La Scala Theatre & Museum Tickets Milan

Teatro alla Scala, Milan's opera house

La Scala opened on 3 August 1778 with an opera by Antonio Salieri and takes its name from the church of Santa Maria alla Scala that once stood on the site. Designed by Giuseppe Piermarini in a sober neoclassical style, its plain facade hides one of the most spectacular interiors in Italy: a horseshoe of red-and-gold boxes rising in tiers, with room for around 2,000 spectators.

A La Scala theatre tour lets you see the hall where opera history was made: Verdi's Nabucco, Otello and Falstaff and Puccini's Turandot were all first performed here. The season traditionally opens every year on 7 December, the feast day of Milan's patron saint, Ambrose, in one of the most watched events in Italian culture.

The auditorium, the boxes and the stage

Your guide takes you to the boxes overlooking the stalls, where you can admire the gilded ornament, the crystal chandelier and the large stage, and learn how the acoustics and the backstage machinery work. The theatre was hit by bombs in 1943 and reopened in 1946 with a celebrated concert conducted by Arturo Toscanini.

A major restoration between 2002 and 2004 modernised the stage tower and added new backstage facilities, while keeping the historic hall. Because it is a working theatre, rehearsals and set-ups sometimes limit which areas you can enter, so the route can vary on the day.

La Scala Museum (Museo Teatrale)

The museum next door holds one of the world's great collections on opera and theatre: portraits and busts of composers, costumes, stage designs, musical instruments, manuscripts and memorabilia of the singers and conductors who made La Scala famous. It is a good place to feel the personalities behind the names.

If you are searching for La Scala museum tickets, this visit already includes museum entry with the guided theatre visit, so no separate ticket is needed. Allow time to see the rooms at your own pace after the guided part, as the collection is rich and changes with temporary exhibitions.

Visiting La Scala: how to get there and what to know

Getting to La Scala is easy: the theatre stands on Piazza della Scala, a five-minute walk from the Duomo and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and the Duomo metro stop (lines M1 and M3) is the closest. Arrive about 10 minutes before your slot and bring your voucher.

Visiting hours change by season and with performances, so check the fixed time on the booking panel. This visit is not a performance: to attend an opera or ballet, you need a separate performance ticket. Dress smartly and casually, comfortable shoes are enough.