Ulaanbaatar with Kids
Family travel guide for parents planning with children
Top Family Activities
The best things to do with kids in Ulaanbaatar.
Gandan Monastery & winter-park square
Huge Buddha statue, pigeon feeding, and monks chanting at 10 am—kids find it hypnotic. The square outside turns into an ice-slide playground in winter and a shaded fairground in summer.
Winter Museum of Dinosaurs
Two full T-Rex cousins plus real eggs and teeth kids can touch. English captions and a 15-min VR ice-age film keep teens happy while little ones goggle at the 3-storey skeletons.
Traditional Costume Photo Studio on Seoul Street
Dress the whole family in silk dels, boots and hats, then shoot against a felt-walled ger backdrop. Instant prints in 15 min; grandparents back home love this souvenir.
National Amusement Park (Winter & Summer)
Ferris wheel gives 360-degree city views; indoor arcade with trampoline zone for –30 °C days. Pony rides outside in summer, ice slides in winter.
Hustai National Park day trip
See the last wild horses on earth (Przewalski) plus foxes and eagles. Open jeeps have roof hatches for safe standing; picnic lunch in a ger camp where kids can try ankle-bone shooting.
Gorkhi-Terelj Turtle Rock & Mini-Zoo
One hour out of town: giant rock formations kids can scramble on, a short zip-line over a stream, and a small petting zoo with baby camels you can bottle-feed.
Best Areas for Families
Where to base yourselves for the smoothest family trip.
Sukhbaatar District (city centre)
Flat grid of parks, museums and ice-cream kiosks within a 10-minute walk. Hotels have family rooms and English-speaking concierge who can summon a taxi with car-seat.
Highlights: National Park of Dinosaurs, Central Library kids’ corner, seasonal outdoor rink, stroller-friendly pedestrian underpasses
Zaisan & the southern ridge
Quiet hillside quarter above the smog layer; wide pavements, playgrounds every block, and the giant Zaisan mural accessed by 300 shallow steps—great energy-burner.
Highlights: Zaisan hill sunset picnic, Soviet-era fairground at base, small expat grocery with imported baby food
Bayangol (west of railway)
Local neighbourhood with the biggest indoor water-park (Khaan Immersion), cheap cafés and 24-hour pharmacies. Less English spoken, but prices are half those downtown.
Highlights: Water slides, karaoke pizza buffet, weekend farmers’ market with fresh fruit
Family Dining
Where and how to eat with children.
Ulaanbaatar’s restaurant scene is surprisingly kid-friendly: high-chairs appear within seconds, waitresses automatically bring empty bowls for sharing, and most menus list “children’s buuz” (steamed dumplings) for under 3 USD. Western fast-food exists but local chains are tastier and just as quick.
Dining Tips for Families
- Ask for “khuushuur” to be made half-size; fry-houses will oblige and the oil is fresher than you expect
- Carry wet-wipes—traditional eateries provide only a communal hand-bowl
- Milk tea is salty; request “sakhar-tai” (with sugar) for kids or they’ll spit it out
Modern Mongolian buffet (e.g. Modern Nomads)
Colour picture menu, mild chicken stir-fry and unlimited rice. Boiled eggs and pickles for fussy toddlers.
Korean BBQ with table grill
Kids love cooking their own meat; staff will switch grill heat down on request. Bibimbap can be made minus chilli.
Russian pancake house
Sweet & savoury blini, familiar flavours, high-chairs and changing corner. Opens at 8 am—early by UB standards.
Tips by Age Group
Tailored advice for every stage of childhood.
UB is doable with babies but plan for short hops. Diaper-change tables are rare; use the plush theatre restrooms or department-store ladies lounges. Locals will offer to carry your child—polite to accept if you feel comfortable.
Challenges: Uneven kerbs, restaurant high-chairs often without safety belts, tap water not recommended for formula
- Carry a sling—strollers don’t fit in tiny bakery cafés
- Order plain rice and grated carrot everywhere; Mongolian babies eat this before they’re one
Six-to-twelve-year-olds are in the sweet spot: old enough for pony day-camps, young enough to be awed by dinosaur eggs. Schools welcome visiting kids for half-day “English buddy” classes—email the International School of UB a week ahead.
Learning: Ger-building workshop where kids learn to erect a felt tent in 20 min and hear why doors always face south
- Buy ankle-bone dice at the State Department Store; kids learn Mongolian numbers while playing
Teens can handle independent coffee runs in the central grid and will love Instagram-friendly rooftop views. Give them a 20 USD top-up card and let them explore Seoul Street vintage shops while you visit the opera house next door.
Independence: Safe for 15-year-olds to walk three-block radius downtown until 10 pm; taxis trackable via app
- Encourage them to learn Cyrillic on road signs—competition keeps them off phones for an hour
Practical Logistics
The nuts and bolts of family travel.
Getting Around
Taxis are cheap (0.40 USD/km) but most lack car seats—bring a travel booster. Buses are overcrowded and steps are high; skip them with strollers. Download the UB Cab app and request “zahialga kreslo” (baby seat) 30 min ahead. Pavements are bumpy; a lightweight stroller with big wheels works better than a pram.
Healthcare
Hospital #1 (Tokhoytam) has English-speaking paediatricians and a 24 h pharmacy next door. State pharmacies stock Pampers, Similac and common meds; bring a thermometer as the brand you know may be absent.
Accommodation
Ask for “hol-side” rooms (courtyard side) to avoid traffic horn wake-ups. Confirm the hotel has kettle, mini-fridge (for milk) and elevator—many Soviet-era lifts fit a stroller only if you fold it.
Packing Essentials
- Fleece onesie for kids even in July—nights drop to 8 °C
- Portable blackout curtain for white-night summer evenings
- Face masks for winter pollution; child sizes sold locally but quality varies
Budget Tips
- Eat lunch at canteens inside universities—huge portions under 3 USD and students love practising English on your kids
- Buy the city museum pass (15 USD) which bundles dinosaur, art and history museums—saves 40% if you visit three
Family Safety
Keeping your family safe and healthy.
- Traffic lights get ignored after 9 pm—always cross with an adult in front and back like a train
- Winter pollution masks: choose N95 grade for kids; cotton ones are useless when PM2.5 exceeds 200
- Tap water is hard and occasionally contaminated—use hotel kettle to sterilise baby bottles even for brushing teeth
- Sun at 1,350 m plus snow glare gives fast burns—apply SPF 50 every two hours in winter
- Dogs roam suburbs at night; if trekking in Terelj carry a trekking pole and keep children between adults