8 fun things to do with kids in Vienna when they’re yelling ‘I’m boooored!’

We all know it: playgrounds in Vienna are perfect for taking obnoxious pictures of our children playing in gorgeous settings.  Eat your heart out, Instagram.  These 2 playgrounds are excellent choices for “candid” photoshoots…oh, and for your children to play.

The Rathaus playground

Where: when you’re facing the front of the Rathaus, walk up to it, turn to the right and follow the pretty pathways – there is a playground in there. If you reach the street, you’ve gone too far.

Vienna’s 1^st district isn’t what you might call overrun with playgrounds, so if you’re out doing adult-y things in the city and the kids are suddenly dying for a sandbox fix (or Mommy just needs them to play independently for 5 minutes in a safe, enclosed area while she breathes in deeply – we’ve all been there) this centrally located, somewhat hidden, little gem is just the place for a quick play.  The kids can slide, swing, and sand it out like little royals as you gaze up to the spires of the city hall poking out above the tree line, and revel in the fact that this beautiful setting is where your kids play.

Perks: it’s centrally located, the big water-sand toy structure is a great way for kids to learn Newton’s law of – if-you-stand-at-the-bottom-of-a-water-toy-you’ll-get-wet (We’re paraphrasing), and the setting is gorgeous.

Bathroom situation: The pay-to-pee park bathrooms are close and on ground level (in case you need to roll your stroller in with you)

Votiv Kirche

Where: Rooseveltplatz, 1090 Wien (The playground is outside to the right when facing the church.)

Get portrait mode on your camera ready for this charming little playground next to Votivkirche in the 9^th district. Not that we like to brag, but this is a reality for children in Vienna: in a setting where church spires climb to the heavens in reverence and stained glass windows glow in the warm afternoon sun, a baby sits right in front of it all shoving sand in their mouth.

Perk: there are tons of places nearby to pick up a quick Weckerl if you forgot to pack a picture-perfect picnic.

Bathroom situation: not exactly ideal, but there’s usually a portable toilet box next to the playground

Does your child say “truck” like the word is going out of style? Does the little angel have an affinity for button pushing? (particularly “off” buttons on any device currently in use). Or maybe their talents lie in building food launching machines out of cutlery. You can foster and nurture their technical skills at the Technisches Museum Wien – a paradise of stimulation. Old-school train carriages stand grand on the main floor, surrounded by interactive stations with crankable cranks, valves, and buttons. A special section for kids, ages 2-8, includes go-karts on a race track, a boat where kids can clean up the ocean by fishing for trash, and giant buildable (and safely knock-downable) blocks.

Perk: The price for one adult yearly pass is justified by going to the museum 2.8 times in a year.  So, if you feel like you might go 2.8, or more (3, for example) within a year, get the Jahreskarte! No matter how many times you visit this museum, you and your child will never get bored of it!

Bathroom situation: Technically, they have them (get it?)

A giant indoor playground called Monki Park might speak for itself, but we’ll tell you a little bit about it, anyway. Did we mention it’s giant? If you need an indoor spot for the kids to run themselves ragged when the weather turns ugly, this is the place. This wonderland of foam walls, humongous slides, and electric cars (just to name a few) has a little something for all kinds of little humans. So the next time you’re looking for a refuge from the outdoors and need to provide your kid with a haven of overstimulation and/or light exhaustion (but, everyone, please stay hydrated) do as the monkeys do at Monki Park.

Perks: It’s in a mall, so one parent could do some serious shopping while the other parent takes one for the team and stays with the kids (we’ll let you guess which parent we like to be).

Bathroom situation: there is a changing table, as well as a pack-n-play station to plop the baby down (gently) while you’re washing your hands.

What’s that I hear? Why, it’s the sound of little brain wrinkles being formed as your child takes in a distunguished kid’s concert at the illustrious Musikverein concert house. Because that’s what kids in Vienna do; they attend concerts at concert halls, like mini-Mozarts.

For kids ages 3+, there are 3 different concert series to choose from, with concert performances adapted for children featuring music from Chopin to Vivaldi on offer. The cool kid-friendly thing about the concerts is that the performances also have storylines that explore friendship, life, and which instrument to play – it’s something even we still struggle with.  Let your children soak up the thing Vienna does best…no, not Schnitzel – music! And have them do it in style at the Musikverein.

Perks: umm, its live classical music, made for your kids, in a sweet location –do you need more perks than that??

Bathroom situation: being a concert house, you’re covered on the bathroom front

If the last movie you saw at the cinema was Sex and the City (we’re not judging) back before all that sex in the city you got up to created baby in the city, it might be time to pay a visit to the cinema. We get it – leaving the house after 6pm seems like something that will never happen again. But somebody suuuuuper smart started offering showings of the latest box office hits in the morning AND you can bring the baby (up to 12 months old). If that’s not enough to butter your popcorn, the tickets are affordable so it’s no tragedy if you have to leave early… as parents sometimes do.

Here are a couple of our favorite Babykinos:
Lugner Kino
Votiv Kino

Perks: you’re not the only one with a baby there so you don’t have to be stressed if yours makes some noise (actually, you can pump your arms in the air and yell ‘let’s make some noise’ like you used to in the club, back in the day) and all your friends without kids will be glad you finally know a few current movie references

Bathroom situation: affirmative

Everyone should experience the airport at least once without the haze of exhaustion from either getting up at an ungodly hour, or having a serious case of jetlag, or both.

The observation deck at the Vienna airport is super fly (oh yes, we did go there) and can really get your day off the ground (ooh, did it again). You can get your tickets (really, that one wasn’t a joke) with no reservation needed at the observation deck and then it’s clear skies ahead (that one was).

You’ll go through a very civilized and laid back security check, but drinks ARE allowed so bring a water bottle for the kids – the deck is almost all in the sun and there are no drink carts in sight. You can watch planes line up and take off for hours, or read and educate yourself from the info boards hung along the deck.  The kids will be oohing and ahhing and thanking you for making this day so exciting for them and for being an all-around amazing parent (please note: they might only be thinking it in their heads, but they WILL be thinking it).  Really, you’ll be the wind beneath their wings. (we couldn’t help ourselves.)

So, are you down with this awesome experience?  Or is it up in the air? (slow clap…now)

Perks: it’s a relatively cheap day of family entertainment, other parents are really impressed with you as a parent when you nonchalantly tell them where you took your kids over the weekend

Bathroom situation: the bathrooms are BEFORE tickets/security so make sure you go (and the little ones too) before you head out to the deck.

Vienna is the right city to raise your miniature musical prodigies and this sound museum is just the kind of interactive experience that your little musical genius needs to thrive.  This award-winning museum offers multiple floors of exciting, thoughtful exhibitions that will have your kids stepping into the world of music.  We mean this literally! – they have a musical staircase where each step plays a different note as you step. Play a virtual dice game with the whole family that composes your own personalised waltz and then play your masterpiece in full, for all to hear, as you waltz around the room (Careful, don’t break anything). And if you think you’re up for it, take a swing at conducting. Really. You get to virtually conduct the Vienna Philharmonic! There’s so much here to do, we would be impressed if you could see it all in one visit.

Perks: there’s an app! Download the Haus der Musik app for a virtual tour that will assist you in getting the most out of your experience.

Bathrooms: There is a large bathroom on the ground floor with a changing table for the babies who like to “go” right when you get there. For those that don’t need a changing table, there are bathrooms throughout the museum.

Just think of the first time little Will Shakespeare’s parents took him to the theatre and he felt for the first time the reflection of the stage lights on his face as he sat in the darkness with the rest of the audience and considered how he himself would change forever the very essence of theatre as we know it. OK, we all know it probably looked a lot more like OUR visits to children’s theatre: whispering to the kids to stay seated as you try to wipe their noses and stop them from yelling, “Mommy, I want to watch Peppa Pig!”

The point is, introducing the theatre to your kids while they’re young is an invaluable gift we can give them and Dschungel in Vienna’s Museumsquartier is just the place to do that.  They have a full line-up of shows and workshops where kids can watch or participate themselves in the comedy and drama of theatre. Check out their calendar to catch the show that’s right for your family.

Perks: there’s a café connected to the theatre for a pre-, or post-show snack.

Bathroom situation: to pee, or not to pee. That was not the question. Yes, they have them!