Which Sydney Opera House Tour is best choice for you?

A trip to the Sydney Opera House is on top of every Sydney visitor’s list.  No matter what your budget spending time here is a must. I often get asked,  “Should I do an Opera House Tour or just walk around the outside”? My standard answer is “well that depends.”

It depends on your interest in architecture and performing arts, your budget and the time you have available for your visit. So let’s work out the best way for you to see it.

You are travelling on a tight budget or think it’s just another building

If you are flat broke you can still walk around the Opera House – head inside via the Drama Theatre staircase and even use the toilets. You can grab a free Sydney Morning Herald from outside the gift shop to read on the concourse while you watch the world go by. Make sure you walk around the building and take photos from different angles, climb the front stairs and touch the tiles.

You have an average budget, an interest in architecture or want to know more about how they got the sails to stay up.

Well, the next option is probably going to suit you. The Essentials Tour is a one hour tour that covers all the main public spaces and gives you the history of the building, the design, and the architect. You can take photos of any areas that are not dressed for performances. I recently did this tour – for the 5^th time –and the new to me video segments that cover the construction are a great addition. Each guide seems to tell slightly different stories, ours shared a story of Pavarotti refusing to attend a reception in the Concert Hall foyer area because of his phobia of purple carpet.  She also told us about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s visit to competed in a Mr. Universe competition on the Concert Hall stage in the 1970s.

I have enjoyed my tours the guide have been excellent, but apparently, this is not always the case and like anywhere you visit, the tour is only as good as the person giving it.  I would think the majority are great, but Tripadvisor reviews suggest there are some less entertaining ones.

Some of the areas included in the Essentials tour are the Drama Theatre, Concert Hall, Utzon Room, Northern Foyer although this depends on the timing of your visit if any areas are being dressed for performances or are being used you will bypass them.  To give you an idea of how often this happens is impossible however on my five tours I have only missed the concert hall once.  I have also always been allowed to take photos.   The Essentials tours are currently $37 for adults.

You would love to see inside, but you are not interested in lots of information.

An alternative to taking the tour and next best budget wise is to attend a performance.   There are more than 40 shows a week and a quick check of this month’s tickets discovered A reserve seats to the Bangara Dance Theatre in the Drama Theatre for $65  ($25 for students). If you want to see the Concert Hall, and it is very impressive, I suggest a symphony concert. Tickets for August range from $35-$125.   Search the website for events http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/whatson/index.aspx  This month there was a piano competition that had tickets for around $40

You are a performing arts enthusiast or musician and want to see how the place works.

I have not done one of these tours, so I sadly have no photos to share, but if you are a performer yourself or a passionate arts fan, the backstage tour will probably appeal to you. These run daily 7 am and only twelve people can join each tour allowing you to get make sure you book early if you want to do one of these. Bookings close two days before a tour, and you must wear flat shoes.  This two-hour tour includes the stages and orchestra pits, dressing rooms and breakfast in the green room on the conclusion.  Cost $165 – Children under 12 not permitted.

Tours are available in several languages including tours for the hearing impaired.

You want to see inside, and you love food more than architecture

You can, of course, skip the tour altogether and spend the money eating and drinking instead. Recently on our wedding anniversary, my husband surprised me with dinner at the Opera House fine dining restaurant Bennelong. We opted for the pre-theatre menu, which at and it was delicious.  With the right seating, you get to watch the sunset while eating dinner inside one of the shells.  They also do a mean Negroni. Bookings are essential here, often a few weeks in advance but they do take walk-ins for the bar menu.  I am not much of a food reviewer so check out this blog post for more.

Don’t forget to check out the gift shop

If you need to take a gift home for someone you love, I think a little lego Opera House beats a t-shirt every time!

So there you go… all you need to plan a great day at the Opera House.  If you are interested in taking photos of this iconic building check out my post Best Places to Photograph the Sydney Opera House

Have you been on a Sydney Opera House tour?  What did you learn?

Related Images:

The post Sydney Opera House Tours appeared first on .