10 Things to Do in Vienna with Kids

ZOOM Kindermuseum (Children’s Museum) is a hands-on place to take your kids to in Vienna. ZOOM has a changing schedule but will include 4 or 5 different choices, depending on your child’s interest and age. Advance bookings are recommended.

Art classes begin with kids donning appropriately sized coveralls for the painting extravaganza. Professional art teachers encourage the kids to get their hands dirty – from color shading and mixing, to spraying paint onto paper-covered walls. The kids can then take their own masterpieces home.

Schönbrunn Palace offers many different things to do for families, but it’s good that they narrow them down to a special ‘Kinder’ program tailored for kids. Head to the right of the palace’s main entrance, where the little ones can help set up the imperial dining table and dress up in either royal or middle-class outfits.

The kids will be able to learn about what royal dishes were served back in the days, as well as how Habsburg royals lived centuries ago. The palace’s garden labyrinths and playgrounds offer great fun outdoors.

Demel is a famous konditorei (cake shop) that has been making a variety of Viennese cream cakes and strudels since 1888. Just north of the beautiful city square of Michaelerplatz, Demel can be a great excuse whenever you need a break from the walking and can’t get your kids to stop.

Try grabbing a table at the back of the elegantly decorated cake shop, which has seemingly retained much of its fine classical interiors. Through the glass-enclosed kitchen, kids can watch huge rollers press out dough and torte being iced right before their eyes.

Haus des Meeres is where you can take the family to see a huge variety of aquatic animals and reptiles in Vienna. Haus des Meeres has a terrarium housing poisonous snakes, constrictors and crocodiles. There’s also a tropical seawater section where huge fish tanks let you observe sharks, sea turtles, and many different fish swimming about.

You can see tropical birds flying and primates swinging between branches in a tropical enclosure. Kids will mostly love seeing keepers feeding the crocs, sharks, and piranhas at scheduled times throughout the day.

Schmetterling Haus (Butterfly House) is a small conservatory in Vienna that can be a fun and educational spot for families visiting the Austrian capital. You can find the Butterfly House between the Albertina art museum and the Burggarten park in Vienna’s Josefsplatz square.

Inside, the collection of chrysalises and colorful fluttering wings of mature butterflies can inspire even the littlest nature lovers. Butterflies of all colors may land on you and come along for a ride. You can even see them hatching out of their cocoons.

Consider your family trip to Vienna a little incomplete without experiencing a fiaker (traditional Viennese horse-drawn carriage) ride together through the city. Grown-ups can see grand Viennese landmarks from a different angle, while the kids will simply love such a thrilling journey.

These elegant carriages are beautifully designed and are just as much a part of the Vienna as the city’s magnificent landmarks. They’re fitted with plush seats, and the coachmen are clad in period costumes, adding to the authenticity. Fiaker rides mostly start at either Stephansdom or Michaelerplatz, with short and longer route options available.

Whenever you need a sweet break in between your fun exploration of the city, make a stop at Zanoni & Zanoni. You can find this ice cream and cake shop in 2 locations in Vienna’s first district, with the main one just a short walk from the Johannes Gutenberg Monument in Lugeck.

They have a large selection of gelato in amazing flavors, which you’ll usually have a hard time choosing from (and how many scoops to order). Among the most popular are the vanilla, hazelnut, and cherry Coppa Amarena, and the tutti-frutti Coppa Della Casa.

The Prater in Vienna is one of the most amazing and oldest amusement parks in Europe. It’s home to ReisenRad, also known as the Giant Ferris Wheel of Vienna, which dates back to 1897 but has been restored and upgraded through the many years.

You can take the entire family up on the wheel for panoramic views of Vienna from 65 meters high. Perfect for the entire family, rides at Prater range from the frightening Boomerang rollercoaster to slow and easy bumper cars of yesteryear.

Marionettentheater Schloss Schönbrunn (Schönbrunn Palace Marionette Theater) is where you can watch a variety of popular fairy tales and Viennese folk stories, retold through highly detailed and lifelike puppets. Skilled puppeteers breathe life into the intricately carved wood puppets with movements and gestures.

Shows range from Aladdin, Hansel and Gretel, to the theatre’s own productions that tell the tales of royals. One is Sisi’s Secret, a marionette musical about the beloved Empress Elisabeth of Austria. Most plays are available in a variety of languages. Regardless, the music and stage performance are mesmerizing.

The Spanische Hofreitschule (Spanish Riding School) in Vienna is a one-of-a-kind traditional equestrian school that performs amazing horse ballets. The stars of the show are Lippizaner stallions, which are famous for their classical dressage and stylised jumps. Dancing horses will amaze kids of all ages.

A good deal for families is to buy tickets to view the morning exercises and take a guided tour of the barns. It’s a theatre experience like no other in the world – the interiors are magnificently decorated with chandeliers and large drapes, just like an opera house.