Salzburg Marionette Theater: UNESCO-Listed Puppet Show Experience
4.7
15 Ratings
Salzburg
Experience the UNESCO-listed Salzburg Marionette Theater, a century-old puppet show that has charmed audiences worldwide. Choose from a variety of performances, including Mozart's Magic Flute and The Sound of Music.
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Salzburg Marionette Theater - In this unique baroque audience hall with 350 seats there have been operas, musicals, plays and fairytales that have occurred here such as:

The Magic Flute - Probably Mozart’s best known opera, staged here for young and old. In German, subtitled in various languages. Duration: 2 hours 10 minutes, also 1-hour version in afternoons.

The Salzburg Marionette Theatre employs 12 puppeteers, trained in a wide variety of trades and professions. Qualities common to all of them are musicality, manual skill, and the ability to emphathise with the various characters in order to bring alive the marionettes on the stage. The Salzburg Marionette Theatre has evolved its own technique, which is used as a model by many marionette theatres worldwide. The puppeteers’ training, which takes place exclusively in the theatre itself, demands just as much time and perseverance as learning to play a musical instrument.

Shows are subject to seasonality and won’t all be available at one time. Be sure to check back to see what new shows will be playing next.

What's Included
  • Entrance
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

The Salzburg Marionette Theater, renowned globally, has been captivating both kids and adults for a hundred years. It gained recognition as part of the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016. The puppeteering method used by the theatre has been touted as a cultural treasure worth conserving, described as the ‘prime example of puppet and figure theatre.’ In its distinctive baroque style auditorium, it stages operas, including Mozart’s Magic Flute and the local favorite, The Sound of Music, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet and interpretations of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince. Child-friendly shows such as Peter and the Wolf or Rumpelstiltskin are also offered.

The purchase covers a single entry ticket to any available show. The cost of travel and other arrangements are not covered.

  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Infant seats are available on request
  • Dress code is smart casual
  • No short trousers in the evening
Location
Salzburg Marionette Theater
Schwarzstrasse 24, Mozarteum Complex
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(15 Ratings)
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Reisebloggerin
Mar 20, 2024
For lovers of music and art - Wonderful performance in the Salzburg Marionette Theater, which is not just suitable for children. On the contrary, adults also have a lot of fun watching the performances
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ctomasi3
Jun 25, 2023
Loved this! - Brilliant presentation of the Magic Flute. Costume and set are creative. It’s a perfect cultural experience for an evening. It’s the full opera so younger children unaccustomed to sitting still 2+hrs or unable to follow in German or read translated explanations may struggle. Eat beforehand - not many restaurant kitchens are open after 9, even on Saturday nights or despite google hours listed. We really enjoyed the theater itself and the performance!
Review provided by Viator
Marlarkey99
Aug 16, 2022
Excellent... a must-see - Excellent... highly recommended. This was a production of Magic Flute like you've never seen before. Performed with marionettes. This is must-see... its excellent.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robertderald_m
Jun 25, 2022
Quality of puppets and... - Quality of puppets and puppeteers. Magical and almost lifelike. Loved the music and that it was as Mozart play.
Review provided by Viator
Grover
Jan 20, 2020
Theatrical performance you can not get other places - One of the tour books we had talked about both the performance and the theater as can't miss sights. We left Munich in the afternoon just to make it to Salzburg for this performance. Both the performance and theater were great and truly things you could only do in Salzburg. Marionette show and designed theaters are something of a lost art. While all I could think about was "...How many times do I have to tell you, Spinal Tap on top and puppet show on bottom.", it was impressive to see the performance and the setting. The stage is so small but it is able to convey a large performance. The subtitles were a little hard as they appeared on the side wall but they allowed everyone in 6+ languages to enjoy. Overall a great experience in Salzburg that I highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robert
May 24, 2019
UNESCO performance - We saw the Magic Flute marionette performance. Just timeless. The lobby is worth browsing too. Just fabulous and well done. Hats off. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chuck
Mar 21, 2019
Amazing Performance! - We attended the Marionette theater as part of our obsession with Sound of Music. The detail of the Marionettes and skill of the performers was amazing. There were several from the US that were distressed that the performance was in German, but there is a projection next to the stage in English that evidently they missed.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bash4ever
Jun 11, 2019
Great introduction to opera - We booked "The Magic Flute" because it was the only show we could easily work into our schedule during our few days in Salzburg. The skill of the puppeteers was truly impressive and I was surprised at how well my 8 and 11 year old followed what was going on by reading the brief scene summaries projected on the walls. There were some scenes that were enchanting for children (such as the one where Tamino tames the animals with the music of the flute), and some scenes that were too long to hold their interest. Overall though, I was please with the fairly accessible and memorable introduction to opera the show offered. One note: if you have back packs you will be required to leave them at coat check--and then be charged a few euros to do so. The front of house staff definitely was more than a bit dour (read: borderline rude) when conveying this information. On the upside for staff, a very nice usher offered my younger child a booster cushion so he could see better--and actually smiled while doing so. In sum, if you are interested in the arts and/or exposing your children to opera I would definitely recommend "The Magic Flute." And judging from this show, the professional puppeteering should be pretty amazing no matter what performance you see.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Effy_f
Jan 2, 2020
No Go for young child - Why they sell tickets for young children if they are not welcomed?! Super Child unfriendly. We had to escape away after midfield as the German speaking audience were shushing to any noise made by kids. Wasted money!
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
May 2024
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