How To Visit Lviv Theater of Opera and Ballet

The Lviv Theater of Opera and Ballet is one of the most beautiful buildings in Ukraine. This is the second oldest theatre that was built in Ukraine. The theater was built between 1897 and 1900. It is interesting that the avenue where the Lviv Opera theatre stands didn’t exist until 1879. It is stands on the location where the now hidden river Poltva once ran (and is now buried deep underground). In my opinion, a visit to the Opera house is one of the best things to do in Lviv!

Today, the Lviv Theater of Opera and Ballet is one of the main attractions of the city. It is located in the center of Lviv’s old town and has a beautiful tree lined walkway in front of it. This walkway stretches from the opera house all the way to the bottom of the old town.

The Lviv Opera theatre has two halls where performances are held. One is called the mirror hall, where more intimate performances occur, and of course there is the main proper hall with balconies and big stage and the orchestra pit. The mirror hall is more like a long room full of mirrors, statues, and beautiful ornaments on the walls and ceilings. There are around 50 or 60 seats in the Mirror Hall, ideal for small concerts.

How To Visit The Lviv Theater

There are two ways to see the Lviv theatre. First – buy a ticket to see a performance. Since Cody and I moved to Lviv we have attended a few operas, a ballet (not a big fan of ballet) and a few classical concerts. The tickets are not expensive ($3-$20 depending on seat), and the performances are amazing.

Click here to check the schedule and ticket prices for Lviv Theater of Opera and Ballet.

The second way – you can just visit Lviv Opera Theater as a tourist and walk from one hall to another. That is what we did when Cody’s parents came to Lviv for the first time. We bought an entrance ticket for a visit and just admired the beauty of the theatre halls on our own, until we got to the Mirror Hall. In the Mirror Hall there was an older lady who spoke English, German, Polish and if I am not mistaken French, and she offered us a small excursion. The tour was around 30 minutes but could be a bit longer. The lady told us many stories about the Lviv Opera Theater and showed us some hidden qualities of the mirrors in the Mirror Hall. She doesn’t charge a fee to show people around the Opera House, but I recommend to tip at the end of your small tour as her income is only the tips people give.

I must say I learned a lot of new and super interesting information about the Lviv theatre. And if an old lady will approach you in the Mirror Hall and offer a small tour I do recommend to use this opportunity to learn more.

Price: entrance ticket to explore the Lviv Theater – 40 UAH per person; a tip for our wonderful guide – 300 UAH for our group

Location: Svobody Ave, 28, Lviv, Lviv Oblast, 79000