paris's main opera house from the Opéra Garnier (although both operate under the same Opéra de Paris umbrella). Like the building, performances tend to be on the avant-garde side—you're as likely to see a contemporary adaptation of La Bohème as you are to hear Kafka set to music. Tickets for Opéra de Paris productions run €15–€230 and generally go on sale at the box office a month before shows, earlier by phone and online. Once the doors open, "standing places" can be purchased for €5 from vending machines in the lobby, but you'll need coins or a credit card (no bills) and patience to snag one, as the lines are long. The opera season usually runs September through July; the box office is open Monday through Saturday 11:30–6:30 and one hour before curtain call. If you just want to look around inside, you can also buy tickets for a 90-minute guided tour (€15).

The Chopin Festival and the Solistes Festival strike musical high notes in the Orangerie du Parc de Bagatelle, one of Paris's most beautiful gardens. The former runs from mid-June through mid-July; the latter is held on three consecutive weekends in September. Tickets will set you back €21 to €35.

In July and August, Parc de La Villette shows free open-air movies. Most people pack a picnic; you can also rent deck chairs and blankets for €7 by the entrance.

For free outdoor classical concerts, the Classique au Vert Festival is staged weekends at 4 pm from August to mid-September, drawing fans to the Parc Floral in Bois de Vincennes (entrance to the park is €2.50). This is also the spot that hosts the Paris Jazz Festival each weekend in June and July.

Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, this is one of the world's finest and most expensive auditoriums. It can accommodate 2,400 music lovers, and the adjustable modular seating means you'll be able to see the stage no matter where you sit. Because the hall is home to the Orchestre de Paris, concerts are mostly classical; however, programming includes guest artists and, on weekends, pop, jazz, and world music performances appeal to patrons with more diverse tastes—and smaller budgets. Part of the same complex (formerly known as the Cité de la Musique), Philharmonie 2 features a 1,000-seat concert hall and a 250-seat amphitheater and presents an eclectic range of concerts (some of which are free) in a postmodern setting. The Philharmonie de Paris is a 45-minute métro ride from downtown. If you're driving, there are 600 parking spaces available.

This rock festival, which runs each August on the outskirts of Paris, is one of the largest of its kind in France; past headliners include the Cure, Lana Del Rey, Arcade Fire, Cypress Hill, and the Foo Fighters. A three-day pass is €159.

One of a number of popular cinemas near the Sorbonne, Saint-André des Arts is also one of the best cinemas in Paris. It hosts an annual festival devoted to a single director (like Bergman or Tarkovsky) and shows indie films every day at 1 pm. Some of the latter are part of "Les Découvertes de Saint-André" series, which focuses on the work of young filmmakers; these screenings are followed by a discussion (check the website for details).

The 1,020-seat Salle Gaveau is a perfectly appointed gold-and-white hall with remarkable acoustics and a distinctly Parisian allure. It hosts chamber music, orchestral, piano, and vocal recitals.

Once one of Paris's major classical music venues, these days Salle Pleyel's packed concert calendar focuses mostly on contemporary music, entertainment, and events, as well as hosting the annual César Awards, France's answer to the Oscars. Tickets range from €10–€80.

This theater stages classics by Camus and Baudelaire, as well as occasional shows for children. Performances are in French, but if your language skills are up to it, this is the perfect place to appreciate a classic production.

An example of the innovative activity in the Bastille area, Théâtre de la Bastille has an enviable record as a launchpad for tomorrow's modern-dance stars.

In the heart of the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, this complex includes three theaters, an international student residence community, a casual daytime restaurant, and a park. Conceived in the 1930s with a visionary concept of pacifism and international peace, the Cité U campus is home to thousands of students and researchers from around the world. The theaters host young, avant-garde dance, music, theater, and circus performances, as well as debates, meetings, and workshops. Forty percent of the productions are by foreign artists.

This tiny Rive Gauche venue has been staging the titanic Romanian-French writer Ionesco's The Bald Soprano and The Lesson since 1957: before the COVID-19 pandemic, it held the world record for a nonstop theater run with 19,000 performances viewed by more than 2.5 million people. You can see both shows on the same day for €40; Wednesday shows have English subtitles. Other productions are also mounted, and single tickets cost €28.

Belle Époque superstar Sarah Bernhardt, who directed and performed at this beautiful theater from 1893 to 1899, put the Théâtre de la Renaissance on the map. Big French stars often perform here. Note that the theater is on the second floor, and there's no elevator.

Part of the Théâtre de la Ville, Théâtre des Abbesses is a 400-seat venue in Montmartre. It features lesser-known theater acts, musicians, and up-and-coming choreographers, who often make it onto the program in the Théâtre de la Ville the following year.

Welcome to the wonderfully atmospheric, slightly decrepit home of Peter Brook. The renowned British director regularly delights with his quirky experimental productions in French and, sometimes, English.

This was the scene of 1913's infamous Battle of the Rite of Spring, when police had to be called in after the audience ripped up seats in outrage at Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps score and Nijinsky's choreography. Today Théâtre des Champs-Élysées is elegantly restored and worthy of a visit if only for the architecture. (It's one of Paris's most striking examples of Art Deco.) The theater also hosts first-rate opera and dance performances, along with orchestral, chamber, and Sunday morning concerts.

Located in the former residence of Cardinal Richelieu, this plush, 716-seat, Italian-style theater is bedecked in gold and purple. It specializes in lighter fare, like comedies and theatrical productions aimed at the under-12 set.

Housed in an imposing neoclassical building overlooking the Eiffel Tower, Théâtre National de Chaillot has a trio of venues and a total of 1,600 seats. It's dedicated to experimental, world, and avant-garde drama, dance, and music, or a mix of all three. Major names in dance—like the Ballet Royal de Suède and William Forsythe's company—visit regularly. There are programs for children, too.

This mammoth 18-screen complex is in the Bercy Village shopping area. For sound and seating, it's one of the best.