Weekend Activities for Kids in Trivandrum: A Parent's Guide

The short answer for a weekend with children in Trivandrum is the Museum-to-PMG stretch: the planetarium and science museum, the zoo and Napier Museum sit within a kilometre of each other and fill a day for almost any age. Add Magic Planet for a full-day treat, Veli or Aakkulam for boats, and Shanghumugham for sunset. This guide sorts the options by age and by weather, with the closed days that catch parents out. For workshops, shows and camps on this Saturday and Sunday, see kids’ events this weekend.

Quick planner by age

Age	Best bets	Time needed	Watch out for
Under 5	Zoo, Museum gardens and playground, Veli miniature train, mall play zones	2–3 hours each	Midday heat; closed Mondays
5 to 9	Planetarium show, Magic Planet, boating at Veli, Napier Museum	Half day to full day	Planetarium show language and timing
10 to 14	Science galleries, Kuthiramalika Palace tour, crafts village, a Kombans football match	2–4 hours each	Palace is by guided tour only
Teens	Coding and robotics workshops, surfing lessons in season, IMAX at Lulu Mall, hackathons	Varies	Advance registration

Science and stars

The Kerala State Science and Technology Museum at PMG Junction was set up in 1984 to get young people interested in science, and its galleries are built for touching: working models on electricity, mechanics, electronics and space. The Priyadarsini Planetarium on the same campus has been running sky shows since 1994, with separate shows in Malayalam and English. Buy planetarium tickets as soon as you arrive, because weekend shows fill, and ask which one is in English. The museum also organises telescope evenings for eclipses and planetary events, quizzes and holiday science camps. Details are on our planetarium page.

For older children with an interest in rockets, the space museum at Thumba, near Kazhakkoottam, is housed in the old church where India’s space programme began. Visits are regulated by the space centre, so check its visitor instructions and carry ID before making the trip.

Animals, art and a very old museum

The Thiruvananthapuram Zoo, started in the 1850s, is one of the oldest in India, and it is laid out in 55 acres of woodland and lakes, which makes it a pleasant walk even for adults. It houses around 80 species, including lions, tigers, rhinoceroses, hippos and a reptile house. Go before 11 am or after 3 pm, when the animals are active and the paths are cooler. The zoo is closed on Mondays.

In the same compound, Napier Museum is worth 45 minutes with a child who likes objects: a temple chariot, bronze idols, ivory carvings and Javanese shadow puppets, inside a building that looks like something from a storybook. It is open from 10 am to 4.45 pm and closed on Mondays and Wednesday mornings. The gardens between the two have a playground and plenty of shade for a picnic.

A full day of magic

Magic Planet, at the KINFRA Film and Video Park near Kazhakkoottam, was opened in 2014 by the magician Gopinath Muthukad and calls itself India’s first magic theme park. A visit is a sequence of live shows: a walk through the history of magic, stage illusions with music and dance, mirror illusions and mentalism, close-up conjuring, balloon magic, street magic with the Indian rope trick, and an acrobatics tent. The Different Art Centre on the same campus trains children with disabilities in the performing arts, and their showcase is part of the day. The park is open from 10 am to 5 pm. There is no direct city bus to the gate, so drive or take an auto from Kazhakkoottam, and call ahead for current ticket prices.

Boats, lakes and beaches

Veli Tourist Village is where Veli Lake meets the sea. Children like the pedal boats, the floating bridge across to the beach, the giant outdoor sculptures and the miniature train that circles the park. Each activity has its own ticket, and weekday mornings are almost empty.

Aakkulam, a few kilometres inland on the same lake system, has a tourist village with a children’s park and a boat club. It is next to Lulu Mall, so it combines well with lunch and a film.

Shanghumugham Beach is the easy sunset outing: a 35-metre mermaid sculpture to walk around, a small park of traffic signs where young children learn road rules on cycles, and food stalls. The surf is too rough for swimming.

Kovalam has lifeguards in season and calmer water than the city beach, but treat the sea with respect: swim only between the flags, and not at all during the south-west monsoon. The Kerala Arts and Crafts Village at Vellar, on the way, lets children watch potters, weavers, metalworkers and mural painters at work, and it runs craft workshops in school holidays.

Malls and indoor play

Lulu Mall at Aakkulam has an indoor entertainment zone with rides and arcade games, a 12-screen PVR with an IMAX screen and a large food court. Its atrium hosts craft sessions, character meet-and-greets and festive shows on many weekends. Mall of Travancore, near the airport, has a games zone, a Cinepolis multiplex and regular children’s workshops. Both are useful on wet afternoons, and both are busiest between 5 and 9 pm.

Culture that children actually enjoy

• Kuthiramalika Palace. The guided tour is short, and counting the 122 carved horses under the roof gives children a job. Generally closed on Mondays.
• The Methan Mani. The old clock near the temple tank has a carved face that opens its mouth on the hour. Time your walk for it.
• Kathakali and Koodiyattam. The make-up, costumes and drumming hold most children’s attention for a short performance. Vyloppilli Samskrithi Bhavan and festival stages are the places to catch one.
• Manaveeyam Veedhi. Street plays, puppetry and music in the early evening, with room to run about.
• A football match. Thiruvananthapuram Kombans play Super League Kerala home games at Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium in Palayam. Remaining 2026 home fixtures are on 23 October, 8 November and 13 November, and evening kick-offs suit school-age children.

Workshops and holiday camps

Trivandrum’s workshop calendar is strong for children. Baking and cooking studios in Kumarapuram run parent-and-child sessions, art studios hold pottery and painting classes, and music and dance schools take short-term students. For teenagers, weekend technical courses in app development, AI, robotics and cybersecurity are common; a set of two-day workshops at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology on 31 October and 1 November 2026 was listed at ₹1,800 each. Browse current workshops for dates.

Camps cluster around three breaks in the Kerala school year: the Onam holidays in August or September, the Christmas holidays in the last ten days of December, and the long summer vacation in April and May. Register two or three weeks before a break begins.

Dates worth knowing this season

• Vijayadashami, Wednesday 21 October 2026. On this morning families take small children for vidyarambham, the ceremonial first writing of letters, at temples, cultural institutions and the Poojappura Saraswathy Mandapam. Expect queues from dawn.
• Christmas, Friday 25 December 2026. Malls and churches put up trees and stars from early December, and the Tourism Department has run a year-end flower show at Kanakakunnu in recent years; the 2026 dates were not announced at the time of writing. See our Christmas page.
• Onam 2027. Thiruvonam is on 12 September 2027. Onam week’s free stages, lights and procession are the best family festival of the year.

If it rains

October and November bring a thunderstorm most evenings, and June to September is the main monsoon. Keep a wet-weather version of the plan: science galleries and a planetarium show in the morning, lunch nearby, then a mall or a workshop. Our indoor things to do page lists what is on under a roof.

Practical tips for parents

• Mondays are closed days for the zoo and museums, and generally for the science museum.
• Start early. By noon it is hot and humid for most of the year.
• Carry water, caps and a change of clothes, especially for boats and beaches.
• Use autos between the Museum and PMG. The distance is about a kilometre, but the road is busy for small children on foot.
• Check age guidance on workshop listings, and whether a parent must stay.
• Keep some plans free. Our list of free things to do in Trivandrum has several that work with children.

The full, daily-updated list of children’s shows, workshops and camps is on our kids and family events page.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I take kids in Trivandrum this weekend?

The Priyadarsini Planetarium and science museum at PMG, the zoo and Napier Museum, Magic Planet near Kazhakkoottam, Veli Tourist Village for boating, and the play zones at Lulu Mall are the dependable choices. Trivandrum2Go's kids page lists this weekend's workshops and shows.

Which children's attractions are closed on Mondays?

The zoo and the museums in the Museum compound are closed on Mondays, and the science museum and planetarium generally are too. Napier Museum is also closed on Wednesday mornings.

What can kids do in Trivandrum when it rains?

The planetarium and science galleries, Napier Museum, the indoor play areas at Lulu Mall and Mall of Travancore, and indoor workshops such as baking, art and coding classes.

Is Kovalam safe for children to swim?

Swim only where lifeguards are posted and only when the flags allow it. Between June and August the sea is rough and swimming is often stopped. Shanghumugham is not a swimming beach.

How long does Magic Planet take?

Most of a day. The park is open from 10 am to 5 pm and its shows run in a fixed sequence, so arrive close to opening time.

Are there free activities for kids?

Yes. The Museum gardens and playground, Kanakakunnu Palace grounds, Shanghumugham Beach and its traffic-signs park, and many children's programmes at cultural centres are free.

Sources checked

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priyadarsini_Planetarium
• kstmuseum.com/
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiruvananthapuram_Zoo
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napier_Museum
• www.museumandzoo.kerala.gov.in/
• www.magicplanet.in/
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akkulam
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shankumugham_Beach
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kovalam
• www.kacvkovalam.com/
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lulu_Mall
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mall_of_Travancore
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuthira_Malika
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazhakoottam
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Super_League_Kerala
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manaveeyam_Veedhi
• allevents.in/thiruvananthapuram/all
• www.officeholidays.com/countries/india/kerala/2026
• www.officeholidays.com/countries/india/kerala/2027
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiruvananthapuram

Researched and written by the trivandrum2go editors. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.