Royal Opera House

[Allloveisbeautiful]

I would love to see an opera at the ROH but the tickets are so expensive! Is it worth getting cheaper tickets (we could go up to £150 each which still isn’t cheap I know!) Even if the seats are not close is it still worth it for the whole experience?

Yes! It's fab.

God, I was so lucky, I used to get so many freebies from my neighbour (over 30 years ago now). I also went to some dress rehearsals too

Ok! It will be a very special treat then!

The booking site does show the view from your seat. Some operas are cheaper than others. Also there is the occasional offer on Facebook and TicToc. Sometime 20 or 30% off.

The Colosseum nearby has always provided cheaper tickets.

Do you want to see the opera or have the ROH experience? If the latter, go for it. I've been in the cheapest seats right at the top and had a good time. If the former, they regularly stream performances to local theatres and cinemas. You get the best view in the house for about £15.

I was at ROH in September and paid about £100 for my ticket. I had a good view. I've also done the Colosseum which was cheaper and just as enjoyable. As @NotDarkGothicMama said, it depends what you're more interested in - the opera or the experience. If you're not fussed about the opera, maybe try the tour of the ROH?

I am fussed about the opera as I remember seeing an ENO performance of La Traviata many years ago and although it was extremely good I really wished it had been in the original language (Italian). Obviously it’s not just about the language but that is partly why I would like to see an opera at the ROH. I am also a singer myself (not opera!) and really love music

@BuffysBigSister what did you see and whereabouts were your seats?

I have been a few times in the cheap seats. You don't want the absolute cheapest but the next band up (using view from your seat as a guide) can be great. Saw La Fille mal gardée last week for £15 and was very happy - opera seems to sometimes cost a bit more than ballet but not by much.

Yes, there are cheaper seats, but your view could be restricted. You'll still be able to hear everything though, so not as much of an an issue as it is for ballet, where you want to be able to see what they are doing on the whole stage!

You can become a Friend of the Royal Ballet & Opera. Tickets become available to Friends before the general public, so there will be greater availability of the budget-friendly seats. Only worth it if you plan on going several times a year though.

I get PIP so I am able to use their Access scheme so DH attends as my carer for free. So if you have happen to have a Blue Badge or have a Nimbus card that could be a way to bring the overall cost down.

Try Friday Rush.

La Traviata is coming up in January/February. An iconic production - absolutely fabulous.

At ROH I saw I Vespri Siciliani by Verdi and sat in the Amphitheatre, probably second row back. I felt I had a good view and really enjoyed the performance. I also saw Cinderella at ENO (in English) and thought it was great. I love opera and try to include a visit to the local opera whenever I go on holiday

Dh is a Friend so gets some priority booking access for the season and a limited number of dress rehearsal tickets pa which can be bargains. There are particular limited legroom seats he aims for. We have (admittedly very back of the top) tickets for the Nutcracker dress rehearsal on Saturday £6 each but with limited view. He tends to go for the music rather than the staging anyway.

The acoustics at the ROH are excellent. The amphitheatre tickets are fine, you get a perfectly good view there IMO, plus you can hear well too. Now my eyes are a bit older I take opera glasses/small binoculars so I can see the detail on the faces. I hope you go and enjoy it.

Ahhh, @EnrichettaFriday rush is no more, devastatingly! Instead, there are supposed to be lots of other ways the RBO are widening participation. As yet though, nada available that comes even remotely close….

@Allloveisbeautiful Plan ahead. My daughter is training as a ballerina and she goes a lot. I normally pay between £12 and £20 for a standing ticket as that way she can see as much as possible. For opera, you’d want to be in the amphitheatre I imagine for the acoustics. Set timers for when booking opens and get straight in there 😁

Traviata is already booking, just to warn you…There’s some availability but not so much choice.

Yes it’s worth it, the whole experience is absolutely unrivalled! I go regularly to the opera and ballet there and I think a good seat is less important for opera which is all about the music imo and the acoustics are great whatever your seat.

Check out the balcony boxes if there are 4 of you as they can be good value. Also lots of space if you’ve been shopping! You have a side view so miss a slice of the stage but you are close to the action and orchestra albeit looking down. Otherwise the amphitheatre is good.

Just looked at La Traviata on 16/01/26 and actually you can get a great seat for £150. I’d go for the dark green seats at the front of stalls at the side for £157 each.

If you enjoy opera, then the cheaper seats are a great option. I would avoid the seats which are at a 90-degree angle to the stage, though, as you genuinely do get a crick in your neck

We went to see Carmen in the summer and had tickets in the amhitheatre
Tickets were 70 each and the view and sound was fab. You can get offers if you sign up for.emails.too i think.

The tours are really worth doing too. Especially at christmas.

It's actually incredible value for the level of skill and opera is the original and best immersive art form. Plus unlike pop/rock gigs, no touts and resellers.

The ROH used to do this thing where if you went there just before curtain up and there were unsold seats you could buy them at half price or a big % discount.

It was little known and buried in the depths of their literature or website somewhere. This is some time ago- pre-lockdown so I doubt its a thing anymore.

I did it a few times but got fed up with "arguing" (heavy inverted commas there) with the ticket desk staff because often they'd never heard of it and tell you it wasn't an option and then I'd have to actually show them the evidence. It just took the fun out of it if every time you went there on spec and know you had to go through a no/no/yes but stress negotiation. It was only ever an option with unpopular more obscure operas anyway as that it when they'd have unsold seats.

I doubt it is still offered in the same way but I would have a good look around as most of these big organisations offer accessible ticketing options but you have to have a good dig around in the depths of their websites sometimes or look for other offers they are rarely very obvious or advertised because they want the full revenue.

If you like opera or even if you don't its quite the place and the production values are insane.

This references what I was talking about:

The ROH's website is coy about their half-price standbys – offering them "occasionally ... at the management's discretion",

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/aug/20/find-cheap-opera-tickets

https://www.distincte.com/inspired-travelers/last-minute-tix/

The ROH occasionally sells standby tickets at half price. These will go on sale at the box office four hours before the production. For availability, call the box office the day of the performance or check the website. These standby seats will most often be located in the stalls section, the main seating section, which are the most expensive, so even half-off tickets might be pricey.

I have only been to the ballet (Romeo and Juliet) once and had a restricted leg room seat in the front row of the amphitheatre, which was 50% cheaper than the seat next to me.
I wasn’t restricted at all as I’m quite short.

The ballet was abandoned after the first act because the curtain wouldn’t open, and we got a full refund!