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Family outings

Family outings in Vienna

Vienna is a city made for children, snow included: huge free parks, an imperial zoo, federal museums free up to age 19, libraries in every district, an ice rink in front of the town hall in winter and an island on the Danube in summer. Here are our addresses, all checked on official websites.

Verified on 30 October 2026

Parks, playgrounds and fresh air

Half of Vienna is green: woods, vineyards, imperial parks and a 21-kilometre island in the middle of the Danube. Playgrounds (Spielplätze) are everywhere, often with water play in summer, and the municipal pools welcome families for little money.

Good to know

  • The Prater is two things: the Grüner Prater, a huge free park with its chestnut avenues, and the Wurstelprater, the giant wheel's amusement park, open all year with free entry, where you pay ride by ride. Source
  • The Donauinsel, the 21-kilometre artificial island between the Danube and the Neue Donau, is Vienna's beach: swimming, cycling, barbecues allowed in designated areas and a large Wasserspielplatz, a free water playground for little ones. Source
  • The Lainzer Tiergarten, a former imperial hunting ground west of the city, is a fenced forest where you meet free-roaming wild boar, with playgrounds and the Hermesvilla; free entry, gates closed at night. Source
  • The City keeps a map of playgrounds and one of the municipal pools (Wiener Bäder), from open-air summer lidos like the Gänsehäufel to indoor winter pools, with family rates. Source

Addresses

  • Prater et Wurstelprater

    Park

    Prater, 1020 Wien (U1/U2 Praterstern)

    The giant wheel, rides for every age and six million square metres of greenery; free entry, each ride is paid.

    Website Source

  • Schloss Schönbrunn, parc et labyrinthe

    Park

    Schönbrunner Schloßstraße 47, 1130 Wien

    The palace park is free and open daily; maze, playground and children's museum are paid. The Gloriette for a snack with a view.

    Website Source

  • Tiergarten Schönbrunn

    Park

    Maxingstraße 13b, 1130 Wien

    The world's oldest zoo still running, in Schönbrunn park: pandas, elephants, aquarium and rainforest house; paid, the annual pass pays off after three visits.

    Website Source

  • Donauinsel et Wasserspielplatz

    Park

    Donauinsel, 1210/1220 Wien (U1 Donauinsel, U6 Neue Donau)

    Beaches, cycle paths and the big free water playground near the Floridsdorfer Brücke, open in the warm season.

    Website Source

  • Lainzer Tiergarten

    Park

    Lainzer Tor, Hermesstraße, 1130 Wien

    Hietzing's fenced imperial forest: wild boar, playgrounds, the Hermesvilla; free, closed at night and partly in winter.

    Website Source

  • Stadtpark

    Park

    Parkring, 1010 Wien

    The city-centre park, with the golden Johann Strauss statue, ducks on the Wien river and two playgrounds; perfect between two museums.

    Website Source

  • Türkenschanzpark

    Park

    Gregor-Mendel-Straße, 1180 Wien

    Währing's big rolling park: ponds, waterfall, playgrounds and sledging in winter, the meeting point for families from the 18th and 19th.

    Website Source

  • Augarten

    Park

    Obere Augartenstraße 1, 1020 Wien

    Vienna's oldest baroque garden, in the 2nd, with its straight avenues, playgrounds and flak towers: a local pushchair classic.

    Website Source

Go further

Children's museums and free museums

The federal museums are free for under-19s, and Vienna has several museums designed for children, from the ZOOM in the MuseumsQuartier to the 'mini' at the Technical Museum. Rainy days have no excuse left.

Good to know

  • At the Naturhistorisches Museum, entry is free for children and young people under 19, a rule shared by the federal museums (Kunsthistorisches, Albertina, Technisches Museum...); the museum closes on Tuesdays. Source
  • The ZOOM Kindermuseum in the MuseumsQuartier works with booked slots: a hands-on exhibition for ages 6 to 12, Ozean for 8 months to 6 years, workshops and an animation studio; book online, especially at weekends and in the holidays. Source
  • The Kindermuseum at Schönbrunn palace lets children try court life: period costumes, a laid table, imperial toys; a lovely introduction before touring the apartments. Source

Addresses

  • Naturhistorisches Museum Wien

    Museum

    Maria-Theresien-Platz, 1010 Wien

    Animated dinosaurs, meteorites, the Venus of Willendorf and a planetarium: the favourite museum of 4 to 10-year-olds, free for under-19s, closed on Tuesdays.

    Website Source

  • ZOOM Kindermuseum

    Museum

    MuseumsQuartier, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Wien

    Vienna's children's museum, from 8 months: everything can be touched, built or filmed; fixed-time sessions, booking advised.

    Website Source

  • Technisches Museum Wien

    Museum

    Mariahilfer Straße 212, 1140 Wien

    Locomotives, aircraft, a reconstructed mine and the 'das mini' area reserved for ages 2 to 6; free for under-19s, opposite Schönbrunn park.

    Website Source

  • Haus des Meeres

    Museum

    Fritz-Grünbaum-Platz 1, 1060 Wien

    A vertical aquarium in a former flak tower: sharks, turtles, a tropical house with free-roaming monkeys and a panoramic terrace; paid, much loved on rainy days.

    Website Source

  • Haus der Musik

    Museum

    Seilerstätte 30, 1010 Wien

    The interactive museum of sound: piano staircase, virtual conductor, the Philharmonic and the great Viennese composers; paid, ideal from age 5.

    Website Source

  • Kindermuseum Schloss Schönbrunn

    Museum

    Schloss Schönbrunn, 1130 Wien

    Dress up as a prince or princess and discover daily life at the imperial court, in a wing of the palace; paid.

    Website Source

  • Kunsthistorisches Museum

    Museum

    Maria-Theresien-Platz, 1010 Wien

    Bruegel, Vermeer, the Kunstkammer and Egyptian mummies opposite the natural history museum; a federal museum free for under-19s, family programmes at weekends.

    Website Source

Go further

Libraries and the French médiathèque

The Büchereien Wien, the municipal network, have a library in every district and a spectacular flagship on the Gürtel. For French, the Institut français d'Autriche médiathèque on Praterstraße, and its storytelling hour.

Good to know

  • The Büchereien Wien bring together 36 neighbourhood libraries and over 1.4 million items, print and digital; children read on site, borrow and join in events, and the online catalogue lets you reserve across branches. Source
  • The Institut français d'Autriche médiathèque lends books, comics, DVDs and press in French, gives access to the Culturethèque digital library and offers a learners' library for children discovering the language; a storytelling hour (Märchenstunde) is held there. Source
  • The Virtuelle Bücherei Wien lends e-books and audiobooks in several languages on a tablet, handy for keeping French reading going without an extra suitcase. Source

Addresses

  • Médiathèque de l'Institut français d'Autriche

    Library

    Praterstraße 38, 1020 Wien

    The heart of French reading in Vienna, in the 2nd: picture books, comics, novels, press, Culturethèque and a storytelling hour for little ones.

    Website Source

  • Hauptbücherei am Gürtel, Büchereien Wien

    Library

    Urban-Loritz-Platz 2a, 1070 Wien (U6 Burggasse-Stadthalle)

    The flagship of the municipal libraries, perched over the metro station: large children's area, Kirango, panoramic terrace and café.

    Website Source

  • Bibliothèques de quartier, Büchereien Wien

    Library

    36 bibliothèques dans tous les arrondissements

    At least one library per district, with a children's corner, events and access to the shared catalogue: find yours on the City map.

    Website Source

  • Virtuelle Bücherei Wien

    Library

    The Büchereien Wien digital library: e-books, audiobooks and press to borrow from home with your card.

    Website Source

Activities, clubs and holidays in French

Keeping French alive when school is in German, or finding French-speaking friends: the Institut français, FLAM Vienne, the scouts and the French-speaking parish take care of it. On the Viennese side, the kinderaktiv card and the KinderUni open the city to children.

Good to know

  • The Institut français d'Autriche offers French classes for children aged 1 to 7, 8 to 11 and 11 to 15, as well as a parent-and-child class, at its Praterstraße premises. Source
  • FLAM Vienne, the French-as-a-mother-tongue association, gets French-speaking children schooled in German to practise French playfully: FLAM classes run with the Institut, weekend workshops, autumn-holiday courses, a music creation school. Source
  • Scouting in French exists: the Notre-Dame du Rivage group of the Scouts et Guides de France, attached to the French-speaking Catholic community of Vienna, which also offers Mass in French, catechism and family gatherings. Source
  • wienXtra's kinderaktiv card, free for ages 3 to 13, opens hundreds of low-cost activities all year round and the holiday programme; the KinderUni invites 7 to 12-year-olds to university every summer. Source

Addresses

  • Institut français d'Autriche, cours enfants

    Activity

    Praterstraße 38, 1020 Wien

    French classes by age group from age 1, parent-and-child classes, storytelling hour at the médiathèque and film nights at the Studio Molière.

    Website Source

  • FLAM Vienne

    Activity

    The French-speaking families' association: workshops (pottery, emotions, animated film), holiday courses, FLAM classes, yearly membership.

    Website Source

  • Scouts et Guides de France à Vienne, groupe Notre-Dame du Rivage

    Activity

    Cubs, scouts and guides in French, summer camps; meetings with the French-speaking Catholic community of Vienna.

    Website Source

  • Communauté catholique francophone de Vienne

    Activity

    Mass in French, catechism, chaplaincy and community life for French-speaking families in the diocese of Vienna.

    Website Source

  • Centre de loisirs du Lycée français de Vienne

    Activity

    Liechtensteinstraße 37a, 1090 Wien

    The 'open school' takes children during school holidays, by the half-day, day or week, meals included; after-school workshops the rest of the year.

    Website Source

  • wienXtra kinderaktiv

    Activity

    The free card for ages 3 to 13 and its programme: workshops, sport, theatre, low-cost visits across the city, and the summer holiday programme.

    Website Source

  • KinderUni Wien

    Activity

    The children's university: lectures and workshops given by real researchers to 7 to 12-year-olds in the summer holidays, free registration.

    Website Source

Go further

Through the seasons and festivities

The Viennese year has its rituals: Christmas markets from mid-November, a giant ice rink in front of the town hall from January to March, the Easter market on the Freyung, balls and carnival in February, then summer on the Donauinsel and in front of the Rathausplatz big screen. The February Semesterferien and the summer holidays from late June set the family calendar.

Good to know

  • Winter: the Wiener Christkindlmarkt sets up on the Rathausplatz from mid-November to Christmas, with pony rides, a carousel and children's workshops inside the town hall; on 6 December, St Nicholas (Nikolo) visits the schools, sometimes with the Krampus in tow. Source
  • From January to early March, the Wiener Eistraum turns the Rathausplatz into a giant ice rink with an ice trail through the park, a beginners' rink and lessons for children; skate hire on site. Source
  • Spring and summer: the Freyung Easter market and its mountain of painted eggs, then the Donauinselfest, Europe's biggest free open-air festival, one June weekend on the island, and the Rathausplatz Film Festival, opera and concerts on a giant screen all summer, free. Source
  • On 31 December, the Silvesterpfad links the city-centre squares with stages, waltzes and fireworks; families go early, before the midnight crowds, then watch the New Year's concert on television. Source

Addresses

  • Wiener Christkindlmarkt am Rathausplatz

    Activity

    Rathausplatz, 1010 Wien

    The children's Christmas market: carousel, ponies, candle and biscuit workshops inside the town hall, illuminated park trees; mid-November to late December.

    Website Source

  • Wiener Eistraum

    Activity

    Rathausplatz, 1010 Wien

    Giant ice rink and ice trail in front of the town hall, January to early March; children's rink and lessons, skate hire.

    Website Source

  • Altwiener Ostermarkt auf der Freyung

    Activity

    Freyung, 1010 Wien

    Old Vienna's Easter market: hand-painted eggs, crafts and egg-decorating workshops for children, in the two weeks before Easter.

    Website Source

  • Donauinselfest

    Activity

    Donauinsel, 1210/1220 Wien

    Three days of free concerts on the island in June, with a family zone and daytime children's activities; come early and by public transport.

    Website Source

  • Film Festival am Rathausplatz

    Activity

    Rathausplatz, 1010 Wien

    Every evening in July and August, free operas, ballets and concerts on a giant screen, with world food stalls; children love the ballets.

    Website Source

  • Wiener Silvesterpfad

    Activity

    Centre-ville, de la Freyung au Rathausplatz, 1010 Wien

    The New Year's Eve trail through the centre: stages, a midnight waltz and fireworks; family programme in the early evening.

    Website Source

Go further

Trips under two hours away

Vienna sits at the centre of Europe: another capital an hour away by train, the vineyards and abbeys of the Wachau, a steppe lake with a theme park, and the first mountains for skiing and sledging less than a hundred kilometres away.

Good to know

  • Bratislava, the Slovak capital, is an hour by train from the central station; the castle, the pedestrian old town and the Danube banks make it a very easy day trip with children. Source
  • The Wachau, a UNESCO-listed Danube valley between Krems and Melk, is explored by train, boat or bike: the baroque abbey of Melk, apricots, the Dürnstein ruins where Richard the Lionheart was held. Source
  • The KlimaTicket and ÖBB children's fares make these trips affordable by train; under-6s travel free and the regional network (VOR) covers Lower Austria and Burgenland. Source

Addresses

  • Bratislava

    Bratislava, Slovaquie

    An hour by train (or fast boat in summer): castle, old town, and a little tourist train children love.

    Website Source

  • Wachau : Melk, Dürnstein et Krems

    Vallée du Danube, Basse-Autriche

    Melk abbey and its gardens, boat to Dürnstein, family-friendly Danube cycle path; an hour by train from Vienna.

    Website Source

  • Familypark Neusiedlersee

    Märchenparkweg 1, 7062 St. Margarethen im Burgenland

    Austria's big family theme park, an hour from Vienna, designed for ages 2 to 12; April to early November.

    Website Source

  • Neusiedler See

    Burgenland

    The UNESCO-listed steppe lake: lakeside lidos, sailing, cycling around the lake and storks in Rust; an hour by road or rail.

    Website Source

  • Semmering

    Semmering, Basse-Autriche

    The closest ski resort to Vienna, at the end of a UNESCO-listed railway: easy slopes, sledging and summer hikes, an hour and a half away.

    Website Source

  • Schneebergbahn

    Puchberg am Schneeberg, Basse-Autriche

    The 'Salamander' rack railway climbs to the top of the Schneeberg, Lower Austria's highest mountain, for a day of snow or alpine meadows; an hour and a half from Vienna.

    Website Source

  • Burg Kreuzenstein

    Kreuzenstein 1, 2100 Leobendorf

    The dream knights' castle, rebuilt in the 19th century 25 minutes from Vienna: armoury, medieval courtyard and a neighbouring falconry.

    Website Source

  • Schlosspark Laxenburg

    Schlossplatz 1, 2361 Laxenburg

    The imperial palace park south of Vienna: rowing boats, miniature train, playground and the Franzensburg on its island; half an hour by car or bus.

    Website Source

Go further

A place has closed, something has changed? Tell us: the mums of Vienna will thank you.

Sources for this page

The public pages these landmarks come from. The official website always prevails.

  1. 1 Stadt Wien, Prater
  2. 2 Stadt Wien, Donauinsel
  3. 3 Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, informations et tickets
  4. 4 Institut français d'Autriche, la médiathèque
  5. 5 FLAM Vienne
  6. 6 wienXtra kinderaktiv
  7. 7 Wiener Christkindlmarkt
  8. 8 VOR, tarifs enfants et jeunes

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