Schmetterlinghaus

Zoo · Hofburg

Schmetterlinghaus

Zoo · Hofburg

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Hofburg, Burggarten Palmenhaus, Schmetterlinghaus, 1010 Wien, Austria

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Art Nouveau palm house with hundreds of butterflies, waterfalls  

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Hofburg, Burggarten Palmenhaus, Schmetterlinghaus, 1010 Wien, Austria Get directions

schmetterlinghaus.at
@schmetterlinghaushofburg

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Hofburg, Burggarten Palmenhaus, Schmetterlinghaus, 1010 Wien, Austria Get directions

+43 1 5338570
schmetterlinghaus.at
@schmetterlinghaushofburg

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Aug 27, 2025

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"Built around the turn of the last century and part of the Hofburg palace, this “Jugendstil” or Art Nouveau greenhouse is filled with a lush, tropical landscape, trickling waterfalls, and within its humid walls you will be treated to its delicate inhabitants - the butterflies. Peeking into hollow trees and up among the branches, you can watch the graceful favorites of the bug world flitter and fly, or softly rest and pulse their exotic wings, possibly on your outstretched finger. A closer look could very well uncover cocoons, or you may even catch a hatching. The butterfly house offers two levels from which to seek sights of the colorful flyers. A short film at the end of your walk though the butterfly habitat will give you some scientific insight on the ethereal creatures you just enjoyed inside the tropical forest in the center of a city." - ATLAS_OBSCURA

https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/insect-exploration
View Postcard for Schmetterlinghaus

Milica Tešić

Google
I can't explain how cute and calming this place is. Butterflies of all colours and shapes are flying and eating around you, there's a waterfall which noise relaxes you immediately. It is a small place, hot and humid (all is good for butterflies), you will spend maximum an hour when it's not crowded inside. Great location and definitely worth the visit!

ilya leadership

Google
A small but very charming place with a fair entrance fee. Even though it’s not large, you can walk around a few times and always notice something new. Strollers are a bit inconvenient inside, but there’s a place to leave them outside. Nice gift shop as well. Nice place to visit with kids

Jasmina Sockovic

Google
You just have to see it for yourself. It’s such a charming little place—photos really don’t do it justice. The atmosphere is magical, especially when it’s not crowded and you can really take in the beauty of all the butterflies fluttering around and the "jungle" they live in. It’s not a big place, but that’s part of its charm. I’d definitely recommend going when it’s quieter, so you can feel the true magic of the butterflies up close. It’s one of those spots that leaves you smiling long after you leave! 🥰🦋🌸

Sofia Carbini

Google
Great experience! We paid 8€ (student’s price). It feels like you are entering another realm. There were many butterflies, but sadly the big ones didn’t move too much, because they were eating. A fun experience that I recommend if you want to do something different. Perfect to go with your friends or on a date as well.

Samet Memiş

Google
Visiting the Butterfly House in Vienna was a magical experience. The lush tropical setting, combined with the vibrant colors and graceful movements of countless butterflies, made me feel like I had stepped into a dream. It’s not just a museum — it’s a living, breathing paradise. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a peaceful and awe-inspiring escape in the heart of the city.

Ali El Refai

Google
I recently visited the Butterfly House in Vienna and overall had a lovely experience. The place is very beautiful, with a nice variety of butterflies fluttering around. However, it did seem like one particular type of butterfly was dominating the space, which was a little underwhelming considering the expectations for more diversity. The greenery inside is lush and well-maintained, and the small waterfalls throughout really add to the atmosphere, mimicking a real-life tropical ecosystem beautifully. It’s a very charming and peaceful setting — at least it would be if it wasn’t so crowded. The space itself feels a bit too small for the large number of visitors, which made it harder to fully enjoy the experience. The entrance fee is €10, which is reasonable given the uniqueness of the place. It’s also situated in a lovely area surrounded by nice cafés, making it a great spot to plan a day around. I would recommend expanding the space a bit and introducing more types of butterflies to enhance the experience even further. Overall, I’m giving it four stars — definitely worth a visit if you’re in Vienna, but be prepared for some crowds.

Avital Rubichi

Google
The Butterfly House is a charming but very small attraction. When we visited, it was extremely crowded, and the narrow paths made it difficult to move around. We often found ourselves stuck in a slow-moving line, as people stopped ahead and behind us to take photos, making the experience feel more like a human traffic jam than a peaceful stroll. The butterflies are beautiful and photogenic, but the species variety is not big. It’s a nice quick stop if you’re already nearby, but not necessarily a must-see.

Ardesian Binjakaj

Google
The museum is very pretty and the experience is worth it. There are many butterflies constantly roaming around as well as hidden in the leaves. The “museum” itself is quite small and takes very little to see it all. It is quite warm in there so it is worth leaving your coats before entering. They do have dedicated coat hangers. The gift shop area is also quite nice.
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Bojan P.

Yelp
A small butterfly conservatory. For 7€ a person, it is absolutely with it. There is only one room, with a bridge, lots of flowers and 6 different butterfly species. Although when we went one was 95% seen. It will take you about half an hour to walk around and see the whole exhibition. You do learn some interesting fun facts about butterflies. Special note: it is really warm in there, leave your jackets outside, there are free coat hangers
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Donna B.

Yelp
Still rainy, so let's stay inside. As part of the Hofburg Royal Palace, The Imperial Butterfly House is housed within an Art Nouveau greenhouse in the Burggarten. Admission in 7€. The gravel path makes a loop through the garden and round a small creek and waterfall. The path is quite narrow in spots. As you walk in there is a case of chrysalises. Some butterflies as recently emerged. Not sure if it was the time of year, December, but there were not many butterflies flitting around, or a large variety. I believe I saw around a half dozen or so different types. A single atlas moth larger than my hand was resting near the door as you walked in. You can watch them eat on bananas and special flowers sprayed with honey water. I looped the garden twice, in about 45 minutes. There's a room off from the gift shop that shows a loop film about the life cycle of butterflies and moths. Ok for a rainy day. I wouldn't return.
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Cherise N.

Yelp
Entering the amazon you hear the propelling wings of the butterfly as it takes flight....oh wait I'm just in Austria at the Schmetterling Haus. This was definitely exposure therapy for me and insects. Once I got over the fact that I was not going to get eaten, I enjoyed myself. The butterfly room itself is warm and humid, a habitat requirement for the butterflies. The walk way around the room is not big, so you will bump into people. It was a dare I say lovely experience to see the butterflies fluttering around or grouping together. There were many species. All the greenery almost made me forget that I was in the middle of Vienna in December lol there is a waterfall and pond where there are coy fish. You can also Up a flight of stairs through a tree to get an aerial view of the room. It was a really nice experience. As a student I paid €5,50, but I think the regular ticket is €8. It's conveniently located in museum quarter and less than 5 mins walk from City Hall. The only thing I would say is that I wish the ticket lady was a little friendlier.
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Amanda H.

Yelp
Such a beautiful place to visit! If you have time to devote to this place it is definitely worth a visit! It is hot and humid, so be prepared, but any plant/insect/nature lover is sure to love this beautiful place and the history behind it.
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Michelle H.

Yelp
Behind the Austrian National Library and 200 meters from the Opera House lays one of Vienna's family-friendly Butterfly Houses (known as Schmetterlinghaus). According to their website, there are over 400 butterflies in over 40 different species fluttering in the enclosed tropical (and very warm) environment. A separate part of the Palm House Cafe, the Butterfly House is opened all year round no matter how cold it is outside, keeping indoor temperatures between 26-35 degrees Celsius (77-95 degrees Fahrenheit) with 80 degrees of humidity. So if you are like me and visit this place in the winter months, make sure you hang up your coat and scarf in the lobby before you walk into the small jungle! Butterflys roam freely in the air, sometimes right above your head or alongside you as you walk through their habitat. Though you are more likely to catch them eating fruit at one of the food stands within the surroundings. There are stairs were you walk up to the top of a wooden bridge to observe the lush forest area around you, perhaps to catch a butterfly or two in mid-flight. On the ground floor waterfalls create a peaceful ambiance for the visitor. And no matter the season, there are flowers in bloom here. If you are an animal/nature fan like me, the Schmetterlinghaus is a nice place to visit when you are here in Vienna!
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Sophie P.

Yelp
It was so hot, i think I lost at least 2 pounds of water weight by the time i went through the whole place. But, it was really cool walking through exotic butterflies. Sometimes I wondered if maybe this greenhouse was a bit hot for them..
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Michael L.

Yelp
We visited the butterfly house on a recent visit in Vienna. The cost is a little steep at 6€ but I felt that it was well maintained and at the end, probably worth the cost. The butterfly house is essentially a large greenhouse filled with plants, a waterfall, caves and an overlook area which is filled with butterflies large and small. They have many different colours and have no fear of people. At one point, a large red one even landed on my sweater. They keep it quite warm and I am assuming this is a necessary climate for them to thrive. We took our two and a half year old son and he loved looking at the butterflies and walking through the caves and through the tunnels. He probably enjoyed the cave setup more than the butterflies, but still I would recommend this for kids.
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Elee T.

Yelp
Endlich kann ich meine erste review auf Deutsch schreiben: Beginne ich mit dem Schmetterlinghaus Wien! Niemals hörte ich von einem Schmetterlinghaus (haben wir ein Schmetterlinghaus in der USA?!). Das Schmetterlngshaus ist nicht eine typische Touristattraktion, aber hätte ich Schmetterlinge so gern, dass ich das Schmetterlinghaus sofort besuchte! Es würde sehr cool mit den Schmetterlinge dicht einwerkten. Als ich ging hinein, hatte ich viel Angst! Wo waren die Schmetterlinge? Ich konnte die nicht sehen. Vielleicht schliefen sie. Nein, natürlich würden sie getarnt! Einer nach dem anderen erschien. Ich hatte noch Angst--hoffentlich würde ich die Schmetterlinge nicht auftraten dur Zufall. Man sollte sehr vorsichtig sein--die Schmetterlinge sind überall. Eins oder zwei würden vielleicht auf man sassen--aber keine Angst! Sie sind freundlich. ----------------------------------------- Finally, I can write my first bilingual review. How exciting! I will start (and probably end with, this is not easy and I'm sure it's nearly unreadable :p) Vienna's Butterflyhouse. I had never heard of a butterfly house before (is there one nearby?!). While it is not a typical tourist attraction, I loved butterflies so much that I decided to go immediately--it would be so cool to interact with butterflies up close! As I went in, I was pretty scared. Where were the butterflies? I couldn't see them. Maybe they were sleeping? No...of course, they were camouflaged! One by one they appeared in shades of brown, black, yellow, and white. I was still scared though, hoping not to step on a butterfly by accident. One must be very careful, as the butterflies are everywhere. One or two may even sit on you--not to worry, they are quite friendly. I know nothing about migratory patterns or if Schmetterlinghaus has seasonal butterflies or whatnot. However, I did not see the crazy giant South American type of butterflies that I had expected. Upon seeing how huge they could actually get though, this was somewhat of a relief.
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Tanja O.

Yelp
I really like butterflies so I don't mind paying 6 euros for the short visit. You can stay as long as you like (until closing) but after 20 minutes I had seen enough and taken enough photos (close-ups) of the small and big butterflies. Fun to visit if you like this kind of thing.
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Stephen M.

Yelp
Fake flowers and 5 butterflies. Not worth spending the money. There was about 3 species of butterflies but only about two of each. Very cramped and the greenery was beautiful but upon closer inspection we realized it was fake. The house decided to cover fake flowers with honey to feed the butterflies, but all this did was attract ants. Butterflies cannot live without pollen and they clearly are suffering because of that choice.

Jean P.

Yelp
If you've ever seen a live butterfly exhibit before this will be extremely disappointing. It is very small, extremely hot and humid (others I had seen before did not go to such extremes) and you will see like 10 butterfly species - but not the most interesting ones. You'll be done in 15'. 6 euro for all that? Extremely overpriced!
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Lavender L.

Yelp
Hot! Hot! Hot! Stale and humid air! Pouring sweat to walk around in a small circle is not my idea of fun! There is only a small amount and variety of the lovely butterflies to see. It costs 6 euro to have a sweat bath with a few butterflies..save your money and go into the countryside and you will see more with fresh air!