Vienna Opera For Children 2023: 5 Most Magic Places

Vienna Opera for Children. As a matter of fact, Wien can introduce children to the world of opera and classical music like no other capital. Almost throughout the year you and your family can watch special children’s operas. Since they are all funny and not too long they create a great first opera experience for kids. While children’s operas are very popular in Vienna many travellers often overlook them. As a native Viennese with kids, I’m sharing these free tips on the best opera venues, opera calendars and booking tickets below.

1. Volksoper Wien

Vienna Opera for Children. Probably the most popular opera house for children is the Volksoper Wien. Each season, it stages many child-friendly performances. Certain operas such as Hänsel and Gretel and the Ghost of Canterville are among the most regular operas. To broaden your choices, consider taking your children to see operettas and ballets because they are mostly colourful and easy to follow.

To see what’s on check the current opera programme  (look out for the location Volksoper).

2. Vienna State Opera

Vienna Opera for Children. In its own performances for children, the Wiener Staatsoper generates productions together with children and young adults. From the spring of 2023, the Opera Lab, the Dance Lab and the Utopera will perform plays along with professionals of the Vienna State Opera at different locations in Vienna.

For each opera performance (excluding premieres and Die Fledermaus zu Silvester) 25 children’s and youth tickets are available at a price of EUR 15 each. There is no limit to any ballet performance. When purchasing a children’s ticket (up to 16 years) you have to buy at least one regular ticket as well. Per purchase you can buy a maximum of three children’s tickets. For regular opera performances the minimum age is five years.

My tip: Go for a children’s opera or look for a regular ballet or suitable opera to visit with your kids. More in booking opera tickets.

3. Musikzentrum Augarten

Vienna Opera for Children. Though few people know this, our contemporary concert hall Musikzentrum Augarten has a few children’s opera performances in their schedule. Most of these productions are made by the Vienna Boys Choir or their high school next door. To get an idea of what is on offer access the calendar of performances.

4. Vienna Opera For Children: Marionettes

Vienna Opera for Children. Certainly the most playful setting is staged at the enchanting marionette theatre at Schonbrunn. The small but very professional venue regularly performs opera adaptations for children using historic marionette puppets.

Since I saw Mozart opera The Magic Flute there with my children we fell in love with the marionettes. Especially if you are short on time, visiting the Marionettentheater subsequent to your Schonbrunn Palace visit saves time.

For further information, go to Marionette Theatre Schonbrunn.

5. Children’s Opera In The Crypt

Vienna Opera for Children. Unlike the grand stages of Wiener Staatsoper and Wiener Volksoper, the crypt of St. Peter’s baroque church offers an intimate setting enabling children to engage very closely with the singers.

What’s more, the opera performers themselves are young enthusiastic graduates from the Vienna Conservatory’s course for Classical Operetta. To adapt the performances to children, most of the grand operas are slightly shorter. Find out in the opera calendar which operas are currently on stage at church St. Peter. 

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