SKPKCP11

We are a family of 2 adults and 2 children of 11 years and 9 years.

This is our first visit to Austria and we would like to experience the Vienna State Opera or the Musikverein. To be honest, we are not very knowledgeable. We are interested in attending an orchestra which is a musical feast for the ears and eyes. Something that the children feel enjoyable.

Please can you recommend which concerts, ballets, operas we could consider for the standing room tickets. Kindly also advise us the schedule of the guided tours in English for May 2012 for both the venues so that we can see the venues from inside if we do not opt for the standing room tickets. Our dates in Vienna are May 1-5.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

quokka

Have your children experienced how to behave in a classical theatre? Are they able to stay quiet and in one place for the duration of a concert or opera performance? Quiet means strictly no talking, not even whispering at lowest voice, for two or three hours because that disturbs everyone around. (Unfortunately there are even some adults who have no sense for that.)

If there is doubt, better visit for example a musical, and see the state opera with a guided tour in the daytime.

Delaine

The Staatsoper has a website, http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at. You can find the information you are seeking there. On May 3, they are doing a kinderoper, an opera staged for children, of Die Feen (The Fairies) by Richard Wagner. That may be worth checking into.

easytraveler

I would suggest the Volksoper as a better choice with children, unless they are used to going to serious operas.

http://www.volksoper.at/Content.Node2/home/index.en.php

Standing room tickets for the Volksoper are usually much easier to get whereas, for a popular Staatsoper opera, the line for the standing room tickets may begin at noon for a 7/8pm performance (you really don't want to do this!)

Both the staatsoper and the musikverein tend to have more adult and more serious offerings.

Children also might find the Haus der Musik more interesting:

http://www.tourmycountry.com/austria/houseofmusic.htm

Otherwise, you can always take them on a tour of the Staatsoper without attending a full-blown opera there.

SKPKCP11

Thanks all of you for giving useful insights.

Yes, we can take the tour of the Staatsoper. Do we need to do bookings for the tour in advance or we just go and buy our tickets?

We were looking at going for a musical.

At the standing room at the Volksoper in case we are in the second or third row will we get to see anything or will see the heads of people standing in the first row. How do I see which musical is going on between May 1-4? Is there any site which lists all musical events happening datewise?

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

easytraveler

Here's the Staatsoper's Tours weblink. At the moment it only goes to the end of February. You will have to wait until later in the year to check out for tour times for a specific date in May. You'll note that the tours are usually given at 2pm, 2:30pm, 3pm, or 3:30pm (military time):

http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/Cont...lgemein.en.php

These tours are given by the opera house itself. There are also several private company tour groups which you will find advertised on the web. Believe these latter are more expensive.

There are two stage doors, one on either side of the opera house. I've seen the tours posted on the Operngasse side (street on the left side if you're facing the opera house), but I've never taken the tour - just gone about for opera performances, so am afraid I can't give you more information on the tours. It's a stunningly beautiful opera house.


The Staatsoper really doesn't give musicals, so your best bet is the Volksoper. The performance schedule for the Volksoper goes only to the end of April at the moment. When you look at the May schedule, select something called an "operette", otherwise, the other operas are usually serious adult operas. The operettes are a lot of fun and your kids will enjoy them. There are English surtitles above the stage. If, during intermission some late arrivals come to claim their seats which you have taken over, just move over to another empty seat.

As for the standing room places at the Volksoper, they are not at the front. They are waaay in the back at the top of the balcony section. The nice thing is that these performances usually aren't full, so once the doors shut, all the people with standing room tickets start streaming down to the empty seats in the balcony section.

Oh, BTW, the Volksoper also has ballet performances, if you're interested in attending a ballet.

Have fun! Vienna is one of my favorite cities in Europe.

quokka

Do you and the kids understand German? If not, an Operette will be hard to follow. There is a plot and there are spoken dialogues between the musical numbers.

Ballet sounds like a good idea because the performance has no text in whatever language. However, quiet behaviour is required here, too.

I just looked a bit round what's on: Volksoper is doing "The Sound of Music" on May 1, in German but with English surtitles. That might be worth considering.
http://www.volksoper.at/Content.Node...2012&types[0]=

SKPKCP11

Quokka - Thanks for the info. We do not understand German. Ideally we would like to see a musical, something like an orchestra.

Just one more clarification. If we opt for standing room tickets, will we be able to see anything in case we do not get to stand in the first row. I understand that at some venues the standing room is flat at one level and hence if you are not in the first row it can get uncomfortable and we would be staring at people's heads and backs.

I had tried checking out the Volksoper site but was unable to get the English version. Thanks for the link.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11

quokka

Do you really want standing room? Standing during the entire performance is uncomfortable and tiring, even more so if you have already waited in line outside for a while - standing room requires being there a lot earlier than the beginning of the performance. Standing room tickets cannot be prebooked, it is first come first in line first buy, so you don't know whether you'll be able to enter the theatre at all or, worst case, remain without tickets and be sent back to your hotel. Think of the kids.

It is still well in advance, why don't you book tickets so you are sure you'll be able to enter, have assigned seats and don't have to wait in any lines. The lower price categories at Volksoper can't be that costly.

easytraveler

I'm not quite sure I want to interject here again.

Standing room tickets at the Staatsoper is as quokka has described and usually only for diehard opera fans. I've stood in line at the Staatsoper starting from as early as noon waiting for the box office to open at 6pm that night. That's a lot of standing! Because there's still the performance - which you will see still standing up! So, I really don't encourage you to go for standing room tickets at the Staatsoper.

Moreover, ONLY ONE STANDING ROOM TICKET is sold per person. Which means that your entire family has to stand in line waiting for the box office to open. The Viennese can get very rude if only one person is in line and then others join in later. That's an absolute no-no.


Standing room tickets at the Volksoper are different. Most of the time, they are easily available right before the performance. You can also preorder them online.

Here's a diagram of the seating chart in the Volksoper.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Si..._volksoper.jpg

"Buhne" is the stage. At the top of the "Galerie" floor, you will see "Stehplatze". These are the standing room areas where there are no seats, just standing room. Tickets for standing room are generally 2 or 3 euros apiece.

http://www.volksoper.at/Content.Node...rkassen.en.php

You can preorder standing room tickets online. Currently you can only purchase tickets for February and March. You can, however, order "standby tickets" for May.

https://www.culturall.com/ticket/ivo...ear=2012&month

I've also pointed out to you above that it's usually not necessary to buy tickets for seats as the Volksoper performances are usually not completely sold out. It's possible - <i>after the doors close just before the performance begins</i> - to claim an unsold seat in the Galerie section which is just before the standing room areas. If, during intermission, some late arrival comes and claims your seat, just move to another unsold seat. It's done all the time. As the doors close, you'll see a rush of the standing room ticket holders, all rushing to get a seat before the curtain rises.

molker

In October 2011 , in response to your questions advice and possible websites were given for the State Opera, Volksoper and Boys Choir - also included was a mention of the Childrens Opera -

Surprising that after these months - again queries as if no information was previously given.

Posters must do some work on their own.

To consider standing room with young kids -

No one can expect kids to remain for 2-3 hours of a performance after standing some time prior just to enter . Especially when a good chance of limited viewing due to their stature , often very warm in stranding room area - and a foreign language also.
My opinion
Volksoper - Sound of Music- reasonable priced seats seems the best for your family.
Unfair to them and to others in standing room who come to appreciate the venue and offering.

SKPKCP11

Thanks to all of you for the clarity.

I think we will take a tour of the Staatsoper and Musikverein if they are available in English and try to attend a performance at Volksoper.

Kind regards,
SKPKCP11