Palais Garnier, Paris

Imagine being completely unknown, then winning an architecture competition and constructing one of the most notable buildings the world has ever seen. That was the case for young French architect Charles Garnier, who was tasked by Emperor Napoleon III with designing an opera house in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Garnier borrowed design elements from various architectural styles, including Baroque, Palladian and Renaissance, and completed the building in 1875. Palais Garnier’s most notable features include its horseshoe-shaped auditorium and the Grand Escalier, a double staircase built of various types of marble that leads to the floors of the theater. The action in the famous book and musical Phantom of the Opera is set at Palais Garnier. Today this opera house is used mostly for ballet, since the Bastille Opéra House was built in 1989 in the 12th arrondissement. While you’re there: Paris’ opera district is a must. After a tour of Palais Garnier, pay a visit to other highlights of the 9th arrondissement, including the Fragonard Perfume Museum, Square l’Opéra-Louis Jouvet to see the Victor Hugo Riding Pegasus statue or À la Mère de Famille, the location of Paris’ most memorable sweets shop. Even the Tuileries Garden and the Place de la Concorde aren’t far away.