Vienna State Opera

The Wiener Staatsoper is the first great building of the Ringstrasse and the centre of Vienna's musical life. It opened in 1869 with Mozart's Don Giovanni, was struck by bombs in March 1945, which destroyed the auditorium and stage, and reopened in 1955 with Beethoven's Fidelio in a celebration that marked Austria's recovery as much as the building's; the grand staircase, the foyer and the tea salon survived and are the historic heart of the house today. Mahler, Richard Strauss and Karajan all directed it, and the orchestra is drawn from the same musicians who form the Vienna Philharmonic. The house works on a repertory system, with a different opera or ballet on most nights of the season, from early September to the end of June, and it is dark in July and August. There are three ways in for visitors. The guided tour, about 40 minutes in English and German, leads through the grand staircase, the foyers, the auditorium and, when the schedule allows, behind the scenes; tickets cost around 15 euros for adults and are sold online and at the tour desk at the corner of Opernring and Operngasse, with times varying daily around rehearsals and performances. The standing places are the legendary bargain: a few hundred places at the back of the stalls and in the galleries, sold for under ten euros, which let anyone hear world-class opera, though the views vary and the operas are long. And full tickets, sold from about two months before each performance, range from affordable upper-gallery seats to the boxes. On selected evenings in some months, performances are also screened live on a big screen outside the house, free of charge. For a first visit, take the tour by day and a standing place or seat by night; it is the most Viennese evening there is.

The tour, explained: the guides tell the story of the house from the scandal of its opening, when critics mocked the architecture so harshly that one of the architects took his own life, to the post-war rebuilding, and show the rooms the public sees only during performances, including the tea salon once reserved for the emperor. If you can, choose a day when the backstage areas are included, as the stage machinery is spectacular. Tours are cancelled or shortened at short notice when rehearsals require, so book online and check the day's schedule. Children's tours and private tours are also available.

Seeing a performance: the State Opera's repertory is broad, from Mozart, Verdi and Puccini to Wagner, Strauss and contemporary work, plus the Vienna State Ballet. Seat-back screens offer subtitles in several languages, including English, which makes even an unfamiliar opera easy to follow. Standing places are sold on a fixed system that changes from time to time, so check the opera's website for the current rules; regulars mark their spot at the rail with a scarf during the interval. There is no formal dress code, but many people dress up, and smart casual is always appropriate. In late winter, the house transforms for the Opera Ball, the high point of Vienna's ball season, with thousands of guests on a floor built over the stalls.

Location and logistics: the opera stands on the Ring at the top of Kaerntner Strasse, directly above Karlsplatz station, where the U1, U2 and U4 lines meet, and across the street from the Albertina and the Hotel Sacher. Performances usually begin in the early evening, and many restaurants nearby offer pre-theatre menus. If you cannot get tickets, the free outdoor screenings on the square beside the house are a convivial alternative on mild evenings.