An opera night at the Teatro di San Carlo

The theatre sets bands by title category (Cremisi for the big titles, Blu, Bianco), weekday or weekend, and première. Selected rows from its 2025/26 table:

Chamber music is €18 for any seat. Groups of 10–20 get 10% off, over 20 get 15%, booked by email through Vivaticket's group office.

• Box front rows ("parapet") are the classic San Carlo experience, and the central ones in tiers I–II are among the best seats in the house for €70–€100.
• "Behind" seats in a box sit in the second or third row of the box and see less of the stage. They are cheaper for a reason.
• Balconies (tiers V–VI) at €35–€40 are the value seats: high, but facing the stage.
• Listening-only seats (€15–€20 on most nights) are sold as that: you will hear the performance, not see much of it.
• Under 30? The reduced tickets (on a normal opera night €30 in the rear stalls or €25 in a side box; €10–€50 across the season) are sold only at the box office with ID. Children are admitted from age 6 with their own ticket.

On September 30, 2026, the theatre's programme listed Mozart's Mitridate, re di Ponto until October 1, Handel's Alcina in concert from October 9, and Rossini's La Cenerentola from October 20 to 27 (conductor Speranza Scappucci, staging by Damiano Michieletto; about 3 hours with an interval). The Cenerentola dates run Tuesday October 20 at 8 p.m. through Sunday October 25 at 5 p.m. and a Tuesday October 27 performance at 7 p.m.

The theatre advertises its 2026/27 season as running from June 30, 2026 to November 30, 2027, but its site did not list the full programme or a new price table when we checked. We will update this page when it does.

1. Online on the theatre's site or Vivaticket: full-price tickets only, credit card, with a service fee.
2. Box office at the theatre: every day 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The only place for reduced tickets.
3. Phone: Vivaticket's call center, with a per-minute call charge and a service fee.

The theatre warns against buying from "secondary ticketing" sites, which resell at higher prices and may sell invalid tickets. Tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded, but a full-price ticket can be passed to someone else. If a performance is cancelled, the box office refunds within 7 days.

• Arrive 20 minutes early; doors open an hour before.
• No photos, no recording, phones off.
• Dress: anything but shorts and tank tops will get you in; most people dress up a little, especially in the stalls and boxes.
• Before or after, Piazza del Plebiscito and the Galleria are next door. For the building by day, the theatre runs guided tours: see our San Carlo sight page.
• For dinner nearby, our Toledo and Municipio page and restaurant shortlist help.