Southbank Centre in London

Royal Festival Hall

2,500 fixed raked; 2,700 with choir

Queen Elizabeth Hall

Over 900

Purcell Room

370

Original RFH capacity

2,901

The Royal Festival Hall's own hire page gives 2,500 fixed raked theatre seats excluding the choir stalls. SeatPlan counts 2,757 seats across the front stalls, rear stalls, side stalls, boxes and balcony, and Wikipedia gives 2,700. The difference is counting convention, not extra space: the hall originally seated 2,901, and its 2005–2007 reworking left 2,788 including the choir.

The Queen Elizabeth Hall is the middle room at over 900 seats, with the Purcell Room's 370 seats the smallest. For comparison, the Royal National Theatre next door seats 2,390, the Savoy Theatre 1,158 and the Adelphi 1,500.

Front stalls

663 seats

Rear stalls

997 seats

Balcony

616 seats

Side boxes

48 green and 72 blue

RFH seat size

44 cm wide, 42 cm deep

QEH seat size

50 cm wide, 39 cm deep

Best views

Centre front stalls, rows H–M

The hall's 2,757 seats are split into 663 front stalls, 997 rear stalls, 133 side stalls, 48 green side boxes, 72 blue side boxes and 616 balcony seats. Most seats have a clear view and a good rake, but the back of the rear stalls and the balcony feel distant from the stage.

Front stalls, centre rows H to M, are the premium seats. The first few rows are often priced like the rear stalls and put you close to the performers, while the sides of the front stalls cost less and still give an unobstructed view. The boxes sit along the sides, so choose the centre stalls for a straight-on view of a wide production.

Royal Festival Hall seats are 44 cm wide and 42 cm deep, with armrests 49 cm apart. Queen Elizabeth Hall seats are 50 cm wide and 39 cm deep, and its rear stalls are steeply raked. The Purcell Room is the smallest room at 370 seats, so even the back row is close to the stage.

• Best overall view: centre front stalls, rows H to M.
• Cheapest way to be close: the first few rows of the front stalls, often priced with the rear stalls.
• Avoid if you want the whole stage in view: the back of the rear stalls and the balcony.
• Wheelchair positions are in the rear and side stalls; the boxes cannot take larger motorised wheelchairs.

Other mainline stations are Waterloo East and Blackfriars on the south side of the Thames and Charing Cross on the north side. The River Bus RB1 runs to London Eye Waterloo Pier every 20 minutes on weekdays and accepts Oyster cards; the Circular Cruise calls at Festival Pier.

By bike, use the racks in Southbank Centre Square off Belvedere Road or the Cycle Hire stands on Concert Hall Approach. By car or taxi, there is a drop-off on the slip road outside Southbank Centre Square; Belvedere Road is closed to westbound traffic, so approach via Chicheley Street and turn east.

The site is inside the ULEZ and Congestion Charge zone. The Congestion Charge runs from 7am to 6pm on weekdays and from noon to 6pm on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays, with no charge between Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

APCOA South Bank is a 500-space multistorey at 51 Cornwall Road, SE1 9PU, open 24 hours. It charges £7 for up to two hours, £11 for four, £16 for eight, £22 for twelve and £26 for 24, with a £7 evening rate; the entrance height limit is 1.71 m.

Blue Badge holders have four free spaces on the Queen Elizabeth Hall slip road, first come first served, with the badge displayed. They can also park free at the National Theatre car park, 330 metres away, and at the Cornwall Road multi-storey on Coin Street, a 5-minute walk from the Royal Festival Hall, where the ticket is validated at the parking office.