Why go
The Spanish Riding School is the oldest institution of its kind in the world and one of Vienna’s most distinctive sights. For more than 450 years it has preserved the classical art of riding, the training of horse and rider in the high school movements once used in battle and in courtly display. Its horses are Lipizzaners, a breed developed by the Habsburgs from Spanish stock, which is where the school gets its name. The stallions are born dark and turn white as they mature.
The setting is as grand as the horses. Performances take place in the Winter Riding School, a Baroque hall inside the Hofburg completed in the 1730s, with white columns, chandeliers and a portrait of Emperor Charles VI, to whom riders salute as they enter.
What to see
There are three ways to visit. A full performance shows the classical programme, from walks and trots to the airs above the ground, where the stallions leap into the air on command, set to Viennese music. Depending on the programme it lasts about 45 or 70 minutes. Morning exercise is a training session of about an hour, quieter and less formal, in which you watch riders work their horses to classical music. The guided tour, in English, takes about an hour and visits the riding hall and the stables in the Stallburg, where you can see the horses at rest. The Lipizzaners are bred at the federal stud at Piber in Styria, and young stallions come to Vienna for years of training before they perform.
Photography is restricted during performances, so check the rules on your ticket. Children enjoy the morning exercise, as they can come and go more freely.
Plan your visit
Performances start from €26, morning exercise from €17 and the guided tour from €24. The cheapest seats have a restricted view, and standing places are available for some sessions. Performances sell out, especially at weekends and in December, so book through the school’s website as soon as the programme is published. Morning exercise is easier to get at short notice.
The school publishes a monthly programme rather than fixed opening hours, and there are breaks when the horses rest or the riders tour abroad. Check the dates for your trip before you plan around a visit. The entrance for performances is on Michaelerplatz, under the dome of the Hofburg, while tours start from the visitor centre.
Allow about an hour and a half, including time to find your seat, as the hall is reached through narrow corridors and stairs. Dress is informal for morning exercise, though many visitors dress smartly for performances.
Nearby
The Sisi Museum and Imperial Apartments and the Imperial Treasury are in the same palace complex, and the State Hall of the Austrian National Library is next door on Josefsplatz. Café Central, one of Vienna’s best-known coffee houses, is three minutes’ walk away on Herrengasse. Michaelerplatz itself has Roman remains in its centre and the Looshaus, an early modernist building, on its western side.