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Vienna and the Spanish Riding School-Lipizzaner

Greetings fellow travelers. Has anyone seen this performance? How difficult is the place to get to from a Vienna city hotel? Do you need a car or is city transportation sufficient? Thank you so much.

Posted by
5362 posts

You can’t even drive in the city center. Everyone here takes public transportation- even the mayor. I haven’t driven a car in 10 years. If your hotel is also in the center, you just walk as Vienna is small. If your hotel is not in the center, you take the subway to Herrengasse.

Posted by
1216 posts

I recently stayed in the Museum Quarter at the K&K Maria Theresia hotel. It was an easy walk to the Lipizzaners. I did not go in to see the horses but did have a coffee in a cafe there.

Posted by
4730 posts

If you are unable to get tickets, look into attending one of the morning practice sessions. Not the same, but possibly a fall back option.

Posted by
3218 posts

Most of the tourist attractions in Vienna are within walking distance of each other. You will probably be staying within walking distance of the Hofburg Palace complex, which includes the Spanish Riding School. We walked everywhere except to the Schonbrunn and The Belvedere. When we visited Vienna in 2015, we used the Vienna Pass to see the Morning Exercises - that was enough for us, mainly because we didn't want to make reservations in advance. You will literally see "exercises" and not a rehearsal. An unexpected highlight of the trip was seeing the stallions in their stalls. The gate to the stable area was open while they were walking the horses back to their stalls. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time to get some photos of the horses looking out of their stalls right at me and a couple of other lucky tourists.

The Vienna Pass includes a Hop on/Hop off bus and we used that to get to the Schonbrunn and Belvedere.

Vienna is one my favorite places - have a great trip!

Posted by
509 posts

Good advice, above. Our two cents based on seeing the show in September 2017: We had advance purchased tix. Actually, it was a voucher that had to be exchanged for tickets at the SRS. This was our first morning in Vienna and we struggled a bit to find the Hofburg and the SRS entrance (that should amuse Forum regulars familiar with Vienna -- it's probably the most conspicuous site after St. Stephens.) We then learned that the voucher/ticket exchange takes place at a different location in the Hofburg, less than 5 minutes away; but there was a crowd ahead of us when we found it. We somehow managed to get to our seats as the show was starting, but it would have been a more relaxing experience if we'd done our homework. If your itinerary allows, consider picking up the tickets well before your show time (or day, if possible) and plotting your route from the hotel. Chances are you'll be able to walk if your hotel is inside, or nearby, the Ring. My wife loved the performance. I'd have been just as happy people-watching in a cafe with coffee and pastry, but it was enjoyable watching her watch the horses. (If you haven't seen the film Miracle of the White Stallions (1964), it's worth viewing in advance; it's the WWII story about the preservation of the horses and General Patton's efforts to prevent their theft by the Russians at the end of the War. Our library had the DVD.)

Posted by
672 posts

Also consider the guided tour of the Spanish Riding School. It affords a nice behind the scenes look at the School and the stallions. If your travels ever take you to Styria, a visit to the Lippizzaner Stud Farm is highly recommended.

Posted by
669 posts

We were lucky this September. Because I was unable to buy tickets via the website, even though tix were available -- there seemed to be a glitch -- we went to the ticket office on performance day before it opened and stood in line. Seemed like we were there no more than 30 minutes ahead and we were second in line. It was a Sunday in mid-September. We were offered tix in the 3rd row but didn't want to pay that much; we were then offered significantly cheaper tickets on the "bench" and what a deal that was! We were elevated over the 4-5 rows in front of us (the main rows are all at the same level), and a woman sitting with us knew many of the riders so we got to see them as they greeted her. We had time after getting our tickets to have breakfast at Demel's before the show. The show was a highlight of our trip (along with the Opera). We took the U-bahn from somewhere out Mariahilferstrasse and had a short walk from where we exited.

Posted by
3985 posts

Do you remember the cost of the tickets on the bench? If you don't mind sharing, that would be helpful to know. Thanks.

Posted by
669 posts

I don't recall price exactly, but seems like it might have been something like 60-70 euro each. Seems like we got 2 seats on the bench for what one seat would have cost in the rows in front (where the sight lines were not as good).