Sydney Opera House, Sydney

Have you ever watched a movie set in Australia that doesn’t include a glimpse of this architectural icon? Not likely. It’s Australia’s top tourist destination and most recognizable landmark, as well as one of the most distinctive examples of 20th-century architecture anywhere. Sydney Opera House is the most “modern” one on this list, having opened in 1973. It’s also the only structure here that was started by one architect— Danish designer Jørn Utzon, who won an international design competition—and finished by another—Aussie Peter Hall, who took over amid construction due to Utzon’s political differences with the government. For the design, Utzon applied bits and pieces from Modern and Expressionist architecture styles, and said that a trip to Mexico to visit Mayan monuments influenced his design too. The Opera House’s most defining feature is the “shells” on its roof, made up of more than one million tiles. While you’re there: Things to see in this metropolis Down Under include Taronga Zoo and Sky Safari, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Circular Quay port and the Royal Botanic Gardens.