Short info:
- Where is the Haus des Meeres? Fritz-Grünbaum-Platz 1, 1060, in the 6th district in Vienna (in the Esterházypark)
- What is the Haus des Meeres? An Aqua Terra Zoo and Tiergarten in the heart of Vienna
- How much time should I plan for a visit? At least 2.5 hours
- Does it cost entry? Yes, you can find the price list and opening hours here
- What used to be in the building? The building is a former flak tower from World War II
- How many animals are there? Approximately 10,000
The Haus des Meeres is one of three zoos in Vienna, along with the Schönbrunn Zoo and the Lainzer Tiergarten. On 11 floors and almost 50 meters high, the former flak tower is home to over 10,000 animals, mainly consisting of sea aquariums and terrariums.
We have already described the general information about this zoo in our place “House of the Sea”. Now we want to test for you what this unique building really offers.
Ground floor. Atlantic tunnel, koi tank, freshwater fish, Australian terrarium, cash desk, shop & cloakroom
First we buy a ticket. At €21.9, a visit for adults is not exactly cheap. Even for small children from the age of 3 you have to dig into your pockets here. It’s hardly surprising, since families with children are mainly to be found here. Tip: an annual ticket pays off if you only visit the Haus des Meeres twice a year. However, the annual tickets are not valid on weekends!
Tip for families: if you come with children, you should leave the pram downstairs and start on the top floor. There is only one elevator and you have to wait quite a long time to get there. So it’s best to drive up 1x and go down the 11th floor.
We still want to go from bottom to top for your convenience.
Ground floor. Atlantic tunnel, koi tank, freshwater fish, Australian terrarium, cash desk, shop & cloakroom
We first go through the Atlantic Tunnel, where you can discover sharks, rays and other sea fish. In other aquariums you can see various freshwater fish.
The koi tank is a magnet, especially for children, because you can keep your hands in here.
1st floor: snakes, lizards, turtles, ant trail
Snake lovers will get their money’s worth here. There are several boa snakes, including all boa and python species. You will also find snakes, poison snakes, a cobra, mambas and vipers here.
Along the glass railing is what is probably the longest ant trail in the world with a total length of approx. 70m – it extends over two floors.
You can also find some turtles and iguanas here.
2nd floor: Mediterranean: jellyfish, octopus, kibble tank, piranhas and other tropical freshwater fish. Access to the tropical house and Krokipark
The highlight here is the tropical house. This is where animals run free for the first time. It’s impressive how close the monkeys and birds can get to you. Feeding and touching is of course strictly forbidden here!
You can do a short rainforest hike: coming out of the water, so to speak, over paths and suspension bridges, past the waterfall up to the crown region of the trees. You can observe the animals from all angles.
It goes past fish from mangrove regions, to turtles and tortoises up to free-flying birds and free-roaming monkeys.
Downstairs you will find 2 more tortoises, namely the red-footed tortoise and the forest tortoise.
If you look closely, you can also discover Nile fruit bats, which can grow up to 15 cm.
The animals also run around freely in the Krokipark – but of course not the crocodiles 😉 We are not professionals, but the largest one is certainly 5-6 meters long.
As a special feature of this section, part of the floor in the water section was made of glass, so that visitors in the entrance foyer can look up directly into the crocodile pool.
If you leave the tropical house and the Krokipark, you will come across jellyfish and piranha tanks. If you’re lucky, you might even spot the octopus.
There is also a tank with the reddish sucker mullet, also known as surgeonfish. If you hold your hand in the tank, the fish will suck on you or nibble on your fingers.
3rd floor: live coral, tropical sea creatures
Here you will find corals and tropical sea fish such as triggerfish or surgeonfish. There are also rays here. Children can use a glass tube to go inside the ocean.
4th floor: Aquarium of the sea turtle “Puppi”, seahorses, tropical house and the Sharky café, toilets
Here, for the first time, you have a glimpse of the huge, 2-piece aquarium, in which the giant tortoise “Puppi” cavorts. You can also see sharks, a huge perch, several rays and beautiful sea fish.
Here is the upper entrance to the tropical house and the Café Sharky, which is a lot cheaper than the Panorama Bar on the top floor. From the Sharky you also have a beautiful view of Vienna, even if it is glazed.
5th floor: shark tank, deep sea aquarium, toilet
Here you can see the aquarium from above, talk to the same animals as just mentioned. There is also an aquarium with giant spider crabs, which live up to their name.
6th floor: Native Fishes, Marine Conservation Exhibition
Honestly, this floor is a bit unexciting with its only aquarium with native fish. Around the corner you will be given interesting facts about marine protection.
7th floor: desert terrarium, New Guinea paludarium, Pacific Eye, 360° shark tank
The highlight of this floor is the recently built 360° shark tank. Here you can walk around the aquarium and observe the animals from every side. There are even armchairs to slow down.
The Pacific Eye is supposed to give you a direct view of the sea. Oh well
8th floor: Chameleon, Spine, Scorpion & Co
Here you will find the grotto with chameleons, scorpions, spiders and other small animals
9th floor: Amazon jungle, Komodos, ring-tailed lemurs, Australia tour, meeting point for ring-tailed lemur encounters
Here you will find a large uncovered tank with various fish and creatures that frolic in the Amazon. There is also a matching background noise.
In a glass cage you can meet giant turtles and ring-tailed lemurs.
The Australia tour has been new since summer 2022, but to be honest we would have imagined it to be more exciting. You basically walk along the outermost edge of the flak tower, sometimes you can even go outside on the “terrace”. This is also secured by a grid so that the free-flying parrots and budgerigars cannot go outside. Here you sometimes have a very nice view over Vienna, but we get more of an Australian feeling in a pet shop.
10th floor: Caribbean hammerhead shark baking, “Remembering Inside”, Victor-Otte-Sall, Lighthouse 10 (events and Kulturwelle)
Here you will find one last very beautiful and large pool with all kinds of sea creatures. The highlight here are the much-touted hammerhead sharks. Some of the fish are bigger than the sharks, which are hardly longer than 70cm here.
11th floor: 360° Ocean Sky Restaurant Bar, roof terrace, solar roof (access for guided groups only)
One last highlight of the Haus des Meeres. The food and drinks are not cheap, but you don’t have to consume anything to enjoy the fantastic 360° view over Vienna! After all, it is the highest rooftop location in downtown Vienna.
