Austria

Holidays by Destination Europe Austria Out and About 

The imposing abbey of Melk, easily reached by train, in the fine Wachau valley.
Durnstein where Richard Lionheart was imprisoned, also in the Wachau valley.
The 100-year-old wine town of Krems, considered the prettiest in the area.
Baden bei Wien a spa town with no specific attractions but reachable by tram and offering plenty of open space.
Eisenstadt, known for its Haydn connection plus the Esterhazy castle and old Jewish quarter.
Klosterneuburg and its Augustinian monastery founded in the 12th century.

Activities

Hire bicycles and explore for example the Ringstrasse sightseeing cycle route. There are also three-hour sightseeing tours May to September. tel: 729 72 34. Pedal Power Cycle hire will bring your bike to the hotel for you tel: 729 7234. Children's bikes should be bookable.
Ride round the Ringstrasse by tram. Vintage tram tours depart from Otto-Wagner-Pavillon Karlsplatz Saturdays and Sundays.
From end January to mid February the Rathausplatz is turned into an ice rink including an afternoon children's disco

Within Adult Points of Interest

The tower of St Stephen's Cathedral. Children can count the steps to the watchman's lookout.The Breugels in the Kunsthistorischesmuseum with details of daily life. A classic example is the Children's Games painting. The Karlskirche - the city's finest baroque church, the interior particularly designed to impress, so may produce a reaction.The Hundertwasserhaus, the idiosyncratically entertaining building by the architect who thinks flat floors are for machines. Nearby is his similar KunstHausWien which stages art exhibitions.Children's tours of the Schonbrunn Palace, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

Educational but Fun

City Walks for children from 7 years, tel: 544 9668 1 1/2 hours. Adults can come along.The Uhrenmuseum (Clock Museum) which includes time pieces from candles to the world's smallest pendulum clock. But there is little backing information.Strassenbahnmuseum (Tram Museum) with model tram railway in the ticket office. No climbing on board. The Ankeruhr clock which at noon has a set of 12 figures processing across the clock dial. Nearby are medieval frescoes some showing snowball fighting, a ball game, dancing and more.

Animals

The Spanish Riding School and the antics of the Lipizzaner horses, but book tickets well in advance of your trip. Alternatives to the once or twice weekly performances are training sessions, sometimes with music.The Tiergarten at Schonbrunn, the world's oldest zoo, including beavers, wolves, polar bears and with a Streichelzoo (stroking) for children and Tirolergarten with sheep, cows and horses. Nearby are the Schmetterlinghaus (butterflies) and attractive climate controlled rooms of the Palmenhaus which claimed to be the world's largest greenhouse when built.

Parks and Open Spaces

The Prater is an extensive area of fields and woods around 4 1/2km end to end. You can get round by miniature railway or pedal carriages seating two adults and two children. The Vienna Woods surround the city to the north, west and south-west with a number of bus and tram lines ending at the start of hiking routes.Lainzer Tiergarten is the wildest of the public parks with almost no traffic allowed and no formal gardens. You may even spot wild boar, wolves and more probably deer, plus the Lipizzaner horses from the Riding School which holiday here.Lobau is a small forest southeast of the city with nude bathing at some ponds.The Old Danube, a former arm of the Danube, offers sunbathing lawns, restaurants, and fun boat rides. However, there are doubts about the quality of the water when it comes to swimming.The Danauinsel (island) offers 42km of shore with playgrounds, pubs and restaurants, boat and cycle hire and a 200m water slide at Brigittenau Bridge and a water ski lift. It is not however very pretty.

Shows

Stadhalle tel: 98 100 is the venue for all kinds of spectaculars including a horse show in November with special afternoon sessions for children and in winter a circusThe Vienna Boys' Choir may appeal to some children but book tickets well ahead.Schonbrunn Palace Marionette Theatre tel: 817 3247 offers performances of Aladdin and Mozart's Magic Flute.

For Children

The Prater includes one of Europe's longest lasting funfairs. The giant Ferris Wheel is the obvious draw with cabins large enough to include tables and chairs but there are also modern white knuckle rides and traditional attractions like dodgems and merry-go-rounds as well as a few bad taste things like a Sex Museum. The area is not the most salubrious after dark.The Puppen und Spielzeug Museum (Doll and Toy) mostly of all kinds of dolls. Teddybaren Musem a private collection of antique bears of different types.Advent markets include the Christkindlmarkt in front of the City Hall from mid November to Christmas daily to 8pm. There are stalls selling Christmas trinkets, presents, food and Gluhwein, and entertainment from the likes of conjurers, and a merry-go-round. The Volkshalle in the City Hall becomes a Christmas workshop where children are helped to make presents.