The Ultimate Guide to Visiting Vienna with Teens

With over 100 museums and a classical music heritage, Vienna doesn’t scream “cool vacation spot for teenage kids”. But that couldn’t be further from the truth! The Austrian Capital is a playground for dessert-loving, amusement park-riding, outdoorsy families. There are plenty of fun things to do in Vienna with teens.

We recently visited Vienna and have compiled all the best tours, day trips, quirky activities, and museums (yes, there are plenty your teens will love!) for older kids. You can enjoy the best of what Vienna has to offer while ensuring everyone has a fun, memorable vacation.

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Best Things to Do in Vienna for Teens

1. Visit Schönbrunn Palace

Vienna has three magnificent palaces from the Habsburg Empire: Schönbrunn Palace, Hofburg Palace, and Belvedere Palace. If you have the time, by all means, visit all three! But if you only have time to visit one with your teens, I recommend Schönbrunn Palace. It’s a short, 30-minute metro ride from the city center, or you can take an Uber or Bolt. 

Hofburg Palace presents stunning imperial apartments, and the Belvedere Museum has the best artworks, but Schönbrunn Palace has the wow factor. The 18th-century lavish Baroque palace was the summer home of the Habsburgs. It boasts a 400-acre garden (including a maze!) and is a certified UNESCO site.

Note: Those visiting Vienna with kids may also enjoy the Vienna Zoo, which is adjacent to the palace. Book tickets with a time slot in advance to avoid long, long lines.

2. Vienna Bike Tour

Booking a city tour is a great way to see the highlights and get your bearings on your first day. While Vienna is small enough for a walking tour, it’s also flat enough for a bike tour! With its green spaces and cycle lanes, Vienna is a cycle-friendly city, and you’ll see much more on two wheels.

Learn more about the Habsburg Empire and see some of their famous palaces. Explore the Museum Quarter and many of the city’s most iconic buildings, including the Opera House.

The minimum age for a bike ride tour is usually around 12 years old, so it’s ideal for teens. This comprehensive Vienna bike tour lasts three hours, and you’ll see a great deal!

3. Ride the World’s Oldest Ferris Wheel

Kids are never too old for fun amusement parks. Prater is an old-timey amusement park in the north of Vienna (again, accessible by metro). There are rollercoasters and the usual funfair attractions, but the pièce de résistance is the Giant Ferris Wheel.

The Viennese Giant Ferris Wheel at Prater dates back to 1897! It’s the oldest Ferris wheel in the world and is still turning.

The amusement park is free to enter, and you can pay for individual rides. Some cost as little as €3, but other rides (like the Ferris wheel) are more.

4. Museum of Natural History

You can’t visit a city world-renowned for its museums and not visit at least one or two. The Museum of Natural History is one of Vienna’s most prestigious museums in the heart of the Museum Quarter. It doesn’t hurt that the 19th-century museum building looks more like a palace!

Take your curious teens to look at fossils, dinosaur skeletons, meteorites, and gemstones. There are over 30 million specimens and artifacts, plus a digital planetarium.

One of the museum’s best exhibits is Venus of Willendorf, a 20,000-year-old Palaeolithic figure. It’s genuinely a phenomenal museum with awe-inspiring displays.

Other Museums to Visit in Vienna with Teens

The Kunsthistorisches Museum

This is one of my favorite museums in Vienna, and teens will not be disappointed! This collection spans centuries and includes Egyptian mummies, Greek and Roman antiquities, and Renaissance and Baroque Artwork. The museum itself is a work of art. Note – parents can book tickets online in advance, but children 18 and under are free.

Insider Tip: Grab groceries from a nearby store and have a picnic in the park. Two great spots are between Natural History and Kunsthistorisches museums and the Volksgarten.

Sisi Museum

I’m a huge fan of history and the Hapsburg royal family. If you haven’t seen “The Empress” on Netflix or read the book Sisi by Allison Pataki, I recommend both.

This museum has over 300 of her personal items and tells the story of her life as Empress of Austria. If your teen is a fan of royal history, this is a must. Grab your tickets here>>>

Albertina Museum

The Albertina is part of the royal palace complex and features an amazing art collection that includes Renoir, Monet, and Picasso. There’s also The Albertina Modern if you prefer that type of artwork. Grab your tickets here>>>

Belvedere

Teens visiting Vienna will find The Belvedere not only stunning in its architecture and gardens, but also inspiring in its art collection. This is their chance to see Gustav Klimt’s masterpiece The Kiss up close. The beautiful palace setting and Instagram-worthy views of the city add an extra layer of appeal for teens. If you don’t have time for the trip to Schönbrunn this is a good alternative.

Consider the Vienna Pass if you plan on visiting many museums. It includes admission to around 90 attractions plus fast-track entry!

5. Day Trip to Bratislava

If you have more than three days in your itinerary, you have time for a day trip! One of the best things about a European vacation is that you can often hop over the border and explore a new country. Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is only a one-hour drive from Vienna. Your teens will love the novelty of this fun, easy adventure.

Hop on a Slovak Rail train from Vienna’s Wien Grillgasse station. Travel less than one hour and you’ll arrive at Železničná stanica Bratislava-Petržalka station. Take a taxi ride and you’ll be in the city center in five minutes!

Head to Hlavné Námestie, the Old Town Square, for beautiful architecture. There are fun statues like Čumil the Sewer Worker and one of Napoleon. Walk up to Bratislava Castle for gorgeous views across the city and the Danube.

Eat a traditional but accessible lunch at Slovak Pub. Don’t forget to pick up a bottle of Kofola, a local alternative to Coca-Cola.

6. Eat Viennese Cakes

Vienna’s cafe culture is a cornerstone of its long, rich history. Cafes mean cakes and pastries! You and your teens won’t be able to resist taking frequent breaks in a coffee shop or five. 

Here are just some classic sweet treats you should sample during your trip to Vienna:

• Apple strudel: thin, flaky pastry filled with spiced apples
• Sacher torte: Dense chocolate cake with apricot jam
• Esterházy Torte: Almond, hazelnut, and chocolate cake
• Gugelhupf: Bundt cake flavored with mulled wine
• Cremeschnitte: Flaky vanilla custard cream pastry

If you like the sound of a Sacher torte, you must taste it at the Hotel Sacher, where it was invented in 1832! Otherwise, other historic coffee houses to visit for delicious desserts are Café Sperl, Café Central, and Café Landtmann.

7. Climb St. Stephen’s Cathedral

Everyone loves a scenic viewpoint, and the best vantage point in Vienna is St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Vienna’s medieval cathedral sits directly in the middle of the city, so you can see everything! While you have to traipse 343 steps up the South Tower, the North Tower has an elevator.

Both towers have equally great views and allow you to see the stunning mosaic roof tiles. At the end of WWII, St. Stephen’s Cathedral suffered significant fire damage. Luckily, Vienna’s medieval cathedral was painstakingly restored with colorful, patterned tiles. Take your time to explore the church too. There is a small fee to climb the towers, but the cathedral is free to explore.

8. Visit the House of Music

Austria is the birthplace of many famous composers. Mozart, Schubert, and Johann Strauss II are all Austrian, with many others like Beethoven calling Vienna home for a time. Engage your musical teens in this part of Vienna’s history by taking them to the House of Music.

This high-tech museum offers many ways for your kids to directly interact with music. Use advanced, virtual technology to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra. Play music simply by walking up a staircase and experiment with “sonotopia” (sound phenomena). Set over four floors, House of Music will engage your teens about the long history of music in a fun way.

Note: Consider a nighttime period concert if your teens are up for it. Two of our favorites are Light of Creation Votive Church and the Classical Concert at St. Peter’s Church.

9. Visit the Spanish Riding School

This is by far one of the best things to do in Vienna with teens who love animals. Vienna’s Spanish Riding School has been breeding white Lipizzaner Horses and training them in the art of classical dressage for over 450 years. UNESCO certified it as an intangible cultural heritage! This breed of horse is known for its strength and grace. You won’t see any other horse perform such complex movements.

There are two ways for you and your teens to see the horses in action. Book tickets for the one-hour morning training session. Or, splurge on tickets to see a performance right after.

In the afternoons, the Spanish Riding School hosts guided tours of their stables in the Hofburg Palace in German and English.

10. Explore Danube Island

Danube Island is a narrow, 21-km (13-mile) artificial island in the middle of the Danube River. It’s built up with lots of woodland, volleyball courts, skate parks, jetties for sailing, and cycling and hiking trails. If your teens crave outdoor adventure on your vacations, this is the perfect place to inject some nature time into your city break.

It will only take around 15 minutes on the metro to travel from Vienna city center to Donauinsel station. Take a picnic; there are so many benches and small refreshment stands! Hike out to the fun Herbert Traub installation or rent bikes from the Fahrradverleih Copa Beach shop. 

11. Kahlenberg Peak

Another way to pack in more outdoor time into your Vienna trip is to take some day hikes. Yes, Austria has lots of hills outside of the mountainous Alps region! One of the best hikes close to Vienna is the trail up Kahlenberg Peak. It is located in the 19th district of Vienna, known as Döbling, which is about an hour by public transport from the city center.

Standing at 484 m or 1,588 ft elevation, Kahlenberg is a moderately easy peak for active teens to climb. In fact, it only takes around 20 minutes to reach the top from the parking lot! Once there, you’ll have the most incredible panoramic views of the city and the Danube.

12. Watch an Opera

You wouldn’t visit Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower or Rome without eating pasta … So don’t visit Vienna without booking tickets to the opera! The Vienna State Opera, built in 1869, is a historic venue with over 350 performances every season. It’s worth booking tickets to see the opulent interiors of the opera house alone.

Don’t worry about dressing up fancy or understanding the German lyrics. The dress code is smart casual, and seats have screens that translate the action! Opera tickets can be pricey, so book in advance or line up on the day for standing-room tickets. Every show is a wonderful spectacle, and your teens won’t have seen anything else like it. 

13. Shopping on Mariahilferstrasse

One underrated (though potentially expensive) activity for you to do in Vienna with teens is shopping. It’s always fascinating to see what local stores there are in other places that you don’t have at home. Leave space in your suitcase and plan for a shopping spree with your fashion-conscious teens.

Vienna is a great place for retail therapy. Specifically, Mariahilferstrasse has lots of European brands like Peek & Cloppenburg, Pull & Bear, and DEICHMANN. This street isn’t far from the Sankt Ulrich neighborhood, where you can find vintage shops. Burggasse 24, EPD Market, and Retroschatz are large stores with lots of options. 

14. Museum of Art Fakes

Not every museum has to be educational. Some museums are fun for the sake of fun, and they’re sure to be hits with your teens! One of Vienna’s quirkiest museums has to be the Museum of Art Fakes. Yes, this museum literally displays incredibly well-made counterfeit artworks and the stories behind their forgeries.

Some examples are artworks by Han van Meegeren, who was a known forger of Johannes Vermeer paintings. Konrad Kujau wrote fake Hitler diaries, and British forger Eric Hebborn ripped off the paintings of Old Masters. If you’ve visited other art museums in Europe, you’ll have to compare the fake to the original!

15. Eat at Naschmarkt

As the largest food market in Vienna, Naschmarkt has over 120 vendors combining local and international cuisine.

Some stalls sell fresh produce and souvenirs, but there are lots of little cafés and restaurants too. Manner sweet shop sells traditional Viennese wafers, while Käsehütte sells local cheeses.

Cafe Do-An is a favorite local spot for a light breakfast or lunch, while Nautilus is an upmarket seafood restaurant for a nice dinner. If you are in a family of foodies and want to eat all the best dishes, book a Naschmarkt food tour.

16. Schmetterlinghaus Butterflies

Older kids are probably not interested in spending much time in zoos, but Schmetterlinghaus is a little different. It’s an Art Nouveau palm house (a fancy green house) filled with tropical rainforest flowers. It also happens to be home to hundreds and hundreds of butterflies. Try and spot all 40 species!

As the butterfly house is next to Hofburg Palace and Burggarten, it’s a peaceful break from the bustle of the city. Visit earlier in the day, as the paths are narrow and it’s a better experience with fewer people.

17. See the Hundertwasser House

Creative teens who love art and visiting quirky spots can’t miss the Hundertwasser House. It’s a little outside the city center, but it’s just a 20-minute tram or metro ride. Or, you could take a relaxing stroll along the Donau Kanal to reach this house. There’s lots of cool street art here too; a great place to take your artist teens!

Hundertwasser House looks like an Antoni Gaudí apartment block taken over by nature. Built in 1985, this building has an earth-covered roof, trees growing in the rooms, and a patchwork façade. Its vibrant, mosaic tiles and unorthodox building materials ensure there are no straight lines.

The house’s popularity led to the development of Hundertwasser Village next door in 1991. Visit the Hundertwasser Museum to see designs and paintings by the mastermind, Friedensreich Hundertwasser. It’s a super fun, off-the-beaten-path place just up the street from the apartments.

18. Have an unforgettable Viennese meal

You can’t visit Vienna and not have a traditional experience! We highly recommend seeking out a restaurant that serves traditional Wiener schnitzel (Figlmüller, Wiener Wiaz Haus, and Lugeck are good options, just be sure to make reservations). Another idea is to have a meal in a local beer garden (we like Stockl im Park near The Belvedere and Ef16 in the First District).

19. Waltzing lessons

If your teens aren’t easily embarrassed, consider taking group or private waltzing lessons. You can take private family waltzing lessons or as part of a group.

20. Hallstatt Small Group Day Trip

A day trip to Hallstatt from Vienna is a perfect escape for families with teens. The drive through the Austrian countryside offers breathtaking lake and mountain views.

In Hallstatt, teens will love exploring the charming lakeside village, learning about its salt mining history, and snapping photos of its postcard-perfect scenery. Options like a boat ride or a visit to the Skywalk add just the right amount of adventure.

Plan a Vacation in Vienna with Teens

Vienna will win over any teen with its beautiful palaces, fascinating museums, and quirky attractions. It’s a walkable, beautiful city with great public transport options for everyone to explore with ease.

You might pack your itinerary with museums and palaces. Or, you may prefer a relaxed pace, hopping between coffee shops and eating as many cakes as possible! Whatever your ideal European vacation, there are tons of things to do in Vienna for teens to enjoy the trip too.