Arrive late at the Royal Opera House and you may wait in the foyer for up to 90 minutes.
Their own wording: late arrivals, or anyone who leaves during the show, may need to wait until a suitable break, which could be up to 90 minutes.
That is the harshest latecomer rule in London theatre by a wide margin. Wicked holds latecomers about 25 minutes. Opera and ballet have no convenient gaps, so an hour and a half in the foyer is a real possibility, and it applies if you step out mid-act as well as if you arrive late.
Auditoriums open 30 minutes before each performance. Be in your seat.
You can walk in for free from midday
Less widely known, and genuinely useful if you are in Covent Garden.
The building is open daily from 12 noon, Monday to Sunday, and closes after the evening performance. If there is no evening performance it closes at 11pm Monday to Saturday and 9pm on Sunday.
So the foyers, the Ground Floor Café and the bars are open to anyone from lunchtime. On a night with no performance you can sit in one of the great buildings of Covent Garden until eleven.
The shop opens at 12 noon and closes at the start of the evening performance, or at 6pm.
Free water on every floor
Free water stations are on all levels, and you are welcome to bring a reusable bottle.
Two restrictions attached. Glass bottles and open cups are not allowed in the auditoriums or on tours. And in the auditoria, only bottled water and ice creams are permitted.
Everything else has to stay outside the auditorium, and only food and drink bought from their own Ground Floor Café or bars may be consumed anywhere on site. So no sandwich from Covent Garden market.
Do not bring a pushchair
This one is absolute and catches families out.
The Royal Opera House cannot store pushchairs, e-scooters or e-unicycles, even folded. Their advice is to avoid bringing them into the building at all.
Larger bags, suitcases and backpacks are also not permitted in the theatres or on tours and must be checked in. Cloakrooms are complimentary for ticket holders and tour guests, and open two hours before evening shows and 90 minutes before matinees.
Bag checks operate on entry. There has been a security notice on the site since 1 May 2026 about the UK terrorism threat level being raised to Severe, with additional staff and strict bag checks, asking visitors to allow extra time. It was still posted on 5 October 2026.
Cashless, and bring your phone
It is a cashless venue. Bring a card for all purchases.
Bring a smartphone or digital device to display your ticket.
Box Office: Monday to Saturday from 12 noon until the start of the evening performance, or 6pm. On Sundays with performances it opens 90 minutes before showtime.
So there is no box office at all on a Sunday without a performance, and none before midday on any day.
The step-free station is not the nearest station
An important distinction that the Opera House publishes and almost nobody else repeats.
Nearest Underground: Covent Garden. For step-free access: Leicester Square, Holborn or Tottenham Court Road.
Covent Garden station has no step-free route, so if you need one, three other stations are the answer despite being further away.
Nearest trains: Charing Cross, half a mile away and with good wheelchair access, plus Waterloo and Euston. Bus stops at Aldwych, Drury Lane and Leicester Square Station.
There is no on-site parking. Limited public disabled bays sit on Bow Street and Floral Street.
Access, stated honestly
Step-free entry is via the power-assisted doors at the Bow Street entrance or the Covent Garden Piazza entrance.
There are several lifts, escalators and a ramp reaching the accessible toilets. There are no Changing Places facilities, which they say plainly rather than leaving you to discover it.
The building is described as large, with many floors, stairs and corridors, mixed natural and artificial lighting, busy and loud at times, and with flooring that changes between carpet and smooth tile. That is a better sensory description than most venues manage.
Complimentary tickets for essential companions. Assistance animals welcome. A free Access Scheme personalises booking and gives priority booking for accessible performances.
Where it is
Royal Opera House, Bow Street, London WC2E 9DD.
The company also runs the Bob and Tamar Manoukian Production Workshop and Costume Centre at High House Production Park, Vellacott Close, Purfleet, Essex RM19 1RJ, reached from Purfleet station on the C2C line out of Fenchurch Street.
How to plan it
Be in your seat 30 minutes early. Late means up to 90 minutes in the foyer.
Do not leave mid-act for the same reason.
Visiting without a ticket: the building is open from midday, every day.
Bring a refillable bottle, not glass, and use the free water stations.
With a baby: leave the pushchair at home, because they cannot store it.
Needing step-free Underground: Leicester Square, Holborn or Tottenham Court Road, not Covent Garden.
Paying: card only.
Royal Opera House
- Address
- Royal Opera House, Bow Street, London WC2E 9DD
- Nearest
- Covent Garden, but Leicester Square, Holborn and Tottenham Court Road for step-free access. Charing Cross is the nearest train station at half a mile
- Hours
- Building open daily from 12 noon, closing after the evening performance, or 11pm Monday to Saturday and 9pm Sunday when there is none. Shop from 12 noon to the start of the evening performance or 6pm. Auditoriums open 30 minutes before curtain
- Booking
- Box Office Monday to Saturday from 12 noon to the start of the evening performance or 6pm, and 90 minutes before showtime on Sundays with performances. A free Access Scheme gives priority booking for accessible performances
- Price
- Varies by performance. Complimentary cloakrooms for ticket holders and tour guests, and complimentary tickets for essential companions
- Standing
- The home of opera and ballet in Covent Garden, with foyers and cafes open to the public from midday
How to get in
Late arrivals, and anyone leaving mid-performance, may wait in the foyer for up to 90 minutes until a suitable break. The venue is cashless, cannot store pushchairs, e-scooters or e-unicycles even folded, and allows only bottled water and ice creams in the auditoria. Free water stations on every level.
Where to go next
The National Theatre is the other major subsidised house, and the West End page covers the commercial theatres.
Covent Garden restaurants cover dinner, which here has to happen before you go in.
Questions we get asked
What happens if you are late to the Royal Opera House?
You may be held in the foyer until a suitable break in the performance, which the Opera House says could be up to 90 minutes. The same applies if you leave during the show. Auditoriums open 30 minutes before curtain, so arrive early.
Can you go into the Royal Opera House without a ticket?
Yes. The building is open daily from 12 noon and closes after the evening performance, or at 11pm Monday to Saturday and 9pm on Sunday when there is no performance. The Ground Floor Café, bars and shop are open to anyone.
Can you take food and drink into the Royal Opera House?
Only food and drink bought from their own Ground Floor Café or bars may be consumed on site. In the auditoria, only bottled water and ice creams are allowed. Free water stations are on every level and reusable bottles are welcome, but glass bottles and open cups are not permitted in the auditoriums or on tours.
Can you take a pushchair to the Royal Opera House?
No. The Royal Opera House cannot store pushchairs, e-scooters or e-unicycles, even folded, and asks visitors not to bring them into the building. Larger bags, suitcases and backpacks must be checked into the complimentary cloakroom.
Which Underground station is step-free for the Royal Opera House?
Not the nearest one. Covent Garden is closest but has no step-free access, so the Opera House directs step-free visitors to Leicester Square, Holborn or Tottenham Court Road. Charing Cross, half a mile away, has good wheelchair access.
Does the Royal Opera House take cash?
No, it is a cashless venue, so bring a card for all purchases. You will also need a smartphone or digital device to display your ticket.
When is the Royal Opera House box office open?
Monday to Saturday from 12 noon until the start of the evening performance, or 6pm. On Sundays it only opens when there is a performance, 90 minutes before showtime.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 280 in the guide.
Last checked 5 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
