The official tour in Chinese

About this experience

GetYourGuide calls this the "Guided Tour In Your Language", but the only language on offer is Chinese. The listing asks you to book only if you are fluent. Everything else matches the standard tour: a live guide from the Sydney Opera House, one hour, check-in at the Welcome Centre on the Lower Concourse, and the same price from $35.

Inside, you get the foyers, at least one hall when it is free, and the story of Jørn Utzon's design, the World Heritage listing and the fourteen years it took to build. You might catch a rehearsal or a crew building a set. The House says venue access varies on the day, so the route can change. The walk is the same too: around 300 stairs and about 2.5 km, with no lift.

The House runs tours in other languages as well, Japanese and Korean among them, but those are booked on the House's own site. For English, French, German or Spanish, book the standard tour. One guest's only wish was that it lasted longer; if that sounds like you, the backstage tour runs 135 minutes, in English.

• The official tour, led by a Mandarin-speaking guide
• Foyers and the theatres free that day
• The Utzon story told in Chinese
• One hour, from the Welcome Centre
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before

How the day runs

1. 15 min beforeCheck in at the Welcome Centre

   Lower Concourse, harbour side. Cloak small bags and prams; large luggage is not accepted.

2. About 20 minFoyers and the back story

   The design competition, the shells and Utzon's resignation, in Mandarin.

3. About 20 minInto a theatre

   Whichever hall is free from rehearsals that day.

4. Last 15 minNorthern foyer

   The harbour and the Harbour Bridge through the glass, and time for questions.

What's included

Who it suits

What guests say

Tips before you book

• Check the language on your voucher before you go. It's an easy listing to book by mistake.
• Book an early slot in summer, before the midday crowds.
• Wear flat shoes; the stairs are many and steep in places.
• Ask your guide about the roof tiles: more than a million, made in Sweden.

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Compare with

Sydney Opera House Guided TourThe House's own one-hour tour: the foyers, the halls free that day and the Utzon story, in four languages.★ 4.8 · 1 hour · from $35Opera House Tour with a Meal and DrinkThe official one-hour tour, then a main and a drink on the harbour at Midden by Mark Olive or Opera Bar.★ 4.7 · 2 hours · from $64VIP Backstage Tour and BreakfastIn through the Stage Door at 7am: rehearsal rooms, the orchestra pit, then breakfast in the Green Room. Ages 10+.★ 4.8 · 2.5 hours · from $138