Guide · Vienna

Vienna with kids

Vienna is one of the easiest capitals to manage with young children. Public transport is frequent and step free, the parks are numerous and well kept, and the city is calm in a way that makes wandering with a pushchair genuinely pleasant rather than a negotiation with traffic.

Two places do most of the heavy lifting. The Prater is a large public park that happens to contain a permanent funfair, so you can spend nothing at all or ride the big wheel, and either counts as a day out. Schonbrunn combines a palace with the oldest zoo in the world, which means the adult and the child interest are on the same ticket and in the same place.

A small practical pleasure: Vienna's tap water comes from mountain springs and tastes better than most bottled water. Public fountains run through the summer, so a refillable bottle covers you for the day.

Open Vienna on the map

Family places in Vienna

🌳Parks 1

Landgut Wien CobenzlA working city farm on a hill at the edge of the Vienna Woods, with animals to meet, a playground and big views over the city. A green half-day out of the centre. Free under 3.
FreePlay areaPetting farm
Official website

🏛️Museums 6

Children's Museum, Schönbrunn PalaceA hands-on museum inside the palace where kids dress up in imperial costumes and explore how royal children lived. A child-friendly way into the Schönbrunn history. Free under 3.
Games
Official website
House of Music (Haus der Musik)An interactive sound museum where kids conduct a virtual orchestra, play giant instruments and experiment with noise. Surprisingly engaging across ages, in the centre. Free under 3.
Games
Official website
Madame Tussauds ViennaThe wax-museum chain in the Prater, with Austrian figures from Mozart and Sisi to modern stars. Reliable family fun, especially paired with a Prater visit.
Indoor
Official website
Museum of IllusionsA compact, very photogenic museum of optical illusions and trick rooms, hands-on throughout. A fun hour for kids and teens, centrally located. Free under 5.
Games
Official website
Museum of Science & TechnologyA large, very hands-on technology museum with a dedicated 'Mini Mobil' indoor playground built around vehicles and machines. Buttons, levers and experiments throughout; easily half a day. Free under 3.
Games
Official website
ZOOM Children's MuseumA brilliant hands-on museum in the MuseumsQuartier with a toddler area and a play-and-adventure zone. Ages from 0 to 14 years. Book ahead; sessions are timed and popular.
Up to age 14
Official website

🎡Theme Parks 2

Prater (Wurstelprater Amusement Park)Vienna's historic funfair, home to the giant Riesenrad Ferris wheel and dozens of rides from gentle carousels to white-knuckle coasters. Free to wander; you pay per ride. A classic family day, and lovely in the evening.
Play areaGames
Official website
Time Travel ViennaA theme-park-style ride through Vienna's history with a 5D cinema, a ghostly Habsburg crypt and a simulated plague scene. Fun for school-age kids; younger ones may find parts spooky. Free under 4.
Ages 5+
Official website

🦁Zoo & Animals 2

Butterfly House (Schmetterlinghaus)A warm art-nouveau glasshouse in the Burggarten where hundreds of tropical butterflies fly freely around you. Small, magical and quick; a lovely short stop in the centre. Free under 3.
Indoor areas
Official website
Schönbrunn Zoo (Tiergarten)The world's oldest zoo, in the grounds of Schönbrunn Palace, home to giant pandas, polar bears and a rainforest house. Beautiful, big and an easy full day; combine with the palace gardens. Free under 6.
Outdoor
Official website

🐠Aquarium 1

Haus des Meeres (Aqua Zoo)A huge aquarium built into a WWII flak tower, with sharks, a walk-through tropical house full of free-roaming monkeys and birds, and a rooftop terrace with city views. A great rainy-day full-stop. Free under 3.
Indoor
Official website

🛝Playgrounds 11

Arenbergpark PlaygroundA medium-sized neighbourhood playground in the 3rd district, with good equipment and shade. A handy local stop away from the tourist crowds.
Free
Augarten Forest PlaygroundOne of several playgrounds in the leafy Augarten park, with a woodland feel and varied equipment. Spacious and shaded, good for a calm afternoon.
Free
Dachboden Zauber (Westfield Donau Zentrum)An 800-square-metre indoor playground in the Donauzentrum mall, easy to combine with shopping and food. Plenty of room for kids to run.
Up to age 11
Official website
Danube Island Water PlaygroundA big 5000-square-metre water playground on Danube Island, with channels, pumps and splash zones to keep kids busy on a hot day. Bring swimwear and a towel; plenty of space.
Free
Official website
Indoor Play Area SeversaalAn indoor playground for ages up to about 10, with affordable family tickets. A low-key neighbourhood play space.
Up to age 10Games
Official website
Jump Around (Trampoline Park)A popular medium-sized indoor playground and trampoline park in Vienna's 16th district. A good rainy-day burn-off for energetic kids.
Games
Official website
Liechtensteinpark PlaygroundA lovely playground set in the grand Liechtenstein Park in the 9th district, with varied equipment and plenty of shade. A relaxed local spot.
Free
Monki ParkA premium, fairly large indoor adventure park in the 22nd district, with climbing, slides and play zones. A higher-end option for a full rainy afternoon.
Games
Official website
MuSe Multisensory Creative SpaceA multilingual, multisensory indoor playground and creative room near Vienna Central Station, with a focus on sensory play. Good for varied ages.
Games
Official website
Prater Arenawiese PlaygroundA large, popular playground in the Prater park opposite the Jesuitenwiese meadow, with climbing frames, swings and sand. Easy to fold into a Prater day.
Free
World 4 KidsAn indoor play area for younger children up to about 8, with day and longer-term tickets. A simple, affordable rainy-day option.
Up to age 8Games
Official website

⭐Local Tips 1

Zuckerlwerkstatt (Candy Workshop)A traditional sweet workshop in the centre where you watch hard candy being pulled, rolled and cut by hand into striped sweets. Free to watch, fun to taste; quick and central.
FreeIndoor
Official website

🍔Kids Restaurants 8

BaomiA family café in the 19th district with a play corner for little ones and an easy, parent-friendly feel.
Games
Official website
Buffalino ViennaA family-friendly Italian restaurant with a kids menu and play area.
Games
Official website
Café NolaOne of Vienna's best baby and toddler cafés, with an easy, relaxed atmosphere for parents of little ones.
Indoor
Official website
Dschungel CaféA café inside the Dschungel children's theatre in the MuseumsQuartier, set up for families and easy to pair with a show or a ZOOM museum visit.
Indoor
Family and FriendsA family restaurant set up for parents and kids, with a small children play room.
Games
Official website
Fiederchen FamiliencafeA welcoming family café with space for children to play, in the 17th district.
Games
Official website
Kolarik im PraterBilled as the world's largest organic restaurant, in the Prater, with big indoor and outdoor play areas, a bouncy castle and a beer garden. A genuine family destination in its own right.
Play areaTerrace
Official website
LauserpauseA parent-and-child café with a play corner and a calm atmosphere for families with little ones.
Play areaGames
Official website

See everything we have mapped in Vienna

Practical tips

The Prater costs nothing to enterIt is a public park with a funfair inside. You pay per ride, so you can walk in, do one thing, and leave.
Refill from the tapThe tap water is mountain spring water and there are drinking fountains through the parks in summer.
Coffee houses tolerate children better than they lookThey are calmer than a cafe chain and nobody rushes you. A cake and an hour off your feet is a legitimate part of the day here.

In summer the Danube island is where the city swims: shallow edges, long stretches of grass, and reachable on the underground.