The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London.
The Royal Opera House aims to enrich people’s lives through opera and ballet. Home to two of the world’s great artistic companies – The Royal Opera and The Royal Ballet, performing with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House – we seek to be always accessible and engaging, to develop audiences across the UK and to break new ground in the presentation of lyric theatre.
Facilities and services offered to our Members include:
Access members can book online, over the phone, in person or by booking form (mailed to all Access Members, together with a season guide, at the onset of each booking period).
Wheelchair Access
There are up to 19 spaces for wheelchair users in the Main Auditorium, which can be made available at every performance. They are in the Stalls Circle, Grand Tier, Balcony and Upper Amphitheatre level. Please note that you can only book wheelchair spaces online if you login as a registered Access Member and wheelchair user.
At least one wheelchair space and companion seat will be retained for sale with the Friday Rush Tickets from 1pm on the preceding Friday – please see the Friday Rush section below for further details. Please note that the wheelchair Friday Rush Ticket and companion is available for standard ROH Main Auditorium productions only, not Gala performances or those by a visiting company.
There are also two spaces for wheelchair users in the Clore Studio, situated on the left of row A.
When booking wheelchair spaces, please inform the Box Office of any further specific requirements. Our Box Office and Front of House staff can also advise you on approximate distances between the main foyer, the auditorium, bar facilities, exits and access toilets.
Access through the Bow Street/Floral Street Main Entrance can be gained using an automatic push-button door on the Floral Street side.
The Box Office and Royal Opera House Shop are situated on the corner of Russell Street / Bow Street. The Information Desk, Same-Day Ticket Collection, and the Cloakroom are all situated at the Main Entrance on the corner of Floral Street / Bow Street. Counter heights at the Box Office, and most of the bars are designed to be accessible for wheelchair users, except the Paul Hamlyn Hall bar where there is also a waiter service available to wheelchair users.
Restaurant and Bars
Customers with mobility impairments who book Auditorium Right tickets are advised to dine in the Crush Room, Amphitheatre Bar or Amphitheatre Restaurant. Customers with mobility impairments who book Auditorium Left should dine in the Crush Room, Paul Hamlyn Hall or Balcony Restaurant. This will guarantee easy access.
Accessible Toilets
From the Ground Floor Foyer, please follow the signage for accessible toilets (on your left as you enter the foyer). This will take you down the white marble ramp and round the corner to the first accessible toilet.
There is a further accessible toilet if you take a lift from auditorium left down to the Lower Ground Floor. These lifts are adjacent to the accessible toilet mentioned above. Please note that the lift from auditorium right down to the Lower Ground Floor (lift 3) does not give access to the Lower Ground Floor accessible toilet.
There are more accessible toilets on each level within the Main Auditorium.
All accessible toilets are unisex, and are equipped with an alarmed pull cord in case of emergency.
Lifts and Stairs
There is lift access to all levels of the Main Auditorium except the Orchestra Stalls, which can be reached by a minimum of nine steps and a maximum of 18. There are more than 100 seats in the Stalls Circle, Balcony and Amphitheatre which are accessible without the need to negotiate steps. In addition, many seats in these areas and in the Grand Tier are accessible by 10 steps or fewer.
You can borrow a wheelchair when you visit the Royal Opera House. Please contact the Box Office to arrange this facility in advance.
Relaxed Performances
A small number of performances may offer a number of Relaxed Performances. These have been modified to be more accessible for audience members with Autism Spectrum Disorders or other learning disabilities.
Changes made might include: introductions to characters at the start of performances to prevent surprises or shocks during the show; adjustments to the lighting and sound; removal of pyrotechnics or other stage effects that can be startling; or other changes made in consultation with these audiences.
There may be more sound and movement from audience members, as well as opportunities for them to take time out from the performance.
Assisted-Hearing Facility
A Trantec radio system assisted-hearing facility has been installed inside the Main Auditorium and the Linbury Studio. The Clore Studio and the Crush Room are scheduled to have the system installed in the near future.
To benefit from the system, you are welcome to borrow a set of headphones and a special receiver from the Front of House Duty Manager in the Main Entrance foyer. The unit is designed to pick up a radio signal which amplifies the sound and can be borrowed free of charge. Alternatively, if you wear a hearing aid, you may borrow an induction collar which can be used in conjunction with the “T” position of your aid.
Assistance Dogs
Assistance dogs are welcome in all spaces of the Royal Opera House. If you would like your dog to remain with you during the performance, please mention this when booking your seats to ensure you are given a seat with sufficient space. If you prefer, you may leave your dog with a member of Front of House staff during the performance.
In the case of an emergency, if it is safe to do so, we will try to reunite a dog with its owner prior to evacuating the building. If this is not possible, staff will bring your dog to the appropriate assembly point.
Parking
There is no designated parking at the Royal Opera House. The nearest NCP car parks are in Drury Lane and Shelton Street. We are currently undergoing some construction work as part of the Open Up project, so the drop-off point outside the Bow Street entrance is currently suspended - please use Russell Street, or Floral Street after 6pm or on weekends. Accessible parking bays in Bow Street are also suspended, and the accessible parking bays on Floral Street are only available from 6pm or on weekends; these accessible parking bays are all under the jurisdiction of Westminster Council. You can get 50% off parking at Q-Park car parks via the Theatreland Parking Scheme. To qualify, you must get your parking ticket validated at the Main Entrance foyer desk.
