Getting there and what to expect
Mozart dinner concert: before you go
Where the Mozart dinner concert is held in Prague, how to get there on time, what to wear, how seating works and what a first-time visitor should know.
Reserve your Mozart evening ↗Quick answer
The concert is held in the Boccaccio ballroom of the Grand Hotel Bohemia at Králodvorská 652/4, in the Old Town beside the Municipal House. Arrive when the doors open, wear smart casual clothes and expect an event manager to allocate seats on the night. You will find the start time on the booking page and again in your confirmation. Children from six are welcome, the entrance is wheelchair accessible and smoking is allowed only in the hallway.
The address
The meeting point is the Grand Hotel Bohemia, Králodvorská 652/4, Prague 1. The hotel opened in 1927 as the Grand Hôtel Steiner, and its Boccaccio ballroom is in the basement. The concert is not at the Estates Theatre and not in a concert hall: it is in the hotel's historic dance hall, which keeps its own character apart from the rooms above. Use the hotel address in your maps app, and keep the confirmation email open on your phone, because it carries the details for your own booking. The hotel's own site describes the building as standing in the Old Town, a few steps from the Old Town Square and the Powder Tower, which makes it easy to combine with an afternoon of sightseeing nearby.
Finding it in the Old Town
The hotel stands next to the Municipal House, the Art Nouveau civic building on Náměstí Republiky, and close to the Powder Tower, one of the old city gates, set between the Old Town and the New Town. Both are easy landmarks for orientation, and both are lit in the evening. The hotel's own site gives the Old Town Square as a short walk away. If you arrive by taxi, ask for the Grand Hotel Bohemia by name. If you arrive on foot, walk toward the Municipal House and the Powder Tower and look for the hotel on Králodvorská, the street named in the address. The hotel is a six-storey building with a green roof, and its name is displayed above the ground-floor arches.
Arriving on time
Doors open before the concert begins, and the organiser asks guests to be on time. Start times are set per date in the calendar and repeated in your confirmation, so there is no single clock time to memorise and none is quoted here. Plan to reach the hotel when the doors open instead of at the start time, so that you have a few minutes to find your table, receive the welcome drink and settle in before the first segment of music begins. Allow a margin for the walk from your accommodation, because a late arrival means missing music you have paid for, and the segments are timed around the courses.
What to wear
Smart casual is the stated dress code. The room is a gilded ballroom with marble, stucco and crystal, so a shirt and jacket or a dress feels in keeping with the setting, but a tie or evening wear is not asked for. Choose shoes you can walk in on Prague's cobbles, because the walk to and from the hotel is part of the evening, and the surfaces in the Old Town are uneven. A wrap or a light jacket is also useful for the walk home after dinner.
What the room looks like
The hotel describes the Boccaccio as a work of art made of artificial marble, gold and crystal glass, decorated with stucco, gilt elements and traditional Czech crystal. Its parquet floor is made of wooden panels, each composed of nine kinds of Oriental wood, and a large central chandelier hangs above it. Guests also mention a balcony level and tables for two. When it was built it was deliberately separated from the main hotel building, with a staircase and an entrance hall of its own. The room is used for private parties and receptions at other times, so on the evening of the concert it is laid out as a dinner room, with the floor arranged according to the bookings.
Seats and the layout of the room
Seats are not numbered when you book. An event manager allocates them on the night, depending on how full the room is and on your seat category. Reviews describe balcony seats and tables for two among the higher categories, with one guest reporting a private balcony, and mention that the floor is arranged differently from night to night, with large tables for groups on busy dates. If you are travelling as a party, book together on one reservation. If you want a particular kind of seat, choose the category rather than relying on arrival order.
What you will hear and in which language
The pieces are sung in the language of each opera. Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro have Italian libretti by Lorenzo Da Ponte, and The Magic Flute is a German-language Singspiel with a libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, so the aria titles on the programme are in Italian and German. You need neither language, since the music tells the story, but skimming each plot beforehand helps. The Magic Flute was first performed in Vienna on 30 September 1791, so it is a late work, while Don Giovanni and Figaro belong to the Prague years. The programme can change, so treat any list as a guide, and read the programme guide on this site for the pieces the segments are built on.
Children, accessibility and smoking
The evening is suited to children aged six and over, and a children's menu is available. The hall has a wheelchair-accessible entrance, and the booking page marks the evening as wheelchair accessible. If you need step-by-step access details, contact the organiser through your booking before the date. Smoking is not allowed inside the hall; it is permitted in the hallway. Because the ballroom is in the basement of a hotel, allow a little extra time if anyone in your party walks slowly, and tell the organiser beforehand if you need help with access. The booking page and your confirmation give the contact route for your date.
Before and after the concert
The streets around the hotel are among the most walked in Prague. The Municipal House beside it was built in the early twentieth century and opened in 1912, and its exterior is worth a look in the evening light. The Powder Tower, completed in 1475, is the starting point of the old coronation route of the Bohemian kings. The concert includes a three-course dinner, so plan only a short stroll before or after it, and allow time to get back to your hotel. The ballroom evening runs through dinner, so you will not need to book a separate table for the meal beforehand.
Tickets, cancellation and payment
Until 24 hours before the start, cancelling costs nothing, and seats can be held now with payment later. Look at the language and currency shown on the booking page before paying. The welcome drink is part of the ticket, while other drinks are bought on the night. Keep your confirmation, because it carries your start time and the meeting point for your date, and nothing here replaces the details in it. If your plans change, use the booking page to cancel before the 24-hour limit rather than contacting the hotel, which does not handle the tickets.
Who this isn't for
Guests who need a very short evening, who want a staged opera with sets and a full cast, or who prefer to choose a numbered seat in advance will be better served elsewhere. The evening is also a poor match for children under six, and for anyone who wants a quiet, dinner-free recital. It suits couples, small groups and families who like the idea of a dinner and a concert in one room and who are happy for the seats to be allocated on the night. It also suits visitors who want one evening of classical music and dinner without choosing between a recital hall and a restaurant. Anyone who wants a staged opera with a full cast should look at a theatre's own programme instead.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the ballroom?
Go to the Grand Hotel Bohemia at Králodvorská 652/4. The hotel stands beside the Municipal House, close to the Powder Tower, and the ballroom is in its basement.
What time should I arrive?
Arrive when the doors open, which is before the concert itself. Your confirmation and the calendar give the times that apply to your date.
Is there a dress code?
Smart casual is the stated dress code.
Can I choose my table?
Seats are allocated on the night by an event manager, based on how full the room is and your seat category.
Is smoking allowed?
Not inside the hall. It is permitted in the hallway.
Are drinks included?
A welcome drink is part of the ticket. Every other drink is bought on the night.
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