Schools Tour
Term 1 - 4
Primary - High School: Early Stage 1 – 5, Years K – 12
Learning areas: History, HSIE, Industrial Technology
Filled with stories that demonstrate the power of creativity, students join a guided tour to learn how architect Jørn Utzon created a sculpture on Sydney Harbour that changed the course of 20th century architecture.
School tours are available for various dates in Term 1 - 4, 10am - 2.30pm.
For tour bookings please contact tourism@sydneyoperahouse.com or phone us on +61 2 9250 7250.
For a tour and workshop or performance booking please complete the enquiry form here, contact creativelearning@sydneyoperahouse.com or phone us on +61 2 9250 7770.
Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
Student | $18 |
| Tour & Creative Learning workshop | $13 + cost of the workshop |
Minimum 12 students per booking.
One complimentary teacher per class. Ratio required for supervision is one teacher per 15 students.
The only authorised ticket agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House. For more information about authorised agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
Arts Assist: The Arts Assist ticket and travel subsidy program provides the full cost of the Creative Learning performance or program ticket and $5 per student toward travel costs. Find out more about Arts Assist.
Run time: The duration of the tour ranges from 50 minutes to 3.5 hours. The tour times range depending on a tour, tour and show or tour and workshop. Our tour guides will meet you at the Welcome Centre to begin the tour.
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Download our Child Safety Policy (PDF).
Curriculum alignment
Each Schools Tour is devised to align with cross-curricula priorities and general capabilities, in particular critical and creative thinking, ethical understanding, intercultural understanding, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Culture priority and Sustainability priorities.
Useful information:
Be inspired by Australia’s most iconic building
The Sydney Opera House Schools Tour takes students on a journey to learn about how a young man from Denmark, Jørn Utzon, created a living sculpture and building on Sydney Harbour that changed the course of twentieth-century architecture and the city of Sydney forever.
Uncover the history of this UNESCO world heritage site – from its beginnings as a First Nations meeting place for sharing stories and celebrating connection to culture and tradition, to Utzon’s competition winning design that almost didn’t get selected.
In this tour, students learn about:
- The First Nations culture and histories embedded in the site of Bennelong Point.
- Jørn Utzon and the architects, engineers and builders he collaborated with to create the Sydney Opera House.
- The Design Principles that guided his Utzon’s thinking and architectural practice.
- The extraordinary range of performances, artists, and behind the scenes workers who have delivered and performed on the stages of the Opera House.
- How the Opera House supports future thinking and sustainability that improves social and environmental outcomes for the building, city and its visitors.
Plan your visit
Getting here
We are a 15-minute walk from Circular Quay, the closest station for public transport via train, bus and ferry. To view timetable information and ensure your public transport needs can be met, please check the Transport NSW website.
Buses and coaches can’t park onsite at Sydney Opera House. Large buses must disembark passengers on Macquarie Street in the allocated drop off zone. Please contact City of Sydney to confirm bus and coach set down areas. We recommend allowing an additional 10 minutes for walking from Macquarie Street.
Frequently asked questions
The tour meeting point is at the Welcome Centre located on the Lower Concourse of the Opera House.
It’s a great idea to arrive early, grab a drink and soak up the view. Please arrive 15 minutes before your tour to allow sufficient time to cloak any large bags.
This should allow enough time for the mandatory visual inspections and/or cloaking of bags and personal belongings by Opera House staff before starting your tour.
Where possible, please leave bags at home. If you bring a bag, those larger than A4 size will need to be cloaked before you can go on the tour. We're unable to store suitcases or large bags as we have limited cloaking facilities.
If you are going to be late for your tour please call our Reservations team on 02 8188 3734 for assistance.
Where possible, please do not bring bags to the Sydney Opera House. Bags larger than A4 size will need to be cloaked before you can go on the tour. However we can’t store suitcases or large bags as our cloaking facilities are extremely limited.
Cameras are allowed on the tour and there are plenty of photo opportunities throughout the entire tour. Your tour guide will advise you whilst on tour if photographs are not to be taken inside any venues. Please note there is no video filming on the tour.
Mobile phones are permitted on the tour however please ensure they are switched off or on silent for the duration of the tour.
You will have the opportunity to visit some of the Opera House’s many venues and theatres on this tour.
Please note that as we are a busy performing arts centre, venues and theatres are subject to availability at the time of your tour.
You can make a booking for up to 11 people though our maximum capacity per tour is 35 people. For capacity reasons the booking must be made by calling 02 8188 3734. Our Reservations team will assist with your reservation.
We encourage you to purchase your tour in advance online or via the phone where you’ll receive an eTicket. Please bring this with you and present it upon check-in at the Welcome Centre located on the Lower Concourse of the Opera House.
Excursions at the Opera House
Schools
Schools creative learning performances, workshops, tours and experiences to both activate the curriculum in imaginative ways, and to provide high quality arts experiences to develop our young people’s capacity to connect with their peers through the power of creativity.
Arts Assist
Does your School need financial assistance to attend a Sydney Opera House excursion?
A Day Out at the House
Offer your students to an unforgettable day out at the Sydney Opera House with our new curated program. Students can attend a Creative Learning Performance or Workshop onsite accompanied by a Walking Tour of our internationally renowned performing arts centre, all in time to back by the final school bell.
