My 3 friends and I will be in Budapest at the end of a Viking Romantic Danube trip July 25th-27th. I'm looking for some things to do in the evening and see that La Traviata is playing at the opera house. If we know little about operas, would we be bored or is this a good one for newbies to experience, especially since it's a more modern version? We're trying to pack light. Could we get away with wearing a blouse, nice capris and sandals? I'd like to take pictures of the auditorium and rest of the building before or after the performance. We don't want to spend a lot of money on tickets. I've read that you can't access other parts of the building if you're in the balcony. Is this true? Would it be better to buy seats at the back of the main floor or in one of the upper boxes to be able to explore all areas of the theater and take pictures before the performance? Which offers better views/acoustics/seat comfort?
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
17918 posts
Could we get away with wearing a blouse, nice capris and sandals?
No
Go on the tour for your pictures. Cheaper and more appropriate. Here is the site for the tickets. https://opera.jegy.hu/venue/magyar-allami-operahaz/subcategory/tarlatvezetes-69/2 they only sell a week in advance. Ive done the tour a few times and bought the tickets about 2 hours prior.
Posted by
London, UK
313 posts
If you do decide to attend the performance, La Traviata is a good one for newbies, but do read up on it beforehand so that you know what’s going on. Oh, and you might need tissues!
Posted by
Arlington TX
406 posts
And the Opera House is beautiful and well worth the tour. Enjoy Budapest, it is wonderful.
Posted by
PA
2740 posts
Yes you can get any with whatever you have to wear that is decent and comfortable. There is no dress code. The show will (at least last time I was there) have English and Hungarian supertitles. La Traviata is a pretty relaxed opera for non-opera goers. It's not long -maybe about two hours of performance, and there are intermissions, the plot is simple (but of course contrived), the music is great with a couple show-stoppers.
It is not a huge auditorium, and virtually all seats are good. Last time I was there I did note that there was no problem with taking pictures of the house before the performance. If you are not opera fans I would not bother with the tour.
Posted by
TX, USA
4078 posts
They will not refuse to let you in if you are wearing shorts and tennis shoes, most likely. That doesn’t make it appropriate. OP, that response is not directed at your question. And I personally appreciate you asking.
I have been 3 times in the last 16 months, so not a huge sample; but because this comes up regularly, I people-watch. Most women have been in dresses or, at the least, dressy pantsuits. I HAVE seen sparkly fancy but that has been more unusual. Men have been in sport coat or shirt and tie. If I hope to go, I pack a dress or a nice skirt. In summer, since I travel with several easy summer dresses for coolness, it is not hard to have one that looks somewhat dressy. Sandals are fine, based on my observations. For all these occasions, I have been gone 6-7 weeks at a time and have found room in my 20” suitcase for a dress (and shoes if necessary). I have done this for Prague and Milan as well.
If you sit on the floor, it is easy to take pictures before or after the performance (or during intermission). For a really fun time, with 4 of you, you could buy a whole box if any are still available. With a box, you have access to the fancy refreshment room at intermission that opens to the balcony. But the tour is good to see as much of the opera house as you would at a performance, plus there is a short performance of several songs at the end of the tour, which is fun.
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
17918 posts
The best dressed will be Hungarian. The worst dressed will be tourists. Does that carry any meaning? There are Matinees that are intentionally more casual. And those in the balcony it is generally accepted will be dressed a little less properly. If you get a box, everyone around you will be upscale (unlesd another tourist bought a box next to yours).
Posted by
alameda, ca, usa
2602 posts
I am an opera buff and saw Otello at the Budapest Opera House in 2016...I was astonished by how affordable a seat on the main floor, mid-house, was--perhaps $50 US for what would have easily cost $250 at the San Francisco Opera. I had a cold so did not feel inclined to try to explore other areas, and also I had toured the opera house on my first visit in 2014--it is quite lovely. As I was also seeing a light musical comedy at the nearby Operettszinhaz (you might see what they have on, their shows are delightful and it's full of locals) during this trip I decided I wanted to look as nice as I would at home so I brought a dress, tights and a pair of heels--they added perhaps 2 lbs to my luggage but I felt perfectly dressed so it was worth it to me.
Posted by
OP
10 posts
Thanks for the replies. I'll make sure we're all dressed appropriately. Now I need to decide if we should get tickets towards the back of the floor ($55), or upper boxed seats ($58-$66) where you say we'd have access to an outside patio at intermission.
Posted by
TX, USA
4078 posts
Both have great views, so it’s really about the fun of sitting in a box. For some people, that would not factor in, but I liked it. And the intermission refreshments aren’t included - I wondered about that my first time. Truthfully I think you get better photos from the floor. I have done the box twice and the floor once. There’s no wrong answer as regards seeing the opera. And the Hungarian applause is an experience all its own. :)
Posted by
USA
148 posts
TexasTravelMom - I love the comment about the Hungarian applause. True. and, it's not just at the opera, I've seen (heard?) it at concerts, traveling shows (Jesus Christ Superstar! sung in Hungarian, of course) and on Margit Island. The comment about cost for the opera is right on as well - it is a bargain - much of it dates back to the days when communism funded local arts and entertainment for a song. I just paid $240.00 per seat for Don Pasquale this coming May at La Scala in Milan...we paid c $75 per seat in a box at BP Opera House in October/'23. .
KCowley1 - you'll be in BP in the summer - I would assume that the dress standard maybe less upscale then as opposed to the fall/winter season...but I've never been to the OH in summertime so that is an assumption.
No matter what - it is a grand building - I'm sure you will be pleased, but if you do get bored, there are intermissions and you can always leave (but, you'll miss that applause!!) and still be better for the experience!
Posted by
Magyarország / Rep of Texas
17918 posts
TTM, I know you have been since the renovation. It's stunning:
https://diningguide.hu/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/feszty-bar-berecz-valter2.jpg
and I thought this was nice, the first audiance in the renovated theater was all students: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FNpXb4SXEAM89kE?format=jpg&name=large
and one more of the bar area: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fltqv5vXoAQo74h?format=jpg&name=large
I am buying season tickets in a few weeks, let me know if you want to join in on the purchase.
I am going to look at season tickets for the Eiffel Art Studio too. Another pretty spectacular renovation of an old railway repair center, I think the largest in Europe when Eiffel designed it (a lot of Eiffel work in Budapest). Its fast becoming the Fine Arts Venue for Hungarians. Here is the front lobby: https://pb2.jegy.hu/imgs/system-4/program/000/128/586/feketehazy-korseta-eiffeltour-original-177250.jpg But to get some idea of the scale, this is the whole building https://pongractelep.hu/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020.08.19_Eiffel-Muhelyhaz_galaest_01.jpg
