My husband and I are going to be in Vienna late May and really wanted to get a tour of the opera house. The website seems to imply that the tours are already sold out for the entire month of May; but the Rick Steves guidebook implies that they don't sell out and you can just walk up and buy a ticket on the day? Does anyone know if this is true, or are we out of luck?
Posted by
2398 posts
The website of the State Opera says:
Guided tours can only be purchased in our ticket store or 30 minutes before the respective tour on site at the box office (entrance at the corner of Opernring/Operngasse). Please note that only remaining places are available for purchase on site.
I would go there, check the times for English tours, and wait in line on time. Just across the street there is AÏDA, a well-known chain of pastry shops, where you can get a good coffee and cakes to shorten waiting time.
Posted by
OP
21 posts
Thank you, I must have overlooked that! We will give it a try. And thanks for the advice about the bakery... sounds amazing- an excellent idea! :)
Posted by
Chicago
661 posts
Consider going beyond a tour of the opera house: Attend an opera.
In 2015, I went to a performance of Richard Strauss's Salome at the Staatsoper Wien in Vienna. Every seat has a video screen that allows the user to follow the dialogue in one of about 15 languages, including English. You can buy your tickets before you leave the U.S.
I loved it! I'm a classical music fan, but prefer orchestral, chamber and religious music, having attended probably 200 or so concerts. I went to my first opera in Vienna.
Posted by
San Francisco
15373 posts
I have done the tour twice, checked the time for the next desired tour, bought the ticket on the day either cash or credit card at the ticket counter. There was a large crowd (this was summer). After I was let in, went straight to the ticket counter to purchase the ticket, efficient and straight forward.
Posted by
OP
21 posts
Thank you Fred, that is hopeful! Sounds like we aren't out of luck yet.
Craig, that was our plan, unfortunately we are only there a couple of nights and one show was completely sold out already, and the other only had a few really cheap seats left. If we're in the neighborhood we might try to pop in for standing seats for a short time, but I can't easily stand for four hours unfortunately! Maybe next time, I didn't realize how quickly the tickets would sell out!
Posted by
Chicago
661 posts
One last idea: The Wien Staatsoper broadcasts its operas free with seating on a large video screen along pedestrianized Kartner StraBe. It's not the same as being inside, but you could still see and hear the performance.
Posted by
2398 posts
The Wien Staatsoper broadcasts its operas free with seating on a large video screen along pedestrianized Kartner StraBe.
Sorry to disappoint you, but this is not the case anymore (cost cutting).
If you register for this service, you can watch certain performances via video live streaming.
https://play.wiener-staatsoper.at/
Ticket sales for the Staatsoper always start at 10am (local time) on the 1st of a month for two months ahead, e.g., on March 1st for May, on April 1st for June, etc. But you can always pre-order tickets for future performances. You will get a notification if tickets are assigned to you, and you must decide within a given time frame whether you buy the tickets or not.