The Coliseum, home to the English National Opera and London's largest theatre space, is working hard to bring in a young audience. Next season, Tarik O'Regan's Heart of Darkness has its world premiere all tickets are £25 or under. You won't find Wagner, Verdi or Puccini, but you will find some of today's brightest opera composers: a regular stream of new work premieres here, while the Opera Shots programme gives opera virgins the chance to sample the genre. The Linbury, ROH's studio theatre, is home to a vibrant contemporary programme.

You might have already failed to get one of next season's hottest tickets, to Wagner's Der Fliegende Hollander, but for £12.50 (£7 students) you can watch a rehearsal. at the management's discretion', although students can sign up to a scheme for £10 standby tickets, of which 9,000 will be available this coming year. The ROH's website is coy about their half-price standbys – offering them 'occasionally. The back row of the amphitheatre and – although these are usually the first to be snapped up by canny opera lovers – standing places in the stalls circle are also under £25. Book as close as you can to the centre, as the seats at the very side give a view of only half the stage.

The lower slips offer the slightly less vertiginous experience. If you don't mind standing or perching, then bench seats or standing places in the lower and upper slips (the sides of the auditorium) can be had for as little as £6.

Matinees are cheaper, likewise 20th-century and contemporary opera. A general rule is the starrier the cast the more expensive the seats. But don't despair: there are plenty of seats for bargain hunters. The Royal Opera House, in London's Covent Garden has a famously complicated pricing system with 13 price bands across five different types of opera.

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