Whether you are in the city for a romantic getaway, school, business, or just fun, seeing an opera in Vienna is on many people’s bucket lists! That being said, you may have never considered the possibility of seeing a show in Vienna because you know Vienna Opera House tickets are so outrageously priced. With some seats costing upwards of €200 per person, travelers often think that seeing an opera in Vienna is impossible and that seeing a show is only for the fancy luxury travelers. But guess what? You can go see an opera/ballet/symphony performance at the Vienna State Opera House for just €3! 

Wait what? Yep, you heard it correctly…an opera….In Vienna….For €3. Is there a catch? Not exactly. These cheap Vienna opera tickets are standing room only. You stand for concerts, church, the lines on Black Friday, and standing for an Opera performance is no different! If you hope to see an opera in Vienna, this is a totally awesome option! Standing room tickets at the Vienna State Opera House are sold on the orchestra, balcony, and gallery levels. Orchestra tickets cost a whopping €4, while balcony and gallery ring in at €3. We chose the €4 option so we could be as close as possible when seeing an opera in Vienna and we have to say the views of the performance were unobstructed and fantastic! 

On our first trip to Vienna, we were fresh out of college and backpacking Europe for 3 months. We knew that we wanted to see an opera in Vienna but that Vienna opera tickets were way out of our reach. We didn’t want to let our dream of seeing an Opera in Vienna die so we did a little more digging. With a little research, trial and error, and local help, we found out that you can see an opera in Vienna for as little as €3 per person. This is mindblowing since Vienna State Opera tickets can be very expensive and most standing room or gallery opera tickets cost $50+ a person minimum if you are very lucky.

We are going to show you exactly how you can go about purchasing standing room Vienna Opera House tickets for just €3 and we will take you through the process and our experience. This way, you will be fully prepared to see an opera in Vienna for €3 and know what to expect before you begin. We had such a great time at the show and we love how affordable and accessible Vienna Opera House tickets can be when you know what to do and what to expect! 

How To See An Opera in Vienna for €3

Step 1: Choose Your Desired Show And Date For The Opera You Want To See

If you want to see an opera in Vienna during your stay, you should do a little bit of planning so you can be prepared and see the show you want to see. The €3 Vienna opera tickets are on sale before every performance, so the first step is choosing what show you want to see. Navigate over to the Vienna State Opera website, head to the little calendar on the right, and choose the date you are interested in. Here, a list of shows for that date will pop up [usually 1-2 options]. If a day doesn’t have what you are interested in, simply keep clicking around to find something you like on a day you are in town. 

What if you don’t want to see an opera in Vienna? Don’t worry! The list will show you a variety of options including ballet, symphony, and yes, opera performances. Since we love dance, we actually chose to see a ballet in Vienna for the €3 cost of the standing room only tickets. We love that you have the option to purchase discount Vienna opera tickets for a vareity of shows. If opera isn’t quite your thing but you love dance or the sympony, you can choose the show that best fits your interests and the €3 standing room only rate still applies! 

Step 2: Pay Close Attention To The Time When Buying Your Vienna Opera Tickets

If you want to see an opera in Vienna, you are going to have to have to get there early. Tickets go on sale at the Opera House “standing room only” box office 80 minutes before showtime. You cannot buy these €3 Vienna State Opera tickets online. You must arrive and purchase them in person. Since shows are at all different times of the day, make sure you specifically see what time your show starts and back out 80 minutes.

You will most likely be in Vienna on a busy vacation or work trip and you will be doing lots of other things during the day. It is essential to plan for this 80 minute time frame and build it into your schedule. That is why choosing your desired show, date, and time from step one is so important when seeing a €3 opera in Vienna. You will not be able to purchase tickets online and will have to arrive at the box office. Make sure you build this time into your travel schedule so you don’t miss the opportunity for €3 Vienna opera tickets. 

Step 3: If You Can, Wear A Nice Outfit

When attending the opera in Vienna, we highly recommend wearing a nice outfit if at all possible. When we went, we were backpacking in Europe and did not have very many nice clothes so we made do with what we had. If you are in the same situation as us, do not let not having super fancy clothes put you off from attending an opera in Vienna. When we saw the ballet in Vienna, we wore jeans, boots, and the nicest top we had. That is all we had so we made do and we are glad we decided the opera in Vienna even though we didn’t have the fanciest clothes out there. 

That being said, keep in mind that there are going to be ladies dressed like they are going to the ball. There are going to be men in tuxes. Try to wear the best outfit you brought. Don’t go out and purchase something, just scrounge for the fanciest outfit you can. If you packed any nice outfits for going out to dinner or for bar-hopping or clubbing those would be appropriate. If you are in Vienna for work, a blazer would work nicely. If you are reading this in advance of your trip and you have space in your suitcase, consider packing a nice outfit that you can wear again during your trip so you can look awesome when seeing an Opera in Vienna. 

What we wore:

Step 4: Buy Food In Advance And Eat It In Line

Pick up food and eat it while you are in line. Once you are in the Vienna Opera House you won’t find anything worthwhile to eat and there won’t be enough time for you to run out and hunt for food. If you arrive an hour in advance of the box office opening, you will have plenty of time to nibble while you are in line. 

When we saw the opera in Vienna, we did NOT buy food in advance and one of us had to run out and find something quick to eat while the other stood in line. We didn’t know that there wouldn’t be anything worthwhile to eat inside so we didn’t eat as much as we should have. This ended with us eating pizza at 11 pm after the ballet let out and being very hungry and thirsty during the entire ordeal. Of course, you can buy light drinks and snacks in the Vienna Opera House, but that isn’t good enough for dinner. Make sure to eat in advance or while you are in line when you see an opera in Vienna. 

Step 5: Take Public Transport To Easily Travel To The Vienna State Opera House

It is so easy to reach the Vienna Opera House using Vienna’s wonderful public transportation system. If you use Apple or Google Maps, you can easily just plug in your current location and the address for the Vienna Opera House and click the “public transportation” tab and you will be told how exactly the navigate there and how long you need to plan for commuting.

If you want to take the Vienna metro, you can take lines U1, U2, U4 and stop at KARLSPLATZ
If you want to take the Vienna Trams you can take lines 1, 2, D, 62, 71 and stop at OPERNRING
If you want to take the Vienna bus you will take bus 59A

If you don’t feel like worrying about public transport on your way to see an opera in Vienna, you can always take a taxi or an uber. We recommend taking public transportation as it is very easy and affordable in Vienna and will make your commute quick and painless. Just make sure to see how long you need to budget when traveling from your current location to the Vienna Opera House. 

Step 6: Arrive Early To Purchase Your Standing-Room Vienna Opera Ticket 

If you want a good Vienna State Opera ticket, or a ticket at all, arrive early! We arrived an hour in advance and there were still a good 40 people in front of us. After that, they kept piling on. Eventually, the line was winding through the hallway and out of the building. This was in March so it wasn’t even the busy season. If the website says the tickets start being sold 80 minutes in advance, that means that is when they OPEN THE WINDOW to start selling. You can get in line well in advance of the 80-minute mark. 

If seeing an opera in Vienna is on your list of things to do during your trip, we really encourage you to arrive early and plan for a slight wait if you want to get the best affordable seats. Once the standing-room Vienna opera tickets sell out, that is it for the day and the rest of the people waiting in line get turned away to try again for tomorrow. You don’t want this to be you so make sure to plan ahead! 

 

Step 7: You Must Pay For Your Vienna Opera Ticket In Cash

Standing room tickets for the Vienna Opera are only sold in cash. It would be a shame if you waited in line for an hour to see an opera in Vienna only to find out they don’t take credit cards so heed this warning. There are plenty of close ATM,s near the theatre that allow you to pull out €10. There were many people in line with us who did not know this and they got to the window and were turned away because they did not have cash readily availabile. 

We recommend leaving a few minutes early and stopping at the ATM on your way or stopping and getting cash a few days before you see an opera in Vienna. You really don’t want to be left in a lurch with having to rush out and grab money from an ATM while someone holds your place in line. Plus, there is no promise that anyone will be nice enough to do this. It is really quite easy to see an opera in Vienna for a few euros, you just want to make sure you are prepared! 

 

Step 8: After You Purchase Your Ticket, You Are Going To Have To Get In Line Again

After you purchase your Vienna Opera House tickets, don’t dawdle! You are going to have to get in line again! Take your ticket and follow the usher’s instruction and queue up outside the door they tell you. Even though your ticket has a “standing room” place number, the ushers are going to put you wherever you are in line. Don’t pay attention to the place number, but follow the instructions of the ushers. Everything is a domino effect so the earlier you line up to purchase your Vienna Opera tickets, the earlier you will get to stand in this second line. 

For example, if you are #3 you will assume you will be in the front of the line. If you dawdle and use the restroom or grab food and you end up in the back of the line, you will be in the back of the standing room area even though your ticket says #3. As soon as you purchase your €3 ticket for the opera in Vienna, make sure that you follow the directions and walk right where the ushers tell you and wait in the second line. Don’t walk around and explore the Vienna Opera House until you are placed in your area to stand for the show. Only then can you walk around and see the sites. 

 

Step 9: Sit Down For A Little Before The Opera Starts

Once you find your standing place, mark it with a scarf or object so you can walk around the Opera House. Make sure this is an object that isn’t very valuable. You wouldn’t want to leave a purse or a backpack. Vienna is a very safe city, but you want to practice basic caution when seeing an opera in Vienna. The Viennese art and architecture is beautiful and shouldn’t be missed so you are certainly going to want to walk around and take some photos. Before the show, take a moment to sit down and rest your back/feet. Although there are rails to lean on, standing for an extended period of time may take its toll. It is advised to sit down between acts as well.

The ballet we saw in Vienna was comprised of three acts, with two intermissions. During these intermissions, we walked around and also found seats in the lobby that we could sit on and rest our backs and feet. We have done standing room only for various Broadway shows and have stood for concerts and seeing the opera in Vienna was essentially the same experience. It really is quite a good view and isn’t all that uncomfortable at all. Just take breaks from time to time and make sure to take some photos of the grand interior during your visit! 

Step 10: Enjoy Opera In Vienna For €3

You did it! You are now watching an opera in Vienna for just €3. You are standing no more than 3 feet behind someone whose ticket cost €150. You can see the expression on the performers’ faces. You can see the entire stage, unlike the people who bought “cheap” €15 seated tickets in the gallery. You are a travel rock star! The process of seeing an opera in Vienna for €3 is really quite easy and straightforward when you follow the simple steps listed above. The experience is truly once in a lifetime and you won’t regret the time investment it takes to purchase Vienna Opera tickets for just €3. 

If you see an opera in Vienna for €3 based on our suggestions and tips, we would love to hear from you and how it went. We truly had a wonderful experience at the Vienna Opera House seeing a stunning ballet and we know you are going to have a great time too. The fact that you can get Vienna Opera tickets for €3 is such a great insider-tip and we hope you make use of it during your visit to Austria!