Fourteen German cities where a theatre or opera house and a casino are only a few minutes apart on foot. Both sides get the same space here: tickets, entry, cloakroom and dress – at the theatre and at the casino. You decide where to walk tonight.
No booking, no ads, no ratings. Always check times and prices on the official website.
Theatre, opera, KurtheaterCasino: tables and slots
Two halves of one evening
How a theatre night and a casino night work
Eight things per side worth knowing in advance. Rules vary from house to house – the places A–Z say what applies where.
Theatre round the corner
State theatres, opera houses and spa-town Kurtheater: from large ensemble houses to guest-performance stages.
Tickets
Online or at the box office. In many houses the evening box office opens one hour before the start (e.g. Wiesbaden, Mainz, Baden-Baden).
Start
Evenings usually 7:30 pm, often earlier on Sundays (5 or 6 pm). Always check the programme.
Cloakroom
Coats, umbrellas and large bags often stay outside. In Mainz the cloakroom is free; in Wiesbaden it is included in the ticket.
Running late?
Latecomers are often seated only at the interval (as in Wiesbaden, Mainz and the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden).
Dress
None of the venues we checked sets a dress code. Premieres and opera tend to be a little dressier – not a rule.
Surtitles
Many operas have German surtitles, some also English ones (e.g. selected productions in Wiesbaden). Check per performance.
Children
Age guidance is given per show. Wiesbaden: no children under 4 (except children’s shows); Festspielhaus Baden-Baden: from age 6.
Season
The season starts in late summer (Wiesbaden 22 Aug, Baden-Baden 25 Sept 2026). Some houses pause in summer – in 2026 the box offices in Hanover and Kiel were closed until 10 Aug.
Illustrative photo · Stalls at Teatro Petruzzelli, Bari (Italy) · Photo: Paolo Chiabrando / UnsplashIllustrative photo · Cloakroom with numbered tags, London · Photo: Rich Smith / Unsplash
Casino round the corner
State-licensed casinos: classic table games and slot machines, often in separate halls.
ID
Original passport or ID card. A driving licence only in some houses (Bavaria: EU licence yes; Berlin, Hamburg: no).
Age
18+, 21+ in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Lower Saxony. In Bavaria 18–20-year-olds may enter only with a companion aged 21+, without playing.
OASIS
At the door you are checked against the nationwide block list. A self-exclusion lasts at least three months, usually one year.
Entry
Free in Bavaria. Elsewhere mostly free up to about €5 – it varies by house, please check the website.
Dress
Smart casual is usually enough. Some houses require a jacket at the tables (e.g. Baden-Baden, Bad Kissingen), some rent one out.
Two halls
Classic games with croupiers (roulette, blackjack, poker) and slot machines – often with a separate entrance and looser rules.
Hours
Usually from afternoon until late at night, tables often opening later than slots. Bavarian casinos close on quiet public holidays.
Budget
Decide beforehand how much money and time the evening may cost – and stick to it.
Illustrative photo · Chips on green felt · Photo: Leo_Visions / UnsplashIllustrative photo · Roulette layout · Photo: Brice Cooper / Unsplash
Theatre & casino · alphabetical
Places from A to Z
Every card has two halves built the same way: theatre on the left, casino on the right (stacked on a phone). In between, the walk – always approximate (≈), plus the straight-line distance.
B
Baden-Baden
21+Baden-Württemberg · Spa town · theatre and Kurhaus
Theatre
Theater Baden-Baden
What
Municipal theatre of 1860–62 modelled on the Paris Opéra, mainly drama. The Festspielhaus (opera, guest productions) is ≈ 12 min from the Kurhaus.
Address
Goetheplatz 1, 76530 Baden-Baden
Rules
No dress code stated. Age advice per show (e.g. “Mutter Courage” 14+).
Hours
Weekdays usually 7:30 pm, Sundays 5 pm. Box office 1 h before – check on the website
Entry
Prices: check on the website. Ticket office: Kurhaus-Kolonnaden 23.
Closer: the Staatsschauspiel (Theaterstraße 2) is ≈ 7 min from the casino; its foyer is partly under renovation until ≈ autumn 2027, performances continue.
D
Duisburg
18+North Rhine-Westphalia · City · Opernplatz
Theatre
Theater Duisburg
Theater Duisburg on Opernplatz · Photo: Ari Shojaei / Unsplash
What
Home of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein and the Duisburg Philharmonic, 1911–12 by Martin Dülfer, ≈ 1,100 seats.
Address
Opernplatz / Neckarstraße 1, 47051 Duisburg
Rules
“There is no dress code.” Cloakroom mandatory, included in the price. Surtitles German only.
Hours
Box office and house open 1 h before, auditorium at least 10 min before. Late: monitor, seated at the interval.
Opera and ballet, auditorium of 1955 with 1,690 seats. Season premiere “Macbeth” on 2 Oct 2026. A new house in HafenCity is planned (2034 at the earliest).
Address
Große Theaterstraße 25, 20354 Hamburg
Rules
No dress code. Coats, umbrellas, large bags not in the auditorium – cloakroom free. Surtitles German and English.
Until early January 2027 the theatre plays in a tent by the Küchengarten (Schlossgartenallee 2c) – ≈ 10–15 min from the main house, so the walk to the casino gets longer. The main house reopens in March 2027.
S
Stuttgart
21+Baden-Württemberg · City · musicals at SI-Centrum
Theatre
Stage Palladium & Apollo Theater
What
Two musical theatres at SI-Centrum in Möhringen. Apollo: “Frozen” until 31 Jan 2027; Palladium: “& Juliet” from October 2026.
Address
Plieninger Straße 102/109, 70567 Stuttgart
Rules
Doors 60 min before, with bag check. “& Juliet” 8+.
Bowling Green in front of the Kurhaus with the casino, looking towards Wilhelmstraße, colonnade on the right, Wiesbaden · Photo: Ahmed Slimene / Unsplash
What
Casino in the north wing of the Kurhaus (1905–07) – Dostoevsky gambled in Wiesbaden in 1865.
Address
Kurhausplatz 1, 65189 Wiesbaden
Rules
18+. Smart clothing, jacket not required.
Hours
Table games Sun–Thu from 2:45 pm to 3 am – check on the website
Three equal segments: theatre, both, casino. Pick a city and your evening – the stage turns the fitting segment to the front. You can also tap any segment yourself.
The default is a neutral example evening (both, 21+, shirt, no curfew). The stage does not know tonight’s programme – always check times on the venue’s website.
With JavaScript the stage shows an evening plan here. Without it: see the places A–Z above.
Glossary
Theatre ABC and casino ABC
Twelve words per side you will hear at the box office, the cloakroom or the table. German terms, briefly explained.
Theatre ABC
Abendkasse (evening box office)
Box office at the venue, usually open one hour before the start. Remaining tickets, reserved tickets to collect.
Abo (subscription)
Subscription: fixed seats for several performances in the season.
Einlass (doors)
When you may enter the auditorium. The foyer often opens earlier – at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden 90 minutes before.
Garderobe (cloakroom)
Where you hand in coat and umbrella for a token. Sometimes free, sometimes included in the ticket.
Gastspiel (guest performance)
A show by a visiting company. Kurtheater such as Bad Kissingen have no ensemble of their own and host guest shows.
Kurtheater (spa theatre)
A theatre in a spa town, built for spa guests – often in or by the Kurhaus, steps from the casino.
Matinee
A morning or early-afternoon performance, often on Sundays.
Parkett & Rang (stalls & circle)
Parkett is the stalls in front of the stage, Ränge are the balconies above. Price bands usually follow the view.
Pause (interval)
Usually 20–30 minutes, with drinks in the foyer. Latecomers are often admitted only now.
Premiere (opening night)
First night of a new production – usually the dressiest audience of the season.
Spielplan (programme)
Calendar of all performances. The only reliable source for start time and length.
Übertitel (surtitles)
Text above the stage, usually German, sometimes English. From the back of the stalls it can be hard to see.
Casino ABC
Automatenspiel (slots)
Slot machines and electronic roulette. Often a separate hall with a looser dress code.
Croupier
Runs the game at the table, takes bets and pays out.
Einlasskontrolle (entry check)
ID, age and OASIS check at reception – on every visit.
Jeton (chip)
Chip for the tables. Bought at the cash desk and changed back there at the end.
Klassisches Spiel (table games)
Roulette, blackjack and poker with a croupier – the hall with the stricter dress rules.
Leihsakko (loan jacket)
A jacket to borrow at reception where jackets are required – about €10 in Baden-Baden. Check first.
Limit (table limit)
Minimum and maximum bet at a table; posted at the table.
OASIS
Nationwide gambling block list since 2021. Blocked persons cannot enter any casino.
Rien ne va plus
“No more bets”: from now on the croupier accepts no further roulette bets.
Sakkopflicht (jacket rule)
Jacket required at the tables, e.g. in Baden-Baden and Bad Kissingen. Usually not in the slot hall.
Selbstsperre (self-exclusion)
You block yourself in OASIS – at least three months, usually one year; lifted only in writing.
Tronc
Box for tips to the croupiers, shared among the staff.
To be honest
Closed, moved, under renovation
Theatres and casinos you may still find in older guidebooks – or that work differently right now. Both sides with the same honesty.
Swipe the table sideways →
Place
What happened
Now
Casino Norderney
Merkur confirmed the casino in the Conversationshaus will close after the 2026 season and move to Stuhr near Bremen. No last day announced.
On 25 Sept 2026 the website still shows it open (21+, €5). The Kurtheater (1893, ≈ 3 min) keeps playing.
Theatre Bad Pyrmont
Concert hall at the casino’s address closed since 27 Mar 2022 (fire safety). The Kurtheater (≈ 3 min) has been shut since about 2017/18.
The state is renovating the Kurtheater’s shell until ≈ autumn 2026, then the town takes over. The casino (Merkur, 21+) is open.
Theatre Kassel
The Staatstheater’s opera house is closed for renovation for at least five years.
Opera has played at the temporary venue INTERIM since 31 Oct 2025. Spielbank Kassel (Kurfürsten Galerie) is open.
Theatre Schwerin
The Staatstheater’s main house has been under works since May 2025 (fire safety, lighting, orchestra pit).
Performances in a tent by the Küchengarten until early January 2027; reopening March 2027.
Casino Bad Neuenahr
After the 2021 flood the casino left the Kurhaus; whether the Kurhaus theatre plays again is unclear.
Casino in the old station building since 28 Jun 2023 (18+).
Casino Aachen
The casino left the Neues Kurhaus for the Tivoli area on 11 Jun 2015.
No longer walkable from Theater Aachen – so not in this guide.
Casino Westerland (Sylt)
Last gaming night on 31 Oct 2021.
There is no casino on the island any more.
Casino Bremen
Casino on the Schlachte closed for refurbishment since 7 Aug 2026.
Reopening expected in October 2026 – please check.
Responsibility
Play responsibly
Gambling is entertainment that costs money, not a way to earn it. Casinos in Germany admit adults only: 18+, and 21+ in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Lower Saxony. Every casino checks visitors against the nationwide OASIS block list at the door.
Set a fixed budget and a time to leave before you go in.
Never try to win back losses.
Do not play with borrowed money.
Take breaks – the walk back to the theatre foyer is one.
Self-exclusion via OASIS is possible at any casino.
BIÖG · gambling helpline
0800 1 37 27 00
Free of charge. Monday to Thursday 10 am–10 pm, Friday to Sunday 10 am–6 pm. Federal Institute for Public Health (formerly BZgA). In German.
Number and hours checked on bioeg.de on 25 Sept 2026. More help: check-dein-spiel.de
