Vienna Media News – June 2022 Top Museums for Kids

June 9, 2022 - Vienna has around 100 museums and collections of all sizes for visitors of all ages. There’s plenty for children to enjoy, making a museum trip the perfect addition to any family holiday in Vienna. To keep children engaged during their visit, interaction and joining-in is always part of the experience.

There are numerous museums dedicated to topics that offer something for all the family – from technology to nature, and imperial Vienna to art and music. While visitors are more than welcome to explore the exhibits under their own steam, it is definitely worth taking part in one of the popular outreach programs for children and families (prior registration is usually required).

The 1,600m² Zoom Children’s Museum in the MuseumsQuartier is all about asking questions, learning by doing, and having fun – with something for all the different age groups: the Zoom Ocean is aimed at younger children, while the studios and hands-on exhibition are perfect for older kids. The fantastic workshops are well worth a look, too.

The Museum of Science and Technology (Technisches Museum) takes visitors to a whole new world. Interactive exhibits and experiments bring the technology on show to life. Top attractions for children include the Mini and Mini Mobil play areas, the mine exhibit, a trip through the world of electricity, and the steam locomotive demos.

Years ago, Maria Theresa’s 16 children had the run of Schönbrunn Palace. And today the Schloss Schönbrunn Children's Museum lets young people experience life through their eyes: including communicating in secret fan language, dancing the quadrille and posing in Baroque-era outfits.

The House of Music offers budding musicologists a similarly hands-on experience with giant instruments and state-of-the-art technology to experiment with. Highlights include a waltz dice game, musical steps and the chance to conduct the Wiener Philharmoniker virtually.

At the interactive Museum of Illusions holograms, stereograms and trompe l’oueil exhibits of all kinds provide plenty of fun for all the family. Trying to beat gravity in a wonky room, watching others seemingly shrink away to nothing and serving up heads on a silver salver ensure that the laughs keep on coming. This is one museum where taking photos is actively encouraged!

Children love the dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History, where a life-sized Allosaurus moves and roars. Special features for the kids: guided tours, the microtheater and the digital planetarium. A night at the museum provides a truly unforgettable experience (prior reservation recommended well in advance due to high demand).

Art for Kids

Vienna is blessed with an abundance of fine art – from Rubens to Dürer, Monet to Klimt and contemporary works, too, which have it in them to inspire the next generation. Especially thanks to walk-throughs by experts, the opportunity to explore, find out more for themselves and, above all, get creative. Whether it’s part of a studio course, guided tour or a supervised – or independent – workshop.

The true extent of the imperial Habsburg collections is laid out for all to see at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna: paintings, golden treasure and even mummies. There are children’s audio guides and kids’ tours on Saturdays, as well as creative sessions in the studio on Sundays.

At the Albertina, art from Monet to Picasso adds up to lots of adventures for children. Interactive guided tours, creative workshops and art courses for the masters of tomorrow make art effortlessly accessible. Tip: the private Family & Friends tours.

Discover art at the Belvedere: entertaining museum tours provide inspiration for all the family, while studio sessions give visitors the chance to try out some of the techniques and materials featured in the exhibits. The popular Baby at the Museum guided tours are a real treat for new parents.

Children’s afternoons are a regular highlight at the Leopold Museum: after a whistle-stop tour that takes in some of the masterpieces in the Leopold Collection, children head to the LEO kids studio where they can paint, draw, model things in clay and try out all of their other arts and crafts skills.

The mumok – museum of modern art presents modern and contemporary art through various hands-on activities, including children’s workshops, a Sunday studio for all the family, a studio course and at the Scratch Lab where numerous digital works of art first see the light of day.

Young visitors can also get involved at the MAK - Museum of Applied Arts – where the MAK4Family, Mini MAK Tour and MAK Design Kids sessions all follow a participative line. At the MAK, children gain a three-dimensional feel for the history, present and future of art, handcraftsmanship and design.

Other tips:

Mozarthaus Vienna: museum experience centered around the historic Mozart apartment on the first floor.
Jewish Museum Vienna: family program every Sunday
Weltmuseum Wien: treasure trove for budding explorers. Packed schedule including painting, design, improv, and fun and games.
Architekturzentrum Wien (Az W): monthly Archikids workshop
Imperial Treasuries: discover glittering, fascinating and wonderful items with the kids audio guide
Theater Museum: theater kids afternoon with costumes, performances and modeling stage sets.

Tips for a family day out in Vienna courtesy of Adia, host of the VIENNA/NOW Youtube Series: https://wien.info/en/recommendations/a-day-in-vienna-with-the-family-410832

All the latest kids schedules can also be found in the Event Database at www.vienna.info: https://events.wien.info/en/

Addresses:

ZOOM, MuseumsQuartier, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna, www.kindermuseum.at
Museum of Science and Technology, Mariahilfer Strasse 212, 1140 Vienna, www.technischesmuseum.at
Schloss Schönbrunn Children's Museum, Schönbrunner Schlossstrasse, 1130 Vienna, www.kindermuseumschoenbrunn.at
House of Music, Seilerstätte 30, 1010 Vienna, www.hausdermusik.com
Museum of Illusions, Wallnerstrasse 4, 1010 Vienna, https://museumderillusionen.at
Museum of Natural History Vienna, Maria-Theresien-Platz, 1010 Vienna, www.nhm-wien.ac.at
Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna (Art History Museum), Maria-Theresien-Platz, 1010 Vienna, www.khm.at
Albertina, Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Vienna, www.albertina.at
Belvedere, Prinz-Eugen-Strasse 27, 1030 Vienna, www.belvedere.at
Leopold Museum, MuseumsQuartier, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna, www.leopoldmuseum.org
mumok - museum of modern art ludwig foundation vienna, MuseumsQuartier Vienna, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna, www.mumok.at
MAK - Museum of Applied Arts, Stubenring 5, 1010 Vienna, www.mak.at
Mozarthaus Vienna, Domgasse 5, 1010 Vienna, www.mozarthausvienna.at
Jewish Museum Vienna, Dorotheergasse 11, 1010 Vienna, www.jmw.at
Weltmuseum Wien, Heldenplatz, 1010 Vienna, www.weltmuseumwien.at
Architekturzentrum Wien (Az W), MuseumsQuartier, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna, www.azw.at
Imperial Treasuries, Hofburg, Schweizerhof, 1010 Vienna, www.kaiserliche-schatzkammer.at
Theater Museum, Lobkowitzplatz 2, 1010 Vienna, www.theatermuseum.at