Where : Vienna’s Opera House, Vienna
Discovering Vienna’s Opera House
Even if you don’t like Opera, you’ve probably heard about Vienna’s Opera house or at least saw it in some movies. Mission Impossible 5 perhaps ? When in downtown Vienna, you will surely pass in front of this amazing building at some point.
Where ?
It’s almost impossible to miss the construction built in Neo-Renaissance style, though you might not necessarily know what’s inside. The Opera House is located in the heart of Vienna and just a few steps away from Kalsplatz. What’s great about this location ? Well, this is inches away from the old town and other historic buildings.
What a great surprise !
We weren’t planning to visit the Opera House or watch any performances since we aren’t enthusiasts. We simply admired the building and surrounding area. However, as you know we planned a Freewalking tour on our first morning in Vienna and they shared a secret with us. Our guide suggested to visit inside, but he gave us an amazing tip.
What’s the secret ?
Consider this, even if you want to buy tickets to see the Opera, chances are it’s already sold out. Scalpers roam the streets of Vienna selling Opera tickets at 3x the price.
Ok, so here are the steps to follow
- Come prepared for the Opera, bring comfortable shoes and a scarf (very important)
- Start standing in line on the western side of the building roughly 1-2 hours before the show. (very important step # 1. since we got caught on the eastern side and there’s nothing there)
- Bring 2-4€ in change to see the Opera. (every day, roughly 80-90 minutes before the show, the concert hall releases stand up tickets. These tickets go for 2-4€ depending on the show and standing position.)
- Once you’ve bought your tickets, go and claim a spot and reserve it with your scarf ! (this way you are free to roam around the House and take amazing pictures or simply bask in its beauty !)
- Enjoy the show ! Even if you don’t understand a thing (cause we didn’t), it’s something magnificent to be a part of.
We were lucky enough to meet a really nice lady from Argentina. She now worked in Vienna and shared some interesting tips with us (some of which are listed above). She also guided us to the better standing spot to watch the performance. We felt truly blessed, not only to assist the show but to make her acquaintance as she treated us to some snacks and Champaign during the interval. Just another important reason to bring a scarf, because you can also treat yourself to a glass of champaign, snack or simply walk around admiring the structure.
Do we recommend ?
Yes, absolutely, it’s a totally unique and amazing experience. Simply get ready to stand up for a few hours and to read the subtitles, since the performance is usually in a foreign language (well foreign unless you understand Italian or German). As for the standing part, we paid the total of €4 for both, so we will never complain!
Serge: 5 Eli: 5
More time to Discover Vienna ? Consider these other attractions !
Churches
* St Stephen’s Cathedral for the architecture enthusiasts.
* Karlskirche is a great discovery inside and out.
* St Peter’s church‘s great inner details.
Palaces
* The Belvedere Palace for the gardens and inside if time permits
* The famous and classic Schönbrunn Palace !
Other cool places !
* Start with a FreeWalking tour – Good Vienna Tours.
* Nice any day of the week is the Naschmarkt (street market)
* If you like cool and different, check out – Hundertwasserhaus !
* Try going through Heldenplatz when visiting the MuseumQuartier.
Also, keep an eye on our growing picture library 
* Discovering Vienna – Flickr
