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Vienna for an 8 year old boy?

My husnad and I are traveling to Prague this fall for business, and plan to bring our 8 year old son along on the trip. We will end our trip in Prague, but want to start in another city for 3-4 days. We are struggling with deciding between Munich and Vienna. We've never been to either city, and would love to go to both, but time won't permit on this trip. When my husband & I have traveled tp Europe, our favorite things are wandering without a purpose, taking in the culture and sights, and stopping in local shops/markets/restaurants (steering clear of tourist traps); however, this will be our first tme to travel with our son, and want to plan in a way that he will remain interested in the places we visit. Can anyone give insight on what may be the best choice, especially for a trip with an 8 year old? Vienna sounds amazing to me, but I wasn't sure if there would be much for a young boy to be excited about...

Posted by
426 posts

I have taken all three of my kids to Munich, and one to Vienna. We took a day trip to Neuschwanstein - twice with Mike's Bike Tours where you bike, ride the sommerrodelbahn, perhaps tandem paraglide, perhaps swim, and hike up the gorge to the castle, once just on a regular bus tour which was OK, but the boys definitely preferred the active trip. We also did their city bike tour which all of my kids loved - slow paced, takes a break in the Englischer Garden). In Vienna, we saw a practice at the Spanish Riding school, toured the Hoffburg and Schonbrunn and did an applestrudel making demonstration. We also took a bike tour that was far less kid-friendly (more city streets, very fast - in fact, most of the adults just dropped out halfway through.)

I am about to fly to Vienna with the youngest for a week in Austria and we will do a day biking from Melk to Krems, and I think my kids would have loved that when they were younger too (we love to bike, paddle, hike and swim and are just very outdoorsy people!)

I should add that all of the visits to Munich were at the tail end of a 20 day trip and my kids were a bit done with museums and ready to be out of doors. I think, on the whole, both cities have a lot to offer, but my kids would say they prefer Munich.

Posted by
8375 posts

Dana, when I was eight, there wasn't much that captured my interest other than toys and ice cream. In central Vienna there are the stables for the Lippinzaner stallions which we walked by a couple of times. Not sure if they have tours of it, but you could check that out.

Posted by
5362 posts

I have two boys and live in Vienna. What are your exact dates?

Some ideas in Vienna based on things my kids like to do:

  1. Eat cake at a cafe. I like Diglas and Central.
  2. Aquarium (Haus des Meeres).
  3. Zoo (obviously)
  4. Technical Museum
  5. Paddle boats in the Alte Donau or rent bikes and ride along the Donauinsel
  6. Feed the ducks at Stadtpark
  7. Zoom kindermuseum
  8. Go to a football game
  9. Haus Der Musik
  10. Cafe Neko, cat cafe
  11. Eat a schnitzel at Figlmuller
  12. Go to the top of St. Stephan's
  13. Chocolate factory tour at Heindl's
  14. The Prater
  15. The petting zoo at Cobenzl
  16. The ropes course at Waldseilpark Kahlenberg
  17. Heurigen Feuerwehr-Wagner

As for Munich, I think the surrounding areas are great for kids. Lots of farmstays (urlaub am bauernhof), Legoland, castles, mountains, Salzburg.

To me, it is city (Vienna) vs. country (Bavaria).

Posted by
26 posts

Thanks, Linda! Such a hard choice, but my husband is thinking he'd like to do a Berlin-Munich trip with our son in a few year, when he can appreciate more of the history of both cities. Because of that, we're probably leaning more toward Vienna at this point. Must make a decision by tomorrow! And thanks, Stan -- we'll definitely check out the stallions!

Posted by
26 posts

Emily, I can't thank you enough for your detailed suggestions! While my heart is tugging toward Munich and the Bavarian countryside (since we'll be going to the city of Prague as well), my husband has a good point about taking our son to a combined Berlin-Munich trip in a few years when he can appreciate the historical context of the two cities so much more.

Is there a good park where we could take him to throw a ball? He is a sports-crazy kid, and will likely need some time to just play a little. I'm also wondering if there's a place we could buy a ball (American football or just a plain ball), or if we should bring one from home?

Final question: my son is a chocoholic. BUT, he also has severe tree nut allergies (cashew, pistachio, pecan, walnut). Will we be able to find any nut-free cake/dessert options for him, or should we just plan to steer clear of the cafes? Thanks again for all of your help!!!!

Posted by
5362 posts

Is there a good park where we could take him to throw a ball? He is a sports-crazy kid, and will likely need some time to just play a little. I'm also wondering if there's a place we could buy a ball (American football or just a plain ball), or if we should bring one from home?

There are many parks, but most in the center are quite small. Let me know where you choose to stay and I can suggest one in your neighborhood. Of course, the Prater is huge and has fields and fields for miles. The Donauinsel also has fields and fields. As for buying an American football, that could be hard as it isn't very popular here. A soccer ball is no problem to find. There are sporting goods stores at the Hauptbahnhof and at Landstrasse Wien-Mitte Mall - both convenient no matter where you are in the city. You don't need to bring one from home.

Final question: my son is a chocoholic. BUT, he also has severe tree nut allergies (cashew, pistachio, pecan, walnut). Will we be able to find any nut-free cake/dessert options for him, or should we just plan to steer clear of the cafes? Thanks again for all of your help!!!!

By law, restaurants/cafes must now code food indicating ingredients that commonly cause allergies. These codes are clearly explained so is should be easy for you to avoid certain foods. Restaurant staff should be sensitive to this issue. Have a look at pages 13-17 on this document. I would try Café Central. There is always ice cream!

Posted by
26 posts

Emily, THANKS! Soccer ball -- of course! He will love that. And thanks for that document -- I am going to google translate it and go through it with a fine-tooth comb.