Discover the Belvedere Garden through play
The Fantastic Palastics: Garden Game at a glance
The Belvedere’s Baroque garden is one of Vienna’s most famous green spaces and a popular spot for walks, views, and short breaks between museum visits.
What many people don’t know: The garden can also be explored in a playful way – with an augmented reality game that connects the past and the present.
Lisa Ebner-Kollmann
Belvedere, Wien
Anyone traveling with children knows the question: “So, what do we do now?”
The answer is often closer than you think: With The Fantastic Palastics: Garden Game, the Belvedere Garden becomes a playground, and a visit quickly turns into a shared journey of discovery.
What is The Fantastic Palastics: Garden Game?
With the Fantastic Palastics: Garden Game, the Belvedere Garden can be explored in a playful way: Equipped with their own smartphones, children and families embark on an interactive discovery tour.
Accompanied by a 3D-animated sphinx, players explore the grounds and encounter digitally animated animal figures that appear on their phones. They delve into the history of the garden, which was used as a menagerie – a kind of zoo – in the 18th century.
The goal is to find the animals, interact with them, and make them “fit for the future”: in a playful, intuitive way, and without any prior knowledge.
How does it work?
Getting started with the game is intentionally kept simple: You begin right in the garden by scanning a QR code. No download is necessary, as the game is web-based. All you need is your own smartphone and an internet connection.
The game can be easily incorporated into your visit – whether as a standalone activity or as a fun addition to a stroll through the grounds.
Good to know:
The game is location-based and works exclusively in the Belvedere Garden. It is played on-site.
How much time should you plan for?
The Garden Game can be easily adapted to your own pace and flexibly integrated into your visit.
Many families play for about 30 to 60 minutes, depending on how thoroughly they explore the individual stations. Since there is no set order or time limit, the game can be paused or resumed at any time.
Who is the game particularly suited for?
The game is primarily aimed at families and is designed for children ages eight and up. However, it can also be enjoyed by anyone who wants to actively experience the Belvedere Garden in a slightly different way.
The focus is not on knowledge or preparation, but on curiosity, movement, and the joy of discovery. No prior knowledge is required – getting started is intuitive.
Museums and games – do they go together?
Museums are no longer just places for viewing. Formats like the Garden Game invite visitors to become active: to explore, experiment, and find their own paths through a space.
For younger visitors in particular, this opens up a different way in: one that encourages independent discovery. Content isn’t prescribed, but can be explored individually – at one’s own pace and according to one’s own interests.
And after that? Just keep exploring
The Garden Game is not a self-contained program, but rather part of the visit and an invitation to rediscover the garden.
Those who wish to explore further can continue the gaming experience at the Upper Belvedere: With Fantastic Plastics: Mission Museum, the exhibition space also becomes a play to play.
Or you can simply stay in the park a little longer – without the game, but with time to spare. For the garden and a little break in between.
