The Teatro Colon to resume Guided Visits

Teatro Colon : Guided visits from February 8th, 2011

The Colón Theater of Buenos Aires has announced that the guided tours to the interior of this magnificent theater will resume on Tuesday, February 8th, 2011. They will be held every day, including holidays, from 9:00 am to 3:45 pm.

The guided visits will have a duration of approximately 1 hour, starting at Paseo de los Carruajes, on Tucuman 1171 every 15 minutes. Tours will be offered in English or Spanish. Guided visits in French and Portuguese have to be reserved 48 hours in advance.

The visit will have a cost of USD 15 for foreign visitors. Entrance for children under 6 is free. Retirees, pensioners and university students will have a 50% discount on Mondays.

The entrance ticket can be acquired by phone with credit card, or at the Theatre’s box office (Tucuman 1171), with credit card, debit card, or cash.

For more information about the guided visists you should call +54 11 4378-7127 or by email: Teatro Colón

The theatre was closed in 2006 for renovations with a planned reopening on May 25, 2008 to celebrate the opera house’s centennial with a performance of Verdi’s Aida, the first production that was staged there. However, construction delays have pushed back the reopening to May 2010.
Since it opened in 1908, it has been one of the world’s major venues for opera, ballet, and classical music, and many of the “greats” have performed here, including Callas, Nijinsky, and Rubinstein.

Highlights of the interior include the entrance hall, adorned in marble and stucco and capped off with a dome, and the magnificent mirrored and gilded Salón Dorado (Golden Hall), a venue used for small concerts and lectures that closely resembles the halls of Versailles in France.

The traditional horseshoe-shaped auditorium, with a capacity of nearly 3000 and world-renowned acoustics, has three tiers of seats rising to a domed ceiling complete with an enormous bronze chandelier that surely makes spectators below somewhat nervous. The dome itself, decorated with frescoes of dancers and musicians, was painted by Argentine artist Raúl Soldi.

Most of us pass hundreds of buildings every day and it is easy enough to see that some of them are different or special. But how are they different? When were they built and why? We will answer these questions in our BA Architectural Tour that aims to provide a clear understanding of different building types and how they influence the way our city looks.

Inspiration is a key to the generation of exciting architectural ideas. It is with this in mind that we hope that this tour will also serve as a source of ideas to inspire your creativity.

Join us! Contact Silvi for more information at Ideas Turisticas