Last Friday, I opted to divide and conquer with the day’s activities. There’s something special (AND EASIER!) about taking one child at a time. You can give them your full attention and lean into what interests them most.
For the last year or so, Belle has been fascinated with true crime/criminology (she’s considering a career in law). So when I learned there was a museum dedicated entirely to crime in Vienna, it immediately went on my “look-into-this” list.
Eventually getting bumped up to: my Let’s Go! list.
The two of us ended up visiting the Vienna Crime Museum, and fair warning: it’s definitely off the beaten path. This is not one of Vienna’s polished, mainstream museums. If you’re looking for high-quality and modern exhibits, this isn’t going to deliver. (Also, this may be a given, but if true crime isn’t your thing, I’d also recommend skipping this museum.) But if you’re okay with more obscure spots and enjoy true crime, both Belle and I would recommend adding this to your itinerary.
Is the Vienna Crime Museum Kid-Friendly?
I was very glad I didn’t bring Indy along. The exhibits became increasingly graphic with real crime scene photos from local crime cases and they could definitely be disturbing to younger kids.
We paid the entrance fee (€12.50 for adults, €6.50 for kids under 16; they did accept cards), plus extra for two English audioguides (€2.50/each; you can’t really “share” an audioguide in this setting). In my opinion, the audioguide is a must. Most of the signage is in German, and without the audioguide I would have gotten maybe 10% out of the experience?
The museum walks you chronologically through crime and punishment in Vienna—from medieval justice systems all the way to modern cases and how they were solved. It’s gritty, a bit eerie, and very detailed.
One of the more surprising things I learned: Vienna was once a hub for criminology! I always love little nuggets of trivia and this one gets bonus points. There was a major police headquarters at Elisabethpromenade (may I direct your attention to the “s”), and it even left its mark on language—“in der Liesel” (in the Lizzy) became slang for being in police custody!
Interpol was founded in Vienna (by Johann Schober).
The museum itself is housed in a historic building in the former Jewish quarter. The structure dates back several centuries and used to be a residential building. Like many places in the area, it carries layers of history tied to Vienna’s Jewish community before World War II. There are creaky floors, tight staircases, and it is not at all modernized. With that in mind, please note this museum is most definitely not stroller- or wheelchair-friendly.
It took us a few hours to see all the exhibits, and we both agreed it had been a great way to spend the morning.
After that, we walked over to Maria am Gestade—one of the oldest churches in Vienna—which was… closed. Womp, womp. But we stumbled across an interesting statue, so the trek wasn’t a total loss.
We all regrouped at the Airbnb for a bit. I got some work done, John and Indy decided to walk (their choice!) to our evening activity, and I took public transit—arriving just a few minutes ahead of them, which gave me enough time to grab tickets. (Belle happily stayed home to enjoy some quiet alone time.)
Our destination: Haus des Meeres (“House of the Sea”), Vienna’s aquarium.
On weekday evenings (Monday–Friday), they offer reduced admission—€16 instead of €23 for adults—which we were more than happy to take advantage of. I got there around 5:15 and there was already a line forming. Nothing like a good deal to bring people out. (Kids are always €9.50, regardless of the time.)
Note: You can’t buy these reduced admission tickets in advance/online.
John has been to aquariums all over the world, and he was especially impressed with this one. It’s built inside a converted WWII flak tower, and the layout makes it easy to get close to the animals. Everything felt clean, well-maintained, and thoughtfully designed, with spacious enclosures.
The animals were active, and the layout was very accessible.
We had a great time.
The “star of the show” is the resident sea turtle. Puppi was adopted by a lady on vacation who spotted her in a pickle jar on a shelf destined for the fish market and bought her for about $1. She had no idea the size she would have to deal with as caretaker… Puppi is now over 1.5 m long and more than 100 kg. After years of living as a pet, she was taken in by the aquarium.
Here’s a link to the full story about Puppi.
There were monkeys right above us! No cages! So fun!
They had glass tubes running all over the aquarium with red ants scurrying between various nests and feeding habitats.
The facial expression on this fish in one of the touch tanks cracks. me. up! (Indy adores fish and was incredibly gentle.)
Note this last picture (it was on our way out of the aquarium). He forgot to pull up his sleeve and plunged his arm in fully clothed. I ended up literally wringing the water out of his sweater into a garbage can before we left.
There was so much to see! Perhaps our favourite experience was time spent with the “nibbler fish.”
You rub your hands against algae-covered rocks, and suddenly the fish swarm and start gently nibbling. It feels so strange and ticklish and was a magnet for kids (and adults).
There’s also rooftop restaurant (it looked very nice, and the views couldn’t be beat). We didn’t go inside to eat, but we did make use of the terrace to appreciate the city views at night. It’s an excellent vantage point and free with entry into the aquarium!
Downstairs, there’s a great, easily-accessible coat room. You can pay to rent a locker, but there’s also plenty of free spots to hang/leave things like coats, strollers and umbrellas. (Guess which option we went with…)
Wildly different locations (crime and aquarium), but that’s part of the charm of staying in a city, I suppose. And both come highly recommended by various members of our family. From crime scenes to sea turtles… just your average day in Vienna, I suppose?
Your turn:
- If you had to pick: true crime or aquarium—where are you heading first?
- Would you stick your hands in the nibbler fish touch tank?
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I love these destinations – I went to the crime museum about 20 years ago (am I old now? Ahhhhh), and I pretty much remember it the way you described. Except there were no audio guides, but I did have a sheet with some extra explanation in English. I didn’t recommend it as I wasn’t sure you would want to take the kids there 😊
reading all your summaries does make me want to take a trip there though! Maybe next year, as we’re going to Romania anyway. It’s a good stop for a couple of days.
It was great for Belle, but definitely glad I didn’t take Indy. It was more graphic than I was expecting.
Vienna is SUCH a beautiful city!
That aquarium is a beautiful building!
I would take aquarium over crime if I had to pick one. Though I do not touch fish- I’ll leave that for braver souls. Howeve, the crime poster with ears- is that for criminal identification- is that part of the Bertillon method?
Isn’t nice to be able to leave one kid in the spot to chill; responsible teens have some big advantages from a parenting point of view.
Yes! The ear lobes were a way to ID criminals and it always had to be taken from the right side!
Splitting up adventures so it was one-on-one was blissful.
Belle had the time of her life that day! A deep dive into her favorite subject at a very unique place! Getting the house all to herself at night!!!
If I knew nothing else about it and was by myself I would probably chose the aquarium. But if I had to chose between going to the crime museum with Belle or the aquarium with Indy I would absolutely go with Belle to see her life her best life.
I love doing things one on one with kids – that way each kid gets full attention plus some down time to relax.
You and Belle would have had the BEST time at the crime museum.
oooh! Both look very cool in such different ways. How nice to have one on one time with each of the kids!
They’re practically saints when they’re on their own with a parent. Together… things can fall apart 🙂
I love both those options! I think your day (crime in the a.m., aquarium in the p.m.) is the best of both worlds! I would definitely stick my hand in there! The petting tanks for rays are my favorites. I went to Hawaii a long time ago and we were snorkeling and had bought little bags of food. I didn’t realize the bags disintegrate in the water and was carrying it down by my side as I walked out. I was surrounded by fish running into my legs and feet and I really freaked out! The people on the shore must have thought I was ridiculous as I screamed and started jumping around!!! But, if I am expecting the fish, I am fine with it. This trip seems so good from day-to-day! Thanks for sharing.
I touched sting rays at Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto and it was AMAZING!!!!
I would have lost my mind with fright with your fish story. Eeks. I definitely would have screamed.
Both places hold zero appeal for me. My two favorite photos were the statue and the teeny starfish (and Indy is awfully cute in all the photos.) As always thank you for taking the time to share in detail.
The starfish were ADORABLE!
I’m really having trouble commenting lately! I think it’s my laptop going berserk. Both of these seem fascinating- I want to say my first choice would be the crime museum, but this aquarium seems extra special. I love that you got a chance to do something with each kid that they really loved (and that you enjoyed both things as well!)
I think it might be me site; I’m sorry!! Argh. I am hopeless with knowing how to troubleshoot these sorts of things.