Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) Theater

Address: Metropolitan Opera House, 30 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023, USA

Website: https://www.metopera.org/

Hours: Box office typically Tue-Sat 10:00am-6:00pm (varies on performance days); house opens one hour before performances

Admission: Ticket prices vary; single-performance tickets typically range from $25 to several hundred dollars depending on seating and production. Standing-room rush tickets available historically for about $30 at the box office.

The Metropolitan Opera House is the home of the Metropolitan Opera company and a major performing-arts venue at Lincoln Center in Manhattan, New York City. The current house opened in 1966 and is one of the world’s best-known opera theaters.

Audiences come for staged opera productions that run on a season schedule, with a repertoire that includes productions from traditional to contemporary directors and conductors. The main auditorium seats about 3,800 people, and the house is equipped to present large-scale operatic works.

The building also offers guided tours that take visitors through public spaces and, when available, backstage areas to illustrate the scale and technical operation of operatic production. Tours and performance schedules are subject to change, so advance booking is recommended.

Designed by Wallace K. Harrison as part of the Lincoln Center complex, the Met moved into this purpose-built facility in 1966, replacing the company’s earlier theater. Since opening the house has hosted thousands of performances by leading singers, conductors and directors.

The opera house is located within the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, near 65th Street and Columbus Avenue, with subway and bus connections to the rest of New York City.

• Opening and architect: Opened in 1966 and designed by architect Wallace K. Harrison as part of the Lincoln Center complex on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
• Seating capacity: Seating capacity is about 3,800, making it one of the largest opera houses in the United States.
• Visitor tours: Guided tours of the house and backstage areas are offered to the public on a regular schedule, subject to performance programming.

What to See#

• Main auditorium: The main auditorium seats approximately 3,800 people and is the primary performance space for the Metropolitan Opera’s season repertory.
• Stagehouse and visitor access: Backstage and stagehouse facilities support large-scale opera productions with extensive set and machinery capacity, and the building also hosts guided visitor tours.

Lincoln Center sits on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Take the 1 train to 66th Street-Lincoln Center, or the A/B/C/D to 59th Street-Columbus Circle (then a 10-12 minute walk north). Multiple bus lines (M5, M7, M11) stop nearby. Taxis and rideshares can be dropped at Lincoln Center Plaza; street parking is limited.

• Buy tickets in advance for popular productions-opening nights and Saturday evenings sell out quickly
• If possible, choose seats in the center stalls (Orchestra) for balanced acoustics and sightlines-family boxes can feel far from stage
• Arrive early to walk the Lincoln Center plaza and see the reflecting pools; the Met's lobby is worth a slow, unhurried look for its murals and grand staircases