Oper / Staatsoper, Vienna

A visit to Vienna would not be complete without a night out at a theater or an opera house. You are spoilt by choice here, among the most famous institutions are the Burgtheater, the Volkstheater, Volksoper, Wiener Staatsoper and the Akademietheater. Tickets can usually be pre-ordered by Internet; if you just show up one hour before the start, tickets may be sold at reduced prices.

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Vienna is known for classical music, gardens, parks, castles, museums aside - er- from coffee shops and domestic politics. Only the best musicians perform at the Wiener Staatsoper.

If you would like to make your visit memorable, bring a formal dress/suit with you (a simple black dress for a woman can be worn to parties, concerts). Formal attire is worn by locals they go enjoy classical music. Like in many highly respected concert halls, you will not be allowed to enter if you come late and may only do so during the break.

You can buy tickets online. In many cases, the low-priced seats are sold out. You may take wish to buy the available tickets directly at the site hours before hand or buy from shops which sell them.

Tickets can be bought from the Wien Staatsoper (in summer 2009)
starting 17 August
Monday thru Friday - between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Saturdays: between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m.
closed on Sundays

or in

Operngasse 2, 1010 Wien:

Opening hours of ticket booths from July 1 to August 15:
Monday thru Friday - between 10 am and 2 pm
Closed on Saturday, Sunday and holidays

Starting 16 August
Monday thru Friday: between 8 am and 6 pm
Saturdays and Sundays: between 9 am and 12 p.m.

Wow...I can't believe that I actually had a great time at my first opera. The setting was the Volksoper Wien and the opera was the "Magical Flute/Die Zauberflöte" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. We had great seats (and got them at a very good price) which provided awesome views of the performance. Now I’ve got to admit that jetlag started to kick in during the 1st half of the performance...but after the break and having the opportunity to stretch, we regrouped and enjoyed the show. Bottom line, if you visit Vienna, you must take in an opera (in addition to all the other things you want to do), and the price is not bad at all...$55.30 euro (approximately 67.30/USD) per ticket.

Wiener Staatsoper - one of the symbols of this city. No wonder – this building is located in city old part. It was built in 1861-1869. The most popular and most professional performances take place there. It is associated with famous musicians that visited or lived in Vienna. Even people, who haven t visited Vienna, easily could say that this city is the capital of European classic music and Opera can prove it. It is pity, I haven t been inside it, maybe other time :)

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We bypassed all of the Motzart clad salesman (who will tell you there is no standing room tickets) and enjoyed walking though the opera house, seeing a performance and witnessing the locals in all of their finery. Exactly 80 minutes before the performance starts they will start selling tickets. If it is a popular performance, people will start lining up 3 hours before the tickets are sold. We were there in late October and the performance that evening was a ballet on a rainy Wednesday night, so we got in line about 30 minutes before the ticket booth opened. There are 500 tickets available and the Opera House is small, so every spot is a good one. Find the door on the left side of the Opera House that says Standing Tickets (see photo)
We paid 5 Euros for the balcony level. Bring a scarf and tie it to the railing where you plan on standing. You are free to leave and return at any point during the performance. No one will move or take your place or your scarf.
If 5 Euros is too much to spend, there are also chairs outside with a big sceen to watch the performance outside!

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One of the great cultural landmarks in Vienna is the Staatsoper (State Opera House) located in the 1st district. Work commenced on the building in 1861 and was completed in 1869, following plans drawn up by architects August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll. The exterior is in the Neo-Renaissance style.

The Wiener Staatsoper is one of the busiest opera houses in the world -- producing 50 to 60 operas per year in approximately 200 performances. Tickets can be purchased in ticket offices nearby or online.

If you go via Ring strase your first stop probably will be Opera. Vienna opera is the world most famous and if you are Mozart's or Strauss fun you must visit and feel the magic world of music. This state opera offers a program that change daily: more than 60 operas and ballets during the year. The Opera House was built in 1862 and was the first building constructed in the Ring.

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Vienna Opera House (Wiener Staatsoper) is located in the city centre, where the pedestrian area starts. The beautiful building was build in 1869, heavily bombed during World War II, and then rebuilt ten years later.