Wiener Staatsoper - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)
Wiener Staatsoper
Wiener Staatsoper
4.5
About
Vienna's internationally renowned opera offers nearly 300 performances each year.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Inner City
In Vienna's best-known district, pedestrian boulevards Kärntner Strasse and Graben connect you with landmarks such as the Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera), Vienna’s iconic Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral) and the vast compound of Hofburg, the Habsburgs’ former Imperial Palace. Peek down side streets such as Annagasse and Weihburggasse, and Graben’s Seilergasse and Habsburggasse, to get a feel for the center. The Imperial Apartments and the refreshingly demystifying Sissi Museum are must-dos at Hofburg. Spacious squares such as Am Hof and Freyung often host beautiful seasonal and antiques markets.
How to get there
  • Karlsplatz • 3 min walk
  • Karlsplatz • 3 min walk
Reach out directly
See what travelers are saying
  • Clairesc06
    Crawley, United Kingdom91 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Book a tour - it's well worth it
    A must do in Vienna, sadly we were unable to see a performance but we did the next best thing & did a guided tour (definitely advisable to prebook) which was great. Our guide was knowledgeable & passionate & gave us a real insight into the history of the place. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written May 21, 2023
  • Amy M
    16 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wonderful Tosca!
    What a stunning building - definitely worth a visit, especially if you are able to get tickets to a performance. We were lucky to get excellent seats to a performance of Tosca, and it was the highlight of the holiday. Get there early to have a drink, enjoy the exquisite decor and take some photos. Nearly on par with the Garnier... and a word of advice: make an effort to dress up and enjoy it. The clothes being worn by patrons were as wonderful as the costumes on stage.
    Visited May 2023
    Written May 24, 2023
  • Tina_Lisina
    Lisbon, Portugal3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Classic and modern mix
    Amazing interior! On our visit we went for a tour guide and also for a ballet performance Goldberg variation! My boyfriend loves the ballett a lot, I am more of an opera person, but still liked the performance. Modern and entertaining! It's great to seat in the lodge, you have then more intimate experience and don't have to cue at the garderobe)
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 28, 2023
  • Travelleronwheels
    United Kingdom203 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great performances and venue
    I visited the Opera House twice during my trip to Vienna, once to see a ballet and the second time to see an opera. Both performances were excellent. The building itself was rebuilt during the last century following a fire but, although some of the facilities were obviously modernised, the original layout and atmosphere were retained. It is an impressive auditorium with great acoustics. Visit if you have the opportunity.
    Visited May 2023
    Traveled solo
    Written June 15, 2023
  • 𝓝𝓪𝓽𝔂 ® 👑
    Moscow, Russia119,265 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Opera
    The opera is the largest opera house in Austria. The theater was built in 1869 by architect August Sikkard von Sikkardsburg. The interior decoration and interiors were designed by Eduard van der Nüll.
    Visited June 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 9, 2023
  • Robert C
    Canterbury, United Kingdom58 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Tour of the Opera House
    This is the closed period for opera but they give tours in many languages. The wise person books on line in good time. If you get there earlier than the 15 minutes suggested, you my be lucky to sit on the steps at the start of the tour. Any later you will be green with envy as you see those sitting while you wait in what was for us just over 30C! The tour in English was very well and comprehensively presented. The young male tour guide was informative and handled questions well and gave a very good understanding of the operational side of the Opera House as well as showing off its regal assets. The blend of contemporary technology with the classical ambience came over in spades. That the public purse keeps 50% of this renowned centre of music going is a great accolade the nation's support for music. If only for the tour, it is worth getting in the building and seeing and feeling it.
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written August 22, 2023
  • Connie H
    Spearfish, South Dakota35 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wow! What an experience!
    The Wienerstaatsoper is beautiful and well-appointed. The music, singing and orchester themselves were world-class magnificent. The set was minimalistic and really detracted from the overall experience. The house was very hot, stifling. We loved the monitors at each seat which provided the text of the opera in your choice of languages!
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 7, 2023
  • Basilisk
    Basel, Switzerland82 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The Total Viennese Opera Experience
    We attended a performance of Die Frau ohne Schatten, which had its premiere a hundred years ago or so in this opera house. My bucket list includes the whim of seeing operas in every major opera house in Europe. The Wiener Staatsoper did not disappoint. Beautiful opera house. Wonderful musical performance. Major Gripe: It was very, very difficult to obtain tickets. This was not my first choice. But the operas for an entire week were sold out. I can't blame this on the Wiener Staatsoper, but if you are traveling to Vienna, plan way, way ahead of your trip.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written November 21, 2023
  • PHANYC2011
    New York City, New York39 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A glamorous experience
    We go to a lot of plays, musicals and other performances but had never been to the opera. Was never high on the list of things to do but figured Vienna would be a good place to change that. Loved the entire experience. The opera house is beautiful, there are tablets with translation and at intermission you could have a reserved table with your drink & canapés or whatever you ordered ready to save time. We had the loge seats (the boxes) and that was quite special. Personally loved seeing the orchestra in action. I can’t judge the opera itself nor the stage production but even if you’re not an opera buff, it’s an experience if you’re into the arts.
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written January 15, 2024
  • susvegara
    Madrid, Spain1,885 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    one of my bucketlist checks done. Unbelievable
    One of the most amazing buildings in the world. Beautiful on the outside, should see the terrace, but astonishing on the inside. Was lucky to attend an opera performance recently and it was one of my wishes come true. Also the people that work in it, couldn't be more accommodating. A night I'll never forget for sure. Buy tickets in advance and even if it is in the upper areas, sound and view are great. It's an experience you won't regret.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with friends
    Written February 21, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles8,172 reviews
Excellent
5,481
Very good
1,928
Average
497
Poor
129
Terrible
137

Pauline M
South Queensferry, UK15 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Couples
I contacted the opera house prior to our visit to ask if we could prebook the guided tour I was advised this was not possible and to just turn up at the stipulated time, this we did along with in excess of at least four hundred people on 14 February! Instead of turning people away everyone who turned up were put on the tour. We were split into groups depending on language and in our group alone were more than 70 people! The tour guide did her best under very difficult circumstances and actually asked us to make a complaint to management. It was an absolute shambles and not only a totally waste of money spoilt an afternoon on what to that time had been a wonderful break in Vienna. From the little we could also hear from the tour guide any opportunity the Opera House can make money even the smallest amounts ie from the tours they capitalise on totally devaluing the beautiful opera house. Until the tour numbers are limited to a more manageable number ie no more than 15 I would totally avoid and needs to be bookable in advance to avoid what happened on 14 February 2020.
Written February 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

david s
netanya, israel536 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
Learning from past experience three years ago, in which have hardly seen anything being seated at one of the balconies, this time have bought a ticket for a fairly good seat on row 10 in the middle of the hall, for the Salome opera by Richard Strauss. The opera was full, practically sold out, which was an owe inspiring feeling, seeing so many people craning their heads with obvious anticipation. Am no expert on music and certainly not on operas, but in my opinion the plot was sickening and I couldn't identify the art in it, in spite of the intricate music combinations. Richard Strauss could be an important composer, but his choices for what topics to compose the music could be questionable.
Written January 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Grover R
Pensacola, FL18,123 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019
The building is one of the most famous Opera Houses in Europe and a must see; however, to get the full experience go for a show. In the summer, the venue rotates between ballet and opera. My daughter danced as a girl so we chose the ballet.

We bought our tickets online months before the visit. I'll admit I really did not know what I was doing as you bid for tickets in German. However, I put out a number I thought worth the visit and got 2 seats in 2 different boxes, one on each side front row. They were great and I'm not sure there is a bad seat in the house.

The interior is impressive and rivals Paris. Like Paris the stairwell and front foyer are both impressive spaces. We also enjoyed the outside arcade during intermission. Additionally, we checked out other seats during the intermissions. The ballet was a little unique in that it was 3 separate dances and not one continuous show. Still we enjoyed.

Again a great building with a better experience seeing a show. Make this something to see in Vienna.
Written February 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gail C
Loule, Portugal16 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
The opera Elektra was amazing. The opera house is stunningly beautiful as expected. My advise would be to buy the most expensive tickets you can afford to guarantee a good view of the stage and the orchestra, something directly opposite the stage.
Written February 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

flaneur99
Lyon, France720 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019
this historic opera house was visually pleasing to the eye. Surprisingly, it felt much smaller in person in some areas and extremely vast in others. The staff was helpful and informative and the facility was well maintained. The seats were more or less comfortable, depending on where you are located. The views from the top balcony were excellent, however one might need to take advantage of the opera glasses to fully enjoy some of the pieces. The bars throughout had a good selection of beverages, albeit on the pricier side of things as expected. The gift shop was adequate and had several postcards and other items that provided a great depiction of the opera house over the many years of existence. Well worth a visit and to take in a show.
Written January 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

McKenna N
Gainesville, FL119 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020
This is a must do! This theatre is stunning, with lots of room to explore and enjoy the beauty. Do make time to get in line for standing room tickets. I arrived an hour before the box office opened both times, bring a book, and was able to wait inside, but don't arrive any later or you'll have to wait outside. Have your cash ready, e euros. It took about 80 minutes to get my ticket, and then everyone runs to grab spots. I'd recommend trying for the front row, as you have a bar to lean on. Bring a sweater or scarf to tie to your spot, everyone is very respectful of this system, and then you can go exploring! I ordered the plate of bite-sized toast rounds, which were pretty good for the low price.

There is no stigma against leaving early if the performance isn't for you, but there are translators in front of you for the operas, and the music is stunning, so I'd really recommend this experience for everyone, at least for a little while. You won't experience this quality of opera in a house like this for this price anywhere else!
Written February 18, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Barbara N
Dubai, United Arab Emirates11 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2022 • Friends
I visited the wiener staatsoper on 9th of February 2022. I went with my colleagues from work as tourists and were very excited to watch the opera.
We arrived at 18:00 to buy tickets and decided to try the standing area. After waiting for 50’ in the queue the cashier told us that the only tickets she had left were the ones on the side on the top. We asked her whether we could pay for sitting tickets but she informed us that there was no availability. Then she rushed us and forced us paying by using one credit card instead of three different ones because that was more convenient for her. Even though we mentioned multiple times that everyone wanted to pay separately for themselves she did not care and she advised us to split the bill later on. We ended up doing what she said because we didn’t want to delay the people standing behind us.
Later on we arrived at the standing area only to find out that our seats had no visibility. We could basically see the corner of the stage and a part of the orchestra. We asked if it was possible to move to vacant seats which costed exactly the same as ours or even upgrade our tickets but Giza (one of the staff members - I think that was her name) instructed us to take our original seats immediately because it wasn’t allowed to be standing. When we said that there was no visibility and that we wanted to upgrade our seats she lost her temper and started shaking. It felt that the lady has some angry issues and no skills at customer service. She should definitely stay at the back office which does not require customer interaction. She even said that we could leave if we didn’t like it but without getting a refund. The entire time she would stare at us giving us that evil look and made us feel very uncomfortable and not welcomed. Every time we asked a staff member why we couldn’t move they replied by saying that it was due to COVID restrictions but it didn’t make sense because many seats were vacant and some people were sitting all next to each other. Every time we asked what exactly was the restriction about nobody had an answer. It is just that they were told to repeat COVID restrictions for any questions and requests without using common sense.
I went to the manager to ask either for better seats or a refund 10’ after the opera has started but she said that it was not possible. The cashier never mentioned that the visibility was bad from the corner and since it was our first time in Vienna we did not have previous experience in booking tickets there so the least they could do is to refund us.
I asked the manager “Elisabeth Preinsperger” for a complain form but she didn’t have one. Then she said that I could write it on their website but she would be the one reading it so there was no point.
In overall the staff ruined our experience so we didn’t enjoy the opera and the amazing artists.
**(I have been in over 60 countries and visited more that 10 different operas worldwide multiple times)
Written February 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mary M
Ireland153 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Couples
Unmissable as part of a Vienna trip. Gorgeous building & excellent experience. But - be very careful choosing seats. We booked very late & were up on the balcony with sight of 50% or less of the stage for Elektra (the half of the stage that we could see only had about 20% of the action - ho hum).

Also quite annoying that some audience members are there for the photo ops only. Young woman next to us slept for the first 30 mins & was then texting on her phone for the remainder of the performance.
Written February 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

margaretc007
Bethesda, MD4,371 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Solo
For grand opera, this is the place to go in Vienna, especially to celebrate Beethoven's 250th birthday this year. Heard the performance of Beethoven's one single opera. Turned out the version I heard was the first version that was premiered in Vienna in 1805. The final version, that of 1814, will be performed in the same house later this month. It was a thrill, nevertheless.

What a beautiful building, inside and out. Grand, indeed.
Written March 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Claire
59 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020 • Couples
Very beautiful opera house. Went and saw Tosca and it was astounding. Truly a phenomenal performance. We bought standing room tickets and started waiting in line 2 hours before the show. Got excellent places. The one thing to note is if you’re buying them there, they are 10 euro not 3-4. A lot of the blogs/other information out there is outdated. The 3-4 euro is only if you buy standing room tickets in advance and have a special membership (we didn’t do that so I don’t know how easy it is to get the membership)
Written February 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Wiener Staatsoper - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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