Munich Opera Festival

Each summer the Bayerische Staatsoper crowns its season with the Münchner Opernfestspiele, a festival first held in 1875 and now one of Europe's most prestigious opera events. For six weeks the company gathers its finest new productions and revivals, star soloists and its own celebrated orchestra into a dense programme of opera, ballet, concerts and song recitals staged across Munich's historic theatres.

What to expect

Performances run from late June to the end of July at the grand Nationaltheater on Max-Joseph-Platz, the intimate rococo Cuvilliés-Theater and the Prinzregententheater. The repertoire ranges from Baroque and nineteenth-century classics to contemporary music theatre, alongside orchestral concerts and song recitals. A highlight is 'Oper für alle' (Opera for All): a free open-air concert and a live relay of an opera onto a big screen on Max-Joseph-Platz, drawing thousands who gather in the square.

Tickets for marquee nights sell out quickly and go on sale months ahead — order early through the official Staatsoper site. Central Munich is compact and well served by U-Bahn and S-Bahn, so the festival venues are all within an easy walk of the old town.

Fly into Munich Airport (MUC), around 35 km northeast of the city. The S1 and S8 suburban trains run to the centre in about 40 minutes; alight at Marienplatz, then it is a 5-minute walk to the Nationaltheater on Max-Joseph-Platz, home of the Bavarian State Opera. The nearest U-Bahn stop is also Marienplatz (U3/U6) or Odeonsplatz. Munich's public transport is fast and reliable, so skip the taxi; a single MVV ticket covers the airport train and the short metro hop to the opera house.

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