the waygabounds

So last weekend my family who lives at the countryside was visiting me in Vienna. As they are always up for some sightseeing we went to Time Travel Vienna, which is located in the first district, close to the St. Stephen’s Cathedral. “A magic tour through 2.000 years of Vienna’s eventful history” is what they promise you. A “fun event for the whole family, with rides, attractions, shows, music and special effects” is what they promise you. What you get is a different story though.

Basically it’s a walking tour through a historic basement (which belonged once to a monastery), accompanied by a tourguide. First you learn a bit about the location, then you take a seat in a “5D cinema”. Well, 5D cinema… maybe I’m spoiled by the big world, by attractions elsewhere in the world, but the cinema was a bit disappointing for my brother and me. The film you see is supposed to teach you about parts of the city’s history, but it’s only bits here and there, you don’t get a real impression of the history; the film is nicely done, but the 3D doesn’t really work. And you hear a lot of background noises from the tech stuff, like squeaking seats when they move. My Mom and Dad though, who are not regular movie goers and have never been to the Universal Studios for example, liked that part a lot.

After that the journey continues to a music room, where you sit on benches that turn in circles, you hear music and see a quirky laser show. After that you’re about to meet Empress Sisi, Maria Theresia and Franz Joseph, in the form of wax figures that start talking (I assume that’s the part they call “animatronic show”). Then you get a short overview of the time when Vienna was under siege by the Turks. What really enjoyed was being in the air raid bunker and get a bit of a feeling for how it must have been during war times. Also, the tourguide was quite nice and did a good job.

All in all I’d say it’s okay, but you can spend the money and time a better way. The overview of Vienna’s history is a bit confusing, there’s left out a lot and it seems a bit random. Also, for those of you who are accustomed to adventure parks and such will be disappointed.

More information:
Time Travel Vienna
Habsburgergasse 10 A
1010 Vienna
www.timetravel-vienna.at

Admission fee is 19,50 Euros for adults and 15,50 Euros for kids between 5 and 14. Those under 5 years are free. There are audioguides available too. If you should want to go there, book your tickets in advance and online, then you get 20 percent off. Tours are every day from 10 am to 8 pm, starting every 20 minutes. You are supposed to arrive like 10 to 15 minutes prior to the tour start.

Pictures (c) www.timetravel-vienna.at