traveldk.com

Considered the oldest zoo in the world, all the usual favourites can be found here, including elephants, reptiles and butterflies. Most are housed in Baroque-style compounds (see p38).

Schönbrunn Park is home to two special attractions – the maze and the labyrinth in the palace’s gardens. The maze is based on the original 18th-century designs and once you have made your way through the hedges, there is a viewing platform over the area. The labyrinth is a games area with a giant kaleidoscope, a climbing pole and fun riddles (see p38).

The puppet theatre in the little court theatre at Schönbrunn stages wonderful shows that are as much a delight for adults as for children. A version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute is the undisputed highlight of the programme, with a feather-clad Tamino and a spectacularly vicious snake.

The Vienna Riesenrad, the giant ferris wheel, is some 100 years old and offers a stunning view over Vienna’s rooftops. As well as the ride, don’t miss the little museum in the entrance area, where the history of both the wheel and the city are displayed in some of the Riesenrad’s old red cabins.

A special adventure area here geared towards children aged three to six years old (although older children enjoy it too) allows young visitors to experience the natural sciences with hands-on displays. Children are particularly invited to take part in and carry out various technological experiments. Special workshops in the museum’s kindergarten take place between 1 and 6pm on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays as well as from 10am to 6pm on Sundays; these are free of charge. This is a great museum for inquisitive little minds (see p42).

This museum is designed exclusively for children and is a place of playful enquiry, learning and discovery. Hands-on exhibitions for toddlers, kitchens in which children can experiment with cooking, and the chance to “zoom” in on new situations to grasp the world around them are just some of the highlights.

Fish and reptiles from all across the world have found a home in a former anti-aircraft tower in Esterhazypark. You can “journey” from the chilly North Sea to the Australian Great Barrier Reef, taking in the natural landscape en route. Very popular with kids is the sharks’ and piranhas’ feeding time in the “Amazon pool”, and stroking slippery, harmless snakes.

Probably the most exciting guided tours for kids are offered in Schönbrunn Palace. The young visitors are shown the imperial way of life in the palace from a child’s perspective and given the chance to learn what a child’s life in the imperial family was like. In the Court Bakery they can watch confectioners preparing cakes and pastries – the piping hot cakes can be sampled fresh from the oven (see pp36–9).

The large greenhouse in the Burggarten is home to more than 150 species of tropical butterflies and moths, living in habitats replicating their natural environment.

There are several adventure pools in Vienna, but the Diana-Tropicana is the only one that features dinosaurs and pirate ships. A waterslide that also goes upwards is great fun too.