What it is
The neo-Renaissance building was the first major public building on the new Ringstraße and opened with Mozart's Don Giovanni. It was badly damaged by bombing in 1945 and reopened in 1955; the grand staircase, the tea salon and the foyer with Moritz von Schwind's frescoes survived. The house has one of the largest repertoires of any opera company, and standing places are sold for every performance.
Guided tours of the building run on most days when the stage schedule allows, and in summer many performances are shown on a big screen outside on Herbert-von-Karajan-Platz.
Getting there by bus
Oper/Karlsplatz is served by U1, U2 and U4 and by trams 1, 2, 62, 71 and D, and its underground passage leads straight to the opera. Bus 2A stops at Kärntner Straße beside the building, and 59A at Oper/Karlsplatz.
Kärntner Straße, the main shopping street, starts at the opera and leads to St. Stephen's Cathedral.
