Your Visit
- We are open from 12noon Monday to Sunday and close after the evening performance. If there is not an evening performance, we close at 10pm Monday – Saturday, and 6pm on Sunday.
- The Royal Opera House Shop is open from 12noon Monday to Sunday and closes at the start of the evening performance, or at 6pm. For specific restaurant and café opening times please see our Restaurants, Bars and Cafés page.
- All visitors to the Royal Opera House are subject to bag searches on entry. We may carry out in-depth bag searches at random. Please make this possible by opening your whole bag for the security officer. Please only bring a bag if necessary and avoid bringing large pieces of luggage.
- Our cloakrooms are open for customers from two hours before evening performances and 90 minutes before matinee performances. Our cloakrooms are also available for customers attending a guided tour. On Sundays when there is a performance the Box Office will be open from 90 minutes before the performance start time. You can find out what's on and book tickets or contact us via the website at any time.
- Our cloakrooms are only open for those attending a performance or going on a tour. Larger bags and backpacks need to be checked into our complimentary cloakrooms. We cannot store pushchairs, e-scooters or e-unicycles, even if folded, so please do not bring those into the building.
- We are a cashless venue so please bring a payment card for any purchases.
- Water refill stations are available on all levels. Feel free to bring a reusable bottle with you, or purchase a refillable bottle from our shop or café. Please note that glass bottles cannot be taken into the auditorium.
- We have a zero-tolerance approach to disrespect and aggression and will remove anyone from our premises who behaves in an unacceptable way, according to our terms and conditions of sale. Anyone who is subject or witness to disrespectful and aggressive behaviour can report it to any member of staff or by contacting us online.
Your first visit to the ballet or opera
Whether you're a regular theatre-goer or have never attended a performance before, this guide will help you get the most out of your evening with tips on what to wear, where to find translations and synopses and more.
Getting Here
Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Royal Opera House, Bow Street, London, WC2E 9DD
The nearest underground station is Covent Garden. The nearest stations with step-free access are Leicester Square, Holborn and Tottenham Court Road.
The nearest mainline train stations are Charing Cross, London Waterloo and London Euston. Charing Cross has good wheelchair access and is 0.5 miles away from the Royal Opera House.
Our closest bus stops are Aldwych, Drury Lane and Leicester Square Station.
We do not have on site parking facilities. There are a limited number of disabled access parking bays in Bow Street and Floral Street.
Production House, Thurrock
Main High House Production Park Entrance: Vellacott Close, Purfleet, Essex, RM19 1RJ
The nearest mainline train station is Purfleet on the C2C route. These trains operate from London Fenchurch Street.
Accessibility
There is step-free access across the Royal Opera House, from our ground-floor café and foyer to a range of seats in our performance spaces. Step-free access is available on both the right-hand side and left-hand side of the auditorium. Lifts on both sides of the auditorium offer complete access to all Front of House spaces.
We also offer a free, specialised Access Membership to all visitors who need assistance. This service provides access to various facilities such as personalised seat allocation based on your requirements, ticket discounts, free companion tickets and more. Assistance dogs are welcome everywhere in the Royal Opera House including the auditorium.
For more information about building access and layout, accessible performances including sensory adapted, or audio described shows and how to register for our free Access Scheme please visit our dedicated Accessibility page.
Attending a Performance
Quick Facts
Please bring a device to display your e-ticket. The auditoria will open approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled start of each performance. The Box Office counter is open from 12noon Monday to Saturday, and closes at the start of the evening performance, or at 6pm. On Sundays when there is a performance the Box Office will be open from 90 minutes before the performance start time.
Our cloakrooms are open for customers from two hours before evening performances and 90 minutes before matinee performances. Our cloakrooms are also available for customers attending a guided tour. Larger bags and backpacks need to be checked into our complimentary cloakrooms. We cannot store pushchairs, e-scooters or e-unicycles, even if folded, so please do not bring those into the building.
Performances start promptly. If you arrive late, or leave the auditorium during a performance, for reasons of safety, consideration for the performers and the enjoyment of others you may be asked to wait in the foyers until the interval or a suitable break in the performance when lights are raised. This can be up to 90 minutes. You will be able to view the performance via our TV monitors during this time.
Read more about seat maps, restricted views and performance access on our dedicated Accessibility page.
Dining and Drinking
Our Restaurants, Bars and Cafés
The Royal Opera House café and Piazza restaurant are open daily from 12noon and open to all.
The Dorfman Conservatory and Paul Hamlyn Hall are open around main stage performances and open to all.
The Linbury bar is open around performances in the Linbury theatre and is open to all.
The Balconies Restaurant and Crush Room are available to performance ticket holders only and require booking.
Things to do
Tours
We offer a range of tours including; Behind the Scenes Tour, Herstory of the Royal Opera House, Pride of the ROH, Family Nutcracker Tours and Stages and Cells of Convent Garden.
Our cloakrooms are open for customers from two hours before evening performances and 90 minutes before matinee performances. Our cloakrooms are also available for customers attending a guided tour. Larger bags and backpacks need to be checked into our complimentary cloakrooms. We cannot store pushchairs, e-scooters or e-unicycles, even if folded, so please do not bring those into the building.
We also offer bespoke tours for private groups or groups who need tours in different languages. Apply by emailing the tours team at tours@roh.org.uk.
Shopping
The Royal Opera House Shop is open from 12noon Monday to Sunday and closes at the start of the evening performance, or at 6pm.
We are a cashless venue so please bring a payment card for any purchases.
Our shop can be found on the ground floor. There is step-free access from the Bow Street entrance and from the Covent Garden Piazza entrance. All our entrances include a power-assisted door.
Attending with children or families
Everyone is welcome at the Royal Opera House to enjoy our public spaces, shop and café.
Children age five and above are permitted into our auditoria. They must have their own ticket and sit next to an accompanying adult. Some events are open to families with children younger that five. This will be clearly stated on the production or event web page.
Please check the production web page for show-specific age guidance and content warnings.
Visitor Guidelines
Our ROH Values and Behaviours
We at the Royal Opera House believe everyone should be treated in a respectful, acceptable and appropriate manner while on our premises. All who work in, with and visit the ROH have the right to feel welcome and free from the fear of abuse, racism and discrimination of any kind. The ROH is committed to upholding the following values and behaviours, and we ask that visitors and audiences also consider our values when they are with us:
- Treating Everyone with Respect – embrace and celebrate all that we bring to the ROH.
- Being Open – share, engage, learn and question, and empower others to do the same.
- Valuing the Highest Standards – work together to deliver extraordinary experiences.
We have a zero-tolerance approach to disrespect and aggression and will remove anyone from our premises who behaves in an unacceptable way, according to our terms and conditions of sale. Anyone who is subject or witness to disrespectful and aggressive behaviour can report it to any member of staff or by contacting us online.
Photography and Filming
Photography and filming are prohibited during performances in any of our auditoriums. You are welcome to take pictures throughout the rest of the building and before performances and share them with us through social media.
Commercial photography and filming must be agreed in advance with our press team.
Safety and security
The Royal Opera House takes safety and security extremely seriously and we work to protect our staff and visitors at all times. You will see our highly trained security officers at all entrances and exits conducting bag searches and patrolling our spaces. Behind the scenes we operate a 24/7 security control room and regularly conduct emergency exercises to ensure we can respond quickly and effectively to any serious incidents. Our front of house staff and security officers are trained to deal with emergencies, detect suspicious behaviour and provide first aid. Please always speak to a member of staff if you are concerned or are seeking assistance in any way.
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation, a charitable company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales (Company number 480523) Charity Registered (Number 211775)