A night at the opera

Attending the opera in the famed Staatsoper in Vienna

One of the most important opera houses in the world, Vienna's opulent Staatsoper (State Opera House) opened in 1869 with a performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni and has counted Mahler and Richard Strauss among its musical directors. You can take a 35-minute tour during the day, but it's even better to attend a performance there at night.

Teh season lasts through June, and tegular tickets from €7 to €157, but the true experience it to pick up S.R.O. tickets on the day of performance. One of my favorite $2 experiences in Europe was waiting in line for two hours to snag standing-room-only tickets at a performance of Donizetti's silly L'Elisir d'Amor. That was in 1994—and even with the introduction of the Euro and more than a decade of inflation, the price for standing-room tickets is still just €2 (less than $3)

Opernring 2
U-Bahn: Oper or Karlsplatz
tel. 01-514-447-810
www.wiener-staatsoper.at