Spanish Riding School in Vienna

Maryann, If you are a horse person, if you know a lead change when you see it, I would say the morning training is worth seeing. If I remember correctly, you need to get in line for tickets the morning of. If you are not a horse person, there's not much of interest. No fancy red coats, no group riding or music that I can recall. I have only been in Vienna twice, many years ago and then again about 20 years ago. I have visited the Schonbrunn and Belvedere palaces, St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Opera, Karl Kirche, and the Votive church. If I were to go back, I would visit the Albertina (art museum) in the Hofburg, and I would do walking tours of the various styles of architecture. It's a music city, of course, so I would try to attend concerts. And I would just hang out. It is a warm, homey, beautiful city. You won't have enough time...so pick what you will really enjoy!

Hi,
We went to a training session in August 2010. I'm not a person involved with horses but nonetheless was really looking forward to the show. After about 15 mins I had had enough and I think we left at the half hour mark. The queue was deceiving, as there is the one to buy the tickets, and along side it, is the queue to get in once you have bought your tickets. The show started promptly on time, which was the same time that we were allowed in. Everyone was rushing to get in, and find somewhere to sit. Lots of people were taking photographs )with flash) regardless of being told it was not allowed, and I found this very distracting. The reason for no photography is because of the horses, but I would wonder if it wasn't more to do with "copyright". IMHO it's not worth it.

I was in the same situation as you. The training show was excellent imo. I did not want to leave. I was mesmerized. Do not miss it! enjoy Vienna and all it historic and musical beauty.

I am a horse person and I really enjoyed watching the training session. You could see them really working the horses and see more behind the scenes action. If you haven't ridden or understand lead changes I could understand leaving after 15 mins. They are just riding in circles with no music. ha I also attended the tour of the barns but I can't remember if this was also included with the training session. I also enjoyed that but I don't think you can even touch a horse.

As was said previouslyVienna is a warm, homey, pleasant city. Very walkable, and beautifulespecially on a sunny day with a warm blue sky! I've been an expat here for only two months, and so far, the things I would recommend are: -Walking around the Innerstadtlots of cobblestone streets, beautiful churches. I would recommend the Peterskirche and the Stephansdom obviously, as well as the Augustinerkirche as it provides an interesting contrast and is easy to duck into. -Eating-I have a special place in my heart for Cafe Hawelka, but the Palmehaus is a bit of a local tradition as well. Cafe Sacher (just across from the Oper) is touristy, but honestly is a really lovely experience as well. -M http://www.palmenhaus.at

Part 2: -Music--The Musikverein is close to the Oper and is a beautiful hall--really neat to see, cheapest tickets between 5-10 euros. The Staatsoper of course is also a wonderful experience, and the Stehplatz deals Rick describes in his Vienna guide are well worth it. If you enjoy opera, I would recommend arriving around 5:00 to get in line for a 7:00 PM performance---you'll wait for about an hr, and will have 45 minutes before the opera begins to grab a bite to eat (I recommend the Wurstel stand just beside the Albertina). If Opera isn't your favorite thing, and you don't mind only being able to see or hear some of it, just show up around 6:30 and ask for the Balkon or Galerie---the Parterre will be miserably crowded by that point. The Theater an der Wien is a beautiful old theater, and does high quality, unique performances---I always really enjoy them, and they are a great choice if you have a passion for Baroque opera, early music in general. Theater an der Wien is located just by the Naschtmarkt and Secession monuments, so a great place to walk regardless. With limited time, other great choices are to take Rick's Ring tour as well as his Innerstadt walking tour to orient yourself, and then wander around the places it looks like you'll enjoy. Gute Reise! :)