← The Grand Show at a Berlin revue palace guide

The tickets

Which Grand Show seats to book

Seat categories for the Grand Show compared: classic, Premium, Premium+ and VIP, what the venue says each gives and how to choose between them.

By Berlin Grand Revue Guide · facts last checked

Book the Grand Show ↗

Quick answer

Choose by distance and legroom. You pick a seating category when you book, not a seat, and the seat number follows the day before. The venue describes classic categories in the stalls and high stalls, a Premium category in the midst of things, Premium+ closer to the stage, and VIP rows with extra legroom and a separate entrance. Prices follow demand, so the choice screen for your date is the final word.

The short answer

A broad foyer with tall columns, a staircase and a chandelier in a Berlin revue theatre
The foyer of the Palast · Photo: FriedrichstadtPalast, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pick the least expensive category that matches how close you want to be. The venue says its classic categories in the stalls and high stalls all give a good view of the stage, because the hall is built in an atrium style. Pay more if you want to sit nearer the action, or want extra legroom and a separate entrance. The choice screen on the booking page shows which categories are on sale for your date, and that list is the one that counts, because the venue says the available categories depend on demand. In short: classic for most visitors, Premium+ for detail, VIP for legroom, and the high stalls for an overview of the whole stage.

What you choose, and what you do not

The booking page lets you select a seating category, but not a specific seat. The day before the show you receive the final ticket with your seat number from the activity provider, and the booking page asks you to check your spam folder as well. That is the order of events for every category: you choose when you pay, and the specific seat appears on the final ticket. If where you sit relative to your companions matters, ask the venue's ticket hotline before you book. The venue lists the hotline on its visit page, and its box office, to the right of the main entrance, opens an hour before the performance for ticket collection.

The hall in brief

A round theatre hall with tiered seating, plaster forms hanging from a domed ceiling and slender columns, photographed in black and white
The hall of the earlier building, around 1919: not today's hall · Photo: Hans Poelzig, Architekturmuseum der TU Berlin, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

The venue's seating page says a total of 1,899 seats are available in the theatre hall, and Wikipedia gives a capacity of 1,895, so the hall holds close to 1,900. The venue describes an atrium seating style, with the classic categories in the stalls and the high stalls. It also has a virtual tour on its backstage page, which lets you look around the hall and the foyer before you choose. It is a very large room, and distance from the stage is the main thing that separates one category from another. The scale is part of the appeal: Wikipedia gives the stage floor as 2,854 square metres and calls it the largest in the world.

The classic categories

The venue calls the stalls and the high stalls its classic price categories, and says that thanks to the atrium style they all offer great views of the stage. It recommends the high stalls for guests who like to keep sight of the goings-on from above. As in any large hall, height gives you the pattern of a big ensemble number and a nearer seat gives you detail, so the classic categories suit anyone who is happy to watch the whole stage rather than faces. They are the usual starting point on a budget, and the venue's seating page shows the hall plan, so you can compare the blocks before you choose.

Premium and Premium+

The venue positions Premium for guests who would like to experience the Grand Show from the very midst of things. Premium+ is for those who want to be a little closer to the action on stage, and the venue places it in rows 4 to 9. The step up buys proximity: you see dancers, costumes and acrobats in more detail. The production, the orchestra and the running time are the same for everyone in the hall, so the upgrade changes how near you sit, not what you watch. The venue's seating page gives a row range for Premium+ and not for Premium, so use its hall plan to place Premium for yourself. The venue's seating page shows the plan with the rows marked, which makes the difference easy to see.

VIP seats

The venue puts its VIP seats in rows 3 and 10 and says they offer the best views of the stage plus extra legroom. VIP guests have their own access at Cloakroom 1 and at the Berlin Bar in the stalls, and a separate VIP entrance around the corner from the main entrance. The venue presents that entrance as a practical way to avoid the queue. Tall guests may value the legroom most. The venue lists VIP above Premium+ in price, and this guide quotes no figures because prices follow demand. See on the choice screen whether VIP is offered for your date, because availability changes.

The Wall Sky Lounge

The venue also sells the Wall Sky Lounge, a separate lounge for up to six guests with private bar service and bird's-eye views of the hall and stage. It has its own entrance with a lift and toilets close by. This is a different kind of ticket from the seating categories, and it is sold by the venue. The booking page for the Grand Show shows the categories it sells for each date, so look at the choice screen to see whether the lounge appears, and call the venue's ticket hotline if it does not. The lounge is a different product from a standard seat, so it is not a cheaper or simpler route to the same view.

How prices move

The venue says it uses a dynamic pricing system: the ticket price and the available categories depend on demand and supply on the day of the event. It adds that many performances are offered at lower prices than before, but that popular days can cost more at short notice, and it recommends booking as early as possible to secure your favourite seat. The booking page makes a similar point, saying the final price may vary depending on date, participants and availability. No fixed price is quoted in this guide for that reason. The venue's seating page shows the classic categories starting far below the premium ones, so the spread between categories can be wide.

Access and seating

The venue says wheelchair spaces are available in the hall, and that guests who can transfer may choose a seat in row 3 instead. Lifts reach every foyer level and the side entrance on Johannisstraße is step-free, but the hall itself has steps, so mobility inside it is limited. An induction loop helps guests with impaired hearing. The venue advises calling its ticket hotline to discuss the best seating before you book, and it can take bookings for wheelchair spaces directly. It adds that the foyer has a disabled toilet on the ground floor, and that guests who want to bring a support dog should give at least ten working days' notice. The hotline is the quickest route for any seating question.

How to choose, by what you want

Match the category to the one thing you care about most. For the best value on a first visit, take a classic category, which the venue says gives great views. For an overview of the whole stage, the venue recommends the high stalls. For more detail on faces and costumes, the venue places Premium+ in rows 4 to 9. For legroom and a separate entrance, take VIP in rows 3 and 10. For step-free needs, call the venue and ask about row 3 or the wheelchair spaces. If you are unsure, start from the classic categories and move up only for a reason you can name: proximity, legroom or an entrance of your own. Then read the choice screen for your date, because it shows what is on sale.

Who this isn't for

If you simply want to see the show once and are watching your budget, upgrades add comfort and proximity rather than a different show. Premium and VIP are not for anyone choosing on price alone, and they will not change the language, the length or the programme. The venue's warning about loud sound is given for the show as a whole, not for particular seats, so noise-sensitive guests should follow its advice on ear protection whichever category they choose. Anyone who needs to sit beside a companion, or in a particular row, should talk to the venue before booking, because the booking page sells categories and not seats. Families with children under 8 should not book at all, since the booking page says the show is not suitable for them.

Frequently asked questions

How many seating categories are there?

The venue describes classic categories in the stalls and high stalls, Premium, Premium+ and VIP, plus a separate Wall Sky Lounge. The booking page shows the ones on sale for your date.

Are the cheaper seats bad seats?

The venue says the hall's atrium style gives all its classic categories great views of the stage. Distance from the stage is the main difference between categories.

Is VIP worth it?

VIP adds extra legroom in rows 3 and 10 and a separate entrance with its own cloakroom and bar, according to the venue. The show is the same, so pay for it only if those extras matter to you.

Can I pick my exact seat?

No. You choose a category when you book. The final ticket with your seat number arrives from the venue the day before the show.

When should I book?

As early as you can. The venue says prices follow demand and recommends booking early to secure your favourite seat.

Can wheelchair users book?

Yes. The venue has wheelchair spaces in the hall and a step-free foyer entrance. Call its ticket hotline to arrange the seating before you book.

Book the Grand Show ↗

Sources

  1. Venue page: prices and seating
  2. Venue page: guests with disabilities
  3. Venue show page: language, length, costumes
  4. Venue page: backstage and the house
  5. Friedrichstadt-Palast, encyclopedia entry

More things to do nearby

Book the Grand ShowFree cancellation up to a day before