Schönbrunn Zoo with Kids: Playground, Petting Zoo and Annual Pass

We go to Schönbrunn Zoo with the kids again and again, and it never gets boring. Every visit is a little different: you don’t always see the same animals, and sometimes we catch a feeding, sometimes we don’t. Because we have an annual pass, we often go on the spur of the moment, sometimes just for a short loop.

Schönbrunn Zoo is the oldest zoo in the world that is still running, and it sits right in the palace gardens. Here is what we like about it with kids, how to plan the day and where to get a coffee afterwards.

The essentials

• Admission: under-6s free, children and young people aged 6 to 19 pay €17, adults €29 (as of November 2026). Bring photo ID for children aged 6 and over.
• Opening hours: daily from 9 am, all year round. Closing time depends on the month, between 4:30 pm (November to January) and 6:30 pm (April to September); last entry half an hour before.
• Changing: every toilet block in the zoo has a changing table.
• Handcarts: about 30 wooden handcarts (Leiterwagerl) to borrow, €5 plus a €10 deposit.
• Dogs: not allowed anywhere in the palace gardens or the zoo (assistance dogs excepted).
• Time: with an annual pass a short loop is enough. If you only come once, plan half a day or a whole day.

What the kids love at the zoo

The lovely thing about the zoo: you never see exactly the same thing twice. Which animals are out and about is different every time. The feedings are a highlight; if you want to catch one, check the feeding times beforehand. We also really like the aquarium house.

Playground and petting zoo

The big playground is in the eastern part of the zoo, right by the polar bear enclosure and not far from the rainforest house (playground on Google Maps). It is not a typical playground like the ones you know from public parks; it is designed with a lot of care and a little differently.

Just behind it, a few steps further north, is the petting zoo, an enclosure of about 1,500 square metres with pygmy goats and domestic rabbits. You may stroke the goats, but they decide for themselves whether they want contact. Their stable has a climbing frame they use to jump onto the roof. There is another playground right next to the ORANG.erie café-restaurant.

With a pram through the zoo and the palace gardens

According to the zoo, it is largely barrier-free. The only steep stretch is the path from the Tirolergarten entrance (by the car park) down into the historic part. With a pram, the Hietzing main entrance is therefore the easier way in; the U4 (Hietzing station) and several tram and bus lines stop there. You can’t leave prams, scooters or balance bikes at the info centre; small lockers are free with a €1 deposit on the lower floor of the Hietzing info centre.

The Schönbrunn palace gardens are right next door. If a child falls asleep in the pram, they are ideal for simply walking on: there is more than enough room for a stroll.

Smoking at the zoo

Unfortunately, people smoke everywhere on the outdoor paths; it is only banned indoors and on the playgrounds. For a place full of children, we don’t find that very child-friendly, which is why the zoo doesn’t get full hearts from us.

Eating at the zoo

Our favourite place to eat is Gasthaus Tirolergarten in the upper part of the zoo. It is a short walk up the hill, but the food is good, there is plenty of room and enough shade. The beer garden can also be reached from outside the zoo.

There are several other restaurants and cafés in the zoo, from the Kaiserpavillon in the middle and the Jumbo Schnitzelgarten overlooking the elephants and penguins to the pizza and pasta terrace by the rhinos. The zoo itself describes the ORANG.erie café-restaurant, with a playground next door, as especially family-friendly. By the way, there is drinking water at all the washbasins in the toilets.

Coffee afterwards

From April to October, Café Pavillon in the palace gardens is a great choice: the kids play in the big sandpit while you sit at the tables around it and get served.

Especially in winter, we like to go to Brandauer Schlossbräu opposite the Hietzing Gate, just a few steps from the zoo’s main entrance.

Tickets, annual pass and combined tickets

We always have the annual pass, and it pays off quickly: it costs €69 for adults and €39 for children and young people, is valid for one year from the date of issue and includes the Desert House. From the third visit it is already cheaper than single tickets. And there is a bonus you quickly learn to appreciate with kids: you don’t queue at the ticket office, you just scan the card at the entrance and you are in. You can also drop by for a short loop.

For families there is also a value pack: five day tickets (2 adults, 3 children or young people) for €96, valid for one year and usable one at a time. With the Vienna City Card you get a day ticket at the zoo ticket office for €25 (on site only, not online). Combined tickets are available with the Desert House and Palm House, with the Giant Ferris Wheel or the Danube Tower, among others, and in season with the Children’s Museum and the Maze.

💡 Our tip: Come early in the morning, when it is still quiet. And if you go more than twice a year, get the annual pass straight away.

Information as of 11 November 2026, admission and opening hours from zoovienna.at. Please check before your visit. Lion photo: Markus. Cover photo Kaiserpavillon: Daniel Zupanc, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.