• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • About
    • About Us
      • Work With Us
      • Media/Press Kit
      • The Travel Blogger Influencers Network (#TBIN)
    • Disclosure Policy
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Morocco
      • South Africa
    • Asia
      • China
      • India
      • Japan
      • The Philippines
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Denmark
      • France
      • Greece
      • Germany
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • The Netherlands
      • United Kingdom
    • Middle East
      • Jordan
      • Oman
      • UAE
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Caribbean
      • Mexico
      • USA
        • Alabama
        • Alaska
        • Arizona
        • California
        • Connecticut
        • Florida
        • Louisiana
        • Massachusetts
        • Maryland
        • Minnesota
        • Nevada
        • New York
        • New Jersey
        • North Carolina
        • Pennsylvania
        • Rhode Island
        • South Dakota
        • Tennessee
        • Texas
        • Virginia
        • West Virginia
        • Wyoming
    • South America
      • Brasil
  • Shop

Just Go Places logo

The Haus des Meeres: An Aquarium Like No Other

Sharing is caring!

0 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

We weren’t sure about seeing the Haus des Meeres in Vienna because we have been to many other aquariums in our travels.  My friends, though, insisted our children would like it because they had heard rave reviews from other children about it.

After our epic fail that was our first failed experience with the Spanish Riding School, we found ourselves with a few hours to kill on our last day.  I’m so glad we did!  My children thought it was one of the best things they did in Vienna.

haus des Meeres building

Contents

The Aquarium Building

The Haus des Meeres (or the Aqua Terra Zoo) is not your ordinary aquarium.  For starters, it is based in an anti-aircraft gun and battle tower from the World War II era.  The tower is over 150 feet tall with 11 foot thick walls.  During World War II, it held radar equipment on the roof which could be lowered into the tower during air raids.

haus des Meeres building

The tower has now been converted into an aquarium/zoo which houses over 4,000 square meters of habitable area with over 10,000 animals.  Thanks to the outstanding conversion the aquarium gets hundreds of thousands of visitors per year.  Most of the visitor’s money goes back into funding the aquarium.

 

 What We Saw

The Haus des Meeres also has more than the usual aquarium.  It’s also a vivarium with a tropical house with free-roaming birds, turtles and monkeys.  The tropical house is built as a conservatory-style extension to the sides of the tower.

monkey at haus des meeres

My children loved seeing monkeys and other animals clambering on vines above them.  The birds would whoosh right past our faces.

monkeys in the trees

The tropical house maintains the temperature and sunlight conditions as if the animals were outside. Needless to say, it was warm and humid!

turtle at haus des Meeres

haus des Meeres tropical forest

The aquarium lays claim to Austria’s largest shark tank.  There is also the usual fresh and saltwater fish tanks.

turtle at haus des Meeres

There is also a terrarium with various nasty bugs and reptiles fascinating to children, such as scorpions and snakes.  You can get pretty up close and personal to the animals, including the frogs, lizards and crocodiles.

frog

From the top floor roof deck, you get gorgeous views of Vienna laid out before you in every direction.  There is also a nice cafe up on this 9th floor.

view from haus des meeres rooftop

haus des Meeres

What We Thought

The Haus des Meeres was not the biggest aquarium we’ve been to but it was definitely the coolest.  Due to its architectural constraints, it is necessarily quite small and manageable.  You take an elevator to the top of the tower and work your way down the stairs and out through the obligatory gift-shop.  Frankly, I’m not sure it would be very pushchair-friendly but there really isn’t much walking involved.

The Haus des Meeres is open daily from 9 AM to 6 PM  and open later on Thursday nights.  It is located in Esterhazy Park in Vienna’s 6th district, a short couple of blocks from the metro stops at Mariahilfer Strasse.  Children under the age of 3 are free.  Be forewarned that it can get crowded with families.

SPREAD THE WORD! PIN THIS TO YOUR TRAVEL PINTEREST BOARDS FOR FUTURE REFERENCE! 

This site generates income via partnerships with carefully-curated travel and lifestyle brands and/or purchases made through links to them at no extra cost to you. More information may be found on our Disclosure Policy.

SaveSave

Filed Under: Austria Tagged With: aquariums, Vienna

Primary Sidebar

About me

Welcome! My family and I love to travel, to learn more about different countries and to experience new cultures. We also like our nice hotels, good food and other comforts. Join us on our adventures!

Read more >

FREE bucket list of USA travel ideas when you subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Search by Category

Footer

Follow Us

Quick Links

  • About Us
  • Destinations

Amazon DIsclosure

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Copyright © 2021 · Just Go Places · Privacy Policy

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT
0 shares
Just Go PlacesLogo Header Menu
  • HOME
  • About
    • About Us
      • Work With Us
      • Media/Press Kit
      • The Travel Blogger Influencers Network (#TBIN)
    • Disclosure Policy
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Morocco
      • South Africa
    • Asia
      • China
      • India
      • Japan
      • The Philippines
    • Europe
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Denmark
      • France
      • Greece
      • Germany
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Slovenia
      • Spain
      • The Netherlands
      • United Kingdom
    • Middle East
      • Jordan
      • Oman
      • UAE
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Caribbean
      • Mexico
      • USA
    • South America
      • Brasil
  • Shop