Kraków · With kids

A limestone cave under the castle hill. You go down 135 spiral stairs inside the Thieves' Tower, walk 81 metres of it one way and come out on the Vistula boulevards next to Bolesław Chromy's bronze dragon, which breathes fire. Open 24 April–31 October: 9:00–19:00 in July and August, 9:00–17:00 in September and October, last entry 20 minutes before closing. 15 zł, 10 zł reduced, free under 7. No prams and no wheelchair access.

An open-air physics playground at al. Pokoju 68 where every exhibit is built to be climbed on, cranked or shouted into. Weekdays 9:00–19:00, weekends 10:00–19:00; 21 zł, 17 zł reduced, 14 zł for preschoolers, 60 zł for a family of four, with the planetarium 12 zł extra. No booking needed and the ticket stays valid for 30 days.

Full-size working reconstructions of da Vinci's machines inside a former aircraft hangar at os. 2 Pułku Lotniczego 26a, run by the Museum of Engineering and Technology. Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–19:00, closed Mondays, ticket office shuts at 18:30. 35 zł, 25 zł reduced, 95 zł for a family, free under 3.

Over 280 aircraft, gliders and helicopters on the old Rakowice-Czyżyny airfield at al. Jana Pawła II 39, plus a civil-aviation hall of more than 1,000 m² with interactive stations and flight simulators. Tuesday to Sunday 09:00–18:00 in September, closed Mondays. A lot of it is outdoors, so pick a dry day.

The city aquapark at ul. Dobrego Pasterza 126, open daily 08:00–22:00. Eight slides totalling around 800 metres, water held at 29–32°C, a wading pool with a pirate island for the smallest, and a separate sauna world for whoever is not going down a slide. Buy online to skip the desk.