Vienna · With kids

Inside the Schönbrunn palace grounds, open daily at 9am all year and closing between 16:30 in January and 18:30 from April to September; the ticket office shuts 30 minutes before. Adults €29, 6–18s €17, under-6s free. Half a day minimum if you want the pandas and the rainforest house.

Riesenradplatz 2 in the 2nd district. The park itself is free and open around the clock; every ride is paid for separately, roughly €3.50 to €15 each, so you control the spend. Attractions run daily from 15 March to 31 October and only patchily over winter.

In the MuseumsQuartier, split by age: ZOOM Ocean for 8 months to 6 years, the hands-on exhibition for 6–12s, the studio for 3–12s and an animation studio for 8–14s. Places are limited and must be reserved in advance online or by phone, and collected at the counter up to 15 minutes before your slot. Closed Mondays.

A converted wartime flak tower in Esterhazypark holding over 10,000 animals across eleven floors, from sharks and rays to free-flying birds and monkeys. Online tickets are €23.50 for adults, €9.80 for 6–15s and €6.50 for 3–5s, with under-3s free; there is a €16 adult evening ticket Monday to Friday from 17:30.

Mariahilfer Straße 212 in the 14th, a tram ride west of the centre and open from 10:00 to 18:00. Austria's largest technology museum, heavy on things children can pull, push and set in motion. Adults €18; children and young people under 19 go in free, which makes it the cheapest wet-afternoon option in the city.