Day four: Wien - Opernhaus and Staatsopernmuseum

After lunch we barely made it in time to the guided tour of the world renowned Opera House, where the Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera) performs. The guide took us to various parts of the building, including what-used-to-be the Emperor Suite (Kaisersalon), which is usually closed unless someone has rented it for a substantial sum or during the bestowal of the honorary title of Kammersänger (or Kammersängerin) on an exceptional singer.

We got a chance to sit in the great hall and enjoyed the ambiance (sans the music and the cheers from a full house) for much less than the top-tier 168€ ticket. But we can't afford this price (times 4), or the hours to queue up for the standing-room tickets on the day of the performance (for 3€ each). I suppose we could get the less expensive tickets, but the kids would not be able to last through Wagner's 5-plus-hour epic Parsifal. So, no opera performance at the Opernhaus for us on this trip.




The ticket for the guide tour also entitled us to visit the opera's museum Staatsopernmuseum, which is located in a separate building approximately 200m away. We labored through some of the exhibitions (as all of the descriptions are written in German) for about 30 minutes before heading to Albertina across the street.