The Spanish Riding School

lottiepony

lottiepony

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Apologies as this has probably been asked before but talk to me about visiting the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

Off to Vienna next week for the World Demolition Awards (yes that is an actual thing lol!) and added a few days on our stay to make the most of the trip.

What do you recommend? I will have my husband in tow along with possibly a couple of work colleagues, we'll have Friday & Saturday free plus Sunday morning before flying home, any other good things to do/see?
 
I went a few years ago - pre covid.

The stable tour is great and I enjoyed morning exercise. I have to say I wasn't a fan of some of the movements requested of the horses in the evening performance. Or should I say - the way they were requested. I'm not a member of the PC brigade at all but some of it wasn't pleasant watching IMHO.

Beautiful building and lovely stables, horses are well cared for etc etc and definitely a tick off the bucket list.
 
I went a few years ago - deffo do the behind the scenes tour, I watched the morning exercise and the Performance as well and enjoyed both, apart from the mad woman who jumped up at a certain point during the main performance and used her camera flash which resulted in a mass spook!
 
I went a few years ago as a birthday treat, the evening performance was amazing and when we walked into the hall to take our seats I welled up a little just at the atmosphere and the grandness of it all. Had been a longtime wish to go there and it didn't disappoint.
I would have loved to have done the stable tour.
As a side note - avoid the underground metro station (U Bahn) at Karlsplatz if you can after dark, it's really a bit intimidating.
 
Another vote for the stable tour and morning practice - it's fascinating seeing behind the scenes (particularly how they keep the stallions so white - not a stable stain in sight!!).
 
I went there about 13 years ago and it was wonderful ... the stable tour was the best bit , the stallions so chilled in their pristine stables , fed armfuls of meadow hay , droppings collected every hour , exercised on a huge horsewalker every morning and walked across the road through a glass tunnel to an admiring audience .. and the tack room .. 3 sets of tack for every horse .. including gold saddles and bridles .... !

So fantastic ... and the riding hall was intimate .. you could see everything from everywhere ....

There were horses and carriages all over the city , plus lovely characterful coffee shops and live music venues playing Viennese waltzes ... it was so fab and good for my non horsey husband too
 
We really enjoyed our city break there a few years ago. As well as the obvious above, do visit the Austrian National Library - it’s such a beautiful building
 
Worth paying extra for seats. We were standing and as I'm vertically challenged I struggled to see.

You absolutely must go to the Prater, which is a big fairground! Evening is best.

Not sure if the Christmas market will have started already.
 
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