BetsyG

We are planning a 10 day trip to Vienna & Salzburg late May - early June. Looking for ideas of hotels, restaurants, activities for parents & 3 kids - ages 15, 9 & 9. Only big priority is seeing Lippazaners. Any suggestions for parks to hang out in while Mom & Dad enjoy Viennese coffee would be great!

LaurenSKahn

You can go whitewater rafting outside Imst in the Tyrol. You go through the Imster Schluct (Gorge of the Imst). It is great fun. You do have to wear wet suits.

The only problem is that I am not sure if your 9 year olds will meet the age restriction. My son was 13 when I went with him and I do not recall what the age limit was. I assume there was one.

chris1234

First, you wont have trouble finding a good coffee and dessert shop in Vienna. The first thing you should do is buy DK Eyewitness Travel - Vienna or Austria if they have one. Make sure you check the info on The Lippazaners. They were not showing when I was there. There is a website that will help you get tickets and give times. If you are spending 5 days in Vienna its probably too much time but you will have plenty of time to see everything. You might consider taking the train 3 hours to Budapest for a couple days. A few suggestions: A Danube river cruise to Melk. Beautiful and well done. 3/4 day. You must do the tour at the Royal Palace. 1/2 day There are numerous gardens and fountains there. Its a good hike to see it all but worth it. The train takes you right there. Also, the catacombs underneath the cathedral are a must. check inside the cathedral for tour times. it can be confusing and the signs are not easy to see but keep asking and you will find it. Stay near the ring with easy access to everything in the city center. I stayed at the marriott and it was a 10 minute walk to the centre. try food recommendations from the book. they are usually up to date. cant help on salzburg.

TravelBug16

If your family is into classic musicals, take the Sound of Music tour out of Salzburg. You visit all the major sights seen in the movie and your kids will enjoy the hill slide along the way. Have fun.

resipsaloquitur

If you have not already made reservations for the Spanish Rding School performance, you should do so immediately. Good luck.

I'm going only going to mention things which might appeal to kids

Almost every restaurant in Austria has an "eiskarte" - an ice cream menu which lists elaborate multi-scoop, multi-sauce concoctions; there are even ice-cream parlors which specialize in these things. And of course, there are the pastries....

In Vienna, kids might enjoy the Prater amusement park with the famous ferris wheel. Schonnbrun is not just the palace - there's also a small but nice zoo with aquarium, a desert habitat house, a carriage museum, fountains, a tropical greenhouse, and extensive gardens with a maze and labyrinth. Some (though not all) kids might find the fantastic-looking Hundertwasser Haus kind of neat, as well as the undulating floors and bright colors of the nearby Kunsthaus Wien. In the same vein, the Doll and Toy musuem might appeal to some kids. The Schatzkammer (Treasure Chamber)in the Hofburg has eye-popping imperial crowns and other jewels and plus shiny gold treasures which might appeal to some kids. I beleive there is a children's museum at the Museumquartier.

If you visit the Mirabel Gardens in Salzburg, don't miss the odd Zwergl Garden off to one side (up some steps near the Pegasus fountain). Kids will have a total blast at the famous "trick water gardens" at Schloss Hellbrun on outskirts of Salzburg (can get there by bus). There is also a zoo just down the road, though I can't comment on it since I haven't been there. Lots of water sports at the Konigsee at Berchtesgaden (20 minutes from Salzburg) and the Austrian Lake District (maybe an hour from Salzburg). In these areas, can also take cable car rides up mountains for spectacular views (such as Zwolferhorn in St. Gilgen - don't know if you want to take kids to Eagle's Nest - view is mind-boggling but associations are grim) Also in these resort areas look into "summer luge" rides (I can't recall the German word) - it's tobaggooning down a twisting slide course adapted for warm weather fun.

Don't know if your kids would like this kind of thing, but in both Vienna and Salzburg, there are tourist-oriented concerts which feature popular selections by Mozart played by oechestras dressed in 18th century period costume.

Bird

You and your kids would probably enjoy a salt mine tour. There is one close to Salzburg (can't remember the name) as well as Berchtesgaden or one near Hallstatt.

jbella

I think resipsaloquitur has some good suggestions. Regarding the Lippizaners, June is standing room only. I believe there may be a couple of dates in May with seating available. I suggest you make advance reservations on their website: www.spanische-reitschule.com
It is also possible to but tickets for the morning rehearsals. In addition to the other suggestions, I think the Natural History Museum is a great place to spend the day. Are you driving? If you are going south of Salzburg I would suggest stoping at the castle at Werfen. It was the best in Austria and has falconeers and great birds.
Hope you have a great trip!

bettyk

You might enjoy the Donau Insel and the Donauturn (Tower) and Park in Vienna. It's a nice place that most tourists don't see. Here's a website link:

http://www.talkingcities.co.uk/vienn...hts_alpha5.htm

This website also has details about some of the other sights in Vienna mentioned above.

zootsi

If you and your children enjoy bicycling, the bike trails along the Danube just outside Vienna are some of the best in Europe. There are flat, paved, bikes only trails that wind through vinyards, past old churches and castles and thru tiny villages. We rented bikes at the Danube ferry in Wiesenkirchen (a beautiful village). They were sturdy and easy to ride , and were quite inexpensive to rent.
Of course in Salzburg you will not want to miss visiting the impressive castle that overlooks the city. Strolling around in the parklike grounds above the city is also a nice outing.

bugswife1

Perfect for kids: Zoo at Schonnbrun,
Marrionette Show anywhere, The Prater!Zoo at Salzburg (completely different than the one in Vienna), and Hellbrun--my husband and I had a ball there.

BetsyG

Thanks for all the info! This is an amazing source of information. In regards to the Lippizaners, I was thinking of getting standing room only tickets. Is a performance that much better than a practice session? Any thoughts? Was also thinking of taking the ferry on the danube. We are planning on traveling by train (more adventure for us) and doing some day trips out of Salzburg & Vienna.

Any suggestions for restaurants or hotels?

Grcxx3

We've spent a good bit of time in both Salzburg and Vienna with our kids. Here are some thoughts...

Saltzburg...

This was definitley our favorite of the two - it was smaller, easier to get around, and less "big city." The pedestrian shopping area in the old part of town was great. Look for the "egg shop" - incredible hollowed-out eggs painted with an infinite number of designs. I believe it is on Judengasse - toward Mozartplatz. My kids also liked the tour of Hohensalzburg Fortress, the Marionette Theatre, and the Salt Mine tour. We were there in the winter so we skipped the Sound of Music tour. Favorite eating spot - Il Sol italian restaurant in the shadow of the mountain on Gstattengasse. Yeah - I know - it's Italian - but the the kids LOVED the pizza and we loved the other italian dishes and the wine menu!

Vienna...

We took our kids to the Lippinzaner show but they really didn't enjoy it that much -can't tell you why. But they really liked the Arms and Armoury museum, the Natual History museum, and they LOVED the labyrinth and maze at Schoennburg Palace. We ate at a variety of places, but wherever we went - the Vienner schnitzl was the food of choice!

BetsyG

GRxx3 - Thanks for the info! My kids are picky eaters so I was thinking we would look for Italian restaurants. Any specific restaurants in Vienna? Also, which salt mine tour have you gone on? We have 2 tickets to the Lippizaners, my daughter loves horses & does dressage. The others might like the Arms & Armory Museum meanwhile. I will see if it is open on Sunday. Also planning to do one day on the Danube to Melk.

Grcxx3

I have one picky and one adventurous eater - so chosing a restaurant spot can be fun! There was a very good italian place (we went there 3 times!) in the pedestrian area of Vienna near the Stephendom. Let me go back over my notes for food and entertainment stuff. E-mail me at [email protected] and I'll give you more info. Glad to be of help!