113 Best Performing Arts Venues in Germany

The most glamorous venue for classical and contemporary music concerts and ballet is the Alte Oper, one of the most beautiful buildings in Frankfurt, which opened in 1880. Tickets to performances can range from €20 to nearly €150. There is a bar or bistro on each level for drinks, coffee, and pastries during intermission, and the elegant Restaurant Opera for dining before or after performances.

The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the world's best and their resident venue is the Philharmonie, comprising the Grosser Saal, or large main hall, and the smaller Kammermusiksaal, dedicated to chamber music. Tickets sell out in advance for the nights when star maestros conduct, but other orchestras and artists appear here as well. Wednesday's free Lunchtime Concerts fill the foyer with eager listeners of all ages at 1 pm between September and June. Show up early as these concerts can get very crowded. One-hour guided tours in English are offered several times a month and can be booked online.

A dramatic floating stage supports orchestras and opera stars during the famous Bregenzer Festspiele from mid-July to mid-August. Make reservations well in advance. The Austrian town of Bregenz is about 9 km (6 miles) by car or train or a 20-minute ferry ride from Lindau, on the other side of the bay.

The city's highly regarded opera company and ballet troupe are showcased here.

Of the many composers represented in the repertoire of Deutsche Oper Berlin, Verdi and Wagner are the most frequently presented.

Opera and operettas are performed at this impressive glass-fronted theater from September through July.

The entryway to Europe's second-largest performing arts center is the renovated former train station, whose grand foyer down to the ticketing window was retained. A modern, state-of-the-art theater with 2,500 seats and a 900-square-meter stage was attached where the former train tracks had once lain. More than 120 events annually draw culture lovers and performers from the world over, including the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and the Joffrey Ballet.

Widely regarded as one of the best in Europe, the Frankfurt Opera is known for its dramatic artistry. Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss both oversaw their own productions for the company, now housed in a modern glass-walled building in the city center. In an effort to introduce a new generation to opera, there are special family programs with free tickets for children and teens up to 19 years. Ticket prices from €15 and intermission refreshments from the in-house restaurant, Fundus, which also serves after-theater dinner.

The Bavarian State Orchestra is based at the Nationaltheater.

Without doubt, the Passion Play is the top draw for Oberammergau. It was first presented in 1634 as an offering of thanks after the Black Death stopped just short of the village. In faithful accordance with a solemn vow, it has been performed every 10 years since 1680. Its 16 acts, which take 5½ hours (with a break for dinner), depict the final days of Christ, from the Last Supper through the Crucifixion and Resurrection. During the presentation year, it's presented daily (in Germany, without supertitles or translation) on a partly open-air stage against a mountain backdrop from late May to late September. The entire village is swept up in the production, with some 1,500 residents directly involved in its preparation and presentation. Men grow beards in the hope of an acting role, while young women have been known to put off their weddings for a shot at playing Mary, which only went to unmarried girls until 1990 (when, to much controversy, a 31-year-old mother of two was given the part). But all performers must reside in Oberammergau. In the off-season—which includes the rest of this decade, as the next performance takes place in 2030— the Passionstheater hosts other plays, mostly in German, as well as opera performances and concerts.

Silent green presents concerts, films, and readings in what might be the city’s most unique venue: a former working crematorium, which opened in 1910 and shut down in 2002. Events happen in both the 17-meter-high domed former funeral hall and the underground concrete crematorium, as well as on the outdoor lawn during the summer. For refreshments during both show and non-show days, the MARS Café & Bar serves a weekly changing lunch menu as well as coffee and cakes in the afternoon and drinks and snacks in the evenings.

The premier opera company in Berlin presents both traditional and contemporary productions, often with international opera stars, in their beautiful concert house on Unter den Linden.

Stuttgart's internationally renowned ballet company performs at this elegant historic theater. The ballet season—including works choreographed by Stuttgart Ballet's John Cranko—is September through July and alternates with the highly respected State Opera. The box office is open weekdays 10–6, Saturday 10–2.  Tickets are suprisingly affordable, starting at just €8.

The Volksbühne is unsurpassed for its aggressively experimental style, and the 824 seats are often sold out. The unusual building was reconstructed in the 1950s using the original 1914 plans. It also houses two smaller performance spaces—the Roter Salon and the Grüner Salon—which host everything from retro Motown nights and salsa classes for all levels to touring pop and rock acts.

This is an incredible historic, rococo venue particularly famous for its Mozart productions.

Regular concerts are held at the Albrechtsburg castle, and in early September the Burgfestspiele—open-air evening performances—are staged in the castle's romantic courtyard.

On the last weekend in June, more than 100,000 people come out for this music festival in Trier's Old Town, which features several music stages as well as a citywide run, markets, a parade and 120 food and drink stalls. Major venues include the Trier Arena and Trier Europahalle, hosting the likes of André Rieu, James Last, and Deep Purple.

Organ recitals, chamber music, and jazz concerts are regularly presented in the Gothic Antoniterkirche.

Partially hidden behind Kottbusser Tor, Babylon shows original-language films with English/German subtitles. Ticket prices vary according to the day of the week, with Monday being the cheapest at €7.

Bamberg's own world-class resident symphony orchestra, the Bamberger Symphoniker, plays in the Konzerthalle Bamberg.

The Bayerischer Rundfunk is the city's public radio and TV broadcaster, which also oversees three musical organizations—the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Radio Orchestra, and the Bavarian Radio Choir. Performances take place at Bayerischer Rundfunk and at other city venues, such as Gasteig HP8. The box office is open Monday to Friday, except Wednesday, 9–4.

Concerts are held at numerous indoor and outdoor venues during September's monthlong Beethoven-Festival.

In the Beethoven-Haus, recitals are sometimes given on a 19th-century grand piano, and concerts take place regularly in the chamber music hall.

In February, numerous cinemas band together to host the prestigious Internationale Filmfestspiele, or Berlinale, a 10-day international festival at which the Golden Bear award is bestowed on the best films, directors, and actors. Ticket counters open three days before the party begins, but individual tickets are also sold on each day of the festival, if you're willing to wait in line for what can be hours. Film buffs should purchase the season pass, or act quickly when tickets are sold online.

The excellent Berliner Ensemble is dedicated to Brecht and works of other international playwrights.

Tickets for theater, concerts, and sports events can be purchased from Best Tickets downtown in the Zeilgalerie.

Frankfurt's ballet company performs in the Bockenheimer Depot, a former trolley barn also used for other theatrical performances and music events.

During the summer months, concerts and open-air theater perfrmances take place in the Burgruine Landskron, the 12th-century imperial fortress ruins. From here, there's a wonderful view of the town and the vineyards, extending all the way to Mannheim and Frankfurt on a clear day. The castle ruins are northwest of the church. Follow Dalbergerstrasse north; from there it's a short, steep walk up to the ruins. For tickets to the performances contact the Oppenheim tourist office.

The city's first-class ensemble, Capella Antiqua Bambergensis, specializes in ancient music featuring lute, harp, hurdy gurdy, and other early instruments. They perform (in medieval costume) at several venues in town.

Mainstream U.S. and British movies are screened in their original versions at the CineStar im Sony Center. Tuesday is a discount evening.