Tours Information
Find all the information you need ahead of your tour at the Royal Opera House
Enhance your visit with one of our unique, expertly guided tours
With options including backstage access, a Royal Ballet and Opera tour is the perfect way to get a closer look into the magical history, people and processes occurring off the stage.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
- We may use headsets on our tours so you do not miss any important information from our guides. All equipment is fully sanitised after each tour. You can use your own headphones if you wish. Please note headphones need to have a standard jack connection to be used with our devices.
- We will be taking time to search all bags 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.
- Most of our tours will require the use of lifts. If you are not comfortable using lifts please contact us at tours@roh.org.uk after booking so we can have support on hand to assist you.
- Please be mindful of others and their personal space, especially when moving around the building.
- All tour tickets entitle you to 10% off at the Royal Ballet and Opera shop and Royal Opera House café on the day of your tour. Simply present your ticket at the checkout. This offer is for in-store purchases only.
- Children under the age of 6 are not permitted on our tours. Children under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult and have their own ticket. Please check the specific age guidance for each tour type ahead of your booking.
- We provide concession tickets for students, under 16's and unwaged visitors at £16.75 each. For group rates, please contact tours@roh.org.uk.
- Access to the main auditorium during your tour is not guaranteed.
ACCESS
Our tours are between 60 and 75 minutes long and take you through many areas of the Royal Opera House, including long corridors, many stairs, escalators and lifts. Flooring throughout the building varies. Some floors are smooth and are tiled or wooden, and some are carpeted.
Because we are a working theatre, some areas will not always be available to us, which means each tour will take a different route. The spaces we travel through can sometimes be busy and loud.
Our tour guides use descriptive language which helps to paint a picture for blind and vision impaired visitors.
Please get in touch with us on tours@roh.org.uk after you book to let us know your access requirements so we can make sure you have the best experience on your visit. We can plan the tour if you require step-free and wheelchair access, if you need to use the hearing loop, borrow one of our wheelchairs or portable seats or make sure there are regular breaks throughout the tour.
Unfortunately, our hearing loops are not currently compatible with Bluetooth.
We provide all visitors with a headset which amplifies the voice of your tour guide. All our public tours are in English, but we do offer private tours which can be done in other languages including German, Polish, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian or Portuguese.
The tours go through many different areas of the building, including back of house. Please email tours@roh.org.uk after booking to let us know your access requirements so we can make sure you have the best experience. We can plan for step-free and wheelchair access, use of the hearing loop or make sure there are regular breaks on the tour.
You can use our lifts throughout the tour, just let your guide know when you arrive. There is a lift on the left-hand side of the Main Stage auditorium which provides access to the Paul Hamlyn Hall, Crush Room, Linbury Foyer and Balconies Restaurant.
The lift on the right-hand side of the Main Stage auditorium provides access to the Level 5 Bar, Piazza, and the Crush Room.
All lifts provide access to the main foyer Café.
Find out further information about access facilities in our building
This tour takes place at the Bob and Tamar Manoukian Production Workshop in Thurrock, Essex. The Production Workshop and Costume Centre are large buildings with stairs, but we do have step-free access.
Similarly to our tours in the Royal Opera House, this is a working workshop so the tour will take different routes each time. Contact us at tours@roh.org.uk to let us know your access requirements so we can make sure you have the best experience. We can help plan the tour if you require step-free and wheelchair access, if you need to use the hearing loop, borrow a wheelchair or if you need to take regular breaks.
There is a car park at Thurrock, at the front of the building where the tours meet. The car park is on a flat surface with wide spaces. There is also a drop off point immediately to the front of the cafe.
For public transport connections, the nearest mainline train station is Purfleet on the C2C route operating from London Fenchurch Street and the journey should take about 30 minutes. Thurrock is a further 25 minutes away from Purfleet along a main road.
DIRECTIONS
Please enter via the Bow Street Main Entrance, the tours meeting point is on the ground floor, in front of the complimentary cloakroom.
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. The nearest NCP car parks are Drury Lane and Shelton Street. There are a limited number of disabled access parking bays in Bow Street and Floral Street.
The meeting place for tours of the Bob and Tamar Manoukian Production Workshop and Costume Centre is the Coachman's Café.
If arriving by car, please enter enter the site via the address below:
Main High House Production Park Entrance: Vellacott Close (off London Road), Purfleet, Essex, RM19 1RG
If arriving by coach, please enter the site via the address below:
Bob and Tamar Manoukian Production Workshop Entrance: Purfleet By-Pass, Purfleet, RM19 1TT
If arriving by public transport, your closest mainline train station is Purfleet on the C2C route. These trains operate from London Fenchurch Street and head across the Essex county. When disembarking the train, exit the station and turn left. You will follow the road (A1090) for 1.9 miles. Follow the road all the way to the entrance of High House Production Park which will be on your left hand side. This part of the journey will take 20-25 minutes so please factor this in to your overall journey time.
You can locate the nearest carpark to the meeting place of the Coachman's Café by using the what3words ///backed.land.erase.
Download a map of the High House Production Park [.doc 315KB]
The meeting place for outdoor walking tours of Covent Garden is outside the Bow Street entrance of the Royal Opera House.
The tour will loop around the perimeter of the Royal Opera House through the outskirts of Covent Garden, taking you back at the end of the tour to the entrance of the Royal Opera House.
Private tours
Looking to have this tour all to your yourself as private experience for you and your group? Or perhaps you need this tour run in a different language? Browse options to make your tour an experience to remember.
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation, a charitable company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales (Company number 480523) Charity Registered (Number 211775)