know before you go
Rehearsal days, reduced light and busy rooms
The few things that can change on the day, and how each tour handles them.
Reserve the Opera House tour ↗What can change
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| Rehearsal on your date | The house may cancel the tour and offers another date |
| Rehearsal in the auditorium | It may be closed to the public, and the route changes |
| Reduced light | Happens on some days in the auditorium |
| Busy day | Several groups can share a room |
| Performance day | No guided visits during shows |
A working theatre
The Opera House is the home of a busy national company, with ballet and musical theatre alongside opera, performed across two stages. Visits fit around that programme.
If a rehearsal cancels your tour
The Opera House may cancel tours during rehearsals. When it does, an alternative date is offered.
If the auditorium is closed
On the soloists tour, the itinerary can vary with rehearsals. When the auditorium is closed to the public, the tour carries on through other special areas of the house.
Reduced light
On some occasions the light in the auditorium is reduced, so the gold and the fresco read more softly than in daytime photographs.
Busy days
A September review mentions too many tour groups at once, and another says a larger group made the end of the tour feel rushed. The soloists tour keeps groups to 20.
Tips for a calmer visit
Stay close to your guide, and keep the phone number you gave when booking reachable in case a time or language changes.