Madrid's grand opera house, opened in 1850 by Queen Isabel II and now one of the major European opera companies. The neoclassical exterior is on Plaza de Oriente facing the Palacio Real; the interior — long since rebuilt several times — is a six-tier horseshoe of red velvet and gilded plaster, technically among the most modern stages in Europe after a 1990s renovation.
The season runs September to July with around fifteen productions a year, plus ballet, concerts, and recitals. Tickets €15-300 depending on production and seat. The backstage tours (Tuesday-Friday and Saturday mornings, €18, in Spanish and English) are unusually good — they actually take you onto the stage, into the workshop where sets are built, and up to a dressing room. Closed for tours on performance days. Metro Ópera.