Munich vs Vienna?

Dana, they're both great cities with much to see and do. I would vote for Vienna, as the central core area is very walkable and jammed with museums, palaces, churches, and historic sights.

Hi Dana, both are good choices. If you happen to go to Munich, a fun activity would be Mike's Bike Tours. We really liked the laid back tour, saw interesting sites with some history explained, and enjoyed biking through the English Park.

Dana I forgot to mention that last time I looked, Austrian Air flew direct from Dulles airport in the US to Vienna, making it easy to start there.

That's a matter of taste. I would travel to Vienna, because the historical contexts.

I've not traveled to either city with a child but from what I saw I think Munich may be a better choice with more to interest an 8 year old, unless of course he's terribly interested in royal palaces and architecture. I think the Englischer Garten in Munich would have more of interest for a young boy than the formal gardens of Vienna and the Deutsches Museum could certainly entertain a young man if it's rainy. The viktualienmarkt is fun and the Hofbrauhaus is quite family friendly and fun for youngsters. Now, don't you Vienna lovers jump on me, I love Vienna too and I'm sure there are plenty of child friendly places there too. My vote would still be Munich though unless you're talking about Oktoberfest time this year, not worth the hassle.

I would prefer Vienna. The same discussion was here not that long ago. Try to look for it.

Thanks, everyone! Ilja, I did see a post about chosing between the two cities, but the one I saw was written by a 40 year old man who was interested in people watching. I wanted to throw the question about again since we were coming from a different perspective in traveling with a young boy. I love hearing everyone's thoughts! Keep it coming!

Hi,

Given this choice of either city with the little boy, I would choose Vienna, mainly for the historical and cultural reasons as regards to the music...Beethoven's Haus, the same with Haydn, Mahler, Strauss, Schubert, Mozart. I like Munich too in the same light and would recommend that but if it's between these two, and a choice between the two has to be made because of the time constraint, then it's Vienna.

In the context of traveling with an 8 year old, I would choose Munich, simply because you could spend the first night recovering from jetlag at Therme Erding, which is 10 minute taxi ride from the airport.

I think you will have more flight options flying into MUC than into Vienna.

There is an awful lot to see in Munich and it's surrounding area. I was tentatively planning a trip to include Vienna several years ago, but I opted out because I couldn't find enough in Vienna I wanted to see. Went to Hallstatt and Innsbruck instead.

Eight year olds have individual tastes. Vienna has a zoo (Tiergarten) at Schönbruin palace if that would strike his fancy. My daughter (then much younger than 8) was fascinated by ornate church interiors. Many kids would just like a chance to play in a park, of which both cities have plenty. Both cities have plenty of public transportation, rides on subway might interest an eight year old.

I would not select Vienna or Munich if I was focused on the delights of an 8 year old. Vienna has culture and Munich biergartens. I found Munich friendlier but that might be me. I might think about castles for an 8 year old boy, but I do not know his taste. Pretty nice walk up to the castle in Landshut near Munich. Salzburg has an impressive castle and plenty of those tourist traps that you want to avoid.

Landshut:
https://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Other-2/April-2014-Landshut

Dana, you know YOUR 8-year-old boy. What does he like to do at home ? Where have you travelled as a family, and what worked?

Maybe visiting a place you and/or your husband already know would be a good introduction to European travel so you can point out places you already like -- and discover child-friendly places that might pique his interest while interesting you as well.

I have been to both cities and Vienna is full of history and music,out of town you could day trip to Melk to see the Abbey going by boat and returning by Train,your son would probably like the trip as well as the Abbey.Munich offers the Deutsches Museum and the Museum of Transportation which would be child friendly.I would classify it this way Munich for fun and Vienna for History and Culture.
Mike

Thanks to you all! Honestly, he is a great traveler and enjoys seeing the sights in every place we've been. He can do museums for limited amounts of time (a half-day at best), but I think he would love the castles! I'm looking forward to introducing him to trains, as he's never been on one in the states. I will definitely be looking for parks just for some open play time (and will probably be on a hunt for a store where we can buy a ball!). At this point, my husband is thinking we should do a future combined trip to Berlin/Munich when our son is a bit older, as it is so rich with history that he would be learning in school at some point, so we may choose Vienna this time around for that reason alone. As for knowing my son and trying to incorporate what may work for him, as soon as Rick Steves lays out a "Sports Tour through Europe", we'll have the winning itenerary!!! :)

Show him some youtube videos and let him help choose!

Hi Dana,
Our family has gone to both cities with a 10 year old boy and 15 year old girl several years ago. Both cities were great for them. Our son especially enjoyed Munich more. We did a walking tour, rented bikes and a soccer match in Munich.

We also did a day trip to Rothenburg. Kids loved it and we took them to the medieval torture museum. That would be up to you parents on going in there. Check it out in Rick's book. We also stopped a summer luge ride - spent a few hours there. Also in Rick's Germany book.
Our daughter loved both places, but she enjoyed the palaces and art museum more.
So, I am voting for Munich.

Dana, if your son likes cars the BMW-Welt (museum) in Münich is interesting and for a nice view nearby Olympiaturm (tower).

I am a big fan of Munich. If you go, be sure to see the surfers near the Englischer Garten. To me, Munich is, as people say, a big city that has the feel of a smaller village. Vienna is nice, but I prefer Munich. If you do go to Vienna, try to catch the Royal Lipizzan horses practicing. It's a bit of fiasco to get in, but your 8 year old might like it.

If he loves castles then why not forget the big cities and rent a car and do a castle tour. That was the premise for a trip with my 11 year old grandson a few years ago. We did neuschwanstein, Rothenberg , Salzburg, and any castle we could find along the way. He loved it.
If you have to pick one of the cities I do prefer Munich, but sure you will have a great time in either.

If your 8-year-old likes cars, bicycles, motorcycles and/or trains, by all means take him to the Verkehrszentrum in Munich, the ground-based-transportation branch of Deutsches Museum. For things with wings, take the S1 to Oberschleißheim, and walk 10 minutes to the Museum's aviation branch, Flugwerft Schleißheim. There's even a terrific toy museum in the Old Town Hall right on Marienplatz.

Either city is fun. My vote would be Munich--but if you're doing a future trip to Berlin and Munich, Vienna is fine, too. Salzburg and the surrounding lakes are another good choice. You can easily spend a couple of weeks in Munich and never run out of things there or in surrounding towns.

I would vote for Vienna. I went for a week with my family when I was 8 and I absolutely loved all the palaces and parks. And I remember thinking that the natural history museum was cool as well as the Imperial Treasury. For an 8 year old (and I'm sure for an adult) all of those glittering jewels in the treasury were fascinating!

I love both cities, but with a young child, to me, hands down Munich would be more fun! We always stay at the Platzl because it is so central to many things in Munich!

You won't lose on either city, but Munich with a young child, would be my favorite hands down.

I find it hard to believe that anyone would chose Munich over Vienna. It's really not even close. Vienna is one the world's great cities, once the center of a great empire. Munich is a fairly middling second city.

I agree but I am afraid they are already back from their trip.

Hello All! Yes, Ilja, we are back! We ended up going to Vienna (with an impromptu trip to Salzburg). We all three loved it! My son really enjoyed the city! We took him to the Haus der Muzik, the Opera (for a tour, not a show), the Lippizaner Stallions show, the Hofburg Palace, Schonbrunn Palace, and so much more! Before the trip, he read the kids' biographies (from the "Who Was?" series) on Mozart, Beethoven, and Marie Antoinette, and he was so excited to see the books come to life before his eyes. He loved trying new food and learning to speak a few phrases in German. It truly was a remarkable trip. The best part for me was seeing how great our son handled the trip (I wasn't sure how he would handle the time difference, language differences, new foods, etc) -- on our second to last day, the only question he asked was what country we would visit on our next trip! Even though we went with Vienna this time, Munich is on our list for a future trip. Thanks to you all for your input!