The Vienna the six main sights don't cover
The Lipizzaners train in the morning for less than they perform in the evening, the Opera can be watched standing up, and Hundertwasser has a whole museum away from the Ring.
- Lipizzaners, morning training
- €18–29, 10:00 or 11:30, selected days
- Opera, standing room
- €13–18
- KunstHausWien
- €16, in Landstraße
The six main sights are what gets seen first; these three are what is left once that is done, and all three exist only because someone knows there is a cheaper or different version of what others pay full price for. The Lipizzaners' morning training costs less than the evening show, standing room at the Opera is the cheapest big thing in town, and KunstHausWien keeps Hundertwasser away from the main museum circuit.
The Lipizzaners' morning training — cheaper than the show
The Spanish Riding School in the Hofburg holds the Lipizzaners' morning training, 10:00 or 11:30, selected days, and the ticket (€18–29) costs less than a seat at the evening performance — the same horses, the same hall, without the choreography. It runs 60 min, and booking ahead is recommended, since slots only come round a few times a week.
The State Opera from standing room
Standing room at the State Opera is €13–18, cheapest on the balcony, dearest in the stalls — less than a ticket to a large museum, for a performance that runs ninety minutes longer than touring either of them. It goes on sale online from 10 a.m. on the day, and July–August (summer break), so the date gets picked from the repertoire.
KunstHausWien — the Hundertwasser museum, off the Ring
A building with no straight line in it, uneven floors and trees growing out of the windows — the architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser built both a museum and a manifesto against the right angle here. It stands in Landstraße, about ten minutes' walk from Wien Mitte or Schwedenplatz, off the main museum circuit around the Ring. Entry €16, none.
An order that makes sense
The Lipizzaners are seen in the morning, before the crowds fill the Hofburg; KunstHausWien sits further east, so it naturally pairs with an afternoon in the Prater on the same day. The Opera is an evening thing on its own, and doesn't combine with anything else that day.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Is the Lipizzaners' morning training the same as the show?
No. Same horses and hall, but without the musical choreography — and it costs less than a ticket to the evening performance.
Where do you buy Opera standing room?
Online, from 10 a.m. on the day of the performance, two tickets per account at most; the rest at the box office 80 minutes before curtain.
Is KunstHausWien close to the centre?
Fairly close — about ten minutes' walk from Wien Mitte or Schwedenplatz, in the Landstraße district, off the main museum circuit around the Ring.
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