Rome Opera House Tickets and Tours

The vibrant red velvet, the famous golden dome adorned with frescoes by Annibale Brugnoli, and a majestic Murano chandelier featuring 27,000 crystal drops are the essential elements for an opera evening brimming with passion and emotion. Don’t be fooled by its understated façade; the Opera House is a dream venue where you can enjoy the world’s finest operas in style.

Keep reading this article to find out how to buy your tickets, how to get to the theatre, what to see in the surrounding area… I’ll tell you all the details so you can enjoy this unmissable experience, which stands out amongst all the things to see and do in Rome

Forget about having to save up for a whole year to enjoy the best opera performances. The Opera House offers affordable tickets to suit all budgets, with seats ranging from €22 to €160.

The price difference between tickets is due to the seat chosen (the back rows of the gallery are the cheapest and the front rows of the stalls the most expensive), and the number of performances of the opera.

The same performance on opening night can cost between €4 and €35 more than subsequent performances. But don’t worry about the sound, as the theatre is built in a horseshoe shape to act as a resonance chamber, so whichever seat you choose, you’ll be able to hear the opera in all its splendour.

Ballet ticket prices vary in the same way as for opera performances, but they are slightly cheaper, ranging from €20 to €100 for the best seats on the opening night.

Enjoy a 25% discount:

To make opera and ballet accessible to everyone, the theatre offers a 25% discount on tickets for young people under 25, students under 30 and those over 65.

Don’t forget to bring a valid ID to claim this discount. This discount cannot be applied to premieres or seats in the balconies or gallery.

Take advantage of the Opera Card:

If you’re an opera lover and plan to attend regularly, the Opera Card could be your best friend.

Priced at €10 for adults and €5 for young people under 25, you can enjoy 10% discounts on tickets to the Opera House and the Baths of Caracalla (excluding premieres and seats in the balconies and gallery), 30% discounts on tickets for the Roman Philharmonic Academy, and more.

Check the Rome Opera website for the full range of benefits offered by the Opera Card. You can purchase your card at the theatre box office.

Subscribe to the Opera House:

Have you fallen in love with opera, ballet and all their performances? Don’t worry, because the Rome Opera House offers various season tickets so you don’t miss any of its productions.

Choose the option that best suits your preferences: the full opera season, weekend packages, or if you prefer ballet performances.

If opera is on your itinerary during your visit to Rome, don’t leave buying tickets until the last minute, as although you can purchase them at the box office, they often sell out quickly.

Below are the different options for buying your tickets hassle-free online, at the theatre box office, or booking them remotely.

Buy your tickets at the box office

If you’re in Rome and prefer to have your tickets in hand, head to Piazza Beniamino Gigli, 1, to buy them. The box office is open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm and on Sundays from 9 am to 1 pm. Remember that the box office is closed on public holidays.

You can pay for your tickets:

• In cash.
• By non-transferable bank draft made payable to the Fondazione Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.
• By cheque made payable to the Fondazione Teatro dell’Opera di Roma (you must have your ID with you at all times).
• By credit and debit card: American Express, Visa, Maestro, Mastercard, BankAmericard, CartaSi, Diners.

If the tickets are for performances on the same day, please arrive at the Opera House one hour before or up to 15 minutes after the start of the performance.

Buy your tickets online

If you prefer to buy tickets in advance online to avoid queues or surprises, you can visit their website to view all available performances, seats, dates, etc.

Buy or book your tickets by phone:

You can also purchase your tickets by telephone on: 06 48160255. Please note that this is an Italian-language line and international call charges may apply; you will also need to enter the country code.

Tickets purchased by telephone must be collected from the box office within 48 hours prior to the performance.

Located at Piazza Beniamino Gigli 7, in the historic Esquilino district, the Teatro dell’Opera is easily accessible by public transport.

If you have a Roma Pass, you’ll have free access to all public transport (underground and buses) in Rome whilst your pass is valid.

Please note that transfers to airports or regional trains are not included. You can also purchase the Omnia Card to benefit from free public transport.

To the Opera House by metro

One of the quickest ways to get around Rome is by metro. To get to the Rome Opera House, I recommend taking Line A to the ‘Repubblica Teatro Dell’Opera’ stop, which is right next to the theatre.

You can buy tickets at metro stations and also at tobacconists and newsagents marked with a blue sign featuring a T. If you’d like more information, feel free to check out this guide on how to use the metro in Rome.

All the options for getting there by bus

Depending on where you are in the city, you can take different bus routes; here are all the available routes.

That said, if you plan to take the bus to the theatre, I recommend allowing plenty of time, as the wait between buses can be up to 20 minutes or more.

• From Via Nazionale: H, 40, 60, 64, 70, 71, 170, 116T
• From Via Depretis: 70, 71
• From Via Cavour: 16, 75, 84, 150 (public holidays), 360, 590, 649, 714
• From the railway station (Stazione Termini): 16, 38, 75, 86, 90, 217, 310, 360, 649, 714

Take a taxi from anywhere in the city

The nearest taxi rank to the Rome Opera House is number 6645, undoubtedly the most convenient option for getting there.

The perfect car park if you’re coming by car

If you prefer to travel in your own vehicle, don’t worry about parking, as the theatre offers a 50% discount at the Garage Mediterraneo car park. Head to 12 Via Massimo D’Azeglio and leave your car in complete safety and under surveillance.

Over 11,000 set design sketches, photographs of the performances, 84,000 costume pieces, audio recordings, videos and much more await you in this magnificent catalogue, which brings together all the historical documentation of the Rome Opera House.
If you’re an opera lover, you can’t miss this encyclopaedic collection: over 100 years of artistic history in an archive open to the public, allowing you to enjoy the events that have taken place since the theatre’s opening day in 1880.

To enjoy a night at the opera in style, here are all the recommendations and information you need so that nothing catches you off guard:

• Remember that recording or photographing the performances is prohibited, so all photographic or video equipment must be left in the theatre cloakroom. The use of mobile phones in the auditorium is also prohibited. Focus on enjoying this unique experience and immerse yourself in the performance with all five senses; it is sure to be an evening you will never forget.
• For most performances, casual dress is fine, but for opening nights or premieres, put on your finest attire as it will be a truly spectacular event.
• Keep an eye on the time and don’t be late, as entry to the stalls and numbered seats in the gallery or balconies is prohibited once the performance has begun.
• The Rome Opera House has a magnificent café featuring a detailed menu by Alba Esteve Ruiz, known as Rome’s Marzipan Chef. In this restaurant, you can enjoy an exquisite dinner or light bite with hot and cold dishes to take away during the interval or before the event. Do remember, however, that all food and drink must remain in the designated areas and must not be taken into the performance. If you prefer to have lunch or dinner outside the theatre, I recommend you take a look at this list of recommended restaurants so you can choose from a wide variety of delicious dishes.

Opera never sleeps in the Eternal City. The Rome Opera House’s performance calendar runs all year round, but to enhance the experience and delve even deeper into Roman life, if you visit Rome during the summer months, you’ll find that performances are held at the Baths of Caracalla.

Visiting the Baths of Caracalla, one of the most majestic thermal baths of antiquity, is almost a must if you are travelling to Rome.

Although built between 212 and 216 AD, we can still admire its massive brick walls and enormous vaults today, making the setting an idyllic spot to enjoy opera on summer evenings.

The Baths of Caracalla have been the setting for major operas since 1930, and today they also host various festivals and dance and music performances. Tickets can be purchased on the Rome Opera House website

. Opera and ballet performance times depend on the various shows available.

During your visit to the Opera House, be sure to explore the Esquilino district to make the most of your day in Rome.

This district was home to figures such as Cicero, Horace and Maecenas, and although it is not one of Rome’s most popular areas, it houses precious relics such as the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa and the Cornaro Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, or the finger of Saint Thomas in the Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme.

One of the main attractions in this part of the city is the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of Rome’s seven major basilicas. Santa Maria Maggiore is one of Rome’s four Major Basilicas and the only one to retain its early Christian layout and original 5th-century mosaics.

You can also stroll through Piazza della Repubblica and see the Naiads Fountain and the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri.

Right in the heart of the Esquilino district lies Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. It was built in 1870 and here you can stroll through the Nicola Calipari gardens, see the remains of a 3rd-century AD Roman fountain, and view the Porta Magica built by Massimiliano Palombara (the only gate still standing of the five that were built at Villa Palombara).

Rome is full of majestic monuments and buildings. Visiting the city’s best squares is something you mustn’t forget to include in your itinerary.

Rome is home to one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, the Colosseum, making it a top destination for any traveller wishing to immerse themselves in Italy’s wonderful cultural life; consequently, finding the perfect time in terms of visitor numbers can be a bit tricky.

As a personal recommendation, try to book your opera tickets as far in advance as possible. Although you can buy tickets for same-day performances at the theatre box office, it’s a bit of a gamble.

Similarly, if you prefer to wait until the summer months and visit the opera at the Baths of Caracalla, it is best to book in advance, as despite the high temperatures, many tourists flock there to enjoy the summer dance, music and opera festivals.

Remember that with the Roma Pass or Omnia Card, you can visit the city with free entry or significant discounts. Take a look at the different options to see which one best suits your needs.

If you’ve missed out on tickets to visit Rome’s Opera House, don’t worry, as Italy’s capital brings opera to every corner of the city.

The Palazzo Santa Chiara or the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls are other places where you can go to enjoy music in all its splendour. If you’d prefer an open-air concert, head to Rome’s Terrazza Borromini, near Piazza Navona, to enjoy Puccini, Rossini and Verdi whilst having an aperitif.

You also have the chance to book tickets for an opera concert at the Waldensian Church, situated right in the heart of Rome, an idyllic spot to enjoy a recital by the finest tenors and sopranos of the Opera de Camera.