In our guide, not only have we listed the best operas to experience in the capital city, but we’ve written some advise on what to wear to the opera, and ordered the operas in price order, too.
The Going Out team are experts in what activities to try throughout the UK, and especially London. So if you’re looking for weekend inspiration, be sure to read our best West End shows, best London experience gifts and best TV series immersive experiences.
Best operas to see in London at a glance:
What operas can you watch in London?
The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro is considered one of the greatest operas ever written; Mozart’s opera is a whirlwind comedy made up of betrothal, betrayal, and bad behaviour, and to say the opera is set entirely in a single day, it certainly packs in the scheming.
There’s only one day left to see this opera as it ends tomorrow (Saturday 22nd February) at London Coliseum, but don’t worry, tickets are still reasonably priced.
For the latest ticketing releases, such as Post Malone tickets and Sabrina Carpenter tickets, stay up to date with our Going Out section.
Onegin
You have until 25th February 2025 to see Onegin at the Royal Opera House.
While Onegin was originally conceived as an opera, it is now being performed as a ballet at the Royal Opera House. Onegin is a love story written by Alexander Pushkin, with John Cranko’s choreography, and it’s set to Tchaikovsky’s — who is best known for Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker — soaring music.
Onegin follows Tatiana as she meets and falls in love with Eugene Onegin, yet is rejected by him as he sees her as a ‘naïve, country girl’. However, many years later, they meet again at a ball. Will fate offer the pair another chance at love?
Buy Onegin tickets from £167 at TodayTix
Light of Passage
From now until 12th March 2025, you’ll have the chance to see Light of Passage at the Royal Opera House.
Light of Passage is set to Polish composer Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No.3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs), and it was created in 1976 for a large orchestra and solo soprano. Now, in 2025, it’s been reimagined by choreographer Crystal Pite.
Buy Light of Passage tickets from £25 at TodayTix
Turandot
You can see Turandot at Royal Opera House from 19th March until 19th April this year.
Most excitably about Turandot is that you’ll hear Nessun dorma performed live; Nessun dorma is an aria from the final act of Turandot, and it’s one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera.
Turandot follows the story of the beautiful but cold Princess Turandot who will only marry a man who can correctly answer three riddles — those who fail, will be beheaded (ouch!). Yet when a mysterious prince arrives for Turandot’s hand, the balance of power in her court is shaken…
Buy Turandot tickets from £127 at TodayTix
Carmen
This 1875 opera composed by Georges Bizet was too controversial for Parisian audiences at the time, however, in 2025 London, Carmen proves ever popular!
In a remote Spanish town, free-spirited Carmen announces that any man she loves should beware, but it’s her who is caught unprepared when she seduces police officer Don José. Carmen boasts some of the most recognisable melodies in all of classical music, and we think this opera is not one to miss.
Carmen is showing at the Royal Opera House from 9th April until 3rd July 2025, and there is a BSL interpreted and Captioned performance on 24th April at 7pm, and an Audio Described performance on 21st April at 2pm, with a touch tour at 1pm.
Buy Carmen tickets from £60 at TodayTix
If you buy tickets from TodayTix often, then you’ll want to know ‘How do TodayTix Rush tickets work?’.
Il Trovatore
This next opera, Il Trovatore, is best know for the Anvil Chorus, Azucena’s Stride la vampa, and Manrico’s heroic Di quella pira. Il trovatore is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi, and it’s based on the 1836 Spanish play El trovador by Antonio García Gutiérrez.
Il Trovatore is showing at the Royal Opera House from 26th February until 22nd March. The opera has an age rating of 8+, however, we recommended checking the production notes on TodayTix, as the opera contains potentially upsetting themes.
Buy Il Trovatore tickets from £60 at TodayTix
Festen
This next opera has ticket prices that you’d probably expect from an opera, and by that, we mean expensive! While Festen is priced at £173, it is the world premiere of the opera and it’s being performed at the Royal Opera House in London.
Acclaimed contemporary composer Mark-Anthony Turnage (Coraline) and librettist Lee Hall (Billy Elliott) have joined forces with director Richard Jones (La bohème) to adapt Oscar-winning filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg’s (Another Round) 1998 film, Festen.
This bold new opera is suitable for people aged 16 and over due to its subject matter. You can watch Festen from now until 27th February.
Buy Festen tickets from £173 at TodayTix
The team like to review shows, too, and you can read our Unicorn review, Second Best review, and The Devil Wears Prada review.
What is the best opera to see first?
We’d recommend watching La Traviata or La Boheme first.
While there is no rule on which opera to experience first, we understand that a lot of people who are new to the opera will be looking for one which is easy to follow and doesn’t have an exhaustive run-time (the longest, frequently performed opera is Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, which has a run-time of around five hours 5-minutes).
The Going Out team have done some research, and the general consensus is La Traviata and La Boheme are the best operas to watch first.
La Traviata is split into three acts: Act I is 30-minutes, Act II is 1 hour 10 minutes, and Act III is 35 minutes. In London, it’s sung in Italian with English subtitles, and the story follows Parisan courtesan Violetta as she’s introduced to (and falls in love with) Alfredo Germont.
Puccini’s famous love story, La Boheme has a run time of two hours and 35-minutes, including one interval. Like La Traviata, La Boheme is sung in Italian with English subtitles.
While neither of these operas are performing in London at the moment, they were showing at the end of last year/start of 2025, so we’re hopeful the same will happen this year.
What to wear to the opera
Wear what you feel comfortable in.
The Royal Opera House in London have expressed that there is no specific dress code for the opera, so if it’s your first time at the opera, don’t fret about what to wear.
We know that some people enjoy dressing up to visit the Royal Opera House, in the same way that some people like dressing up for the theatre.
However, we know that other people visit the opera straight from a day out or maybe even a day at the office! So whether you’re wearing jeans or a suit, heels or trainers, a dress or jumpsuit, the dress code is up to you.
Can you wear jeans to the opera?
Speaking of jeans, yes, you can wear jeans to the opera.
The above operas are performing at the Royal Opera House and London Coliseum, and both venues have expressed there is no specific dress code and you can wear jeans.
For more exciting things to do in the capital city, take a look at our Much Ado About Nothing review, best plays in London, best immersive museums in London, and Inside No. 9 Stage/Fright review.
