When researching the destination, I always try to mix some popular sites to see and add some places I think my 2-year-old daughter Gaja will like. Especially with the museums, I do not always get it right, as it is hard to predict where they have enough activities for the little ones. Or let’s be honest, activities that specifically your child will like. In this blog post, I am sharing what activities for toddlers we liked the most on our recent trip to the Austrian capital Vienna. We visited the city in February, so these are suitable also for a winter visit. However, we were lucky with the weather, it was quite warm for this month and no wind, which is usual in this city.
Some useful info: Vienna is a family-friendly city and you can access almost any site with a stroller. You can also easily use the metro (there is only 1 metro station without an elevator and is clearly marked) and trams. The majority of restaurants have baby seats. You can also find baby changing stations fairly easily. For cheaper public transport and tickets for sightseeing, check out the Vienna City Card.
1. Vienna Museum of Science & Technology
I found the museum’s exhibition super interesting, however, for toddlers their special “MiniTi” children’s area is really amazing. It is suitable for children aged 1,5 to 5 years (they have a special area for bigger kids). The playground has two floors of activities with the theme of technology and science. There is a whole firefighter truck, a little boat, a slide, legos, big building blocks, little bikes, books about technology and famous scientists and more. My daughter absolutely loved her time here.
Some useful info: You have to reserve your time slot for MiniTi. You can do that online and pay 2,5€ per adult. Or you can reserve it there while buying a ticket, in this case it’s free. However, you risk not getting your desired time slot. Once you are in the playground, children have 40 minutes for play and a parent has to supervise them. You can also grab a bite to eat in the museum’s cafe, they have chairs for children. You can enter the museum with a baby stroller, entrance for kids younger than 19 is free, and they have changing tables in the toilet.
2. Vienna Zoo (Schönbrunner Tiergarten)
Placed in the beautiful environment of the Schonbrunn Palace Gardens, the Vienna Zoo is the oldest in the world. It was opened in 1752, firstly for the imperial family, and later also for other visitors. Today it is home to approximately 8,500 animals and more than 700 animal species. It is worth checking out the times of animal feeding, we watched how the elephants enjoyed their meal. We also loved seeing the giraffes, koalas, penguins and polar bears. And we even walked freely in the home of sloth. They also have a special petting zoo area, where you can pet goats and sheep. It is situated next to one of the zoo’s playgrounds.
Some useful info: Children under 6 years old can enter the zoo for free, and for older kids, children’s fee applies. The zoo is accessible with strollers, you can also rent a hand cart. They have baby changing tables in every toilet.
3. Haus des Meers
Another stop for all animal lovers. More than 10,000 animals live on 11 floors of Hause des Meers. This public aquarium is set inside a concrete flak tower built during World War II. So the building itself is also interesting. The highlights of our visit were seeing the 360 shark aquarium, mangrove aquarium, chameleon, Komodo dragons, lemurs, and coral reef. On the top, there is also a rooftop terrace with a great 360-degree view of Vienna.
Some useful info: Children younger than 3 years have free entry, until 15 years they pay a reduced ticket price. For adults, there is a special evening ticket on workdays from 5.30 p.m. on, which you can buy only on-site. You can go around the exhibition with a baby stroller, but then you have to wait for the elevator between floors. There is a small stroller parking space in the cloakroom. They also have baby changing tables. Don’t miss also a great outdoor playground just behind the building.
4. Butterfly House (Schmetterlinghaus)
400 free-flying tropical butterflies from 40 species and many tropical trees, flowers, and even a waterfall, welcome you in this beautiful converted palm house. The butterflies have lived here since 1990, but the royals have enjoyed the warmth and plants of a palm house at this location since the beginning of the 19th century. The temperature inside is between 26 and 35 degrees Celsius and there is 80% humidity. The glass house is situated just next to the Hofburg and Burggarten park.
Once you stop admiring the butterflies, you can go next door to Palm House Café. There you can enjoy some Vienner melange – typical coffee from Vienna – and delicious apple strudel in a beautiful green environment.
Some useful info: The entrance to Butterfly House is free for children younger than 3 years, then kids have a reduced price. You can’t go inside with a stroller, however, it is a small space so you can see it quickly if you wish. You can leave the stroller in their cloakroom. The entrance to the Palm House Café has a few steps, but you can carry a stroller inside. There is no changing table in the cafe.
5. Prater (Wurstelprater)
Wurstelprater, mostly called just Prater as it is the name of the park in this area, is a large amusement park in Vienna. It has been open for the public since 1766 before it was a hunting area for the imperial family. This makes it the second-oldest amusement park in the world. Its most known attraction is the Wiener Riesenrad Ferris wheel. This 64.75-metre tall ferris wheel was constructed in 1897 and for some time it was the tallest in the world. Today you still have an amazing view of Vienna during the ride and my daughter loved looking around. In the amusement park, there are various rides, roller coasters, and bumper cards, there are also some activities for toddlers. Gaja loved the ride on the carousel. However, if you visit in winter, not all the attractions are open.
Some useful info: The entrance to the Prater is free of charge. Inside you pay for each activity separately in cash. Bring it with you, as the ATMs we saw had a high transaction fee. You can easily go around with a stroller. They also have toilets with changing tables for babies.
6. Vienna’s playgrounds
Most time, at least for Gaja, there is nothing better than going on a swing or a slide. This is why we also love visiting playgrounds while travelling, even in winter. There are many different playgrounds in Vienna – I found useful info here. We visited the one at Rathausplatz near the Vienna City Hall, the one behind Haus das Meers, and the one in the Vienna Zoo.
Want more activities for toddlers?
- We also wanted to go to ZOOM Children’s Museum Vienna and visit their adventure zone ZOOM Ocena (for children 8 months to 6 years old). However, we did not reserve it in advance and it was sold out for the entire time of our visit.
- We visited the House of Music. As a classical music lover, I really liked the museum. However, we thought it was not the best for the small children. Except for the playing staircase. However, they have a parking spot for strollers and a baby changing room.
- From January until March, there is also one of the biggest open-air artificial ice rinks in the world in front of the Rathaus and the Rathausplatz park – the Vienna Ice World. They have a special free practice area for young ice skaters during the weekdays.
Visited: February 2024
