As you wander the pristine streets of Vienna in search of coffee and cake, the last thing you expect is an interactive experience with an African mammal. Unless you’re at IMMERSIUM:WIEN.
- Immersive exhibition experience
- Current theme: the world of animals (from Jan 31st, 2025 for new ticket purchases)
- Previous theme: dinosaurs
- Interactive, multimedia fun (with some edutainment)
- Best suited to kids and families
- See also:
Mammals and more
(The main entrance)
Children these days appear strangely reluctant to engage with the creative evolution of modernist painters.
Fortunately, IMMERSIUM:WIEN has something more appealing to offer the younger generation (and adults who still nurture their inner child).
The location features an entertaining interactive multimedia exhibition around a particular topic. The previous dinosaur theme ended on January 6th, 2025 and a new exhibition based around the animal world starts later in January.
Think experience more than exhibition, though: you walk through over 1,100 m2 of rooms & stations with each featuring something interactive or immersive (or both).
Once I get a chance to visit the new offering, I’ll update this article. But for now, a look back at the dinosaurs to give you a flavour of what to expect…
Previous review:
(Dinosaur training at the previous exhibition; press photo courtesy of and © IMMERSIUM:Wien)
I put on my safari hat and headed back into the Jurassic to discover stations that varied from simple moving projections to full-blown 5D fun.
You could, for example:
- Hop from lily pad to lily pad avoiding the hungry jaws that popped up around you on the floor. Or match dance moves with a cartoon T-rex (I can’t confirm the scientific accuracy of this part)
- Interact with a screen velociraptor or excavate virtual dinosaur bones
- Get a downloadable photo with a T-Rex or take a selfie of yourself projected within a cartoonised dinoworld
- Watch a 15-minute immersive film surrounding you on all four sides with Jurassic scenes (commentary was in German, but not a real issue since it’s the images that entertain)
- Take a ride on a vehicle through an abandoned temple that led to some unanticipated encounters of the large reptilian kind
The moving ride platform and surrounding film created a genuine theme park experience and perhaps counted as IMMERSIUM:WIEN’s highlight (again, the German commentary took nothing away from the fun).
(Dancing with dinosaurs; press photo courtesy of and © IMMERSIUM:Wien)
Paid upgrades to a standard ticket included a 5-minute VR ride, a souvenir photo and similar, but I only had time for the basic walkthrough (I’d set aside a good hour for that).
As a fifty-something father of adults, I’m obviously not the core audience for the location. But kids in particular will absolutely love it.
As such, IMMERSIUM:WIEN makes a worthy addition to Vienna’s offerings for children and families.
Even I found myself waving furiously at a relatively benign velociraptor and smiling on the ride. Though I walked swiftly past the dance station (the sight of me dancing might have ruined the whole visit for innocent families).
Tickets and tips
The pre-opening for the next exhibition is scheduled for January 15th to 26th, with full opening from January 31st. Check the website (see below) for details.
A timeslot system operates to ensure smooth passage through the experience. Online tickets ensure you won’t have to wait for the next timeslot, but you can also buy tickets on site.
You’ll want to be free to move around comfortably, so I’d suggest putting bags and coats and similar in the lockers available in the entrance area (which also has a shop and access to a small café next door).
You actually find yourself in a bit of an immersive hotspot on the street hosting the attraction.
You have the Time Travel tour and Sisi’s Amazing Journey practically next door to IMMERSIUM:WIEN. So the kids can lose half a day with all the multimedia and VR fun around here. For more of that nature in Vienna, try these suggestions.
And if the kids have caught the animal bug, your next stop could be:
- Tiergarten Schönbrunn: Vienna’s acclaimed international zoo
- Haus des Meeres: giant aquarium and vivarium in a converted flak tower
- The Naturhistorisches Museum: Vienna’s museum of natural history
How to get to IMMERSIUM:WIEN
The animals roam right in the heart of Vienna, so you might pass nearby on a stroll through the pedestrianised centre.
Subway: the location lies between Herrengasse (U3) and Stephansplatz (U3 and U1) stations
Bus: the 1A and 2A old town buses both have stops close to here (get out at Habsburgergasse or Graben/Petersplatz)
Address: Habsburgergasse 10, 1010 Vienna | Website