Volksoper Wien

This past summer I made my first trip to Austria. My eyes opened wide as I spotted the central opera house on my first day in the city - wow! Even though I didn't want to spend the money to tour that opera house, my family decided in advance to make sure that we did see an opera while we were in this historic city. Our choice: Volksoper Wien.

We got all dressed up for the opera and set out via metro. Volksoper is situated in a beautiful building, and opera-goers milled about outside before the show and during intermission.

Although we weren't able to snap any pictures during the opera, we did get a quick one before it started.

If you are a fan of Phantom of the Opera, this theater is bound to thrill your imagination. The atmosphere at Volksoper was exciting and regal at the same time. Older couples came to enjoy the evening together, as did families (like mine). We even had a mom and her little girl sit near us.

Tips for enjoying the evening:

1. Make sure to check your coat at the coat-check, as they will stop you at the doors to the theater if you don't. This got quite confusing to me when it happened, as I don't speak German (but I look German, so I end up making a lot of confused faces when I don't understand).
2. If you don't speak German, it is a good idea to read the synopsis of the opera or play before attending. I made it through the first half of the opera and had almost no idea what was happening until we looked up the plot on our phone. The singing was still magnificent, even if we didn't understand their angst.

I definitely recommend attending an opera while in Vienna, and if you aren't able to pay for the tickets to the main opera houses, take a look at some of the smaller ones. You will still have an experience that you will never forget.