Budapest, Hungary is brimming with art, culture and a touch of decadence. Nowhere is this more apparent than at the Hungarian State Opera House on the luxurious Andrássy Way. If you don’t have the time or money to take in a concert in this opulent theatre, you can still get a dose of culture by taking one of the daily guided tours. Crane your neck to take in the ceiling murals and twinkling chandeliers while you sit in the plush velvet seats, sweep down the grand staircase of the main hall and play out your fantasies of living life at court, or just learn about the theatre, without all of the dramatic bits. Tours are offered in Hungarian, English, German, Spanish, Italian and French everyday, and Japanese several times a week. You can also stay for a mini concert in the theatre. After the tour, pop next door to the Callas Restaurant, where you can sip champagne on the terrace while admiring the Opera House’s stunning facade.
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Christmas music
Visited the Opera House in Budapest last weekend and not only the city but the opera house is all dressed up for Christmas. As you enter the building, you immediately spot the tree and if you’re lucky, will hear an aria bringing the building alive. You can take tours of the opera house and even enjoy a mini concert.
Ballet at the Hungarian State Opera
We had a fantastic night watching “Aranyecset” at the Opera House. Prior to our arrival in Budapest I did some research on the internet and found out that tickets to the opera house were dirt cheap, the cheapest ones started at around 3 Euros, we got some which were a bit more expensive for a better view. The plot (a Hungarian story about an artist) was a bit difficult to understand since I could not find any English synopsis online but during the break we asked our neighbour next to explain to us and he kindly did so. I highly recommend getting tickets to see a performance at the beautiful opera house, it was definitely the highlight of our whole trip.
