Spanish Riding School

Access the Spanish Riding School’s Morning Exercise and watch Lipizzaners train in the baroque Winter Riding School, set to classical Viennese music.

See young dark stallions in early training and fully trained white Lipizzaners refining their movements during a real working session.

Entry to the Upper Belvedere Palace, home to Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss and a landmark of Baroque architecture in Vienna.

Explore the permanent collection at Upper Belvedere Palace featuring works by Monet, Rodin, Van Gogh, and key artists of Central Europe’s interwar period.

Watch the Lipizzaners at work during their daily morning exercise inside the Baroque Winter Riding School, accompanied by classical Viennese music for an authentic, unfiltered experience.

See real training as riders focus on loosening, gymnastic work, suppleness, and muscle development tailored to each horse’s age and training level.

Observe different phases of a Lipizzaner’s journey, from young, still-dark stallions learning the basics to fully trained white stars refining precision and balance.

Choose how you watch, with reserved seating or standing areas offering different perspectives on the arena and the quiet rhythm of classical horsemanship.

Fun fact: The famous jumps like levade, courbette, and capriole are rarely practiced during the morning exercise. The focus is on long-term health, balance, and muscle conditioning that allows the horses to perform safely for decades.

Join a 55–60 minute guided tour of the Spanish Riding School, led by experts who unpack its history, architecture, and equestrian traditions.

Step inside the Winter Riding School, a Baroque riding hall built to exact proportions for classical dressage.

Visit the Summer Riding School, home to one of the world’s largest oval horse walkers, offering a rare look at modern training within a historic setting.

Explore the Stallburg, Vienna’s most significant Renaissance building, where Lipizzaner stallions have been stabled for centuries.

Fun fact: Founded in 1572, the Spanish Riding School is the only institution in the world where Renaissance-era classical horsemanship is still practiced exactly as it was over 460 years ago.

Explore the Spanish Riding School on a 80-minute guided tour in English or German, led by an expert who decodes the building beyond its performances.

Step inside the Winter Riding School to study its Late Baroque proportions, designed to accommodate both riders and the precise movements of Lipizzaner stallions.

Climb into the 250-year-old roof structure and see how original wooden trusses still support the vast hall without any modern reinforcements.

Access areas most people never see, including the attic levels and hidden viewpoints, offering a new perspective on Vienna’s historic inner district.

Fun fact: The Spanish Riding School has operated continuously since 1572, making it the oldest riding school in the world still practicing classical horsemanship.

Explore the Spanish Riding School on a guided tour, with exclusive access to its historic halls and imperial stables.

Walk through the school’s historic halls, learning how emperors, riders, and Lipizzaner stallions shaped classical equitation across five centuries.

Visit the Stallburg Imperial Stables to see the world-famous white horses up close and understand their daily life beyond the performances.

Marvel at original artifacts and elegant architecture as you walk in the hoofprints of equestrian legends.

Watch the world-famous Lipizzaner stallions perform to classical music inside the Baroque Winter Riding School at Hofburg Palace.

See riders and Lipizzaner stallions perform choreographed group routines and advanced solo movements like levades and caprioles.

Experience the performance in a setting designed for spectacle with classical Viennese music and a lighting concept created by artist André Heller.Choose between reserved seating or a standing viewing area to suit how you’d like to experience the performance.

Fun fact: The Spanish Riding School is the only place in the world where Renaissance-era classical equitation has been practiced continuously for over 460 years and is now recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Attend a short 45-minute ticketed performance inside the Baroque Winter Riding School. It's ideal if you want the essence of classical horsemanship without committing to a full gala.

See riders and Lipizzaner stallions perform highlight movements of the Haute École, set to classical Viennese music and explained through live commentary.

Perfect for short stays or tight itineraries, this performance distills 460 years of tradition into a focused, first-timer-friendly experience.

Watch the Lipizzaners demonstrate precision, balance, and strength in exercises developed over centuries.

Fun fact: Lipizzaner stallions are born dark, usually brown or black and slowly turn white as they mature. This transformation can sometimes take up to 10 years.