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Sydney Opera House (Australia)

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Sydney Opera House, {CATEGORY}

Fourteen troubled years in the building, and AUD95 million over budget, the controversial sail-like roofs of Sydney's most recognizable icon glisten against the backdrop of Sydney Harbour. Danish architect Jorn Utzon has reportedly never laid eyes on his masterpiece, resigning in 1966 due to political difficulties and construction delays—it was finally finished in 1973. It now has an impressive yearly program of up to 3000 contemporary and classical performances and is a truly memorable place for theatre, opera and ballet. Various guided tours operate daily from 9a-5p.

Practical Information

Address: Off 2 Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

City: Sydney

Country: Australia

Phone 1: +61 2 9250 7111

Email: bookings@sydneyoperahouse.com

Official site: www.sydneyoperahouse.com

Opening hours: Tours daily 9am-5pm (every 30 min.)

Entrance fee: Box office Mon-Sat 9am-8:30pm, Sun 2 hr. before performance. Tours A$26 (US$23/£12) for adults, A$16 (US$14/£7) for kids. Backstage Tour A$150 (US$135/£67) starts daily at 7am, for 2 hr., with breakfast

Access by bus: Sydney Explorer Bus

Access by boat: Circular Quay

Access by tramway: Circular Quay

More info: Parking

Hotels nearby

478 yd - Quay Grand Suites Sydney

The waterfront Quay Grand Suites in Sydney, Australia is positioned near the Sydney Opera House and is adjacent to the Royal Botanic Gardens. Set on the eastern shore of the Circular Quay, the hotel Read morealso offers scenic views of the city's skyline and Sydney Harbour. In addition to the Opera House, the hotel is central to other cultural sites such as the Museum of Sydney, within walking distance, and the Museum of Contemporary Art less than one half kilometer from the hotel. The hotel is close to the historic Rocks area and places to shop and eat. Darling Harbour, a short cab ride south, features museums, cinemas, and the Sydney Zoo and Aquarium. Hotel Features. On site dining combines Australian, Mediterranean and Asian style cuisine and stirring views of the Harbour bridge and Sydney Cove. Continental and full breakfasts are also available. The postmodern themed lobby sets the mood with track lighting and abstract art. Recreations at Quay Grand Suites include a heated indoor pool and health club with spa, sauna and fitness center with training equipment. Internet access is available in the business center. Adjacent to the hotel is a promenade featuring two prominent eateries and a cinema complex that shows art house movies. The apartment style Quay Grand Suites offers 68 guestroom units with private balconies that overlook either the Botanic Gardens or the harbour. Accommodations include spacious one or two bedroom suites ranging from 75 to 100 square meters. Units feature dining rooms, full kitchens and two bathrooms. Unit bathrooms include bathrobes and jetted spa tubs. Also included is cable/satellite television with premium channels, in room safes and complimentary daily newspapers. Expert Tip. The fish and chip shops along the ferry wharves at nearby Circular Quay offer some of the best inexpensive dining venues in the city. Those with more daring palettes can opt for seafood takeout booths also at the quay. Hide

610 yd - Quay Grand Suites Sydney

The 5-star Quay Grand Suites Sydney Hotel offers comfort and convinience whether you're on business or holiday in Sydney. The hotel offers a high standard of service and amenities to suit the individuRead moreal needs of all travelers. Take advantage of the hotel's disabled facilities, car park, restaurant, laundry service/dry cleaning, tours. Each guestroom is elegantly furnished and equipped with handy amenities. To enhance guests' stay, the hotel offers recreational facilities such as indoor pool, jacuzzi, gym, sauna. For reliable service and professional staff, Quay Grand Suites Sydney Hotel caters to your needs.Hide

642 yd - Park Hyatt Sydney

Stop at Park Hyatt Hotel to discover the wonders of Sydney. The property features a wide range of facilities to make your stay a pleasant experience. To be found at the hotel are car park, elevator, lRead moreaundry service/dry cleaning, 24hr room service, Wi-Fi in public areas. Relax in your comfortable guestroom, featuring shower, desk, satellite/cable TV, balcony/terrace, bathtub. The hotel offers various recreational opportunities. Convenience and comfort makes Park Hyatt Hotel the perfect choice for your stay in Sydney.Hide

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677 yd - Holiday Inn Old Sydney

The Old Sydney Holiday Inn Hotel is located only 15 km (9 miles) away from the airport and close to the city center of Sydney. All 174 rooms at the hotel have all the modern facilities guests' would eRead morexpect from a hotel of this class. Modern comfort and convenience are seamlessly combined to ensure the guests' satisfaction. To proceed with your booking at the Old Sydney Holiday Inn Hotel, simply choose your travel dates and fill in our secure online booking form.Hide

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758 yd - Sir Stamford Circular Quay

The 5-star Sir Stamford At Circular Quay Hotel offers comfort and convinience whether you're on business or holiday in Sydney. The hotel offers a high standard of service and amenities to suit the indRead moreividual needs of all travelers. Wi-Fi in public areas, safety deposit boxes, valet parking, meeting facilities, tours are just some of the facilities on offer. Each guestroom is elegantly furnished and equipped with handy amenities. Enjoy the hotel's recreational facilities, including outdoor pool, sauna, gym, indoor pool, before retiring to your room for a well-deserved rest. Friendly staff, great facilities and close proximity to all that Sydney has to offer are three great reasons you should stay at Sir Stamford At Circular Quay Hotel.Hide

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Sydney Opera House, {CATEGORY}

Only a handful of buildings around the world are as architecturally and culturally significant as the Sydney Opera House. But what sets it apart from, say, the Taj Mahal and the great pyramids of Egypt is that this white-sailed construction caught midbillow over the waters of Sydney Cove is a working building. Most visitors are surprised to learn it's not just an opera house but a full-scale performing-arts complex with five major performance spaces. The biggest and grandest is the 2,690-seat Concert Hall, which has the best acoustics of any building of its type in the world. Come here to experience opera, chamber music, symphonies, dance, choral performances, and even rock 'n' roll. The Opera Theatre is smaller, seating 1,547, and books operas, ballets, and dance. The Drama Theatre, seating 544, and the Playhouse, seating 398, specialize in plays and smaller-scale performances. The Boardwalk, seating 300, is used for dance and experimental music. The history of the building is as intriguing as the design. The New South Wales Government raised the construction money with a lottery. Danish architect J?rn Utzon won an international competition to design it. From the start, the project was controversial, with many Sydneysiders believing it was a monstrosity. Following a disagreement, Utzon returned home without ever seeing his finished project. The interior fell victim to a compromise in design, which, among other things, left too little space to perform full-scale operas. And the cost? Initially the project was budgeted at a cool A$7 million (US$6.3 million/£3.1 million), but by the time it was finished in 1973 it had cost a staggering A$102 million (US$92 million/£46 million), most raised through a series of lotteries. Since then, continual refurbishment and the major task of replacing the asbestos-laden grouting between the hundreds of thousands of white tiles that make up its shell has cost many millions more. A long-overdue reconstruction is being completed, aimed at putting into practice what J?rn Utzon had long visualized. The tatty old reception hall has already been transformed into an impressive welcome room. Its centerpiece is Utzon's first foray into visual art: a glorious floor-to-ceiling tapestry inspired by Bach's Hamburg Symphonies and Raphael's painting Procession to Calvary. Also finished is work on the Western Loggia, or colonnade, which opens up the foyers of the Playhouse, the Drama Theatre, and the Studio to harbor views and creates spaces for cafes and functions. Investigations are also going ahead into refurbishing the Opera Theatre and improving the acoustics in the Concert Hall. Guided tours of the Opera House last about an hour and are conducted daily from 9am to 5pm, except on Good Friday and December 25. Though guides try to take groups into the main theaters and around the foyers, if you don't get to see everything you want, it's because the Opera House is a working venue. There's almost always some performance, practice, or setting up to be done. Reservations are essential. Tour sizes are limited, so be prepared to wait. Tours include about 200 stairs. (Tours for people with disabilities can be arranged). Specialized tours, focusing on the building's architecture and engineering, for example, can also be arranged. The Tourism Services Department at the Sydney Opera House can book combination packages, including dinner and a show, a tour, dinner, and a show, or a champagne-interval performance. Prices vary depending on shows and dining venues. Visitors from overseas can buy tickets by credit card and pick them up at the box office on arrival, or contact a local tour company specializing in Australia. Advance ticket purchases are a good idea, because performances are very popular. The views from the back rows are hardly worth the effort and expense if you turn up on the day of performance. Tickets for performances vary from as little as A$12 (US$11/£5.50) for children's shows to A$180 (US$162/£81) for good seats at the opera. Plays average A$40 to A$60 (US$36-US$54/£18-£27). Free performances take place outside on the Opera House boardwalks on Sunday afternoons and during festival times. The artists range from musicians and performance artists to school groups.

Sydney Opera House, {CATEGORY}

Only a handful of buildings around the world are as architecturally and culturally significant as the Sydney Opera House. But what sets it apart from, say, the Taj Mahal and the great pyramids of Egypt is that this white-sailed construction caught midbillow over the waters of Sydney Cove is a working building. Most visitors are surprised to learn it's not just an opera house but a full-scale performing-arts complex with five major performance spaces. The biggest and grandest is the 2,690-seat Concert Hall, which has the best acoustics of any building of its type in the world. Come here to experience opera, chamber music, symphonies, dance, choral performances, and even rock 'n' roll. The Opera Theatre is smaller, seating 1,547, and books operas, ballets, and dance. The Drama Theatre, seating 544, and the Playhouse, seating 398, specialize in plays and smaller-scale performances. The Boardwalk, seating 300, is used for dance and experimental music. The history of the building is as intriguing as the design. The New South Wales Government raised the construction money with a lottery. Danish architect J?rn Utzon won an international competition to design it. From the start, the project was controversial, with many Sydneysiders believing it was a monstrosity. Following a disagreement, Utzon returned home without ever seeing his finished project. The interior fell victim to a compromise in design, which, among other things, left too little space to perform full-scale operas. And the cost? Initially the project was budgeted at a cool A$7 million (US$6.3 million/£3.1 million), but by the time it was finished in 1973 it had cost a staggering A$102 million (US$92 million/£46 million), most raised through a series of lotteries. Since then, continual refurbishment and the major task of replacing the asbestos-laden grouting between the hundreds of thousands of white tiles that make up its shell has cost many millions more. A long-overdue reconstruction is being completed, aimed at putting into practice what J?rn Utzon had long visualized. The tatty old reception hall has already been transformed into an impressive welcome room. Its centerpiece is Utzon's first foray into visual art: a glorious floor-to-ceiling tapestry inspired by Bach's Hamburg Symphonies and Raphael's painting Procession to Calvary. Also finished is work on the Western Loggia, or colonnade, which opens up the foyers of the Playhouse, the Drama Theatre, and the Studio to harbor views and creates spaces for cafes and functions. Investigations are also going ahead into refurbishing the Opera Theatre and improving the acoustics in the Concert Hall. Guided tours of the Opera House last about an hour and are conducted daily from 9am to 5pm, except on Good Friday and December 25. Though guides try to take groups into the main theaters and around the foyers, if you don't get to see everything you want, it's because the Opera House is a working venue. There's almost always some performance, practice, or setting up to be done. Reservations are essential. Tour sizes are limited, so be prepared to wait. Tours include about 200 stairs. (Tours for people with disabilities can be arranged). Specialized tours, focusing on the building's architecture and engineering, for example, can also be arranged. The Tourism Services Department at the Sydney Opera House can book combination packages, including dinner and a show, a tour, dinner, and a show, or a champagne-interval performance. Prices vary depending on shows and dining venues. Visitors from overseas can buy tickets by credit card and pick them up at the box office on arrival, or contact a local tour company specializing in Australia. Advance ticket purchases are a good idea, because performances are very popular. The views from the back rows are hardly worth the effort and expense if you turn up on the day of performance. Tickets for performances vary from as little as A$12 (US$11/£5.50) for children's shows to A$180 (US$162/£81) for good seats at the opera. Plays average A$40 to A$60 (US$36-US$54/£18-£27). Free performances take place outside on the Opera House boardwalks on Sunday afternoons and during festival times. The artists range from musicians and performance artists to school groups.

Sydney Opera House, {CATEGORY}

Fourteen troubled years in the building, and AUD95 million over budget, the controversial sail-like roofs of Sydney's most recognizable icon glisten against the backdrop of Sydney Harbour. Danish architect Jorn Utzon has reportedly never laid eyes on his masterpiece, resigning in 1966 due to political difficulties and construction delays—it was finally finished in 1973. It now has an impressive yearly program of up to 3000 contemporary and classical performances and is a truly memorable place for theatre, opera and ballet. Various guided tours operate daily from 9a-5p.

Sydney Opera House, {CATEGORY}

Fourteen troubled years in the building, and AUD95 million over budget, the controversial sail-like roofs of Sydney's most recognizable icon glisten against the backdrop of Sydney Harbour. Danish architect Jorn Utzon has reportedly never laid eyes on his masterpiece, resigning in 1966 due to political difficulties and construction delays—it was finally finished in 1973. It now has an impressive yearly program of up to 3000 contemporary and classical performances and is a truly memorable place for theatre, opera and ballet. Various guided tours operate daily from 9a-5p.