A complete guide to the Royal Opera House

Learn more about the famous and spectacularly beautiful Covent Garden venue, home to the Royal Ballet & Opera.

The Royal Opera House is one of London’s most historic, ornate, and prestigious venues. If you haven’t visited before, there’s no need to be intimidated. The grand building with its red velvet seats is open to all, whether you’re a confirmed opera lover and/or ballet fan, or a first-time visitor curious to learn more about these extraordinary art forms.

Tradition and modernity come together seamlessly at this gorgeous venue that has been fully modernised for the 21st century. A very special evening at a world-class opera or ballet production with a real sense of occasion is guaranteed. Read on to learn more about the Royal Opera House and its resident companies.

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Get to know the history of the Royal Opera House

Located in the heart of Covent Garden, there has been a theatre on the site since 1728, when actor/manager John Rich, flush from the success of commissioning John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera, built the first Theatre Royal Covent Garden. The theatre opened with a staging of William Congreve’s comedy The Way of the World.

While primarily a playhouse for the first century of its existence, Handel premiered many of his works at Covent Garden from 1735 until his death in 1759. The theatre’s first ballet, Pygmalion, was produced in 1734. Pantomime was also a regular fixture until 1938-9.

The theatre burned down in 1808 and was rebuilt the following year. Actor/manager John Philip Kendall raised ticket prices to recoup the expense, but audience members responded with disruptive behaviour. The “Old Price Riots” lasted for two months, and former prices were eventually reinstated.

The auditorium was redesigned and the theatre was renamed the Royal Italian Opera in 1847. The building suffered another fire in 1856 and reopened in 1858. All operas, regardless of their original language, were performed in Italian until 1892, when Gustave Mahler conducted the UK premiere of Richard Wagner’s The Ring Cycle. The theatre thereafter was known as the Royal Opera House.

In the early 20th century, the Royal Opera House staged winter and summer seasons of opera and ballet, with film screenings, cabaret and social dancing in between. The theatre was used as a furniture warehouse during World War I and a dance hall during World War II.

Royal Ballet & Opera

Following World War II, the Royal Opera House reopened to present opera and ballet. Austrian conductor Karl Rankl was appointed musical director of the Covent Garden Opera Company, and Ninette de Valois’s Sadler’s Wells Ballet became the resident ballet company.

In 1956, the Sadler’s Wells Ballet became The Royal Ballet and in 1968, the Covent Garden Opera Company became The Royal Opera. In 2024, the two organisations became known as Royal Ballet & Opera.

Currently, Oliver Mears is Director of Opera, Antonio Pappano is Music Director of The Royal Opera, and Kevin O’Hare is Director of The Royal Ballet.

The Royal Opera House building

The historic building has been modernised several times throughout the years. A major refurbishment took place between 1995-99. At least half of the Royal Opera House complex is contemporary.

The auditorium has five levels: Orchestra Stalls, Stalls Circle, Grand Tier, Balcony and Amphitheatre. The upper four levels are designed in a horseshoe shape around the stalls.

Formerly known as the “Floral Hall”, the magnificent cast-iron and glass Paul Hamlyn Hall is the building’s main public space. This section, which was originally inspired by the Crystal Palace, was dismantled and reassembled as part of the refurbishment in the 1990s.

Another striking feature is the “Bridge of Aspiration” on Floral Street, which connects the Royal Ballet School with the Royal Opera House.

The building also contains the modern 400-seat Linbury Studio Theatre, located below ground, which hosts smaller-scale and experimental work.

Food, drink and shopping at the Royal Opera House

It’s well worth arriving at your show with time to spare so you can enjoy exploring the wonderful building. The Piazza Restaurant and Piazza Bar are open to all with no booking required. Pre-ordering is essential for the Crush Bar, Balconies Restaurant, and Paul Hamlyn Hall Dining. There are also a number of bars – pre-ordering interval drinks is advisable as it can get very busy!

For other souvenirs, there is also a gift shop filled with all sorts of trinkets, and there’s always a beautifully curated selection of enchanting costumes and other ephemera from the archives on display (sadly not for sale!).

What are some of the Royal Opera House’s most memorable productions?

Unlike most theatrical productions, opera and ballet stagings are often revived over many decades. The Royal Opera House has staged many notable productions, including the following:

• The Sleeping Beauty: The Royal Ballet’s first production to be performed at the Royal Opera House in 1946, their pastel-hued version of Pepita’s fairy-tale ballet staged by Frederick Ashton remains the company’s signature work.
• Billy Budd: Benjamin Britten’s seafaring opera premiered at the Royal Opera House in 1951 in four acts; the revised two-act version was also presented at the ROH in 1962.
• La Fille mal Gardée: Translated as “the wayward daughter”, Frederick Ashton’s comic pastoral masterpiece features the famous “ribbon dance” and pays homage to the Royal Opera House’s history of pantomime with a dame in the form of the heroine’s mother, Widow Simone.
• Tosca: Maria Callas appeared in six different productions at the Royal Opera House, where she made her final appearance in an opera in Puccini’s Tosca in 1965, in the production created for her by her close friend Franco Zeffirelli.
• Romeo and Juliet: Known for his visceral choreography, Kenneth Macmillan depicted Shakespeare’s lovers as headstrong teenagers. The opening night capitalised on Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev’s celebrity status and electrifying chemistry.
• Anna Nicole: Mark-Anthony Turnage’s 2011 opera about Anna Nicole Smith, the Playboy model turned billionaire’s wife, raised a few eyebrows but received a highly positive reception for its outrageous representation of the American Dream.
• Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: Filled with playful touches, including a tap-dancing Mad Hatter, the Royal Ballet’s 2011 version of Lewis Carroll’s topsy-turvy tale, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, has become a modern favourite for all ages.
• Woolf Works: Wayne McGregor’s elegiac 2015 triptych of pieces inspired by the works of Virginia Woolf won the Olivier Award for Best Dance Production.

How to get to the Royal Opera House

The nearest Tube station is Covent Garden, on the Piccadilly Line. Leicester Square (Northern Line) and the mainline Charing Cross station are a short walk away, and the area is well served by buses.

What shows can I book to see at the Royal Opera House?

Tosca

Jonathan Kent’s garlanded production of Puccini’s tragedy captures the beauty and bloodshed of Rome in 1800. Filled with the dramatic tension of a thriller, this would be an excellent pick for a first opera.

Book Tosca tickets on London Theatre.

La Traviata

Verdi's romantic tragedy about the star-crossed romance between consumptive courtesan Violetta and the young Alfredo explores how far we would go for love. Richard Eyre's production has become a true classic.

Book La Traviata tickets on London Theatre.

La bohème

Another Puccini classic that's perfect for first-time opera-goers, meet Mimi, Rodolfo, Marcello, Musetta and friends as they attempt to pursue la vie boheme in their Paris garret. A bona fide weepie that's both heart-warming and heart-breaking.

Book La bohème tickets on London Theatre.

Hansel and Gretel

Abandoned in the woods, Hansel and Gretel come across a house made of gingerbread, but all isn't as it seems. Can they outwit the wicked witch? Engelbert Humperdinck's fairy-tale classic is the perfect family opera.

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Cinderella

Don your finery to head to the ball at the Royal Opera House! Founding choreographer Frederick Ashton's fairy-tale ballet has had a glow-up in recent years and is now lovelier than ever.

Book Cinderella tickets on London Theatre.

Encounters: Four Contemporary Ballets

An eclectic quadruple bill comprising new works by Kyle Abraham, Pam Tanowitz, Joseph Toonga, and Crystal Pite, this is modern ballet at its most exciting.

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MaddAddam

The UK premiere of the visionary ballet by Wayne McGregor, based on a trilogy of novels by Margaret Atwood in which the Earth has been irrevocably changed by a bio-engineered apocalypse. This ought to be fascinating.

Book MaddAddam tickets on London Theatre.