Skip to content
LetsVisitSlovenia

Language

Ljubljana

A capital small enough to cross on foot, shaped by one architect: Jože Plečnik, whose bridges, market colonnade and riverbanks are now UNESCO-listed.

Best time to visit
May · Jun · Sep · Oct
Elevation
295 m
Population
295,000
Suggested stay
2–3 nights
Plan my trip

Why visit

Ljubljana is unusual among European capitals in being genuinely walkable end to end — the castle hill, the old town, the market and the Plečnik riverfront sit within about twenty minutes of each other. The city centre has been closed to cars since 2007, which is why it feels quieter than its size suggests. Most visitors use it as a base: the airport is 25 km north, and Bled, Postojna and the coast are all inside a two-hour drive. Plečnik’s works were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021, and they are the reason the riverbanks look deliberate rather than merely old.

Official website

Things to do

See all 63
  • Ljubljanski Castle and Castle Hill.
    LjGrad

    castle · Ljubljana

    Ljubljana Castle

    The fortress on the hill above the old town, reached by funicular in one minute or on foot in twenty.

    • 1 h 30 min
  • UNESCOFree

    architecture · Ljubljana

    Triple Bridge

    Plečnik’s widened stone bridge at Prešeren Square — the centre of the city and part of its UNESCO listing.

    • 15 min
    • World Heritage
  • UNESCO

    museum · Ljubljana

    Plečnik House

    The house the architect built for himself in Trnovo and lived in until 1957, kept as he left it.

    • 1 h
    • World Heritage
  • Budova Slovinské národní galerie v Lublani
    VitVit

    gallery · Ljubljana

    National Gallery of Slovenia

    Slovenian art from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century, including the Impressionists who defined the national canon.

    • 1 h 30 min
  • Free

    hiking · Ljubljana

    Šmarna gora

    The hill everyone in Ljubljana walks up — 669 m, about an hour, with an inn and a church at the top.

    • 2 h 30 min
    • 2.5 km
  • Bogenšperk, Burg in Nahe von Litija, Slovenija Quelle: eigene Aufnahme 01 Okt. 2005 Fotograf: Janez Novak , Ljubljana, Slovenija
    No machine-readable author provided. Janeznovak assumed (based on copyright claims).

    castle · Ljubljana

    Bogenšperk Castle

    A castle near Ljubljana.

    • 1 h 15 min

Nature

See all 12
  • Free

    park · Ljubljana

    Tivoli Park

    The city’s main park, running from the museum quarter up onto Rožnik hill and its forest paths.

    • 1 h 15 min
  • Lake Podpeč in Jezero.
    Ajznponar

    lake · Ljubljana

    Lake Podpeč

    A lake near Ljubljana.

    • 2 h
  • Koseze Pond, City Municipality of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
    Doremo

    lake · Ljubljana

    Koseze Pond

    A lake near Ljubljana.

    • 2 h
  • Mountain Krim, Slovenia. by: Sl-Ziga
    No machine-readable author provided. Žiga assumed (based on copyright claims).

    mountain · Ljubljana

    Krim

    A mountain near Ljubljana at 1107 m.

    • 4 h
    • demanding
  • Miklošičev park v Ljubljani
    Ljuba brank at Slovenian Wikipedia

    park · Ljubljana

    Miklošič Park

    A park near Ljubljana.

    • 1 h
  • Park Maistrov park in Ljubljana.
    Leonhard Lenz

    park · Ljubljana

    Maister park

    A park near Ljubljana.

    • 1 h

Food & drink

See all 1112
  • UNESCOFree

    market · Ljubljana

    Ljubljana Central Market

    Plečnik’s riverside colonnade and the open-air stalls behind it — a working market, not a tourist one.

    • 45 min
    • World Heritage
  • €€€€

    restaurant · Ljubljana

    Gostilna As

    A long-established Ljubljana restaurant in a courtyard off Čopova, strongest on fish and Italian-influenced cooking.

    • 1 h 45 min
    • Highly rated
  • €€

    restaurant · Ljubljana

    Druga Violina

    Traditional Slovenian cooking on Stari trg, run as a social enterprise employing people with disabilities.

    • 1 h 10 min
  • €

    street food · Ljubljana

    Klobasarna

    A counter serving one thing properly: Carniolan sausage, with mustard, horseradish and bread.

    • 25 min
  • €€

    food market · Ljubljana

    Open Kitchen

    A Friday street-food market on the market square, where many of the country’s better kitchens set up stalls.

    • 1 h 15 min
    • Highly rated
  • €€

    cafe · Ljubljana

    Kavarna Zvezda

    A city-centre pastry shop and café known for its cakes, on the corner by Kongresni trg.

    • 40 min

Family

See all 10
  • Ljubljanski Castle and Castle Hill.
    LjGrad

    castle · Ljubljana

    Ljubljana Castle

    The fortress on the hill above the old town, reached by funicular in one minute or on foot in twenty.

    • 1 h 30 min
  • UNESCOFree

    architecture · Ljubljana

    Triple Bridge

    Plečnik’s widened stone bridge at Prešeren Square — the centre of the city and part of its UNESCO listing.

    • 15 min
    • World Heritage
  • UNESCOFree

    market · Ljubljana

    Ljubljana Central Market

    Plečnik’s riverside colonnade and the open-air stalls behind it — a working market, not a tourist one.

    • 45 min
    • World Heritage
  • Free

    park · Ljubljana

    Tivoli Park

    The city’s main park, running from the museum quarter up onto Rožnik hill and its forest paths.

    • 1 h 15 min

  • zoo · Ljubljana

    Ljubljana Zoo

    A small zoo on the wooded slope of Rožnik, focused on European and Slovenian species.

    • 2 h
  • Free

    hiking · Ljubljana

    Šmarna gora

    The hill everyone in Ljubljana walks up — 669 m, about an hour, with an inn and a church at the top.

    • 2 h 30 min
    • 2.5 km

Nearby