Opera and the Liceu
Barcelona's opera house sits mid-Rambla, has been rebuilt twice in its history, most recently after the 1994 fire, and mounts a season among the most serious in southern Europe.
The house
A red-and-gold horseshoe auditorium rebuilt to its nineteenth-century plan after the fire, seating over two thousand. Guided tours run most days and are worth the hour.
The season
Opera and ballet from September into July, with visiting companies and a chorus of its own. Tickets run from full-price stalls to cheap upper circle with the sound but not the view.
Cheap seats
The Liceu releases reduced-price tickets for under-35s and students, and rehearsal tickets occasionally go on sale. Check the box office rather than the aggregators.