Vienna Lipizzaner tickets

What the ticket on this page is

The ticket is admission to the Short Performance, a programme of about 45 minutes in the Baroque Winter Riding School. When you book, you choose between gallery tickets and standing tickets. You hear classical music, with commentary in the short intervals between the riding displays, and you see three of the school's best-known exercises, with the airs above the ground among them. It is an admission ticket only: no tour, no transfer, no meal. The provider is the Spanische Hofreitschule itself, and the ticket includes a 5% discount in the school's souvenir shop.

Short, long or gala performance?

The school sells performances of three lengths: a short one of about 45 minutes, longer programmes of about 70 minutes, and gala performances of about 90 minutes. The longer ones have time for more of the programme. In the full programme Wikipedia describes, the young stallions come first, then the High School movements, the pas de deux, work in hand, a stallion on the long rein and the airs above the ground, ending with the School Quadrille, a formation ride. The short performance is the quickest way to see the highlights. For the longer programmes, look at the school's own site.

Read next: Airs Above the Ground: Levade, Courbette, Capriole

Performance or Morning Exercise?

Morning Exercise is the public part of the horses' and riders' daily training, with classical music. It isn't a fixed programme: the exercises differ each day, depending on the training schedule and how the stallions are that day. The school says the famous school jumps are rarely shown, and you often see younger stallions that are still dark. A performance presents the highlights of the High School of Classical Horsemanship, including the schools above the ground. Choose Morning Exercise to see how the work is built. Choose a performance if the jumps and the finished show are the point. Morning Exercise is not what the ticket on this page covers.

Or a guided tour?

A guided tour skips the show and goes behind the scenes. The standard tour lasts about an hour and runs in English, German and Spanish. It covers the Winter Riding School, the Summer Riding School and the Stallburg stables. Two longer tours are for ages 12 and over: an architectural tour of about 80 minutes up to the attic floors of the Winter Riding School, for people who are fit and steady on their feet, and a history tour called Lipizzaner Legends of about 70 minutes. Tours meet in the foyer of the Visitor Centre, and your guide says where photography is allowed. Choose a tour if the building and the stables interest you more than a show.

Gallery or standing?

Both sit in a historic hall with no lift. The school says the first and second galleries and the royal box are reached by stairs only, so they are not suitable for visitors with limited mobility. Standing means you stay on your feet for the whole programme, so think about that if you're travelling with children or have a long day of sightseeing behind you. On its own site the school sells numbered seat categories as well as standing room. The ticket here offers gallery and standing places only. If a particular seat matters to you, compare the school's calendar first.

Booking here or on the school's site

The two routes end differently at the door. A ticket bought on the school's site is an e-ticket that needs no exchange. A ticket bought through an outside provider such as GetYourGuide is a voucher: you swap it for a ticket at the desk in the Visitor Centre, at Michaelerplatz 1, before you go in, and you can collect it at the earliest one hour before the start. Booking here gives you prices in your own currency, reserve now and pay later, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The school's site adds longer performances, tours and more seat categories, and its own terms apply there.

How far ahead to book

Book as early as you can. The school says early booking gives the widest choice of price categories, and that late bookings often find some categories gone or the date sold out. Visitor numbers are high around public and national holidays, and the hall has a limited number of places. Performances are not on every day, so check the calendar before you fix other plans. If your date shows no availability, try the days either side, or look at Morning Exercise, which has its own dates. With free cancellation up to 24 hours before, booking early costs you little flexibility.

Vienna Pass, combined tickets and children

Three questions come up often. The Vienna Pass: the school says reservations can't be accepted with it and online booking with the pass isn't possible, but a pass holder can collect a Morning Exercise ticket at the Visitor Centre. Combined tickets: the school offers none with other Hofburg sights such as the Sisi Museum or the Imperial Treasury. Children: those under 3 are not admitted to any event. On its own site the school admits ages 3 to 6 free on a lap and ages 6 to 12 at a reduced rate, so check what the booking calendar offers for children before you pay.

A short checklist before you pay

A few checks prevent most problems on the day. Choose your date in the booking calendar, which shows the start time; this guide gives none because times change. Plan to swap your voucher at the Visitor Centre first, then look at your ticket for the entrance it names. Keep your confirmation handy, because it carries the details for your date and the pickup rules. Then check these four points.

• The school has three entrances for performances, and your ticket names yours
• No cloakroom or luggage storage, and strollers can't come into the hall
• The hall is not heated, so bring a coat or jacket in cooler months
• Cameras, video and audio recording are not allowed

Who this isn't for

This ticket isn't for you if you want to film or photograph the horses, because recording of any kind is banned. It isn't for anyone who needs step-free access to the galleries, since there is no lift; wheelchair places are limited, can't be booked online and need written confirmation from the school. It isn't for children under 3, or for anyone hoping for a riding lesson or to pet the horses, which visitors may not touch or feed. If you want the longest programme, a tour of the stables or a specific numbered seat, the school's own site sells those.