Spending a Day in Ljubljana: Slovenia’s Charming Capital

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As the capital city of Slovenia, Ljubljana makes for a natural stop on your Slovenia itinerary. With its pretty pastel buildings, castle, dragon bridges, and small city charm, Ljubljana belongs on any travelers to-see list. I found there were plenty of things to do in Ljubljana if you only have one day in the city. I could have easily spent longer in this city.

Even though Ljubljana is Slovenia’s largest city, it feels more like a cozy, oversized town. This is one of my favourite things about small capital cities, the friendly and approachable vibe that comes along with them. Because it is smaller, you can see the highlights in a day if you are short on time.

Slovenia is a fairly compact country so you can base yourself in Ljubljana and do day trips from there to see mountains and caves. If you have more time though, it is worth staying in other locations in Slovenia, as I did during my road trip through Triglav National Park.

How to Visit Ljubljana

I stayed in Ljubljana for a couple of nights so that I could use it as a base to explore both the city and Postojna Caves. Ljubljana is a great city to base yourself in Slovenia as many fantastic day trips are nearby, including Lake Bled and the Soca Valley. This charming city is also one of Europe’s best cities for a gap year if you are looking for an affordable destination.

Where to Stay in Ljubljana

I stayed near the train station, it is quite walkable to the old town although at night it felt very empty. Ljubljana is quite affordable and there are options for every price point.

Apartments and Rooms Meščanka is a great choice if you want to be suited right on the river in the Old Town of Ljubljana and is great value for this location.

Bloom Hotel is right in the Old Town under Ljubljana Castle. With bicycle rental and set in a traditional building, this family-run boutique hotel is in a great location and includes breakfast.

Getting Around Ljubljana and Slovenia

Ljubljana is a very compact city so it was easy to see the main sights on foot. The old town is pedestrians only but I did see shuttles that were shuttling people around the area for free.

Ljubljana is a great place to base yourself as there are many popular day trips from Ljubljana. If you are interested in going from Ljubljana to Lake Bled, you can get there by train in about 40 minutes using the express train. A car will be useful if you want to explore the mountain region of Slovenia. I explored Triglav National Park and it was the highlight of my time in Slovenia. A day trip I did from Ljubljana was to visit Predjama Castle and Postojna Caves.

For international travel, Venice to Ljubljana is one of the most popular routes and if you want a long day trip, you can visit the City of Bridges in just under 3 hours. 

Zagreb is another popular international destination from Ljubljana. You can reach the capital of Croatia in 2.5 hours. 

What to Eat in Ljubljana

Surrounding countries have definitely influenced Slovenia’s food and you will find that there is a mix of Central European and Italian food available here. For meat-eaters, there are a lot of your typical Central European foods such as sausage, schnitzel, and goulash.

Vegetarians will be out of luck to try many traditional Slovenian main-dish foods but there are good options. Slovenian restaurants do serve up strudel, yummy cakes, good pizza, soup, risotto, and burek. Ljubljana does have vegetarian restaurants but they tend to not be traditional Slovenian fare. There are lots of fresh food options for Slovenian-produced fruits and vegetables as well. Slovenia’s tourist site even has a page with suggested traditional foods for vegetarians. 

One of the most unique cakes I have ever had was in Slovenia and is a regional cake called Gibanica cake. It is a pastry that has layers of poppy seeds, walnuts, apples, and some kind of cheese. It doesn’t sound good when you write it out but it was a mix of an apple pie and a poppyseed muffin and it was delicious.

If you have the time, it might be worth joining a food and wine tour to explore Slovenian food.

What to Drink in Slovenia

If you drink, wine should be on your list. Slovenia has three main areas that produce wine in the country. My favourite when I was there was Traminec, which is a white wine made from Gewürztraminer grapes. I have to admit that Slovenia is not the typical place that I think of as being a wine-producer, but I was oh-so-deliciously wrong. One thing that is interesting about Slovenia’s history with winemaking is that it actually was producing wine way before Romans introduced viticulture to France, Spain, and Germany.  You can read more about Slovenia’s wines and wine producing regions here: Wines of Slovenia.

In addition to wine, try to sample some of the traditional style fruit liqueurs they serve up. There are several shops in Ljubljana where you can try before you buy. My absolute favourite is the blueberry liqueur known as Borovničevec that has blueberries still in it. It makes for an excellent souvenir for yourself or as a gift.

What to See in Ljubljana in One Day

The compact size of Ljubljana makes it possible to see the highlights of the city in one or two days. With a second day you would have time to explore inside Ljubljana Castle and see some of the museums. I used Ljubljana as a base to explore Postojna Caves and Predjama Castle in addition to the city. Unlike a lot of European capitals, Ljubljana is easy to drive in. You can drive out of the city in quite a short time to get to nearby destinations.

Map of Ljubljana’s Top Sights

Ljubljana Castle

One of the highlights in Ljubljana is the castle. While you can walk up to it, I ended up taking the funicular because I went near the end of the day and the thought of walking up the hill was just too much. The view over Ljubljana from the castle hill is worth a ramble, and the 16th-century castle is also worth a look.

It’s free to wander around the castle grounds. You have to pay to go inside the castle and see the exhibitions that it puts on. I felt happy with just walking around and seeing Ljubljana Castle from the outside, but with more time would have gone inside.

Ljubljana’s Pink Church

For exploring the old town, I highly recommend doing the free walking tour that is available. It definitely provided a lot more context to what I was seeing. Ljubljana is also easily explored without a tour. You can see the highlights of the old town in about 2 hours.

A natural starting point for seeing Ljubljana’s highlights is Presernov Square. Here you can see Ljubljana’s pink church (Franciscan Church of the Annunciation) as well as the Triple Bridge. Around the square are also old buildings that at one time were homes and are now shops.

Cathedral of St. Nicholas

The Cathedral of St. Nicholas is located just after crossing the Triple Bridge. It has two huge doors that were added to commemorate a visit by Pope John Paul II in 1996. The doors recount the history of Christianity in Slovenia. It’s worth taking a quick (and quiet!) peek into the cathedral to see the ornate pink marble interior.

Explore Ljubljana’s Quirky Bridges

The bridges in Ljubljana are part of the charm of the city. One of the more famous is the Dragon Bridge. With its large winged dragon statues, the bridge is beloved. The lore is that the dragons wag their tails whenever a virgin crosses the bridge but that no one has ever seen it happen. Make of that what you want.

Near the city market, there is also a cute bridge, Mesarski Most, that is used as a love locks bridge. I liked it for the bizarre bronze statues that are found near it and on the bridge railings. Another oddity of this bridge is that it’s see-through. As in, it’s made of glass. Not a very common feature for bridges so it’s a unique one. Ljubljana definitely has a lot of quirky sights.

The Ljubljanica River

Adding to Ljubljana’s already ample charm is the river that lazily snakes through the old town. You can see the river both from the bridges that cross it and the streets that run parallel to the river. There are lots of cafes and sitting areas nearby. If you are up for it, it’s also possible to take a 1-hour river cruise that will take you through the old town. Near Cobblers Bridge (Sustarski Most) there is a riverside seating area.

The Central Market

Central Market is worth a quick stop if you are in the area. When I was there they were selling lots of different preserves and honey as well as fruits like persimmons and plums. There were also stalls that were selling meals if you wanted some quick eats. Something I had never seen before was a milk vending machine where you could buy your milk for the week.

The Museums

I only had a quick visit to Ljubljana so I didn’t have time to visit any of the museums on offer, but there are a few interesting sounding ones. The Slovenian Museum of Natural History would be my top pick because of its collection of mammoth and whale skeletons and Slovenian salamander display. The adjacent National Museum of Slovenia would also be worth a visit for getting a background on Slovenia’s long history, including finds from the Stone Age.

Congress Square

Congress square is another main square in Ljubljana.  Around the square, there are several important buildings including the Philharmonic building, the Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity, and the Casino building. The Ursuline Church is notable for its Baroque style while the Casino building is one of the few Neoclassical buildings that remained after the earthquake in 1895.

The square also holds importance to Ljubljana and Slovenia’s history as it has been the site for demonstrations for independence. These demonstrations were part of the lead-up to Slovenia’s independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.

Ljubljana’s Grafitti

If you enjoy graffiti and wall murals, you should head to Metelkova Mesto. This is an ex-army garrison that was taken over by squatters in the 1990s. It’s located near the train station in Ljubljana and is about a 10-15 minute walk from the Old Town.

While I found just outside of the old town to have quite a few graffiti tags, Metelkova Mesto is where you can find murals. There is a lot of eccentricity on display here. When I visited, there is everything from murals of giraffes and octopuses to bizarre statues of spiders. It’s an interesting stop to get a glimpse of the artistic community that can be found in Ljubljana. If you are around in the evening, it is also the location of clubs that are popular among university students.

With More Time in Ljubljana

If you have more than one full day in Ljubljana I would consider adding on a day tour to another place in Slovenia. There are a lot of nearby day tours that are well worth it. Popular day trips include Postojna Caves, Lake Bled, and Maribor.

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