Things to do in Sydney Opera House Reviews (Sydney, Australia)

The Opera House - Not just for Opera Lovers

Jerusalem, Israel

February 16, 2013

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If you ever get to Australia, and find yourself in Sydney, the #1 thing to do is visit the Sydney Opera House. This iconic building is not just a piece of architectural beauty from the outside, but also a piece of amazing engineering on the ...Read more

A Symbol of Sydney

by cjg1

New York, New York

October 11, 2011

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The Sydney Opera House is a world recognized symbol of Australia and Sydney in particular as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Opera House is the creation of Danish architect Jørn Utzon. After many years of construction problems the Opera ...Read more The Sydney Opera House is a world recognized symbol of Australia and Sydney in particular as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Opera House is the creation of Danish architect Jørn Utzon. After many years of construction problems the Opera House was completed in 1973.

The Opera House is a magnificent structure composed of separate "shells" that make the building appear to be one whole structure. The glittering white tiles reflect the sun and the moon; giving the Opera House a beautiful glow in the day and the night. My first visit to Sydney brought me to Circular Quay on the first day. Seeing the Opera House in person is incredible. This massive structure set against the Harbour is amazing to behold. No matter how many times I have seen it during numerous trips to Sydney; the Opera House still fascinates me with its beauty.

The Opera House is also the main performing Arts Center in Sydney with performances by Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Theatre Company and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. During one of my trips to Sydney; my wife and I enjoyed a performance of The Gondoliers in the Opera Theatre on her Birthday. The Opera House Interiors are incredible; being there for a performance was magical; the beautiful décor, the incredible stage and the wonderful night time views of the Harbour from inside.

You don’t have to be a performance ticket holder to see the interior there are tours available to the general public for a fee, which is a must see in my opinion ( I have done the tour myself). In all my visits, the Opera House will continue to be a sight that makes me feel: "I’m back in Sydney".

**Make sure to ride the Sydney Ferries to enjoy a wonderful view of the Opera House from the water and take a night time stroll to see the Opera House illuminated.**

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The Aussie icon of icons

by MagdaDH_AlexH

Perth, Scotland, United Kingdom

November 9, 2010

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Best of IgoUgo ... after the Harbour Bridge, although that's arguable, and possibly shouldn't even be argued as it's the whole ensemble of the Opera, Bridge and the harbour itself that pretty much makes Sydney what it is, at least in terms of views and general ...Read more ... after the Harbour Bridge, although that's arguable, and possibly shouldn't even be argued as it's the whole ensemble of the Opera, Bridge and the harbour itself that pretty much makes Sydney what it is, at least in terms of views and general picturesqueness.

The Opera House is actually less of an opera house and more of a general performing arts venue, with a concert hall being the biggest stage, and as such is undoubtedly a worthy location in the biggest and busiest (although perhaps not the most cultured) Australian city. The prices are high (as expected) and for the vast majority of visitors to Sydney it's the Opera House as an iconic structure that matters, and not what is performed within.

One always worries a little about such famous buildings and locations, as the reality sometimes doesn't live up to the expectations created by the imagery. But one doesn't need to worry about the Opera House: the reality is very much a match for the countless pictures and the building perched on the end of the Bennelong Point at one end of the Circular Quay, a place that even without the Opera is big on pretty vistas and impressive buildings is simply stunning.

Sydney Opera House is a creation of the Danish architect Jørn Utzon, designed in the late 50's and built between 1959 and 1972, with several changes of the original design and resignation of Utzon himself in the meantime. Apparently, the original drawings were very schematic, presenting an idea of the building rather than an actual project, and – quite astonishingly – the form of the "sails" or "shells" was not determined until the construction stage. They are now sections of a sphere, but were supposed to be based on a parabolic curve. Sphere sections were chosen mostly due to cost considerations: and how lucky a choice it was, as it's perhaps the fact that all the shells are composed of a sections of a sphere with the same radius that gives the Opera a unity of form that lifts it from a merely grand to sublime.

The concrete shells/sails sit on a rather monumental podium, which is less clearly inspired than the roof, but clearly necessary both for construction and utilitarian purposes and which also grounds the building in a strange way.

Around the Opera, walkways and stairs allow access from all sides, and the superb situation means that the whole building can be viewed not only from close by but from a distance at numerous angles: from approach along the Quay, from the other side of the Sydney Cove, from under the Harbour Bridge, and of course from the water itself. The astonishing thing is that it looks good – and interesting – from every perspective. It's this variety of perspective that makes the Sydney Opera House such a compelling site. The building has as almost as many looks as it has viewers, and even for the same person its image shifts and changes with the time of the day, the position, the season and the weather.

One can come back to the Sydney Harbour numerous times and still stop to look: like all objects of true beauty, be it natural or man-made, Utzon's creation is ever changing and yet remains its own, unmistakable and unique self.

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From journal The Heart of the Harbour: Sydney Cove & Darling Harbour

The Opera House -- ya' gotta see it

by travelswithkids

chicago, Illinois

September 12, 2010

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The symbol of Sydney to much of the world is its beautiful Opera House. With its harbor-side location, its pretty hard to miss it if you go outside in Sydney anywhere.We thought the price they ask for their interior tours was pretty ridiculous ...Read more

From journal Sydney -- One Beautiful City

Sweeny Todd

by pinkpassport

Corpus Christi, Texas

September 24, 2006

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You can't go to Sydney without seeing a performance at the famed Sydney Opera House. The design and the engineering inside make it a truly unique experience. The acoustics are so innovative. I saw the Broadway musical Sweeny Todd in one of the ...Read more

From journal Living in Australia

The Sydney Symphony

by rkaleal

Lawrence, Kansas

August 24, 2006

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If you enjoy culture and are in Sydney, a must-do is seeing the Sydney Symphony at the Sydney Opera House.To book tickets, simply go to the Sydney Opera House box office. Tickets range from about AUD$40 to AUD$93, but the $93 tickets are worth ...Read more

From journal A Semester Down Under

Sydney Opera House

by stomps

Houston, Texas

May 17, 2006

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Best of IgoUgo The Opera House is always the first or second item on a first-time visitor to Sydney’s to-see list, only beaten out by the Harbour Bridge. The Opera House, located on Bennelong Point and bordered on one side by the Royal Botanic Gardens and the ...Read more The Opera House is always the first or second item on a first-time visitor to Sydney’s to-see list, only beaten out by the Harbour Bridge. The Opera House, located on Bennelong Point and bordered on one side by the Royal Botanic Gardens and the other by Circular Quay, was designed by a little-known Danish architect, Jorn Utzon, in 1955 but wasn’t opened until 1973. In between, there was plenty of bickering and budget changes that continually delayed construction. The most famous disagreement that occurred on this project happened between a minister set to supervise the project and the architect himself, which led him to leave the country and not see his most famous piece of work until the 1990s!

The question that stuck in my head when I wanted to visit the Opera House was: how? I had already seen it from the sky, albeit from very high up where it only appeared to be a large reflector, but should I walk up to it (and from which direction? From Circular Quay or the Botanic Gardens), or should I see it from on the Harbour, or in the air (from the CentrePoint Tower? From the Harbour Bridge? From a helicopter?). I ended up snapping it from the ferry, and then walking at it from Circular Quay, and then from the Harbour Bridge…and then from walking at it from the Botanic Gardens, and then from a harbour cruise, and then looking across the water at it from the Rocks. From every angle, it looks different and simply amazing. No wonder it is so famous and used in nearly every image you ever see advertising the city or even the country (to use Jon Stewart’s words: “Here’s the obligatory picture of the Sydney Opera House”). Not only that, but it has completely different character depending on whether you view it during the day, at sunset, or at night. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll get to see fireworks reflecting off the roof like we did!

Even on my third visit to Sydney, I was still fascinated by the Opera House. It just strikes you every time with its tiles dancing in the sun, blinding you with their stark contrast to the jet black bridge behind it and the blue of the harbour water. I didn’t get a chance to go on a tour, which was only about $20 if you don’t go backstage, but I was happy simply to walk to it and take in the (slightly stormy) moment. In my first trip, I enjoyed just sitting on the steps, watching the ferries go by and the tiny climbers making their way to the top of the Harbour Bridge. This time, I found that sitting opposite the House on the Rocks side of Circular Quay was just as enjoyable, looking across at the world-renowned landmark and just soaking in the fact that I was indeed back in the beautiful Land Down Under. Close

From journal Sydney: Worth All the Fuss

Sydney Opera House - everything you expected and more

by actonsteve

London, United Kingdom

May 1, 2006

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Best of IgoUgo I can guarantee this will be the first place you will visit in Sydney.After arrival and throwing your bags on the bed, your legs will gravitate you towards Circular Quay and the promontory serving the famous building. This promontory forms the ...Read more I can guarantee this will be the first place you will visit in Sydney.

After arrival and throwing your bags on the bed, your legs will gravitate you towards Circular Quay and the promontory serving the famous building. This promontory forms the easternmost arm of Sydney Cove and backs onto an escarpment leading back into the Botanical Gardens. The "sharks fins" of the building loom above the foliage. This concrete promontory is called Bennelong Point. Named after the aboriginal tribesman who was kept by the first governor of Sydney, Arthur Phillip - his hut stood where the Opera House now stands.

Like all the worlds great buildings there is a story associated with it. This time it is one of infighting and factionism that would have done credit to the Borgias. This work of genius is the work of a Dane, Jorn Utzon, a man who had a family background in yacht design back in Copenhagen. From inception to completion the Opera House took about sixteen years with costs escalating almost at a yearly rate. It finally cost $102 Australian dollars (at 1973 prices) which for the time was an astronomical amount. Scapegoating and blame made Utzon resign in 1966 and he headed back to his native Denmark - ears ringing from all the abuse from politicians and media. Happily, he returned as a consultant in the 1999 renovation and is now revered as a deserved architectural genius. Around the world sixties architecture has been discredited and has often aged very badly; but here in Sydney, on its podium and glittering in the sun is the worlds best example of that architectural movement.

When you approach it is the colour which strikes you first. A kind of dull ivory that catches the sun. Three enormous beaky shells loom into the air signifying the whereabouts of the auditoriums. These are what give the Opera House its distinctive shape. As you get closer you can see the beaky shells are made of hundreds and hundreds of shimmering chevron shaped disks which reminded me of space shuttle tiles. What did the whole thing remind me of? A sailboat? An unpeeled orange? A cockatoo?

You can catch a performance at the Opera House (guided tours $17 - www.soh.nsw.gov.au) or look in the auditoriums to glimpse the interior. The Playhouse has a couple of models of the "House" by Utzon which are worth a look. Also tucked away amongst all the concrete, marble and white tiling are a couple of good restaurants - Guillame in Bennelong has a specially strong reputation.

But most people seem happy enough to sit on the concrete "Eisenstein" type steps or wander around to the seaward side to watch the life on the harbour. This promenade is encased in marble and the huge inert beaks tower above you in close formation. You can sit down underneath them and watch the ferries glide past .

From here you can see why they called Australia 'The Lucky Country'

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From journal The watery city of Sydney - Gleaming, Glittering and Gigantic

Sydney Opera House – Sails & Spherical Solutions

by Carmen

Cary, North Carolina

January 19, 2006

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Best of IgoUgo Probably one of the most distinctive city icons in the world, the Sydney Opera House beckons you to look at it from every angle. One of the most interesting of those angles is from the inside.Book a tour of the Opera House, and you’ll get a ...Read more Probably one of the most distinctive city icons in the world, the Sydney Opera House beckons you to look at it from every angle. One of the most interesting of those angles is from the inside.

Book a tour of the Opera House, and you’ll get a guided walk-through of this fascinating building. Get up close and personal with the tiles on the sails (which are not white, by the way, but several shades of off-white, otherwise, we’d all be blinded from the reflection.) Take a seat in the concert halls. Take a gander at the organ that took seven years to build and two years to tune.

And, of course, hear about the building of the Opera House, and it’s famous designer, Utzon. Utzon’s design was originally put into the reject pile. The design committee was waiting for their American member to join them and make the final decision, but before he did, he took a look through that rejection pile, saw Utzon’s design, and convinced the rest of the panel that this was the design that should win. Funny enough, Utzon had designed the sails without really knowing HOW to build them. (He’d only designed three other buildings, I’m told, and they were nowhere near the magnitude of this building). It took Utzon two years to come up with the “Spherical Solution”, which was taken from the idea that all of the sails could be cut from a single sphere. Of course, that two years had increased the amount of time that the city had been told it would take to build the Opera House, and Utzon’s solution increased the price as well – from $20 million (nothing to sneeze at in the 1950s) to $170 million. Utzon used all of his money on the outside design, and didn’t have the money for the interior. He resigned after a disagreement with the city and has never returned to see his masterpiece.

He was, however, re-involved in 1999 to write a book about the design principals for the Opera House, so if any future changes needed to be made the builders would know how to do it.

There’s no photography allowed in the concert halls, and there are occasions when there are rehearsals or performances that might restrict you from even seeing them at all, so ask when you book.

The tour drops you off at the box office so you can buy seats. My advice? If you want to see a show here, book WAY in advance.

While the outside of the Opera House is a must-see (and you can’t miss it), the tour of the inside wouldn’t be on my one-day-in-Sydney list, but would definitely be on the two-day option. Close

From journal Sydney - Where Music and Fireworks Float

Sydney Opera House

by Emms137

San Luis Obispo, California

July 28, 2005

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Tour: Touring the opera house is a fabulous experience. My tour guide taught us about the architecture and the history of the opera house, which was quite interesting, as well as showing us around and explaining how the opera house is functioning ...Read more

From journal G'day from Sydney

IgoUgo

Sydney Opera House

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