This is a reminiscing of a trip we took in November 2019 that I never got around to blogging about at the time. In November the kids (then 6.5 and almost 4) and I met up with friends from our time in Cairo in Vienna, Austria for a long weekend. DD’s best friend came with her younger sister and mom. We had a great time!

We stayed in a great AirBnB in a great location (it was this one). Two full bedrooms (each with a king and a twin). One of the bedrooms then had a tiny room off of it that had a twin bunk bed and a dresser. It also had a large living room/dining room combo, a kitchen table nook, the kitchen, and 2 bathrooms. The bathrooms were unique because each bathroom had a shower (one also had a tub) and sink. Then the two toilets were separate from the bathrooms. It worked great for getting ready in the morning!

The kids and I arrived a day before our friends. We checked in, and then wandered around Vienna. Our forecast, unfortunately, was fairly cloudy and wet and cold. We did stop at Rudolfspark Spielplatz (a cute neighborhood playground) to play a bit.

Our second day, the kids and I went to Haus der Musik (House of Music)–a fascinating museum focused on music. The kids in particular loved the musical stairs (like playing a keyboard while going up and down the stairs) and some of the computer stations where we could design music. They also liked some of the giant instruments.

We also went into St. Stephen’s Cathedral, a Gothic-era cathedral. Going into the back area was free. To go around the full cathedral there was a cost. We stayed in the back as little kids and quiet spaces don’t always go well together!

At the end of our outing, we checked out the playground at Stadtpark. It was fun with lots of wooden climbing options. The park itself has lots of walking paths, water features, ducks, and more.

Then there was a joyous reunion between my daughter and her best friend!

The next day was Saturday and we took the Subway to Children’s Museum Schönbrunn Palace. It was such a creative, hands-on museum! The first room was a dress up room with tons of costumes for littles through adults so we could look like Viennese Royalty. There were thrones and horses to pose on.

Other rooms included old-styled, royal toys, a wig hair decorating station, royal table setting, and more. I would have really enjoyed it, had I not started coming down with the stomach bug that had hit DS the night before we departed for Vienna. He had gotten over it so fast (like in 6 hours), that I thought it was food poisoning. Except that 2.5 days later, I got it. Let me tell you, throwing up in the trash can of a museum is not fun!

I bailed and took DS. But then last minute DD decided she wasn’t feeling great and would come too. She then threw up in the taxi ride back to the AirBnb. Luckily I had a bag with me. Taking care of a sick kid when you yourself are sick is horrible. Talk about will power!

By the late afternoon I was feeling fine (if weak) again. DD felt better again that same day as well. I tell you, it was the fastest bug we ever had.

So on Sunday we all went to the Museum of Natural History and wandered some of the halls. The kids really liked the fancy gems, the moving robot dinosaur, and the stuffed animals. The building itself was really cool itself. We had a snack in the cafe area.

After the Museum, we took a horse-drawn carriage ride. This was a splurge as they are expensive, but the kids were so excited about it!

Monday morning we headed to the 3D PicArt Museum. This isn’t really a museum so much as a place with a ton of scenes set up to look 3D that you take pictures in front of. The kids LOVED it. We got there right at opening, which gave us a lot of freedom until others started to arrive. This was DD’s favorite part of the trip.

From there we headed to Naschtmarkt and checked out the delicious and dangerous chocolate store, Schokocompany. I bought so much chocolate and we also drank delicious hot chocolate. We also found a spot for pizza and bought some souvenirs. Lots of food and shopping options!

By this point we needed a playground break! We headed over to Kinderspielplatz for some playtime. It is tree covered, so particularly good on a sunny day. DS particularly loved the play jeep.

We ended the day ice skating at Wiener Eislauf-Verein. The kids had a lot of fun, but it was pricier than we expected! We asked about the price and the cost quoted us didn’t seem so bad. But then it turned out that didn’t include skates! We paid admission, got inside, went to get skates, and then realized we had to pay again! My friend has bad ankles, so I was on the ice alone with 4 kids-none of whom could skate!

Luckily, they had an area marked off for newbies and the penguins and bears to keep them up. The kids did pretty well all things considering and had a lot of fun. So I guess it was worth the cost! There was plenty of space and not too many people.

Walking down Kärntnerstraße was nice. It is a pedestrian street with a lot of food and shopping options.

Unfortunately that night, DD’s best friend came down with the stomach bug! It was equally fast but rough!

Our last day in Vienna, the kids and I got up and departed. Our friends left later and got home just before the other daughter got the stomach bug! Talk about lucky timing.

There is so much to do in Vienna, but we only hit a bit of it! We spent a lot of time in the AirBnb as well, letting the kids play and catch up. My only real complaint for Vienna (or at least the area we were), was the lack of playgrounds. Yes, there were some, but not as many as say Budapest, where we passed them practically on every corner–great for a quick burning of energy and break from sightseeing!

If you go in November, check for Christmas Market timing. We went the week before Christmas markets it turns out and we really wished we’d waited a week.