Things to Do in Vienna with Kids

No matter your age, a visit to Vienna is not complete without a stop at the Schönbrunn Palace, Austria’s most visited attraction. This former residence of the royal Habsburg family, built in the 18th century, is the site of our Gilded Ambition tour, a room-after-room repast of royal opulence. The grandeur of this enormous residence and its sprawling gardens has plenty of potential to spark the imagination of kids of all ages. (You can also see the Palace on our Vienna in a Day tour.)

On warm weather days, Schönbrunn’s manicured gardens with a huge labyrinth full of climbing poles and water features are a highlight of the Palace. Simple though it looks, the maze, which was laid out in 1790 and reconstructed in 1998, has visitors scratching their heads and retracing their steps for hours on end. The payoff is well worth it when you finally reach the raised platform in the middle to mock or encourage those still stuck. The labyrinth covers 2700 square meters and features a set of games and challenges for a range of ages and learners, including a mathematical riddle and a giant kaleidoscope. 

Finally, there’s nothing like some Roman ruins—even if they’re only hundreds, not thousands, of years old—to get children excited. Added to the grounds in 1778 by architect Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf, Schönbrunn’s Roman Ruins are a prime example of the fake ruins that were so popular at the time. Despite being called “follies”, the fake remains provide a serious and painstakingly put-together insight into the tastes and wonts of the 18th century ruling class. 

The west side of the Schönbrunn Palace houses the Children’s Museum, created with the sole purpose of bringing to life the story of the palace and its aristocratic inhabitants for children aged 4 to 12 years. Here, kids can live like Kings and Queens, experiencing the life of an imperial child. They can dress up in imperial era clothes, learn court manners, try on wigs, lay the table for a banquet, and learn what life was like for royal and middle-class children. 

Such is the scale of the Palace’s grounds that the oldest zoo in Europe, the Schönbrunn Zoo, is located within its border. Founded in 1752 as the imperial menagerie, it’s now home to over 8,000 animals from 700 species, including animals from every corner of the globe, from polar bears to penguins and everything in between. The sprawling zoo has daily public feedings as well as night tours, and your children will be able to learn about the amazing animals that share our planet. If you’re in Vienna on the first Sunday of the month, you can join a family tour that provides education on the most intriguing wild animals, including their habitats and behavior.

Dominating the skyline with soaring Gothic spires, St. Stephen’s Cathedral is beautiful inside and out. The edifice was built in the 12th century, and kids will appreciate the colorful tiles on the roof as well as the majestic interior. Adventurous families can opt to climb the tower for sweeping views of the city, and if your kids are into the macabre, a tour of the crypt features the tomb of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor, and tales of the Great Plague of Vienna that wiped out an estimated 30-60% of the population in 1679.

For kids enrolled in music lessons at home—or just those who fancy a good jig or two—we like the  interactive Vienna House of Music, or Haus der Musik. Exhibits explore the great composers from Vienna and around the world, demonstrating how sound travels through the air. Visits start with an interactive piano staircase where each step teaches you about sheet music. Among the sound exhibits that tend to delight is the interactive opera, in which kids use their gestures to alter the music, mood, and staging of an opera experience. Budding bosses will even get the chance to choose a baton and virtually conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Picking up on a musical theme yet? Operas are stunning works of art involving music, costumes, staging, and acting, but their three-hour length can be challenging for energetic toddlers. The Vienna State Opera presents children’s operas in a big tent on the roof of the Opera House, and best of all, they last only one hour. Some of the operas have even been written specifically for children, while others are adaptations of best known works like "Le Nozze di Figaro."

The ZOOM Children’s Museum in the Museum Quartier is a great hands-on stop for kids under 10 or so. We like to flit between the interactive painting, building, and molding activities (kids leave with their own art piece) and the ZOOM Ocean, where young ones can crawl through a tunnel of mirrors. In Minololis—the Viennese version of Lilliput—kids can test drive different professions by working at a pizzeria or train station, exploring the role of doctor or banker, or learning what it’s like to work at a supermarket.  

Even the pickiest eaters we know can’t say no to cake, especially a Sacher Torte.  A rich, dense, and decadent chocolate cake created in Vienna, Sacher Tortes have become a city symbol, with prime real estate in almost every bakery window. Keep your eyes peeled for different varieties  during your walks through the city, and be sure to sample a few cakes during your stay—just block time for the a romp through the park to ward off the inevitable post-cake sugar high. 

Housed in two magnificent Baroque palaces, the Belvedere Museum is one of our favorite artistic activities to do with kids in Vienna. This museum features a considerable collection of Gustav Klimt paintings, as well as exhibits of art through the ages. We prefer to stick to the Upper Palace, and we always pick up the museum’s Art Detective on the Trail of Masterpieces guide. The guide frames the museum as a treasure hunt for artworks, helping kids connect with the pieces and learn through play. They’ll look for mistakes or interesting elements in paintings, answer questions about sculptures, and—if all goes according to plan—come away with a newfound excitement for art.

Do you have an equestrian lover in the family? Swing through the Spanish Riding School at Hofburg Palace, where you’ll find world-renowned Lipizzaners, snowy white stallions who are still being taught the same routines as their predecessors over 450 years ago. We think the best time to visit the stables is in the morning, to catch the horses perform leaps and ‘dances’ during training  exercises. You’ll also get a glimpse into the rigor of training required of the young stallions and their riders, which may snap your own kids right into rank and file (not that it’s ever been successful for us, but it’s worth a try). 

Vienna, the former seat of the Austro-Hungarian empire, is packed with kid-friendly activities, and we’re sure the whole family will thrill at experiencing the art and culture of this elegant city. For a deeper dive into the stories of Vienna’s citizens, food, and culture, take a look at one of our private our small group guided tours.