House of the sea

Brief information:

• Where is the House of the Sea? Fritz-Grünbaum-Platz 1, 1060, in the 6th district of Vienna (in Esterházypark)
• What is the House of the Sea? An Aqua Terra Zoo and zoo in the heart of Vienna
• How much time should I plan for a visit? At least 2.5 hours
• Does it cost admission? Yes, you can find them here Price list and Opening hours
• What used to be in the building? The building is a former flak tower from the Second World War
• How many animals are there? Approx. 10,000

The House of the Sea is next to the Schönbrunn Zoo and the Lainzer Tiergarten one of three zoos in Vienna. On 11 floors and almost 50 metres high, the former flak tower is home to over 10,000 animals, mainly consisting of Marine aquariums and terrariums.

The general information about this zoo we have already described in our Place "House of the Sea" described. Now we want to test for you what this unique building really has to offer.

Ground floor. Atlantic tunnel, koi tank, freshwater fish, Australian terrarium, cash desk, shop & cloakroom

We buy a ticket first. At €21.9, a visit for adults is not exactly cheap. You also have to dig into your pocket for small children aged 3 and over. It's hardly surprising, as it's mainly families with children who come here.
Tip: an annual pass pays for itself if you only visit the Haus des Meeres twice a year. However, the annual passes are not valid at weekends!

Ground floor. Atlantic tunnel, koi tank, freshwater fish, Australian terrarium, cash desk, shop & cloakroom

Tip for families: if you come with children, you should leave the pushchair downstairs and start on the top floor. There is only one lift and you have to wait quite a long time for it to arrive. So it's best to go up once and walk down the 11th floor.

For the sake of simplicity, we would still like to go from bottom to top for you.

We first walk through the Atlantic tunnelwhere you can discover sharks, rays and other marine fish. In other aquariums you can see various freshwater fish.

The koi pool is a particular magnet for children, as they can put their hands in it.

1st floor: snakes, lizards, turtles, ant trail

Snake lovers get their money's worth here. There are several giant snakes, including all boa and python species. You will also find vipers, poisonous snakes, a cobra, mambas and vipers.

Along the glass railing, the presumably Longest ant trail in the world with a total length of approx. 70 metres - it extends over two floors. 

You will also find some turtles and iguanas here.

2nd floor: Mediterranean Sea: jellyfish, octopus, nibble fish tank, piranhas and other tropical freshwater fish. Access to the tropical house and crocodile park

The highlight here is the tropical house. This is the first time you have seen animals walking freely across your path. It's impressive how close the monkeys and birds come to you. Feeding and touching them is of course strictly forbidden here!

You can create a short rainforest hike The route takes you out of the water, so to speak, over paths and suspension bridges, past the waterfall and up into the canopy of the trees. You can observe the animals from all angles.
We pass fish from mangrove regions, swamp and land turtles, free-flying birds and free-roaming monkeys.

You will find 2 tortoises, the charcoal tortoise and the forest tortoise, a little further down.
If you look closely, you can also spot Nile river dogs that grow up to 15cm in size.

The animals also run around freely in the crocodile park - but not the crocodiles, of course 😉 We are not professionals, but the largest one is certainly 5-6 metres long. As a special feature of this section, part of the floor in the water section is 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 crocodile park, you will come across jellyfish and piranha tanks. If you're lucky, you might even spot an octopus.  

There is also a tank with the reddish suckermouth barb, also known as the surgeonfish. If you hold your hand in the tank, the fish suck on you or nibble at your fingers.

3rd floor: live corals, tropical marine animals

Here you will find corals and tropical marine fish such as triggerfish and surgeonfish. There are also rays here. Children can use a glass tube to enter the depths of the ocean.

4th floor: Aquarium of the sea turtle "Puppi", seahorses, tropical house and the Café Sharky, toilets

Here you have your first view of the huge 2,000 square metre aquarium, in which the giant turtle "Puppi" cavorts. You can also see sharks, a huge perch, several rays and beautiful marine fish.
This is where you will find the upper entrance to the Tropenhaus and the Sharky café, which is a lot cheaper than the Panorama Bar on the top floor, and from the Sharky you also have a beautiful view of Vienna, albeit glazed.

5th floor: shark tank, deep-sea aquarium, toilet

Here you can see the aquarium from above, i.e. with the same animals as just mentioned. There is also an aquarium with giant spider crabs that live up to their name.

6th floor: Native fish, marine conservation exhibition

To be honest, this floor with its single aquarium with native fish is somewhat unexciting. Around the corner, you can learn about marine conservation.

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 round the aquarium and observe the animals from every angle. There are even armchairs to relax in.

The Pacific Eye is supposed to give you a direct view of the sea. Well

8th floor: Chameleon, Spine, Scorpion & Co

Here you will find the grotto with chameleons, scorpions, spiders and other small animals

9.floor: Amazon jungle, Komodos, Kattas, Australia tour, meeting point for Katta encounters

Here you will find a large tank without a cover with various fish and creatures romping around in the Amazon. There is also a matching soundscape.
You can encounter giant tortoises and calicoes in a glass cage.

New since summer 2022 is the Australia tour, but to be honest we would have imagined it to be more exciting. You walk along the very edge of the flak tower, so to speak, and in some places you can even go outside onto the "terrace". This is also secured by fencing so that the free-flying parrots and budgerigars can't get outside. Here you have a very nice view over Vienna, but we get more of an Australian feeling in a pet shop.

10.Stock: Caribbean hammerhead shark baking, "Erinnern im Inneren", Victor-Otte-Sall, Lighthouse 10 (Events and Kulturwelle)

Here you will find one last very beautiful and large pool with marine animals of all kinds. The highlight here are the much-publicised hammerhead sharks. However, some of the fish are larger than the sharks, which are barely longer than 70cm.

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 the centre of Vienna.