Ljubljana With Children

The old centre has no traffic, which means children can run ahead without a parent hovering at every crossing. That one fact shapes the best family days here, and most of the favourites are within a ten-minute walk of each other.

A ride up to the castle

The funicular climbs Castle Hill in about a minute and children tend to like the glass cabin. A return ticket is €6 for adults, with reduced fares of €4.50 for children. Castle entry for a family is €36, or €46 if you include the funicular. Inside you will find the viewing tower, a puppetry museum and history exhibits. The castle ticket page shows current family options.

On the water

The Žaba tourist boat takes an hour on the river, and children aged 4 to 12 pay about €5 against about €10 for an adult. The wooden electric boat takes 50 minutes and costs around €8.44 for children aged 6 to 13. Seeing the dragons on the Dragon Bridge from water level makes a good game for younger ones.

Hands-on indoors

• House of Experiments: Trubarjeva cesta 39, with around 60 interactive exhibits on physics, light and sound. Adults pay about €11. Opening is Tuesday to Thursday 10:00 to 13:00 and Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 18:00.
• Museum of Illusions: Kongresni trg 13, about €9.95 for adults and about €24.95 for a family ticket.

Both work well on a rainy afternoon, and each takes roughly an hour.

Free ways to wear them out

Tivoli Park has wide avenues and space to run, and it is the city’s largest. Free electric Kavalir shuttles roam the pedestrian zone, a good rescue for tired legs, with a glazed car all year and open cars from April to October. BicikeLJ bikes give you the first hour of each ride free after a €1 weekly registration.

A bigger day out

Postojna Cave is 46 km away. An electric train carries visitors through the cave, and the Vivarium shows olms, the blind cave salamanders. It stays near 10°C, so pack jackets. Prices begin at €34.90 for the cave visit, and the Postojna Cave Park site lists family-friendly packages. If you prefer a guided transfer, Postojna tours on GetYourGuide are one option.

Tip

Do the castle on a dry morning and keep the science centre for the afternoon, since House of Experiments hours are short on weekdays. See the Ljubljana activities page for more free options.

• Ljubljana
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