How to visit the Budapest Opera

If we walk along the fabulous Andrassy Avenue in Budapest, admiring its beautiful buildings, we will come across a Renaissance jewel such as the Budapest Opera House.

It is not as flashy or as famous as the Opera Garnier in Paris, but it is still worth a visit.

Among the curiosities to highlight about its construction is the condition that was imposed on the architect that its size be smaller than the Vienna Opera.

This condition started from the famous Emperor of Austria and King of Bohemia, Franz Joseph I, husband of Sissi.

How to visit the Budapest Opera

Naturally, you can visit the Budapest Opera by going to one of the many ballet or opera performances.

But if you are only interested in the architecture of the building and its history, you can also take a guided tour.

The façade facing Andrassy Avenue of this neo-Renaissance jewel, inaugurated on September 27, 1884 after 9 years of work, is dedicated to music.

And that is why we can see in it the statues of the two most important Hungarian composers in history, Frank Listz and Ferenc Erkel. It is a facade not as imposing as the one in Vienna but it is also very interesting.

Take a guided tour of the Budapest Opera House

Inside the Budapest Opera House, the first thing you can see is its lobby, where the mural paintings on the vault stand out

There is the store where you can buy the tickets for the guided tour that is carried out in several languages, including Spanish.

Guided tours are only held at 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., so there are usually quite a few people and therefore it is better that you go in advance so as not to run out of tickets.

With the ticket already in hand and with the assigned group, you will ascend the stairs and discover the ins and outs of the Budapest Opera

This visit is carried out with an expert guide who will tell you everything about it.

In this way you will be able to see the main staircase, the chandeliers on the ceiling, all the rest rooms, the stage and the boxes.

Among them the Royal Box where there are four sculptures that represent the operatic voices: tenor, soprano, contralto and bass.

During this visit you will also learn about its history and many anecdotes, which is why we recommend the guided tour, although its price is higher than that of a ticket in a reduced visibility area to see a show.

You can find more information on the official website of the Budapest Opera.