The Sydney Opera House is an architectural icon of Australia, sitting on Bennelong Point in front of the other iconic landmark, the Sydney Harbour Bridge. You can learn about the vision the original architect of the Sydney Opera House and its troubled history. It took 17 years to build the Sydney Opera House with State Labor and Coalition having different priorities for the grand structure. It was a State Labor initiative. The building is home to two key halls, one designated for opera and the other as a multipurpose hall. The opera hall still retains the original vision of its Danish architect, while the other hall is completely different and has multiple purposes.
| Highlights | Get an insiders tour of the behind the scenes on a guided tour |
| Cost | $43 per adult for just the tour $80 per adult for the tour and meal |
| Location | Bennelong Point, Sydney NSW 2000 |
| Website | https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/ |
It’s important to book ahead of time. These tours tend to book out even on weekdays. You can book via the official website or through websites such as Viator and Klook.
The tour starts near the ticket area on the dot. Each person is asked to grab their own listening device. The device comes with a headset and its control box for volume control, etc. The listening devices make it easy to follow the tour guide without needing to prick the ears.
The tour itself takes people to behind the scenes locations, including starting off in a room showcasing the history of the Sydney Opera House with a 180 view of various shows and accompanying sounds. It’s a neat introduction to the whole experience. (Be warned, there is a lot of walking up and down stairs in the tour. You can’t take a pram during the tour and have to leave it at the cloak room near the ticketing counter.)
The tour guide takes people to the two main halls, the multipurpose hall and the opera hall. There is a bit of walking involved and a lot of interesting corridors. Both halls look and feel incredible different to one another. The opera hall has less seats, but looks more fancy and traditional in its set-up.
Sitting in both halls, the guide provides a good background of the history behind the building and its trouble 17 year history from start to finish. You learn that it’s a marvelous building with a rich history. It’s a shame that the building isn’t done to the original creator’s design and the interiors are somewhat of a concrete jungle, with plans to improve the building in the decades to come. (Unfortunately we couldn’t take photos within either hall, but could see the various set-ups for upcoming operas and shows.)
The tour takes one hour to complete. Throughout, the tour guide was happy to take any questions.
The tour and dine for $80 gives access to either the Opera House Canteen or Bar. I think the Bar is the better of the two options, but for some reason we were left with the Canteen. The Bar has more western cuisine, while the Canteen has more Asian cuisine. Both the Canteen and Bar have seating along the wharf with the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background.
The dining experience feels lackluster and disappointing. While it is nice to get a free kids meal, the meals themselves were pretty ordinary.
Tour and dine doesn’t live up to the experience
The tour and dine for $80 per adult doesn’t feel worth it. The tour itself is $43 and the remainder $37 represents the meal. You can get an alcoholic beverage, but if you don’t you may as well just pay for the meal yourself. The tour and dine also has a limited menu as well.
We had the sushi pack, chicken katsu curry with rice and the brown rice poke with salmon. The dishes were all fine, but not exciting and definitely, even with a drink, not worth $37 a plate.
The overall experience was pleasant. The tour was the highlight. I’d avoid the dining option and think the best time to visit is during the day. The tour is fine for toddlers, who are free.
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