Haus des Meeres

On the first floor, you can walk through the 500,000-liter Atlantic aquarium by means of a tube. This way you can get very close to sharks, jellyfish, rays and perches.

The surf reef adventure aquarium with its tropical fish stands out in particular: here, even the smallest visitors can put their heads in diving helmets through the aquarium floor to observe the colorful little reef inhabitants.

Nocturnal animals, centipedes, cave fish and scorpions: in the darkness of this grotto lives many an interesting cave dweller.

More than just marine animals: The glass terrarium section, tropical house and crocodile park is home to snakes, lizards, insects, primates, birds and crocodiles.

Their diets are strictly controlled by their keepers to make sure that they’re healthy. The monkeys are also especially good at stealing any food which is in open handbags or in the hands of visitors, so make sure any food you have with you is safely closed or wrapped up and hidden from view. You can also check the timetable for the times the keepers feed the animals so you can learn more about what they eat.

There is no guarded checkroom, but jackets and backpacks can be deposited in the area of the store for 0.50 €. There is also a coat rack that can be used. Large items such as suitcases, strollers and bicycles cannot be left in the store due to space limitations.

Each floor of the House of the Sea can be reached by elevator and is wheelchair friendly. Guests who rely on a wheelchair are allowed to bring one companion into the attraction free of charge. Due to safety regulations, only a maximum of three wheelchairs are allowed in the building at any one time.

Since the Haus des Meeres is located in one of the flak towers built by the Nazis, which served as an air defense during World War II, the exhibition Remember the Inside sheds light on the history of the building. Remember the Inside can only be visited as part of a guided tour, which is led by a historian and offers more detail on the history of the Flakturm during World War 2. Originally, the building was 47 meters high and has concrete walls that are 3.5 meters thick at their thickest point. In the 1960s, the basement floors were used as a youth hostel and other floors were used by the Vienna Fire Department. Since 1957, the Haus des Meeres (House of the Sea) settled in the building and has since expanded to even more space.

The Haus des Meeres is located in the Esterházy Park, which has a children's playground and a climbing wall open in summer. The Torture Museum is also located here. The Haus des Meeres is a 10-minute walk from the Museumsquartier Wien where you can find, among others, the ZOOM Children's Museum, Leopold Museum and the MUMOK.