Get Inside the Opera House!

Even if your stay in Budapest is short, a visit to the beautiful Opera House is a must. Do your best to catch a performance, any performance, during your stay. The exterior is impressive although difficult to appreciate because of the difficulty in getting a good view. But it is the interior, and especially the performance hall itself that is most impressive. If you cannot catch one of the wonderful opera, ballet, or other performances during your stay, make sure to take the informative tour. The Opera House, built in 1884 in Renaissance style and designed by Miklos Ybl, has an interesting history, and is supposedly has the second most perfect acoustics of all Operas, to the one in Milan. Gustav Mahler, my favorite composer (!), was director of the Budapest Opera for a time. The performance ticket office is through the main entrance and to your left. Use the outer entrance to the right for tours, which take place at 3PM and 4PM daily. A tip about seating at the Opera House: if you select box seats for a performance, make sure they are in the first row in the box. Unlike other opera houses, the second and third rows of seating in each box are not elevated, so your view will be obstructed by those in front of you. If you cannot get a front row of a box, you are better off anywhere in the orchestra section on the floor.
Phone: +36 1 332 8197
Directions: Subway – Metro Line 1 (Yellow) to Opera
Website: www.opera.hu
Other Contact: fax +36 1 302 6481