Two distinct halls in the Laeiszhalle - Grosser and Kleiner - 5 mins walk from Gansemarkt U-bahn station Laeiszhalle Grosser Saal is one of Europe's worst concert halls. It was designed for orchestral works, and delivers good music acoustics throughout. The stage is set very high up, and only the front row of musicians can be seen. For visual shows such as opera or dance, this stage is not suitable. When the conductor or orchestra leader speaks to the audience, this will only be heard if the speaker slowly and clearly projects the voice. The stalls in this 2,000 seat auditorium do not have any emergency exit signs. The side-doors are illuminated during performances by dim flame-coloured lighting. At the rear of the auditorium, the side-doors have level flooring. Towards the front, the side-doors have two or three steps, and one side-door on each side has an irregular skewed slope. You will see concert-goers stumble here. On entering the Laeiszhalle main entrance for the Grosser Saal, your ticket will guide you to the left or right. You will only see the fast and efficient cloakrooms once you go deeper into the building. There are no signs to the men's toilets, which are hidden up dog-leg staircases. There are no pictograms used, just text signs for each facility. This may explain why very few Asian tourists are seen in the audience. The Grosser Saal seats are excellent - wider than usual, comfy and with good legroom. The Laeiszhalle Kleiner Saal was refitted a decade ago, this has excellent acoustics, and comfy seats with good legroom. And emergency exit signs with level flooring. Note that most stalls seats - with a good view - are in the Mitte block. To the left and right are side seats whose view is interrupted by three columns on each side. Each side seat uses a duplicate number. So there are three tickets for Row 12, Seat 1, and these will be labelled Links, Mitte or Rechts. Only the Mitte central block have a good view. Good view from the balcony. Fast and efficient cloakroom. Over 600 seats, but just one handwash basin in the men's toilet.

A beautiful place for smaller concerts. You feel like a king, when you enter this location. The stairs are equipped with red carpet and upstairs you can go to the concert room or you can have something to drink or eat in advance. Interesting that you can order food, drinks and a place to sit during the pause of the concert. If you do that, the ordered items are already on your table if you enter the restaurant. This is much better than standing in a line.