Haus der Musik

Haus der Musik is the museum that makes Vienna's musical reputation tangible, and it is the best rainy-day choice in the city for families and music lovers alike. It occupies a palace on Seilerstaette in the old town, the building where Otto Nicolai lived when he founded the Vienna Philharmonic in 1842, and it spreads over several floors and around five thousand square metres of exhibition space. The visit typically starts with the orchestra itself: the Vienna Philharmonic's own museum tells the story of one of the world's great orchestras, its unusual self-governing structure and the New Year's Concert broadcast around the world each January. Above it, a floor devoted to sound explores how we hear, from the noises of the womb to the physics of instruments, with listening stations, sound labs and experiments in which you can play with your own voice and compose with everyday sounds. Another floor is given to the great composers associated with Vienna, from Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven to Schubert, Johann Strauss and Mahler, with personal objects, manuscripts and rooms designed around their music and lives. The highlight for many visitors is the Virtual Conductor, where you take a baton and lead a filmed orchestra through a Viennese waltz or a classic piece; if your tempo falls apart, the musicians stop and complain, which is far more entertaining than it sounds. Other favourites include a dice game for composing a waltz and a musical staircase at the entrance. Haus der Musik also hosts concerts in its own hall, including programmes of Mozart, Strauss and the classical masters. It is open every day into the evening, which makes it a useful plan after dinner or between afternoon sights.

How to visit: the museum is at Seilerstaette 30, between the State Opera and the Stadtpark, five minutes on foot from Karlsplatz or Stephansplatz. Tickets can be bought online or at the desk, and queues are rarely long except on wet weekend afternoons. Plan around two hours, and more if you want to try every interactive station. Evenings are generally calmer than afternoons, when families and school groups are most active. The building has lifts, and everything is on the route through the floors, so it suits pushchairs.

Getting the most from it: go first to the Virtual Conductor if it is quiet, because a queue can build there later; then take the floors in order. Use the audio and headphone stations in the sound floor rather than rushing through, as the experiments are the heart of the museum. The composer floor is the most rewarding part for adults with an interest in music history, and it is a good primer before a concert at the Musikverein or an evening at the State Opera. If you are planning a concert in the museum's own hall, combination tickets that bundle the museum with a performance are available.

Who it suits: families with children of almost any age, since the hands-on displays work for small children and teenagers alike; music lovers who want context for Vienna's concert life; and couples looking for something playful on a grey day. Combination tickets pair Haus der Musik with the Schonbrunn Zoo, the Kunsthistorisches Museum or the Belvedere. Afterwards, walk to the Stadtpark to see the golden Johann Strauss statue, or have coffee and cake on the old-town lanes nearby. Even visitors who think of themselves as unmusical tend to leave humming something.