At Royal Opera House, we believe that world-class art forms should be accessible to everyone.
We strive to create equal access to, as well as opportunities in, ballet, opera and music for all.
The Royal Opera House is committed to following the Social Model of Disability which upholds the belief that people are disabled not by their impairment, but by physical and attitudinal barriers in society.
You can get all our access information detailed in a large-print format on request. Our restaurant menus are also available in large print. Request large-print information
We have collated some information on accessible travel routes, step-free access and navigating our building that we hope will help make your journey and experience with us a positive one.
For general information on your visit, including opening times, box office information and our values please see our Visitor Information page.
We encourage anyone with access requirements to join our free Access Scheme. This gives you personalised assistance throughout the booking process, as well as other benefits. This includes free companion tickets if you require support when attending a performance.
Access registration helps us ensure that we meet your accessibility requirements and can tailor our booking processes to you.
To register for the scheme, first sign up for a free Royal Opera House account, or sign in to your existing account. After you have signed in go to the 'Accessibility' tab in Your Account and complete the Access Scheme registration process as instructed.
Please contact our Access Box Office team if you have any questions or have any issues when completing this form. You should also get in touch you would like to book tickets before submitting your application.
Our Access Box Office team is always available to help you book tickets online, by phone or in-person. We offer:
Use the power assisted doors at the ground level entrance on Bow Street for wheelchair access to the building. There is also step-free access and a power assisted door available via the Piazza entrance in Covent Garden. Our Front of House team will be available to assist and direct you whilst navigating our building.
The lift on the left-hand side of the Main Stage auditorium provides access to the Paul Hamlyn Hall, Crush Room, Linbury Foyer and Balconies Restaurant.
The lift on the right-hand side of the Main Stage auditorium provides access to the Level 5 Bar, Piazza and the Crush Room.
All lifts provide access to the main foyer Café.
All accessible toilets are gender neutral and have an alarm pull cord in case of emergency. We do not currently have changing facilities. Accessible toilets can be found on:
Accessible toilets are located close to all wheelchair spaces in the Main Stage auditorium. Our Front of House teams will be available to guide you if you need.
We offer waiter service in all of our bars and restaurants for wheelchair users. Please speak to a member of staff to organise this when you arrive. Find out more about our Bars and Restaurants.
Select a performance space to find more information about wheelchair spaces, step-free seating and exits and entrances that may be helpful to consider when booking.
Assistance dogs are welcome everywhere in the Royal Opera House.
If you are coming to a performance, you can leave your assistance dog with a member of staff, or keep it with you through the performance. Please let us know which you prefer if you are attending. If you are booking online, please email [email protected] to let us know your preference.
There are refuge areas for customers with limited mobility at every level throughout the Royal Opera House. If the building needs to be evacuated, you will be escorted to the nearest refuge area by a member of staff.
If your assistance dog is with Front of House staff, you will be reunited with your dog at the earliest opportunity.
Select a performance type to find out more about what to expect when attending a sensory adapted, relaxed environment, audio described or BSL (British Sign Language) interpreted performances. We have also provided a list of dates for upcoming accessible productions across our current Season.
Sensory adapted performances are performances that have been modified to suit people with sensory sensitivities. They may be suitable for people who are neurodiverse, have epilepsy, or learning disabilities. They are designed to help those who may feel overwhelmed by the atmosphere in a non-sensory adapted production. Sensory adapted performances also include a more relaxed audience environment and may be suitable for audience members with young children, those with physical conditions that may find it difficult to stay seated for long periods, or anyone who wants to enjoy a more relaxed experience when attending a show.
What to expect:
Relaxed environment performances offer a similar audience experience to our sensory adapted productions, without the additional adjustments to sound, lighting and the content of the performance itself. For relaxed environment performances, we create a visual story guide which is emailed to audiences and available on the website in advance. We sometimes make limited adjustments to the performance itself, but we would recommend our sensory adapted performances to those who have additional sensory needs.
What to expect:
We offer a number of audio described performances of our productions. Audio description may be useful if you are blind or partially sighted. An audio description of the characters, actions, costumes, and set design is provided through a headset as the story unfolds. To reserve an audio description headset for an audio described performance, please email [email protected].
What to expect:
BSL users can get reduced-price designated seating for our British Sign Language interpreted performances. Please register for Access Scheme Membership to receive booking forms for each BSL interpreted performance. Our BSL interpreted performances offer a professional BSL interpreter positioned on-stage to narrate the dialogue/libretto.
What to expect:
All sensory adapted performances are relaxed environment
Speak to a member of staff to borrow a free transmission receiver and headphones for performances. This will amplify the performance sound in the Main Stage auditorium or Linbury Theatre.
To reserve this equipment please email [email protected].
We offer additional surtitle translations for all opera performances, including those sung in English. Surtitles are text displayed on a screen above the stage, or on a monitor close to your seat.
Occasionally, before audio-described performances, we provide additional Touch Tours designed to help audience members familiarise themselves with the set, props and performance space. Touch Tours are free and can be requested when you book a ticket for an audio described performance. For more information on Touch Tours please email [email protected].
We produce audio introductions for all Royal Opera House Main Stage productions. You can listen to these on headsets from the Duty House Manager’s desk in the main entrance foyer. Please reserve these in advance please email [email protected].
The audio introduction is broadcast 15 minutes before the start of the performance and five minutes before the end of each interval. You can also listen before your visit on the Royal Opera House SoundCloud. You can also set alerts to notify you about new audio introductions for upcoming performances.
We send out audio Season Guides to members of our Access Scheme who have asked for them. The audio introductions and audio Season Guides are produced for the Royal Opera House by the company Sightlines. Find out more about Sightlines here.
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation, a charitable company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales (Company number 480523) Charity Registered (Number 211775)