My family loves Vienna. It is a super family-friendly city with plenty of activities for children of all ages. After our winter trip to the Austrian capital in 2024, we visited Vienna again in spring 2025 and discovered even more fun things to do with our then 3-year-old daughter. Here, I am sharing activities we enjoyed most during our most recent visit.
1. ZOOM Children’s Museum
ZOOM Children’s Museum Vienna is much more than a traditional museum. It is a fully immersive, hands-on play and discovery space where children are encouraged to explore through all their senses. We visited the ZOOM Ocean adventure zone (for children aged 8 months to 6 years). Entry must be reserved in advance, as time slots are fixed. It offers very fun and engaging play areas and is designed like a colourful underwater world with two levels, an “underwater” zone and a “ship deck”. There is only a very short introductory story in German at the beginning, but you don’t need to understand it to enjoy the experience and the play itself.
2. Natural History Museum
The museum is one of Vienna’s most iconic landmarks, housed in a beautiful historic building, and it hosts an impressive collection that ranges from prehistoric life to minerals and meteorites. We really enjoyed the exhibitions, and my daughter especially loved the displays of large animals, as well as running around the spacious rooms. We also took a break in the beautiful museum café, where we enjoyed a typical Viennese treat, a Viennese Melange coffee and apple strudel. It was the perfect little pause during our visit.
3. Vytopna restaurant
Výtopna is a Czech restaurant chain in which model train sets bring beverages and food directly to every customer’s table. Gaja loved watching the little trains deliver food around the restaurant, and the food was fairly good. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. We as parents especially enjoyed the beer tasting wagon. And the restaurant is located at Naschmarkt, Vienna’s most famous open-air market and food hub, also worth visiting.
4. Schönbrunn park
We took advantage of the sunny weather for a walk in Schönbrunn Park. There is also the Labyrinthikon playground, however we found it better suited for slightly older children. It is part of a combined ticket area, so you have to pay to enter. While Gaja and her father played, I visited the Orangery and Crown Prince Garden. Next to the playground there is also a maze and a labyrinth, Schönbrunn Park is also home to the zoo, which we visited on our previous trip, and there is the Children’s Museum Schönbrunn Palace, which we have not explored yet.
5. Botanical & Belvedere Gardens
We visited the Botanical Garden as well as the neighbouring Belvedere Gardens. It is free to enter and very pleasant for a relaxed walk, and there is also a playground behind Belvedere Palace. Our daughter especially enjoyed exploring the area by bike. One of the highlights for us was the bamboo walkway, an interesting way to experience the bamboo forest from a different perspective. Nearby is also a great coffee and pastry stop called Aufzug Café. It is a unique place where you can enjoy your order while sitting in an old elevator. It is also an interesting experience for kids.
6. Bookstores
If your little one loves books, then a bookstore visit is a must. We had quite a bit of rain during our trip, so we took the opportunity to explore some indoor spots. Many bookstores in Vienna also have small play corners or toys, which makes them very family-friendly. We visited a small but very nice bookstore near St. Stephen’s Church, and it turned out to be a nice stop on a rainy day.
Bonus: Vienna’s amazing playgrounds
As I already wrote in my “Our 6 Favourite Activities in Vienna for a Toddler” Part 1 blog post, and it is still true: Vienna is full of great playgrounds behind every corner, and our daughter wanted to stop at almost every one we passed, also on this visit. No matter where you are in the city, you can always find a playground nearby. The playgrounds are also very well designed and organised, often with fenced areas for smaller children. Some of our favourite ones were the playground in Weghuberpark and the one next to the Vienna University of Technology.
Visited: April 2025
