It’s one of the most impressive opera houses in the world and apart from seeing a performance, the best way to see it is to take one of the guided tours. It was built in 1869 and the guided tours take you to the auditorium, the Gustav Mahler Room, the impressive main staircase, the Marble Room and the Tea Salon. There is also an Opera Museum on the same site which you can pay extra to visit, although we chose just to stick to the Opera House tour. You can’t miss the State Opera House, it’s on the Ring. This is an extract from our free Vienna City Guide.
The tour of the Opera House takes you to most of the public areas, including the auditorium. We were particularly impressed with the layout of the building and beautiful red box seats that surround the auditorium (pictured below). The State Opera House tour including the museum takes place Tuesday to Sunday and adult tickets cost 6.50 Euros. The tour without the Museum takes place on Mondays and adult tickets are 5 Euros (2012 prices). There are usually a handful of tours each day.
To experience a concert in the Opera House, consider the Mozart Concert in Historical Costumes which always gets great reviews from people who’ve been. Check out the latest reviews and prices in US dollars here.
LOCATION & CONTACT
Address: Staatsoper, Goethegasse 1, 1010 Wien, Österreich
Tel: +43 1 51444 2606
The State Opera House is located on the Ring Boulevard. You can get here by walking, by tram or on the Vienna Hop on, Hop off Bus Tour which stops nearby.
MORE ON THE VIENNA STATE OPERA HOUSE
Vienna State Opera – Official Website
Mozart Concert at the State Opera House – Takes place in historical costume
Vienna Hop on, Hop off Bus Tour -Stops at the State Opera House
Vienna Ring Strasse – Wikipedia
More Things To Do In Vienna – From our Tours & Activities pages
Hotels in Vienna – Great rates from Hotels.com
More Vienna Hotels – Massive discounts from Expedia
Vienna Guide Books – Amazon.co.uk (UK)
Vienna Travel Books – Amazon.com (US & Canada)