In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Our judgement, because it depends on the age of the child. For toddlers and buggies, Vienna: every U-Bahn station is step-free, children under 6 ride free and Schönbrunn Zoo is free under 6, then €17 from age 6. For a first city trip, Munich: one €10.10 day ticket carries an adult’s own children aged 6 to 14 free, and the Deutsches Museum is free under 6 and €11 for ages 6 to 17. For primary-school age, Copenhagen (Tivoli half price to age 7, the zoo DKK 160 for ages 3 to 14) or Stockholm (Skansen free to 15). For a tight budget, Milan: the aquarium, the Natural History Museum and the Sforza Castle museums are free to 17 and under-14s ride free. For museums, Berlin: the state museums are free to 18. For warmth and a beach, Valencia. For ages 6 and over on a long trip, Tokyo. The thing that ruins a day is a pushchair turned away at the door or a closed Monday. Or book a ticket: the Tivoli entrance and Ride Passad is from DKK 389 and the Oceanogràfic ticketad from €37 (GetYourGuide).
⚠️ Check the pushchair rule and the closed day before you build a day round a sight. In Copenhagen, pushchairs are left at the entrance of Rosenborg, Christiansborg, the Amalienborg Museum and the Home of Carlsberg exhibition, and Rosenborg bans carry cots, so bring a sling. In Stockholm, Junibacken and ABBA The Museum have no strollers inside. In Milan the Civic Aquarium, the Natural History Museum, Museoscienza and the Sforza Castle museums are shut on Mondays, Tivoli in Copenhagen is shut between its seasons, and the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo is closed on most Tuesdays.
Prices are each operator’s own, in local currency, and the free ages are the operators’ own. The comparisons are our judgement.
The cities side by side
The cities are in the order of the entries below. Each is a link to the city’s own guide.
| City | Top child attraction | Buggy and step-free | Park or playground | Deciding factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vienna | Schönbrunn Zoo: €17 from age 6, free under 6 | Every U-Bahn station step-free; under 6 ride free | The Prater: the funfair is free to enter | The zoo is open every day of the year; most Prater rides close from 1 November |
| Valencia | Oceanogràfic: €27.45 to €31.95 for ages 4 to 12, free under 4 | Every Metrovalencia station and stop has a ramp or a lift; under 10 ride free | Parque Gulliver: free, ramped, with benches for lying down | July and August highs average 29.7°C and 30.2°C, so go April to early June or mid-September to October |
| Copenhagen | Tivoli: half price for ages 3 to 7; zoo DKK 160 for ages 3 to 14 | A lift at every metro station; pushchairs left at the palaces | Superkilen, free, with a black octopus slide | Tivoli opens only in seasons, and Den Blå Planet is often sold out at weekends |
| Stockholm | Skansen: free for ages 0 to 15 with a booked ticket | Up to six children under 12 ride SL free; no strollers inside Junibacken | Skansen’s grounds and zoo, in the ticket | Each child needs a free Skansen ticket booked with an adult’s; Junibacken is shut on Mondays in November 2026 |
| Munich | Deutsches Museum: €11 for ages 6 to 17, free under 6 | Lifts, not escalators, with a pushchair; all buses and trams low-floor | The English Garden: free, 5.5 km long | One €10.10 day ticket takes an adult’s own children aged 6 to 14 free |
| Berlin | Zoo: from €7.50 online for ages 4 to 15 | Almost 90% of U-Bahn stations step-free; buggies need no ticket | Tempelhofer Feld: a former airfield, free | The state museums are free to 18 but each child still needs a free ticket |
| Tokyo | Ghibli Museum: 100 yen for ages 4 to 6, free at 3 and under | Toei: every station has an elevator route; children below school age ride free | Shinjuku Gyoen: free for ages 15 and under | Ghibli sells only dated, timed tickets, in advance, and is closed on most Tuesdays |
| Milan | Civic Aquarium: €8 for adults, free for ages 0 to 17 | Every station on M3, M4 and M5 has a lift; under 14 ride free | The Giardini Indro Montanelli, with the Natural History Museum | Most of the child sights close on Mondays |
Cities for toddlers and buggies
This grouping is our judgement. In these three cities the transport is step-free or nearly so, the animal parks are free for the youngest children, and the day can be short.
Vienna
Schönbrunn Zoo €17 from age 6 · free under 6 · every U-Bahn station step-free · under 6 ride free
Tiergarten Schönbrunnad charges adults €29 and children and young people from age 6 €17, with photo ID, and children under 6 enter free. It is open every day of the year from 9:00, and the closing time runs from 16:30 in winter to 18:30 from April to September (the zoo). The Wurstelprater funfair is free to enter and open round the clock, with each ride €3.50 to €15 and many cash only; the Riesenrad ticket is €17 for an adult, and ages 3 to 14 pay the children’s rate. The rides run in full to 31 October, and from 1 November only some open, in good weather. The Riesenrad stays open all year.
Wiener Linien says every U-Bahn station is step-free, with a lift or a ramp, and that only low-floor buses run (Wiener Linien). Children under 6 travel free. Ages 6 to 14 pay €1.60 for a single, and children under 15 travel free on Sundays, public holidays and during Vienna school holidays. From the airport, the train is €5.50 for an adult and €2.80 for ages 6 to 14, and under 6 is free (Vienna public transport and Vienna airport to the city). May and September average highs of 20.7°C and 21.1°C, and July 26.4°C (when to visit Vienna).
Zoku Vienna is an apartment hotel whose lofts have a living room, a kitchen and a dining table, and the Prater park is across the road; it is in the booking section below. Vienna lists what to book, Schönbrunn tickets covers the palace and the gardens, and where to stay in Vienna compares the areas.
Valencia
Oceanogràfic €27.45 to €31.95 for ages 4 to 12 · free under 4 · every Metrovalencia station has a ramp or a lift
The Oceanogràfic costs €31.95 in high season, €29.05 in mid season and €27.45 in low season for ages 4 to 12 (2026 prices), and younger children are free with identification. Three dolphin presentations a day are in the ticket, and the park bans bringing food in. The Bioparc is from €23.50 for ages 4 to 12 and free under 4; it closes at sunset and allows no re-entry. The Museu de les Ciències is €7.60 for ages 4 to 12 and has a play space for young children, with mirrors, real animals and toy cranes. Parque Gulliver is free, with ramped access and benches shaped for lying down. On Mondays the Oceanogràfic, the Museu de les Ciències, the Bioparc and Gulliver are open, and the Fallas Museum is not (Valencia with kids has the prices by age).
Metrovalencia says every station and stop on the network has a route with ramps and lifts; some trains that start or end at València Sud may not be accessible (Metrovalencia). Children under 10 travel free on Metrovalencia with an adult holding a valid ticket, two children per adult. The mean daily maximum is 29.7°C in July and 30.2°C in August, against 20.8°C in April and 27.9°C in September (when to visit Valencia).
Hotel Primus Valencia has a garden of more than 2,000 m² with an outdoor pool, next to the City of Arts and Sciences; it is in the booking section below. Valencia lists what to book, and where to stay in Valencia compares the areas.
Copenhagen
Tivoli half price for ages 3 to 7 · zoo DKK 160 for ages 3 to 14 · Den Blå Planet DKK 116 for ages 3 to 11 · a lift at every metro station
Tivoli charges half price on entrance and the entrance and Ride Pass package for ages 3 to 7, and the adult price from 8; it opens only in seasons and is shut between them. Copenhagen Zoo is DKK 260 for adults and DKK 160 for ages 3 to 14, and the ticket is valid for a year. Den Blå Planet is DKK 116 online for ages 3 to 11 and free for ages 0 to 2, by time slot, and is often sold out at weekends. Under-18s are free at Rosenborg, Christiansborg and the main state museums, but pushchairs stay at the door. Copenhagen with kids has the prices by age and the pushchair rules, and Superkilen, a free park in Nørrebro, has a black octopus slide from Japan.
Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen. Photo: European Commission, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Visit Copenhagen says every metro station has a lift, that S-train stations have a lift or step-free access, and that city buses have a manual ramp at the middle doors (Visit Copenhagen). An adult can bring two children under 12 free, and ages 12 to 15 pay half. A Copenhagen Card needs a child card for every child over two, so a family card rarely pays (Copenhagen Card). May has a mean high of 18.2°C and 262 hours of sun, and December has 7 hours of daylight (when to visit Copenhagen).
Charlottehaven has hotel apartments of 50 to 105 m² in Østerbro, which Visit Copenhagen calls the greenest neighbourhood and family-friendly; it is in the booking section below. Copenhagen lists what to book, and where to stay in Copenhagen compares the areas.
Cities for primary-school age and a museum for every age
This grouping is our judgement. In these four cities the child price or the free age runs well past the toddler years, to 14, 15 or 18.
Stockholm
Skansen free for ages 0 to 15 · Junibacken from SEK 140 · Vasa Museum free to 18 · up to six children under 12 ride SL free
Skansen is free for ages 0 to 15, but each child needs a free ticket booked with an adult, student or senior ticket, and children under 13 must be with an adult. The zoo, Lill-Skansen (the children’s zoo) and the Baltic Sea Science Center are in the ticket. Junibacken is from SEK 140 for a day ticket, including the Story Train ride, and children under 2 are free but need their own ticket; it is shut on the Mondays of November 2026. The Vasa Museum is free to age 18 and allows strollers, though not in its restaurant, and the Viking Museum is free to age 14. Junibacken and ABBA The Museum have no strollers inside, with a stroller park at the entrance.
A brown bear in Skansen’s zoo. Photo: Magnus Johansson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Up to six children under 12 travel free on SL with a paying adult, every day, and ages 6 to 19 pay SEK 26 for a single. On the Arlanda Express, children aged 0 to 17 travel free with an adult’s ticket (Stockholm public transport). July has a mean high of 23.6°C, and December 6 hours of daylight (when to visit Stockholm).
STF Stockholm Skeppsholmen is a hostel with dorm beds and family rooms on the island of Skeppsholmen, between the city and Djurgården, where Skansen is; it is in the booking section below. Stockholm with kids has every price by age, and where to stay in Stockholm compares the areas.
Munich
Deutsches Museum €11 for ages 6 to 17 · free under 6 · day ticket €10.10 with the children free · English Garden free
The Deutsches Museum is €18 for adults from 2 November 2026, €11 for ages 6 to 17 and €40 for a family of two adults and their own children under 18, and under 6 is free. The Kids’ Kingdom, for ages 3 to 8, has a fire engine, a water play area, a giant guitar and a marble run. The Skylift at the Olympiapark is €8 for children aged 3 up to 1.40 m tall. The state museums, the Residenz and Nymphenburg are free under 18 (Munich museums), and the English Garden is free and 5.5 km long.
The MVV single-day ticket is €10.10 for one adult aged 15 or over, and children aged 6 to 14 travel free on it: your own children without limit, and other people’s up to three. A single for ages 6 to 14 is €2.00, a children’s day ticket €3.80, and under 6 is free. From the airport, a day ticket for zones M to 5 is €17.50 for one adult and up to three children aged 6 to 14 (Munich public transport and Munich airport to the city). With a pushchair, MVG asks you to use the lifts, not the escalators, and on a tram or bus to board at the door with the pushchair symbol and apply the brake. All buses and trams are low-floor, except on special trips. On the U-Bahn, step-free boarding is not always possible on older double-cars and at some stations, and the new B-wagon trains carry a mobile ramp that you ask the driver for at the first door (MVG). May to September have mean highs of 19.4°C to 24.9°C and are the wettest months, with 107 to 121 mm from May to August (when to visit Munich).
Schwabinger Wahrheit by Geisel has rooms for one to six people, 600 m from the English Garden; it is in the booking section below. Munich lists what to book, and where to stay in Munich compares the areas.
Berlin
Zoo from €7.50 online for ages 4 to 15 · state museums free to 18 · almost 90% of U-Bahn stations step-free · buggies need no ticket
Zoo Berlin charges children aged 4 to 15 from €7.50 online and €12.50 at the ticket office, against from €16 and €25 for adults aged 16 and over. The zoo and aquarium ticket is from €11 online and €17.50 at the office for ages 4 to 15, and children under 4 are free on it; the zoo and the aquarium must be visited on the same day. The State Museums of Berlin, among them the Museum Island museums, are free to age 18, with a free ticket from the desk or online (Museum Island tickets). The DDR Museum is free under 6 and €8.50 from age 6 (DDR Museum). Tempelhofer Feld, the former airfield, is a free park (free things to do in Berlin).
BVG has 175 U-Bahn stations, and almost 90% of them can be reached without steps by a ramp or a lift; 204 working lifts serve 143 stations, and a lift is sometimes out of order (BVG). Hand luggage, buggies and wheelchairs need no ticket. Children under 6 travel free and ages 6 to 14 pay the reduced fare, and a 24-hour ticket for zones A and B covers one adult and up to three children aged 6 to 14 at €11.20 (Berlin public transport). May to September have mean highs of 19.6°C to 25.2°C (when to visit Berlin).
The Mandala Hotel has 159 studios and suites with balconies and terraces that look over the Tiergarten; it is in the booking section below. Berlin lists what to book, and where to stay in Berlin compares the areas.
Tokyo
Ghibli Museum 100 yen for ages 4 to 6 · teamLab 1,500 yen for ages 4 to 12 · Shinjuku Gyoen free to 15 · preschool children ride the metro free
The Ghibli Museum charges 1,000 yen for ages 19 and over, 400 yen for 7 to 12 and 100 yen for 4 to 6, and children aged 3 and under are free. Every ticket is dated and timed and sold only in advance, through the museum’s ticket page: a month’s tickets go on sale at 10:00 Japan time on the 10th of the month before, and the museum is closed on most Tuesdays. teamLab is 1,500 yen for ages 4 to 12 at both Planets and Borderless, and under 4 is free. Shinjuku Gyoen costs adults 500 yen and is free for ages 15 and under, and the Tokyo National Museum is free under 18 (Tokyo’s museums and gardens).
Toei says every one of its subway stations has an elevator route from street to platform (Toei). On Tokyo Metro, infants under 1 ride free and so do children below school age, up to two to an adult, and ages 6 to 11 pay half (Tokyo Metro). The 24, 48 and 72-hour Subway Ticket is half price for ages 6 to 11, at 500, 750 and 1,000 yen (Tokyo public transport). From Haneda, the monorail to Hamamatsucho is 520 yen for an adult and 260 yen for a child (Haneda airport to Tokyo). March to May and October to November are the mild months, August has a daily high of 31.3°C, and typhoon season runs from June to December (when to visit Tokyo).
Nohga Hotel Ueno Tokyo is 3 minutes from Ueno Station, in the district of the park and the museums; it is in the booking section below. Tokyo lists what to book, and where to stay in Tokyo compares the areas.
A city on a tight budget
This choice is our judgement. On entry prices alone, Milan asks the least of a family: two adults with two children pay €16 at the aquarium and nothing for the children at two more museums.
Milan
Civic Aquarium €8, free for ages 0 to 17 · Natural History Museum free to 17 · under-14s ride ATM free · every station on M3, M4 and M5 has a lift
The Civic Aquarium is €8 for adults and free for ages 0 to 17, and the Natural History Museum (€10) and the Sforza Castle museums (€10) are free for the same ages. Museoscienza is €8 for ages 3 to 26, free under 3, with a submarine, locomotives and aeroplanes. All four are closed on Mondays, and the aquarium and the Natural History Museum are free on the first Sunday of the month. The Sforza Castle courtyards are free every day from 7:00 to 19:30, and a lift serves the Panoramic Battlements, so strollers can go up. The San Siro Skywalk is from age 7 (Milan with kids has every price by age).
The railway hall of Museoscienza, Milan. Photo: Jakub Hałun, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Under-14s travel free on ATM and Trenord within the integrated tariff area; show an ID (Milan public transport). ATM says every station on M3, M4 and M5 has a lift, and that all urban and suburban bus lines have accessible buses, bar line 230 (ATM). On M1 and M2, check the lift at your station in the ATM app before you set out. The Malpensa Express is €15 for adults and €7.50 for ages 4 to 13, and children up to 3 ride free with a paying parent (Milan airport to the city). July is the hottest month, at a mean high of 30.7°C with 20 days at 30°C or more (when to visit Milan).
Hotel Bernina is opposite Milano Centrale, with the Indro Montanelli public gardens a few minutes’ walk away; the Natural History Museum is in those gardens. It is in the booking section below. Milan lists what to book, and where to stay in Milan compares the areas.
What a child pays on public transport
Fares are the operators’ own. “Free” means the child needs no ticket, and most free rules need an adult with a valid ticket.
| City | Free | Child fare | Airport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vienna | Under 6; under 15 on Sundays, public holidays and Vienna school holidays | €1.60 for a single, ages 6 to 14 | Train €2.80 for ages 6 to 14; under 6 free |
| Valencia | Under 10 on Metrovalencia, two per adult | Metro lines 3 and 5 run to the airport, so the same rule applies | |
| Copenhagen | Up to two children under 12 with an adult | Half price, ages 12 to 15 | The same ticket and rule as the city |
| Stockholm | Up to six children under 12 with a paying adult | SEK 26 for a single, ages 6 to 19 | Arlanda Express: ages 0 to 17 free with an adult’s ticket |
| Munich | Under 6 | €2.00 for a single, ages 6 to 14; €3.80 children’s day ticket | Day ticket €17.50 for one adult and up to three children aged 6 to 14 |
| Berlin | Under 6; buggies need no ticket | The reduced fare, ages 6 to 14; 24-hour AB ticket €11.20 for one adult and up to three children | |
| Tokyo | Infants under 1; children below school age, up to two per adult | Half, ages 6 to 11 | Haneda monorail: 260 yen for a child |
| Milan | Under 14, with ID | Malpensa Express: €7.50 for ages 4 to 13; up to 3 free |
What age is free
This is the free age at the main child sight in each city, from the youngest to the oldest.
- Up to age 3: Museoscienza in Milan (under 3), the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo (3 and under), teamLab in Tokyo (under 4), the Oceanogràfic and the Bioparc in Valencia (under 4), Zoo Berlin on the zoo and aquarium ticket (under 4) and Den Blå Planet in Copenhagen (ages 0 to 2).
- Up to age 5: Schönbrunn Zoo in Vienna, the Deutsches Museum in Munich and the DDR Museum in Berlin (all under 6).
- Up to age 14 or 15: Skansen in Stockholm (ages 0 to 15) and Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo (15 and under).
- Up to age 17 or 18: the Civic Aquarium, the Natural History Museum and the Sforza Castle museums in Milan (ages 0 to 17), the state museums in Berlin and Munich, and the Vasa Museum in Stockholm.
When to go
This is our judgement from each city’s averages, and the cities are in the order of the entries above. Where to go each month has the weather and the events for every city.
| City | Months we would pick with small children | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Vienna | May and September | Average highs of 20.7°C and 21.1°C; July is 26.4°C |
| Valencia | April to early June, mid-September to October | July and August highs average 29.7°C and 30.2°C |
| Copenhagen | May and June | May has a mean high of 18.2°C and 262 hours of sun; Tivoli is open in the summer season |
| Stockholm | May to August | July has a mean high of 23.6°C and 280 hours of sun |
| Munich | May to September | Mean highs of 19.4°C to 24.9°C, and the wettest months, with 107 to 121 mm from May to August |
| Berlin | May to September | Mean highs of 19.6°C to 25.2°C |
| Tokyo | March to May, October to November | August has a daily high of 31.3°C, and typhoon season runs June to December |
| Milan | April to June, September to October | July has a mean high of 30.7°C and 20 days at 30°C or more |
Where to stay with small children
These are the hotels and apartments already on our stay pages in each city, chosen for space or for green space nearby. Each links to Hotels.com for your dates.
| City | Place | What it is | Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vienna | Zoku Vienna | An apartment hotel with a kitchen in each loft, and the Prater park across the road | Hotels.comad |
| Valencia | Hotel Primus Valencia | A garden of more than 2,000 m² with an outdoor pool, next to the City of Arts and Sciences | Hotels.comad |
| Copenhagen | Charlottehaven | Hotel apartments of 50 to 105 m² in Østerbro, with a pool | Hotels.comad |
| Stockholm | STF Stockholm Skeppsholmen | A hostel with dorm beds and family rooms on the island between the city and Djurgården | Hotels.comad |
| Munich | Schwabinger Wahrheit by Geisel | Rooms for one to six people, 600 m from the English Garden | Hotels.comad |
| Berlin | The Mandala Hotel | 159 studios and suites, with balconies and terraces over the Tiergarten | Hotels.comad |
| Tokyo | Nohga Hotel Ueno Tokyo | A hotel 3 minutes from Ueno Station, by the park and the museums | Hotels.comad |
| Milan | Hotel Bernina | Opposite Milano Centrale, a few minutes’ walk from the Indro Montanelli gardens | Hotels.comad |
Each city’s stay guide compares the areas: Vienna, Valencia, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Munich, Berlin, Tokyo and Milan.
Other cities and other trips
For a trip for two, see romantic city breaks for couples. For a trip with other people, see best cities for a hen do and best cities for a stag do. For other purposes, see cheap city breaks in Europe, winter sun city breaks, solo city breaks and food city breaks. For the rest of the cities, see Compare cities; for two cities head to head, see Prague vs Budapest. For step-free transport and sights for a wheelchair user, see accessible city breaks. For a plan for two or three days, see long weekend city breaks. For the weather and what else is on in each month, see where to go each month.
Common questions
Which city is best for a city break with a toddler?
Our judgement, because it depends on the child. Vienna: every U-Bahn station is step-free, children under 6 ride public transport free and Schönbrunn Zoo is free under 6. Valencia is the warmer alternative: every Metrovalencia station and stop has a ramp or a lift, children under 10 ride free with an adult, and the Oceanogràfic and the Bioparc are free under 4.
Which cities have step-free metro stations?
Wiener Linien says every Vienna U-Bahn station is step-free, with a lift or a ramp. Copenhagen's metro has a lift at every station, and Metrovalencia says every station and stop has a ramp or a lift. In Berlin almost 90% of the 175 U-Bahn stations are step-free, and in Milan every station on M3, M4 and M5 has a lift. Toei says every one of its Tokyo subway stations has an elevator route from street to platform.
At what age do children travel free on city public transport?
It depends on the city. Under 6 is free in Vienna, Munich and Berlin. Up to two children under 12 ride free with an adult in Copenhagen, and up to six in Stockholm. Under 10 is free in Valencia, under 14 in Milan, and in Tokyo children below school age ride free, two to an adult.
Which city is cheapest for a family with young children?
Our judgement is Milan on entry prices alone: the Civic Aquarium, the Natural History Museum and the Sforza Castle museums are free to age 17, and under-14s ride ATM free. Berlin's state museums are free to 18. The rest of a trip, beds, food and flights, varies by city and is not in these figures.
Which sights need booking before you go?
The Ghibli Museum in Tokyo sells only dated, timed tickets in advance. Skansen in Stockholm needs a free ticket booked for each child. Den Blå Planet in Copenhagen sells by time slot and is often sold out at weekends, and Tivoli opens only in seasons.
