Weekend Activities for Kids in Kolkata: 22 Family Outings (2026)

The quickest answer for a free Saturday with children in Kolkata is Science City: it is open every day, costs ₹80, has enough to fill four hours and now has a metro station ten minutes away. After that, the city’s family outings sort themselves by energy level, from rides at Nicco Park to an hour under the planetarium dome. Here are 22 ideas with prices where we could confirm them, closing days and the nearest metro. For workshops, shows and fairs happening this week, see our kids and family events page.

Quick planner

Outing	Best for ages	Time needed	Cost	Nearest metro	Closed
Science City	4+	4–5 hours	₹80 + shows	Barun Sengupta (Orange)	Open daily
Nicco Park	4+	Full day	Ticketed; under 80 cm free	Salt Lake Sector V (Green)	Dol Yatra
Eco Park	All	Half day	Ticketed; rides extra	Cab from Sector V (Green)	Check site
Birla Planetarium	6+	1 hour	Ticketed	Maidan, Rabindra Sadan (Blue)	Check site
BITM	6+	2–3 hours	Ticketed	Cab from Rabindra Sadan (Blue)	Check site
Indian Museum	7+	2–3 hours	₹75; under-18s ₹20	Park Street (Blue)	Monday
Alipore zoo	All	3 hours	Ticketed	Cab from Netaji Bhavan (Blue)	Thursday

Science and space

1. Science City. The largest science centre in the subcontinent, on the EM Bypass. The Dynamotion Hall has hands-on exhibits and illusions, a freshwater aquarium and a live butterfly enclave; the Space Theatre dome seats 360 for large-format films; and the Evolution of Life dark ride takes 20 minutes. A motion simulator, a gallery of mirror exhibits and an outdoor science park fill the rest. Open 10 am to 7 pm daily; entry ₹80, Space Theatre ₹150, dark ride ₹50; children under three free. See our Science City page. Barun Sengupta / Science City (Orange), 10 minutes’ walk.

2. Birla Planetarium. Inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru in July 1963, it is the largest planetarium in Asia, with 570 seats under the dome. Shows run roughly hourly from noon to early evening in Hindi, English and Bengali, so check which language your slot is in before you queue. Beside St Paul’s Cathedral; Maidan or Rabindra Sadan (Blue), 8 minutes’ walk.

3. Birla Industrial and Technological Museum. India’s first government science museum opened on Gurusaday Road in May 1959. Children remember the walk-through mock coal mine, the transport and electricity galleries and the live science demonstrations; the museum also runs paid shows and hobby camps in the school holidays. Ballygunge; cab from Rabindra Sadan (Blue).

Museums children enjoy

4. Indian Museum. Go straight for the Egyptian mummy, the fossils and skeletons in the zoology and geology halls, and the giant Buddhist gateways. Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm; ₹75 for adults, ₹20 for under-18s. Details on our Indian Museum page. Park Street (Blue), 6 minutes’ walk.

5. Victoria Memorial. Younger children care more for the 64 acres of garden, the ponds and the horse carts outside than for the galleries. The gardens open at 6 am daily; galleries run 10 am to 6 pm and are closed on Mondays. Both are ticketed. Rabindra Sadan (Blue).

6. Howrah Rail Museum. Set up in 2006 beside Howrah station, it has steam and early electric locomotives to look over, including a steam engine captured in the 1971 war. Howrah (Green).

7. Mother’s Wax Museum. More than 50 wax figures, from cricketers and film stars to Doraemon and Spider-Man, on two floors of the HIDCO building near Eco Park. New Town; cab or bus from Sector V (Green).

8. Fanattic Sports Museum. A collection of sports memorabilia at Ecospace Business Park in New Town, opened in 2017. Good for cricket- and football-mad children; check opening days before you go. New Town; cab.

9. Nehru Children’s Museum. A long-running museum on Jawaharlal Nehru Road with doll collections from around the world and clay-model retellings of the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Near Rabindra Sadan (Blue).

Rides, parks and animals

10. Nicco Park. Kolkata’s amusement park since 1991, with more than 35 rides on 40 acres, the Wet-O-Wild water park and a bowling alley. Gate hours are 10:30 am to 6:45 pm; the water park admits visitors from 11 am to 5 pm. Children below 80 cm in height enter free and taller children pay the adult rate. Online tickets cannot be bought on the day and there is no re-entry. More on our Nicco Park page. Salt Lake Sector V (Green), 20 minutes’ walk or a short auto ride.

11. Eco Park. About 480 acres in New Town with a toy train, speed boats, kayaking, cycling tracks and replicas of the Seven Wonders. It is too big to cover in one visit, so pick a zone. Entry and rides are ticketed separately. See our Eco Park page. Cab or bus from Sector V (Green).

12. Alipore zoo. Open as a zoo since 1876 on about 46 acres. Winter Sundays are picnic days and very crowded; go when the gates open. Closed on Thursdays. Alipore; cab from Netaji Bhavan or Rabindra Sadan (Blue).

13. The Botanic Garden. Children can walk under the Great Banyan, a single tree with a canopy more than 330 metres around, and feed their curiosity about giant water lilies and palms. Carry water; the garden covers 109 hectares. Our Botanic Garden page has travel details. Shibpur, Howrah; cab or bus from Howrah Maidan (Green).

14. Millennium Park. A riverside strip on Strand Road with a playground, small rides and a view of Howrah Bridge. Pair it with a ferry ride. Mahakaran (Green).

15. Rabindra Sarobar. A flat, shaded loop for cycles and scooters, with rowing boats to watch. Best before 8 am or after 4 pm. Rabindra Sarobar (Blue).

Small adventures

16. A ferry across the Hooghly. Ten minutes on the public ferry between the Kolkata ghats and Howrah gives children the bridge, the barges and the breeze for about the price of a bus ticket. Babughat or Fairlie Place.

17. A tram ride. Two routes still run, from Esplanade to Shyambazar and to Gariahat, with only a few cars on each. Treat it as a ride, not as transport, and be ready to wait. Esplanade (Blue/Green).

18. A metro under the river. The Green Line between Esplanade and Howrah runs through India’s first underwater metro tunnel, and Howrah is the deepest station in the country. It is a cheap thrill on the way to the Rail Museum. Esplanade to Howrah (Green).

19. Kumartuli. Older children who like making things will happily watch idols take shape from straw and clay. Go in the weeks before a puja. Sovabazar Sutanuti (Blue).

Workshops, shows and books

20. Weekend workshops. Art, pottery, robotics, baking and storytelling sessions run most weekends at studios and cultural centres. The Kolkata Centre for Creativity at Anandapur has a regular children’s programme. Current sessions are in our workshop listings.

21. Children’s theatre and puppet shows. Theatre groups stage children’s plays during school holidays, and malls host magic and puppet shows. See kids’ events this weekend.

22. Bookshops and the Book Fair. The Oxford Bookstore on Park Street hosts children’s sessions and a junior literary festival, and the International Kolkata Book Fair, from 22 January to 3 February 2027, has a children’s section and free entry in recent years.

Picking by age

Age	Good choices	Skip for now
Under 4	Rabindra Sarobar, Victoria Memorial gardens, the zoo, a ferry ride	Long museum visits, the planetarium
4–7	Science City, Nicco Park, Eco Park toy train, Millennium Park	Late-evening shows
8–12	Planetarium, BITM, Indian Museum, Rail Museum, Kumartuli, workshops	Nothing; this is the easiest age
Teens	Sports museum, heritage walks, football at Salt Lake Stadium, the Book Fair	Soft-play zones

Practical tips for parents

Check the closing day. Monday for the Indian Museum and the Victoria Memorial galleries, Thursday for the zoo.
Avoid 25 December and 1 January at the zoo, Eco Park, Nicco Park and the Victoria Memorial unless you are ready for very long queues.
Plan around the heat. From April to September, do indoor places between 11 am and 4 pm and parks in the early morning or evening. In the monsoon, carry a change of clothes.
Use the new metro lines. The Orange Line reaches Science City and the Green Line reaches Salt Lake, Sector V and Howrah. Fares are low.
Buy ahead where you must. Nicco Park does not sell same-day tickets online, and Science City’s counters close at 6 pm.
During Durga Puja, take children pandal-hopping in the morning, tag them with a phone number and stick to one neighbourhood.

For days when the weather rules out the parks, our indoor things to do page has more. And if the budget is tight, most of the outdoor ideas above are in our guide to free things to do in Kolkata.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best places to take kids in Kolkata?

Science City, Nicco Park, Eco Park, the Birla Planetarium, the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum, the Indian Museum and the Alipore zoo are the dependable choices. Each fills at least half a day.

How much does Science City cost?

General entry is ₹80 per person, and children under three enter free. The Space Theatre costs ₹150 and the Evolution of Life dark ride ₹50. It is open every day from 10 am to 7 pm, with ticket counters closing at 6 pm.

Is Nicco Park open every day?

The park says it is open all year except on Dol Yatra. The main gate is open from 10:30 am to 6:45 pm and rides run until 7:30 pm. Online tickets cannot be booked for the same day.

What can kids do indoors in Kolkata on a rainy day?

Science City's galleries, the Birla Planetarium, the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum, the Indian Museum and the bowling alley at Nicco Park are all under cover. Malls add play zones and cinemas.

Which attractions are closed on which days?

The Indian Museum and the Victoria Memorial galleries are closed on Mondays, the Alipore zoo on Thursdays and Marble Palace on Mondays and Thursdays. Science City is open daily.

Where can I find children's workshops in Kolkata?

Kolkata2Go's kids and workshop listings carry the week's art, craft, science and storytelling sessions. The Kolkata Centre for Creativity and the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum both run regular programmes for children.