I wrote about my 3 Days Visit to Vienna which was a great tour of fine art. One of the most beautiful experiences was the Opera. I will tell you closely how you can see the building, but also a quality show with only 3-4 Euros.
Access
The Opera House is located in the city center, right next to the pedestrian center. The underground (U1, U2, U4 Karlsplatz station) is right next to the building, as well as an underground parking. There is a tram and bus stop in front of the Opera.
History
The construction of the Vienna Opera was commissioned in 1861 and was completed in 1869, coordinated by three architects. It was opened on May 25, 1869 with Don Giovanni by W.A. Mozart. In the beginning, the Viennese were not impressed by the monumental Opera, but in 1945 when it was bombed, the inhabitants of Vienna felt that an important part of their identity had been destroyed. Its renovation lasted until 1955. The Opera has a capacity of about 1700 seats, 5 floors and about 500 standing places.
In the last Thursday of the Vienna carnival, the Opera scene opens across the ground floor as a grand ballroom where the young girls of good families are presented in white dresses next to their escorts and the annual ball begins.
Guided tour
Although it may seem inaccessible, this superb neo-renaissance-style building can also be visited indoors with a guided tour for 9 Euros. Access is at fixed hours (14, 14:30, 15, etc), and more details can be found here. Photos can be taken indoors, but not during shows.
The Show
In order to have a complete experience, it’s worth watching a ballet or an opera, all the shows here are exceptional. Tickets at 3-4 Euros are available at any of the shows; they can be found at the “Stehplatz-Kasse / Standing Area” on Operngasse Street) 80 minutes before the show. It would be advisable to stay in queue 2 hours before the opening time. It’s necessary to have 3-4 Euro cash exactly. You can only buy your own ticket, but not for a group. There are 3 levels at which such tickets can be purchased: ground floor (Parterrestehplatz), balcony (Balkonstehplatz) and gallery (Galeriestehplatz). The most important thing you have to do after buying the ticket is to hurry in the area you bought the ticket to get in line once again in order to enter the hall. Once the doors open and you choose your place, put a scarf, a tie or a shawl to the seat bar to secure your place. Now you can take a walk to leave your coat at the free wardrobe or visit the building and the foyer.
If you do not wish to stand, you can buy your online tickets some time before the show. I found tickets at 26 Euro/person sitting down in the gallery area about 4 weeks before the scheduled show. More details about the program of the Opera and other information can be found here. Enjoy!