Family Days in Ljubljana: Indoor and Outdoor Picks

Two Family Days in Ljubljana

A child’s patience runs out faster than any museum’s opening hours, so it helps to have a plan for dry weather and another for rain. Ljubljana’s pedestrian centre keeps both easy, and most stops sit within a short walk of each other.

The dry day

Morning: castle. Ride the funicular up Castle Hill. It takes about a minute, a return is €6 for an adult and €4.50 reduced, and the glass cabin is half the fun. Castle entry for a family is €36, or €46 with the funicular. The castle’s exhibitions include a puppetry museum and a tower to climb. Opening times and ticket types are on the Ljubljana Castle site .

Lunch and a ride. The free Kavalir electric shuttle can carry tired children across the pedestrian zone between 06:00 and 22:00, and it runs as an open car from April to October.

Afternoon: river. The Žaba boat takes an hour, with child fares of about €5 for ages 4 to 12 and about €10 for adults. For something quieter, the wooden electric boat takes 50 minutes. Finish in Tivoli Park, the city’s largest, where the avenues give room to run.

The rainy day

  • House of Experiments: Trubarjeva cesta 39, roughly 60 interactive exhibits, adults about €11. It opens Tuesday to Thursday from 10:00 to 13:00 and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, so check the day.
  • Museum of Illusions: Kongresni trg 13, adults about €9.95, family ticket about €24.95. The optical tricks keep older children busy.

Place the shorter weekday science slot first, then the illusions museum after lunch.

A longer day: Postojna

For a day that works in any weather, take the family to Postojna Cave, 46 km away. Visitors ride an electric train into the cave and can see olms in the Vivarium. The temperature stays near 10°C, and rain capes can be rented on site for €6, but a warm jacket for each child is better. The cave visit costs from €34.90, and Postojna Cave Park lists current package prices. Postojna tours on GetYourGuide are also available if you would like a guide.

Getting around with children

  • LPP buses cost €1.50 a ride.
  • BicikeLJ bikes cost €1 for a week of registration, with the first hour of each ride free.

Tip

Buy castle tickets online before you go to avoid queues, and always check House of Experiments hours before setting out, since the weekday window is short. The multi-day trips page suggests longer family loops.