Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is a topmost favorite spot that tourists look forward to visiting during their Sydney trip. Located on the east of the Sydney Harbour Bridge (Port Jackson), New South Wales, Australia, the Opera House was even designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007 and it is one of the finest places to visit in Sydney.

Its architecture is a fusion of modernist, and ancient influences, which attracts over 8.2 million visitors every year. The eye-grabbing roof structure that looks like a white sail-shaped shell makes it the best-known landmark. It is a multipurpose place used for various performing arts facilities.

It can seat only about 1,500 people during one show to offer an exceptional experience to the audience. The 2,679-seat Concert Hall is the most abundant space here that hosts choir performances, symphony concerts, and famous music shows.

You can head to the Opera Theatre to watch popular Opera, dance performances and ballet shows. Further, the building houses three different sized theaters for presenting film screenings, stage plays, and shorter musical acts.

On the southeastern end of the building is the Forecourt that hosts outdoor performances. There are also a professional recording studio and restaurants in the complex. Thus, if you ever plan to take a tour of Sydney, the Sydney Opera House is worth a visit to witness impressive structure as well as performances.

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History of Sydney Opera House

The location of the Opera House earlier used to be a railroad yard of Sydney. The tale of the Sydney Opera House started in 1948 when the Sydney Opera head beckoned for a new home for the opera company. Eugene Goossens, who was the resident conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, recognized the need for a musical facility in the city. 

He wanted it to be home to the symphony orchestra, opera, and chamber music groups. In order to make the city identified as a world cultural capital, the New South Wales government approved his proposal. It assembled the Opera House Committee in 1954 to pick a site that further recommended Bennelong Point. 

A proposal request was sent to architects all across the world to submit designs for the Opera House. Finally, the design sketched out by Danish architect Jørn Utzon was declared a winner by renowned American architect Eero Saarinen. 

As the construction work started, people had no idea how to convert the design plan of Utzon into reality. There were political hurdles, too, during the project. The construction process slowed down certain times due to lack of funds, engineers got frustrated, and politicians doubted the idea of making the Opera House. 

It had a $7 million cost estimation, but actual cost rounded up to more than $100 million. So, with the proper strategies and solving the difficulties, Opera House completed in1973.

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• The Opera House Sydney is one of the most photographed structures in the World due to its unique sail-shaped roof and unique architectural design.  
• The Opera House is a multipurpose venue for all kinds of performing arts which includes symphony concerts, ballet, music shows, plays and more.
• The Opera House Sydney Tour includes a Backstage tour or you can pick a Tour and Tasting plan which also includes a delectable three-tiered gourmet meal at the Opera Kitchen and a guided tour.
• The Opera House features a free six minute water light show every night which lights up the Bennelong sails and projects First Nation arts. 
• Guided tours are available in foreign languages as well. These include Mandarin, Spanish, French, German, Korean and Japanese. 
• The Sydney Opera House hosts over 2000 shows each year.

The best time to visit Sydney Opera House is in October, November, late February and March months. During these months, visitors will witness sunny weather and the least humidity. Thus, a perfect time to enjoy a pleasant sightseeing tour. Also, visitors can avoid the high hotel rates along with the lesser crowd in these months.

We recommend avoiding the visit to Sydney Opera House from December to early February. During this time, the humidity level is at a peak and the weather is too hot most of the time that you won’t be able to enjoy the sightseeing tour.

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Location:

Bennelong Point, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

Timings:

Daily - 9:00 am to 8:30 pm. Sydney Opera House closes only on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday. 

Entry fee:

The entry to Sydney Opera House for sightseeing is free. But there are different charges to attend various performances and shows hosted here.

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Interesting facts about the Sydney Opera House

There are several interesting facts about this notable structure right from the time of building to this date. All these facts make it a more prominent place to visit. Let’s know about them.

- Out of 233 designs presented during the Opera House international design competition in 1956, Jørn Utzon from Denmark won it and received ₤5000.\

- Starting in 1959, The Sydney Opera House took 14 years to build entirely with the help of the 10,000 construction workers.

- Queen Elizabeth II inaugurated it on 20 October 1973 ever since then, she visited here four times.

- The final cost of building the Sydney Opera house was $102 million, paid primarily by a State Lottery.

- The first person who performed here was Paul Robeson in 1960. He sang Ol' Man River at the scaffolding in honor of the construction workers.

- More than 1 million Swedish roof tiles cover this marvelous structure.

- Sails lit in red on the Lunar New Year celebration at the Opera House, along with that visitors can appreciate Lunar Lanterns and Mandarin tours.

- The temperature should be 22.5 degrees during the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in the Concert Hall. The musical instruments stay in tune due to this maintained temperature and humidity.

- Also, seawater from the harbour is used to cool down the Sydney Opera House, to power the building's heating as well as air conditioning system.

- In 1980, Arnold Schwarzenegger won his final Mr. Olympia bodybuilding title at the Concert Hall.

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Tips before visiting the Sydney Opera House

Here are some vital tips that you must know before visiting the Opera House. These tips will make your trip more convenient:

- Sydney Opera House is visible from all around the Sydney Harbour due to its coating with the White shimmering sails on the roof at Bennelong Point in Port Jackson, Sydney.

- You must take a walk from the city center to get to the Sydney Opera House. Or else, you can board a train, bus or a ferry to the Circular Quay from where it is a walking distance of 5 to 10 minutes to the Opera House.

- You are not permitted to carry suitcases or any other bags larger than the handbags. 

- You are allowed to click photographs all the while on your trip to the Opera House.

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Places to visit near Sydney Opera House

When you are touring the Sydney Opera House, do not neglect to add these other famous nearby locations in your itinerary:

Sydney Harbour Bridge:

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the daily routine go-through way for pedestrians and common transports like bicycles, rails, vehicles, etc. Dave's Point in the Rocks Area consists of the southern finishing of the Bridge. Also, Missions Point in the bottom North Shore Area consists of the Northern finishing of the Bridge.

Mrs. Macquarie's Chair:

It is often denoted as "Lady Macquarie's Chair" and was cleaved in 1810 by culprits for Elizabeth Macquarie, wife of the General of New South Wales. One of the top-notch specialties of Mrs. Macquarie's Point is that the land situated around it provides the visitors with a fascinating view of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge both.

The face of the chair is followed north-east, fronting the Fort Denison and the Tasman Sea.

 Museum Contemporary Art Australia:

It is quite a prominent stage not just for Australia but for the whole world to get an opportunity to exhibit their art on such a wonderful platform. This museum is exclusively dedicated to the arts around the globe for the exhibition, collection, and interpretation of contemporary art.

The museum supports and lets the audience appreciate all the kinds of sculptures, paintings, photography, creativity on paper and moving image, together with a momentous illustration of works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists.

Royal Botanic Gardens:

The Royal Botanical Garden is the supreme Botanical Gardens of Sydney, Australia, for the visitors to embrace the beauty of nature and the ecosystem. The gardens provide you with the jogging or walking path accompanying the dense green sceneries, tons of cultivated trees, charming Koala Bears, bewitching lawns, a lucid bay with boats, and the eye-catching scenes of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

After having a hectic day of traveling, you would indeed love to relax on the benches of this garden to boost yourself with the glitz of nature.

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Sydney Opera House is at a distance of 14.9 Km from Sydney Airport. It means you can reach the location in just about 18 minutes from the Airport. 

Taxi:

So, you can hire a taxi directly from the Airport to reach the Sydney Opera House. It will cost you between $50 - $65.

Bus:

Also, you can find bus services departing from Sydney International Airport, Terminal 1. It is a 1 hour and 36 minutes journey, and you will be dropped at Circular Quay, Young St, Stand D. This service will incorporate transfers.

Train:

Furthermore, you can catch a train operated by Sydney Trains from the Sydney International Airport Station that will drop you at the Sydney Opera House.

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