Amphitheatre at the Royal Opera House

The Amphitheatre is the top level, and the biggest in the building. It's where the cheapest seats are, and the front of it is the best value at the Royal Opera House.

Where we'd put you

The front rows, in the centre. You face the stage and see the whole of it, every pattern the dancers make. Faces are small, but the sound is fine, and for the price it's the seat we'd recommend. Prices vary a lot across the level, so compare a few.

What to know before you book

• It's steep and high. If heights bother you, choose a lower level.
• There are no armrests, and not much space to move.
• There are no opera glasses in the seats. Bring your own, or buy a pair in the Royal Opera House shop and collect them on the day.
• Listening seats up here have little or no view of the stage. Fine for an opera you know well, not for a ballet.

The Slips

The Slips run along the sides at the very top: the Lower Slips are the long ends of the Amphitheatre's front rows, and the Upper Slips sit above them. They're among the cheapest and most side-on seats in the building. You hear an opera perfectly well and can watch the orchestra in the pit, but you see only part of the stage, so they're no place for a ballet. They aren't on sale for every production.

Getting to your seat, drinks and toilets

There are lifts to the Amphitheatre, though it's a steep level once you're in it. The Amphitheatre Bar is on this level, Level 5, with accessible toilets and baby changing behind it, and Bar Cicoria's rooftop terrace is on the same floor, open to everyone.