This 19th-century architectural masterpiece was built by Charles Garnier at the wishes of Emperor Napoleon III. It's located at the Place de l'Opera, a square in Paris's 9th arrondissement.
The insides of the Opéra Garnier boast some stunning Beaux-Arts architecture (the 30-meter high marble Grand Staircase for example). Its intricate interior inspired Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera (and thus Andrew Lloyd Webber's smash-hit musical), making this the perhaps the most famous opera house in the world.