Opera in Vienna doesn't have to be expensive: there are 435 standing places every evening, most of them for €13 to €18. Here's how and when to get them, what the guided tour offers and which discounts are available.
The Vienna State Opera stages around 350 performances per season, and you don't have to spend a fortune to be there. With a standing-room ticket you're in from €13, and a guided tour shows you the building by day. Here's how it works. As of October 2026.
Standing Room: Opera from €13
The State Opera has 435 standing places, and they are only sold on the day of the performance. There are three sections:
- Parterre, €18: directly behind the orchestra stalls, below the central box, roughly at stage level. According to the State Opera, it offers one of the best views in the house and is the most popular standing area.
- Gallery, €15: at the very top, with a view over the entire auditorium. The view of the stage is steep.
- Balcony, €13: directly above the boxes.
Every standing place has its own screen with subtitles, in German and English among other languages. So you'll understand what's going on even when the singing is in Italian.
How to Get a Standing-Room Ticket
- Online: on the day of the performance from 10:00 at wiener-staatsoper.at.
- At the standing-room box office: from 80 minutes before the start, with its own entrance on Operngasse under the arcades. There's always a fixed allocation here, even when everything is already gone online.
What You Need to Know
- You have to leave coats, jackets, backpacks and larger bags at the cloakroom. The cloakroom is free.
- Doors open one hour before the start. Latecomers are not let into the auditorium but can watch in the streaming room and take their place after the intermission.
- There's a minimum age of 5 for standing room.
- Standing means standing: you're not allowed to move to empty seats.
Even Cheaper: StehplatzPLUS and Under 27
- Under 27: Standing-room tickets cost €10, whatever the section, and you can buy them online from 10:00 the day before.
- StehplatzPLUS: an upgrade to the free BundestheaterCard. For a one-time fee of €28, standing-room tickets then cost €4–€7, also bookable from the day before. Four visits are included free. It's worth it if you're staying in Vienna for a while or live here.
Seats: from €15
Seats start from €15. Tickets always go on sale for the current month and the two following months: on January 1, for example, sales open for all of March. Popular evenings sell out fast, so buy early, as soon as the month of your trip is released.
- Under 27: Half an hour before the start, remaining tickets are sold for €25 at the evening box office in the foyer, to anyone under 27, while they last. With the free U27 membership (for EU citizens and people with permanent residence in the EU), you can also get €25 tickets for selected performances.
- Children under 16: €20 per ticket, together with a full-price ticket. Exceptions include premieres and Die Fledermaus on New Year's Eve.
- Last-minute: With the BundestheaterCard, tickets for €55 are available at the box offices the day before, mainly in categories 2 and 3.
Only buy directly from the State Opera. Tickets can't be returned once purchased, but you can resell them through the State Opera's resale service (Kommissionsbörse).
What Should I Wear?
The State Opera is clear about it: there is no dress code. Dress, suit, pants, sweater: anything goes. Elegant isn't necessary, but it isn't forbidden either. If you're standing, comfortable shoes are the better choice.
The Guided Tour: The House by Day
On the standard tour you'll walk through the state rooms into the auditorium in about 40 minutes. It costs €18 for adults 27 and over; under-27s, seniors and children from 6 pay €14, and children under 6 go free. Tours are held in German, English, French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese, in groups of up to 30 people.
Tickets are available online or, if there are still places left, from 30 minutes before the start at the tour ticket office. The State Opera posts the dates for the following month around the middle of each month. Be there 15 minutes early. Unfortunately, the tour is not suitable for people with limited mobility.
- Backstage tour: about 90 minutes behind the scenes, on selected Sundays, €48 (under 27: €36), online only.
- Children's tour: for ages 6 to 10, about 90 minutes, in German.
A Bit of History
The State Opera opened on May 25, 1869, with Mozart's "Don Giovanni"; it was built by August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll. On November 5, 1955, it reopened with Beethoven's "Fidelio." Today it's considered the opera house with the largest repertoire: each season, more than 60 opera and ballet works are on the program across around 350 performances.
Opera Ball and New Year's Eve
The 69th Vienna Opera Ball takes place on February 4, 2027. Around the ball, the house is closed for performances, so don't plan your opera visit for February 2 to 4. On New Year's Eve, "Die Fledermaus" is traditionally on the program; on December 31, 2026, it will be conducted by Franz Welser-Möst.
Getting There
The State Opera is on the Ring, right by the U-Bahn (subway) station Karlsplatz (U1, U2, U4). Trams 1, 2, D and 71 stop at "Oper, Karlsplatz," as does bus 59A. After the performance you're on Kärntner Straße in a few minutes; you'll find ideas for what to do afterward in Vienna by Night.
As of October 2026. Sources: wiener-staatsoper.at, wien.info. Prices and rules change, so check them on the State Opera website before you buy.
