Edifice Rex: Like no other landmark, the Sydney Opera House and its signature silhouette symbolize modern Australia. A guide to the icon, inside and out

While 1.5 million people watch the curtain rise on 1,500 performances every year, this building's backstage story has more high drama than any opera staged inside its glass walls. It began 51 years ago with Danish architect Jørn Utzon's competition-winning concept. The original estimated cost of $7 million Australian (about $5 million in U.S. currency) soared to $102 million Australian, and construction dragged on for 14 years. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the building on October 20, 1973, but Utzon had stormed off the project in 1966. Though he had never seen the finished building, in 2002 he agreed to work on renovations.

The Royal Botanic Gardens are a great place to take in views of the Opera House. Enter through the Queen Elizabeth II Gate and walk around the water's edge to Mrs. Macquarie's Point. The other million-dollar snapshot can be taken aboard the commuter ferries to Circular Quay (sydneyferries.info; one-way, $5–$8). The view from atop the Harbour Bridge is even more dazzling: You can do the three-plus-hour climb from dawn until long after dark—though photo taking is prohibited (61-2-8274-7777; www.bridgeclimb.com; $157–$260).

For maximum impact, get up close and personal. The newest tour concentrates on the theaters inside the iconic sails (61-2-9250-7111; sydneyoperahouse.com; tours, $28–$132). As a performing arts center, the Opera House runs the gamut artistically, featuring both modern productions and the classics of ballet, opera, and theater. Culture vultures in search of additional venues can walk by the buskers of Circular Quay to the edgy exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art (mca.com.au), and then around Hickson Road to the Sydney Dance Company (sydneydancecompany.com), focusing on modern works, and the Sydney Theatre Company, where the star power begins at the top, thanks to the STC's co–artistic director Cate Blanchett (sydneytheatre.com.au).

The landmark is also a gateway to the kind of good living that Sydneysiders revel in. The area is a culinary mecca, beginning with the Opera House's restaurant, Guillaume at Bennelong (61-2-9241-1999; entrées, $34–$128). A short walk away are high-end eateries such as Aria (1 Macquarie St.; 61-2-9252-2555; three-course prix fixe, $72), Peter Doyle at the Quay (Overseas Passenger Terminal; 61-2-9252-3400; entrées, $21–$41), and Quay (Overseas Passenger Terminal; 61-2-9251-5600; four-course prix fixe, $132). A popular pre-theater drinking hole, Opera Bar is on the complex's lower level (61-2-9247-1666; entrées, $8–$9). There are also a number of swish bars in the area, like ECQ (61 Macquarie St.) and the literally cool Minus 5° Ice Lounge (2 Opera Quays). In the Rocks, Sydney's oldest quarter, the Heritage Belgian Beer Café (135 Harrington St.) and the Löwenbräu Keller (Playfair and Argyle Sts.) are squeezed amid the tourist shops.

The Opera House's iconic stature is most palpable when it hosts major events. The forecourt is the stage for rock concerts, annual Australia Day celebrations (January 26), and New Year's Eve, when half a million people jam the harbor for fireworks displays.

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Where to stay
High-end harbor hotels such as the Park Hyatt (61-2-9241-1234; sydney.park.hyatt.com; doubles, $605–$915) and the InterContinental (61-2-9253-9000; sydney.intercontinental.com; doubles, $295–$520) deliver the best views of the Opera House.

Did you know…
In 1960, Paul Robeson became the Opera House's first performing artist when he climbed the scaffolding to sing "Ol' Man River" for the construction workers eating lunch.