Theatro Municipal Rio De Janeiro

Built in 1905 in the style of the Paris Opera, the magnificent Municipal Theater is the home of Rio's opera, orchestra and ballet. Its lavish interior contains many beautiful details – including the stage curtain painted by Italian artist Eliseu Visconti that features portraits of 75 major figures from the arts, such as Carlos Gomes, Wagner and Rembrandt. Guided multilingual tours lasting 45 minutes are offered from Tuesday to Friday (at noon, 2:30pm and 4pm) and on Saturday (at 11am, noon, 1pm and 4pm). Call ahead to confirm availability of an English-speaking guide. It's also well worth coming for a performance.