Four Big Concert Venues in Paris

Here are a few of Paris's biggest concert venues.

Paris La Défense Arena sits just west of the city in Nanterre, about 40 minutes by public transport from the Eiffel Tower, and is the largest indoor arena in Europe. Its seating can be reconfigured for each event, holding 15,000 people in rugby mode and up to 40,000 in concert mode. Big names from France and abroad have played here, starting with the Rolling Stones at the 2017 opening. I saw a symphony concert here in which a live orchestra, conducted by Joe Hisaishi, played music from the Studio Ghibli films. With LED screens, lighting and the occasional bit of staged performance, it felt like a dream from start to finish, and I got goosebumps when the music from My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away began.

The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, in Saint-Denis on the northern edge of Paris, about 45 minutes from the Eiffel Tower by public transport. With roughly 80,000 seats, it is the largest outdoor stadium in the country. It was built for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and hosted the final, in which France beat Brazil 3-0, so it holds a special place in French hearts. It was also a main venue for the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the site of the closing ceremony. I was there for the Olympic closing ceremony, and I still remember Tom Cruise abseiling from the stadium roof and riding a motorbike to the center of the field.

The Philharmonie de Paris is a cultural complex in the Parc de la Villette and a landmark of northeastern Paris. Its spiraling, shimmering aluminum facade can look like a bird with silver feathers or a rolling wave. It was designed by Jean Nouvel, a winner of the Pritzker Prize, often called the Nobel Prize of architecture. Inside, the seating follows the "vineyard" style, designed for superb acoustics: just as vines are planted in even rows, the seats wrap around the stage, so sound travels naturally and reaches every listener equally. And the draw isn't only the concerts. The Philharmonie's stated mission is "to listen, to see, to learn, to discover and to practice music," and it offers a range of music-themed exhibitions and hands-on spaces. I once saw an exhibition here on the history and culture of metal, the first of its kind in France, and finding it in a venue tied to classical music made it all the more fun.

The Olympia, which opened in 1893, is one of the most famous and historic concert halls in Paris. Édith Piaf, the Beatles and Michael Jackson are among the legendary artists who have played its stage, and Piaf has an especially deep connection to it. As the story goes, in 1961, when the Olympia was on the brink of bankruptcy, Piaf stepped in to help despite her failing health, performing there for three months straight, with some shows reportedly free of charge. The Olympia still hosts everything from concerts to other live shows. I once saw a magic show with live music, and its classic, elegant atmosphere stayed with me. If you go, don't forget to take a photo under the famous red neon OLYMPIA sign.