Opera and hotel breaks in London for 2026/27
London has two great opera houses a short walk apart, and between them this winter they offer everything from Carmen and The Magic Flute to a London premiere of Breaking the Waves. The Royal Opera at Covent Garden sings in the original language with surtitles; English National Opera at the London Coliseum sings in English. Eleven productions are on offer from now to 13 March 2027, and every one can be booked as a break with a hotel and, if you like, discounted rail travel.
Venues: Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (Covent Garden Tube); London Coliseum, St Martin’s Lane (Leicester Square Tube)
Dates: Royal Opera 29 October 2026 to 17 February 2027; ENO 16 October 2026 to 13 March 2027
Language: Royal Opera in the original language with English surtitles; ENO in English (except Iphigénie en Tauride)
Age guidance: varies by production, from family-friendly to 15+ (see below)
Theatre breaks: on sale now, with a booking link under each opera
The season by date
29 Oct to 21 November: Carmen (Royal Opera)
30 Oct to 11 December: Tosca (ENO)
6 to 14 November: Iphigénie en Tauride (ENO)
28 Nov to 12 December: Adriana Mater (ENO)
29 November only: To Die For [A Comedy] (ENO)
30 Nov to 18 December: A Masked Ball (Royal Opera)
13 Dec to 17 February: The Magic Flute (Royal Opera)
3 Feb to 13 March: La traviata (ENO)
13 to 25 February: Breaking the Waves (ENO)
4 to 12 March: Trial by Jury & The Zoo (ENO)
The Royal Opera at Covent Garden
Carmen (29 October to 21 November 2026)
Book a Carmen break
A Masked Ball (30 November to 18 December 2026)
Verdi’s story of a powerful man in love with his closest friend’s wife, a political plot closing around him and a death that everyone sees coming, all leading to one fateful night at a masked ball. This is a new production by Philipp Stölzl, his first for The Royal Opera, with a surreal rotating set and costumes by Antony McDonald. Charles Castronovo, Malin Byström, Aleksei Isaev, Anita Rachvelishvili and Kseniia Nikolaieva lead the cast, and Music Director Jakub Hrůša conducts. Sung in Italian with English surtitles.
Book a Masked Ball break
The Magic Flute (13 December 2026 to 17 February 2027)
David McVicar’s much-loved production of Mozart’s last opera is a natural choice for a family break over Christmas and into the new year. Prince Tamino sets out to rescue Pamina with the bird-catcher Papageno at his side, and on the way they find that the enchanter Sarastro is not what they were told. Above them all hovers the Queen of the Night and her famous aria. Two casts alternate, with Dalia Stasevska, Julia Jones, Susanna Stranders and Richard Hetherington sharing the conducting. Sung in German with English surtitles; children aged five and over are welcome.
Book a Magic Flute break
English National Opera at the London Coliseum
I love the London Coliseum. I spent two years sharing a fire exit with the wardrobe department and the Lemon Tree with the musicians of the orchestra. ENO’s season mixes great classics with new and rarely heard operas, and this year it brings four works by contemporary women composers.
Angel’s Bone (16 to 31 October 2026)
Du Yun’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera comes to London after its UK premiere in Manchester this spring. A couple short of money find two injured angels in their garden and take them in, but their kindness soon turns into greed and exploitation. It is a dark modern fable, directed by Kip Williams and conducted by Baldur Brönnimann, with Allison Cook and Rodney Earl Clarke as the couple and Mariam Wallentin and Matthew McKinney as the angels. One for adventurous opera-goers rather than first-timers.
Book an Angel’s Bone break
Tosca (30 October to 11 December 2026)
Book a Tosca break
Iphigénie en Tauride (6 to 14 November 2026)
A rare chance to see what many consider Gluck’s finest opera, staged by ENO for the first time in a new production by Olivier Award winner Lyndsey Turner. Spared from sacrifice by the goddess Diana and now serving as her priestess, Iphigenia sees her world overturned by the arrival of her tormented brother Orestes. Christine Rice sings Iphigenia and Jacques Imbrailo Orestes, with David Bates conducting. Unusually for ENO, it is sung in the original French with English surtitles. A short run of just over a week.
Book an Iphigénie en Tauride break
Adriana Mater (28 November to 12 December 2026)
Kaija Saariaho’s second opera, with a libretto by Amin Maalouf, in a new English translation. Set during and after a civil war, it follows Adriana and her son Yonas, who has to face the violent truth about where he came from. Annilese Miskimmon directs it as a companion to her Tosca, and on Saturday 5 December you can see Tosca in the afternoon and Adriana Mater in the evening. Kristina Stanek sings Adriana and Caspar Singh Yonas, with Music Director Designate André de Ridder conducting.
Book an Adriana Mater break
To Die For [A Comedy] (Sunday 29 November 2026 only)
For one night only, the Dutch company Nederlandse Reisopera gives the UK premiere of Elena Langer’s darkly comic new opera. Inspired by Nikolai Erdman’s 1928 play The Suicide, it follows Semyon, whose private crisis is taken up by reality television and turned into public entertainment. Sam Brown directs and Adrian Kelly, Artistic Director of the Buxton International Festival, conducts, with Paul Curievici as Semyon and James Hall as the TV presenter Ivan Vane. An unusual extra for regular opera-goers.
Book a To Die For break
Verdi’s most popular opera in Peter Konwitschny’s Olivier-nominated staging, which strips away the usual opulence to leave cascading red curtains, a single chair and the drama itself. Violetta, the toast of Parisian society, gives up everything for Alfredo, until his father insists she let him go. Heidi Stober sings Violetta (Alison Langer on 3 and 5 March), with Egor Zhuravskii as Alfredo and David Stout as Germont; Kevin John Edusei conducts. Sung in English; 1 hour 50 minutes with no interval; 15+.
Book a La traviata break
Breaking the Waves (13 to 25 February 2027)
Missy Mazzoli’s opera, adapted from Lars von Trier’s 1996 film, has its London premiere in a new production by Tinuke Craig. The deeply devout Bess McNeill marries Jan, and when he is gravely injured in an offshore accident her love and faith are tested to the limit. Lauren Snouffer, who has sung Bess to acclaim internationally, makes her ENO debut, with Liam James Karai as Jan and Joana Carneiro conducting. Intense and very moving, and better suited to seasoned opera-goers.
Book a Breaking the Waves break
Trial by Jury & The Zoo (4 to 12 March 2027)
A Gilbert and Sullivan double bill played as one fast-moving comic evening. First comes The Zoo, by Sullivan and Bolton Rowe and new to ENO, in which two pairs of lovers tumble through misunderstandings, including a nobleman’s absurd courtship of a snack seller. Then Trial by Jury, in Scottish Opera’s 2025 staging, becomes a 1980s TV game show in which a man is accused of jilting his bride. G&S specialist John Savournin directs and Peter Whelan conducts, with Neal Davies as the Learned Judge and Mary Bevan as the Plaintiff.
Book a Trial by Jury & The Zoo break
Planning your break
Both opera houses sit on the edge of Covent Garden, so a hotel in Covent Garden, the Strand or Bloomsbury puts you within walking distance of either, with dinner, a pre-show drink and the piazza on the doorstep. Most performances start at 7pm or 7.30pm, and some of the longer operas run past 10pm, which is one more reason to stay over rather than chase the last train home. If you fancy two operas in one trip, Tosca and Adriana Mater share a day on 5 December, and in November you could pair Carmen at Covent Garden with Tosca at the Coliseum.
Before you book
Which opera is best for a first visit?
Carmen, Tosca, La traviata and The Magic Flute are all well-known stories with famous tunes. If you would rather follow every word, ENO’s Tosca and La traviata are sung in English. The Magic Flute is the most family-friendly of the season.
Are the operas sung in English?
At the London Coliseum, yes: ENO sings in English, with surtitles too, apart from Iphigénie en Tauride, which is in French. At the Royal Opera House, operas are sung in their original language with English surtitles above the stage.
Can I bring children?
The Magic Flute is suitable for all ages, though children under five are not admitted and those over five need their own ticket. Carmen is recommended for 8 and over, while ENO’s Tosca and La traviata are recommended for 15 and over. Under-fives are not admitted at the London Coliseum.
How do I get there by train?
From King’s Cross St Pancras, the Piccadilly line runs direct to Covent Garden for the Royal Opera House and to Leicester Square for the Coliseum. From Euston, take the Northern line (Charing Cross branch) direct to Leicester Square, a few minutes’ walk from both.
Who are the ENO
They create opera that feels different, theatrical, and creatively daring and have been doing this to an internationally recognised standard since being founded in 1931 as Sadler’s Wells Opera.
I hope you take time out to experience one of their productions soon.
- The ENO’s relaxed performance programme on the main stage will be for Tosca (Puccini)
on Monday, 30 November 2026 at 17:00.
The ENO is for everyone, and always will be.