In the room
The experience
You cross the 6th October Bridge at dusk and the opera house rises out of palms on Gezira Island, all Mamluk arches and Islamic geometry in honey-coloured stone. Inside, the Main Hall is European red velvet with Egyptian moucharaby screens, and the orchestra tunes against the muted whoop of Cairo traffic across the Nile. They keep a strict dress code: jacket required, no jeans. The audience is mostly Cairene, mostly there for the music, not the spectacle.
Insider tip
Walk in knowing
Buy directly via cairoopera.org. Matinee classical programmes are extremely cheap by global standards.
Why it fits
Why it is in the atlas
The single most architecturally credible performing arts venue in Africa, on a Nile island.
Plan the trip
When to go, hours, getting there
Best time to go
October to May, the main classical and opera season. Concerts most evenings, Cairo Symphony Orchestra Saturday nights, Opera Company productions in the larger Main Hall. Avoid Ramadan when programming pauses.
Hours
Box office daily 10:00 to 22:00. Performances most evenings October to May. Closed during Ramadan and for July and August summer maintenance.
Getting there
From Tahrir Square, ten-minute taxi (north over Qasr al-Nil bridge to Gezira Island). Cairo Metro Line 2 to Opera station, then five-minute walk. The Opera House is the most-prominent building on Gezira Island's southern tip.
Straight from the source
Official site and tickets
Dates and tickets come from the venue itself. Opens cairoopera.org in a new tab.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Where is Cairo Opera House?
Cairo Opera House is in Cairo, Egypt. Coordinates: 30.0420, 31.2243.
What kind of music is at Cairo Opera House?
Cairo Opera House programmes Classical, Opera, Arab Symphonic, Ballet. The main performing arts venue of the Egyptian capital, completed 1988 on Gezira Island in the Nile, in the Zamalek district. Home of the Cairo Symphony Orchestra and Cairo Opera Ballet.
When is the best time to visit Cairo Opera House?
October to May, the main classical and opera season. Concerts most evenings, Cairo Symphony Orchestra Saturday nights, Opera Company productions in the larger Main Hall. Avoid Ramadan when programming pauses.
How do I get to Cairo Opera House?
From Tahrir Square, ten-minute taxi (north over Qasr al-Nil bridge to Gezira Island). Cairo Metro Line 2 to Opera station, then five-minute walk. The Opera House is the most-prominent building on Gezira Island's southern tip.
Why is Cairo Opera House in the Sonic Paths atlas?
The single most architecturally credible performing arts venue in Africa, on a Nile island.
Stay
Book somewhere to stay nearby
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