Getting there
Getting there and what to bring
How to reach the Hofburg riding hall on foot, by metro, tram or bus, what to do with your ticket, and what to leave at your hotel before you go.
Reserve a place for the training ↗On foot through the main gate
The riding school's own advice is that the best way to reach it is on foot, through the square at the Hofburg's main gate. The hall lies between that square and Josefsplatz. Allow time at the other end to find the right entrance, because your confirmation states which one to use. The inner city is compact, so many visitors walk from the cathedral area or from the Graben, and a walk of this kind makes a pleasant start to a morning.
By metro
The riding school's page names three metro stations: Stephansplatz, Herrengasse and Karlsplatz. Stephansplatz and Herrengasse are in the old centre. Check a current route planner for the line and the connection, because the numbers and the timetables are the transport operator's to give, not ours. If you are staying outside the Ring, choose the station that your line serves and expect a short walk to the main gate.
By tram or bus
For trams the riding school lists the stops Kärntner Ring Oper and Burgring. For buses it lists Herrengasse, Habsburgergasse and a stop at the main-gate square. As with the metro, the route numbers and times are the operator's to give, so use a route planner on the day. The stop names are the useful part: if a planner offers you one of them, you are within easy walking distance of the entrance. Taxis can set you down near the main gate, though the traffic in the inner city is slow and the last few steps are on foot.
Your ticket and the entrance
Your confirmation tells you where to enter and how to collect your ticket. The riding school's FAQ says tickets bought through outside sellers must be collected at the ticket desk in its visitor centre against the voucher, so bring your voucher and expect a short queue. Plan to arrive early enough to collect the ticket, find the entrance and take a seat without hurrying. The start time is on your confirmation. Because the schedule is the horses' working timetable, rely on that document and not on memory.
Stairs and access
The building is listed, has no lift, and the royal box and the first and second galleries are reached by stairs, according to the riding school. It asks wheelchair users to write to it in advance, because wheelchair places are limited, and says a written confirmation from the school is needed for a binding reservation. That is the school's rule, and it sits on top of whatever the booking page says. If stairs are a problem for anyone in your party, settle this before you book and keep the school's reply with your ticket.
What to leave behind
The riding school says it cannot store coats or luggage, so do not arrive with suitcases. Dogs and other pets are not allowed, and cameras and recording equipment are strictly forbidden, so leave a camera at the hotel and silence your phone. Children aged 3 to 5 enter free on an adult's lap, and children under 3 are not admitted. Bring a layer you can fold if you run cold, and nothing else. The hour is easier without a bag.
Making a morning of it
Josefsplatz and the main-gate square lie either side of the hall, and the Stallburg courtyard with its arcades can be seen from outside the building. A walk around the Hofburg block takes in all of them without a ticket. The cards further down this page offer other Vienna bookings if you want to build a day around the hour, from walking tours of the city's history to the underground. Leave a gap after the training rather than a connection: the hour is slower than it sounds.
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