Since seeing an actual performance here is sold out and costs as much as a car payment, take a guided tour instead. For €7,50 you get a tour throughout the opera house from the theater, the corridors and lavish intermission rooms. Our guide explained in great detail of what goes into each performance. The tour moves a bit faster than you'd like but you do absorb a lot of history. I was also shocked to see how small the actual mezzanines are and how uncomfortable the seats are. read more

See all

The Vienna Opera House is a top tier site in Vienna and it's best to actually see an Opera at the place instead of just touring it. And the best way to do that is line up for standing room only tickets ahead of time. (Tickets go on sale 80 minutes ahead. I got there around 45 minutes early and it worked out fine). Opt for the Parterre section as the view is far superior to the two other standing areas higher up. The price is only 4 euro! (3 Euro if higher up but that extra Euro is worth it) After buying your tickets head for the section and tie a scarf at your railing to reserve your spot. Find a spot with a little electronic screen under the railing as you'll be able to turn on subtitles in English for the performance. All in all my wife and I loved it. It's a steal. (And if 3 hours of Opera is too much just duck out early - you only paid 4 euro!) read more

A must, especially if Placido Domingo participates in the opera. I was not fortunate enough to experience his tenor voice -- that would be too lucky -- but he was the conductor and the orchestra played Puccini's opera beautifully. The establishment is no where near as large as the Metropolitan Opera House, but bigger does not necessarily mean better. Austria, in particular Vienna, is either the birthplace or residence of the world's most prominent classical composers of the 17th and 18th centuries, so music is in her soul. Buy the tickets in advance if you don't want standing room tickets, which is also a gamble purchase. The less pricey tickets are either on the side balcony with obstructed views or in the nosebleed seats, but they're affordable and you enjoy the performance seated. Personally, I'd rather not wait in line hours before the performance in hopes of getting those tickets, which are sold only 80 minutes prior. Bottom line, if you're in Vienna, go. Music is a part of life. read more

Went tonight and enjoyed tremendously. Best opera on the planet!!! Great seats, small overall seating but outstanding acoustics. read more

My husband and I decided to see a ballet- the Mayerling- a week ago when we were in Vienna. We were excited since it's been a couple of years since we have seen a ballet and it was an excuse to get semi-dressed up, which we had only done a couple of times in our 3 months of travelling. The outside of the theater room is beautiful. The steps and archways are adorned with angels and have a lot of great photo opportunities. The theater itself is mediocre- there is nothing wrong with it at all but we were just expecting a magnificently adorned hall after seeing the outside. I rationalized to myself that they are just trying to not take away from the beauty of the performance. The performance may have been beautiful, had we been able to see it. We sat in the first row of the second section, paid 89 euros a ticket and still were not able to see a damn thing. I may be 5'4", but my husband is 5'11" and he could not see anything either! After twenty minutes, I sat with my legs under me just to give me some height. We spend two hours jerking our heads from side to side. There is not enough of a slope between our seats and the seats in front of us. It wasn't just us, our whole row felt the same way. Whatever you do, do not get row 14! I had half a mind to ask for a partial refund for time wasted and my legs numbing every few minutes as I tried to elevate myself! The building is beautiful, the sets were gorgeous (what I saw at least), the drinks and snacks at intermission were reasonably priced, but if we had to do it over, we wouldn't have gone. read more

Who knew that one could watch a world-class opera or ballet in this beautiful, grand state opera house for 3 or 4 euros? Well, my source and all the others who were lining up with me when I came to watch a ballet and, at a later time, an opera. If you could endure lining up an hour or two before the start of the show and standing up for the whole duration of the performance, then you could enjoy watching a ballet or an opera at the Wiener Staatsoper for a cheap price. It may be tiring for the legs, but it is worth it. read more

I had a very negative experience here, so I contacted them to share what happened, and they never wrote me back. This 'one star' is for their lack of customer service, and not responding to me. read more

I loved everything about my experience at the Staatsoper - with the exception of the subtitles screen, but more on that later... I went to see Turandot and it was an amazing opera. The actors did a great job and I loved the show. The Staatsoper itself was very impressive. I took the guided tour earlier in the day and was able to learn a lot about the history of the building. I definitely recommend doing this before seeing an opera. My only gripe is that the subtitles screen is in front of the seats - I had to keep looking up at the stage and down at my screen so many times, that I gave up towards the end of the opera. Not only was I missing the show every time I looked down, but I was developing a crick in my neck! ;p At the Sydney Opera house, the subtitles are above the stage, so there was no need to keep looking back and forth between the stage and a small screen in front of you. I much rather prefer this. *Although*, I do understand that English is the primary language in Australia, and the Staatsoper needed the opera translated to many different languages due to the diverse audience. Overall a great experience - I will definitely go see another opera if I'm ever back in Wien. read more

See all

The famous Opera house of Vienna, centrally located by Karlsplatz, with lots of trams passing by. There is under ground parking options (but seriously, just go there by public transportation since a lot of lines drop you right in front) Overall experience is 3, based on loving opera in general and having been to a few opera houses. The inside of the opera house has some very nice rooms with beautifully decorated ceilings (not all), and the main stairway is pretty, but do not think you can walk around the opera house during intermission or so to view all the nice rooms because first, it feels like a maze, and second, they do not let you go very many places (restrictions). Any option for drink or snack (little open faced sandwiches) will make you bankrupt, so do not go hungry or thirsty. Of course a line to the ladies' bathroom (not sure about men), so also don't drink too much before! What would give this Opera a 1 (or zero if Yelp would allow it) is the seating. I do not know which idiot decided that a railing bar at the end of the stair way should go up high to seating level vision level, so that the view is blocked, no matter how you lean on your seat. So do not think purchasing a seat near the stair case on the first row is a good idea, in fact you will end up having a horrible experience, and will want to ask for your money back. In fact, Seems like there are a lot of seats in the opera house that would be uncomfortable, including the side wings. Try and get as much a center seat as possible. I also think the inside looks like plaster that a kid put together. It may have been the fashion at the time of construction and I am just a gothic or modern architecture snob. However, a few positives. Coat check is free, although very busy (they are effective though), and what would have gotten the Staatsoper 5 stars is the philharmonic; they were just spectacular. And funny. One guy would put his horn down and text on his phone throughout. With my view being blocked, I would sometimes look down his way through the unblocked part, and have a good laugh. Something else to note (not a plus or a minus, just a note), there is no screen above the stage for translation of any sort. Overall: If you have a choice, go to Volksoper. All the seats look fairly good, faster getting in and out, bathrooms on multiple levels and relatively free, a screen above the stage with following text, and also good philharmonic. read more

a MUST SEE if you want a taste of european royal opulence! amazing architecture, gilded ceilings, gorgeous chandeliers and paintings tickets//*** booking tickets online was easy and we picked them up at will call. BEWARE of scalpers that hang outside of the opera house! *notice* they wear these amusing mozart costumes experience//***** when we were led to our seats..we didn't realize we bought box seats...where we lowered the average patron's age by about 20 years =P we were lucky enough to be seated in the first row where each patron gets a private screen w/ subtitles in your chosen language we had a pleasant conversation with the other people (ALSO from the states!) the father had spent a few years in austria and wanted his children to experience some of its culture on their vacation! :note: only the first row of the seats in the box has full visibility of the stage the second and third rows almost can't see anything in comparison (i *think* other sections could be a better alternative) dining//***** during intermission and there were plenty of snacks and drinks available, just be prepared for lines! read more

I was fortunate enough to actually see a performance in this beautiful opera house in Vienna. If you plan to travel to Austria, make sure to set aside some time to visit this beautiful landmark. The acoustics are amazing and the interior is absolutely breathtaking. read more

I can not believe i have not been inside the Stadtsoper before, Damn i really like it. What a beautiful building this is with fantastic acoustics in the opera room. There are no words i can find that would do justic to the very beautifully design biulding, inside and out.Watching an Opera here is a pleasurable experence. This is a MUST for everyone visiting Vienna. read more

The performance was really good. We enjoyed L'ELISIR D'AMORE. Our sittings ware on the main floor. The sound and viewing were really good. Though it was extremely hot. Also, the corridors out of the main hall are small and hot. Vary hard to get any drinks, no chance to get a table unless you reserved it before. read more

We waited in line and got standing-room tickets for a show we never heard of (Simone Boccanegra.) I guess it was worth it... but if you're not an opera person, it gets a little old after about 3 minutes. read more

I still cannot believe I was in the Vienna Opera House! It is hard to imagine all the famous composers, especially Mozart, and performers who have walked the floors of the magnificent and majestic opera house. It is stunning. Our tour guide was super great and you can tell she loves it there. We learned so much and I even got the opportunity to sing back stage to see how immense the space is! What a dream! read more

I came to see the Anna Bolena opera, one of my favorite history stories of all time. I got in line an hour before show time to wait for the standing room ticket for 3 Euros. This is a great deal for the poor college student (I'm definitely broke from paying for grad school), with the caveat that you do have to stand the entire time (free workout at the Opera!)...but when else will you get to go to one of the most beautiful opera houses in the world for such a bargain price? Also, you don't have to stay the entire time if you really don't want to. There's an intermission halfway through, which was after the first hour and a half for the show I went to. read more

The state opera is a very popular venue in Vienna. For budget travelers, it may be too expensive. There are standing tickets you can buy for only 3 Euros, however, you may not be able to see the show as it is crowded and many obstacles can block your view. I saw the Nutcracker, and it was good, however, somewhat modernized with silly virtual 3D graphics screening. If you want to experience this venue you will need to pay at least 20 Euros. read more

With box seats to see La Traviata, it was a wonderful evening! It is a little stuffy, but the whole experience was well worth the price of admission read more

Stayed in Vienna for Christmas and decided to go see the Nutcracker at the Vienna opera house. It was absolutely stunning. I can't recommend this enough. read more

Be aware of the cheap (€11) "partial" view seats on the side balconies...If you are from US or UK and used to "partial view" meaning that you will be able to see at least 80% of the stage you are up for a very unpleasant surprise. We were sitting on the 2nd row seats 4-5 on the side balcony last night hoping to enjoy Grieg's "Peer Gynt". If you sit comfortably in your seat...you can see one row of the orchestra and a tiny corner of the stage. If you move as far as you can in your seat and stretch your neck - you can see about half, unfortunately people in the first row have similar problem and they bend over the railing to be able to get a decent view - and we saw about 1/3 of the stage. Needless to say we couldn't enjoy the ballet. When I went to complain during the intermission (and I wasn't alone complaining), the lady in the office said "what do you expect from €11 tickets, those are just for listening". In the end I felt like a tourist that was just taken advantage of by unscrupulous cab driver...My advice - if you want to enjoy Vienna Staatsoper on the cheap go for a standing orchestra spots. read more

the building is spectacular inside and outside! i was lucky that i got to see hansel and gretel in december! this is a must