Fast Fox Guides | Vienna Natural History Museum
Our quick review and tips for the best experience.
Quick Tips
- Best Exhibits: The small fossils/gemstones, the taxidermy of the bit cats and bears, and the dinos.
- There’s a discount for groups of 15+ , and kids ages up to 18 get in for free
- Open late till 8pm , but closed on Tuesdays. Plan for 2–3 hours to visit the museum without rushing through the exhibits.
Last week, my wife, Julia, and I left Hungary for a mini-vacation to Vienna. We have two more posts coming from that soon too.
Featuring:
- Vienna “Camera Street”
- Prater Historial Amusement Park
Now, don’t let our adult bodies fool you; deep down, we’re just big kids. So, when we discovered that a natural history museum with dinosaurs existed in that city, it was a no-brainer.
The museum’s exterior was nothing short of a masterpiece, flaunting grand architecture with intricate detailing that begged us to come inside.
After paying the 15 euro entrance fee, we stepped into the museum’s first exhibit, and immediately, Julia was captivated by the gemstone collection. She eagerly used their interactive kiosk to search for her favorite rocks and even looked up gems from her own hometown.
The museum’s curation did not disappoint; it was an assemblage of many different time periods and biological diversities, deserving of accolades.
True, I had hoped for a dinosaur extravaganza like a prehistoric theme park, but the few skeletons that were on display were of such high quality that they made me appreciate the quality over quantity approach. I got a pretty neat photo of the triceratops skull. Pic below.
Yet, as enthusiastic as we were, our spirits were a bit dampened by the sheer number of little adventurers roaming the exhibits. Their enthusiasm was great to see, but, alas, their constant movements made capturing the perfect shot or fully immersing ourselves in the exhibits feel a bit difficult.
This isn’t a dig against the museum, more against the current generation of parents , because I swear when I was growing up that we weren’t allowed to just run around like insane creatures.
I said before that we are giant kids ourselves inside, but, we are well behaved kids, not heathens. Geez.
I suppose my yearning for solitude in a public museum is a niche desire, as the museum’s structure generally provided ample space for all visitors to roam freely, even if we did have to share the wonder with the next generation.
Julia, with her ever-observant eye, noted that the exhibits were cleverly designed to attract and engage both young minds and the young-at-heart. So that’s something to be praised. An information rich display that is also engaging for children and adults alike is a pretty great thing
Oh, but the heat! The unfortunate absence of (I assume) a functional air conditioning in the museum was brutal in some rooms. Vienna’s summer heat wasn’t particularly bad that day, but the interior of the museum was still very stuffy and hot, hotter than what seemed to match the other high standards of the museum.
By the time we reached the halfway point, we kinda wished we were already done.
But, despite these challenges, the museum’s redeeming qualities were insight everywhere you looked. Interactive elements scattered throughout the exhibits offered unique and entertaining experiences for visitors of all ages. Also, the kids weren’t a problem of the museum itself, and the heat issues seemed like a fluke event.
And let’s not forget the pricing; a mere 15 euros per person was more than fair.
All in all, our visit to Vienna’s Natural History Museum was a curious blend of excitement, sweat, and childlike wonder.
Oh and in one of the bird rooms…there are multiple bird rooms…we discovered that there are way too many brown species of birds. Like, we could probably lose half of them and be set for another billion years. (Joking, don’t @ me)
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