# The Salzburg Festival



## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

Hi there,

Anyone ever attend the Salzburg Festival? Did you find it difficult and expensive to get tickets or accommodation? I'm quite tempted to go this year, but I may have left it late. They're playing Cosi on the 19th August - and Don Giovanni on the 20th!:tiphat:


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## toucan (Sep 27, 2010)

https://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/Default.aspx

Yes it is expensive and, yes, it can be hard to get tickets & hotel reservations.


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

Thanks Toucan, that's what I was expecting/dreading. It might just have to be the dream for this year, but their programme is fairly hot. I'd be in Mozart heaven if I saw those two shows. There's a general release of tickets in April. I might see what the damage is then, before deciding...


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Kieran said:


> Thanks Toucan, that's what I was expecting/dreading. It might just have to be the dream for this year, but their programme is fairly hot. I'd be in Mozart heaven if I saw those two shows. There's a general release of tickets in April. I might see what the damage is then, before deciding...


Where do you hail from? Here in America there are travel agencies that organize trips to various opera festivals including Salzburg, and they already have tickets and hotel rooms pre-reserved. But yes, it's expensive.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Kieran said:


> Hi there,
> 
> Anyone ever attend the Salzburg Festival? Did you find it difficult and expensive to get tickets or accommodation? I'm quite tempted to go this year, but I may have left it late. They're playing Cosi on the 19th August - and Don Giovanni on the 20th!:tiphat:


I thought about it as I'm a big fan of Simon Keenlyside & wanted to see him in _Le nozze_. I wouldn't have gone all that way just to see one opera though & thought about seeing Macbeth as well. What put me off was the price of the tickets, twice the cost of a good seat at ROH & you couldn't even choose your seat.

I did find a cheap-ish hotel (with free wi-fi) near to the venues before I abandoned the idea of going.

http://www.starinnhotels.com/en/salzburg-center/

If you do go, have fun & please let us know all about it.


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

Almaviva said:


> Where do you hail from? Here in America there are travel agencies that organize trips to various opera festivals including Salzburg, and they already have tickets and hotel rooms pre-reserved. But yes, it's expensive.


Hiya Almaviva,

I'm from Dublin, Ireland. I only discovered this festival on the web on Friday and I've been mulling it over since. The cost is prohibitive at the moment, but maybe not insurmountable, depending on the concert ticket prices... :tiphat:


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

sospiro said:


> I thought about it as I'm a big fan of Simon Keenlyside & wanted to see him in _Le nozze_. I wouldn't have gone all that way just to see one opera though & thought about seeing Macbeth as well. What put me off was the price of the tickets, twice the cost of a good seat at ROH & you couldn't even choose your seat.
> 
> I did find a cheap-ish hotel (with free wi-fi) near to the venues before I abandoned the idea of going.
> 
> ...


Hi Sospiro,

I like Simon Keenlyside, I think he did a marvelous Don Giovanni, with Mackeras conducting. I'd love to see that Figaro, too. It might be an option. If I decide to go, I'll surely let you know how I get on...


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Kieran said:


> Hiya Almaviva,
> 
> I'm from Dublin, Ireland. I only discovered this festival on the web on Friday and I've been mulling it over since. The cost is prohibitive at the moment, but maybe not insurmountable, depending on the concert ticket prices... :tiphat:


So, maybe you should see a travel agent in Dublin to see if they have a similar product. Sometimes with a travel agent who buys tickets and reserves rooms in bulk you might get more decent prices than going on your own. But every time I've looked into these things, they seemed horribly expensive. I guess it's because the public for opera in the United States is supposed to be older and wealthier and these agencies offer prime seats and fancy hotels, but maybe in Europe where I suppose opera is more popular, there may be a travel agency geared to younger folks, selling mezzanino seats and cheaper hotels. But I wouldn't know if there is such thing. I'd like one day to do this myself, but now while I'm paying for my kids' education I can't afford it.


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