The Nice Opera House blings like an Emirati throne room. A double wing of a dozen spectator boxes rise three storeys high, like Milan’s La Scala. And out front a marble lobby towers 5m, like the foyer of the Paris Ritz. Such splendour comes as no surprise. That’s because the Opera House was designed by architects Charles Garnier (the brains behind the Casino de Monte-Carlo) and François Aune (who studied under frequent Nice resident Gustave Eiffel, of Tower fame). It’s the kind of building that beguiles even without music, so much so that guided tours take place on Mondays for €5 a visit.
Better value are €10 ‘Seats in the Gods’ performance tickets for an opera, concert, recital or show. A moveable stage allows Nice Opera House to host scores of actors at once. That means they can perform blockbusters like Verdi’s Aida, which kicked off proceedings back in 1885. More avant-garde shows include concerts by the Israeli-Palestinian ensemble, the East & West Jerusalem Orchestra, as well as a full opertic season. Want a box? As posh seats cost up to €100, you’d be wise to bring your own Maltesers.