What You Need To Know

Ljubljana Travel Guide

Lose yourself in the enchanting beauty of Ljubljana with my travel guide, your ultimate resource for navigating this captivating European gem and curating an unforgettable getaway.

Ljubljana Unveiled

Your Key to Slovenia's Hidden Gem With My Ljubljana Travel Guide

Ljubljana – the capital and largest city in Slovenia. Which is funny because my first thoughts were that it was such a small city! However, even now, I can honestly say it’s easily one of my favorites in Europe. The Old Town is charming and quaint, with beautiful colored houses. Running right through the middle of the Old Town is the Ljubljanica river, which adds to its charm.

Ljubljana is known as the Dragon City. According to legend, the city was founded by Jason, the hero of Greek mythology. Jason and his men ended up in Ljubljana and came upon a dragon in a lake, who Jason fought and defeated. So the dragon initially evolved from being portrayed as a monster, to a symbolic protector of the city. You’ll see tons of dragons everywhere as you walk around!

At this point you hopefully have a good idea of just how cute this city is. What you’re probably wondering is, “How the hell do you pronounce it?!” I thought the same too and didn’t learn until I actually arrived in the city (another reason why travel is so great, you learn so much!). Phonetically, the right way to say it is, “LOO-BLEE-AH-NA.” Say it a few times and you’ll get the hang of it!

Vanessa's Insider Tips

My Travel Tips for Ljubljana

Here are some helpful Ljubljana travel tips to know before you go:

Where to Stay: As close to the Old Town as possible since that’s where you’ll be every day. I found a place online that was in one of the residential neighborhoods and about a 15-minute walk every day, which I didn’t mind, so you can also stay a bit outside the Old Town too.
How to Get Around: Ljubljana Old Town is compact, so you can walk everywhere.

Discover Aruba

My Recommended Itinerary for Ljubljana Travel

You’ll be able to see all these attractions in a short amount of time, likely a day if I’m being honest. But sometimes the beauty and charm is in walking around aimlessly, taking in the sights, so I recommend saving time in your trip to do that too! Here’s what I recommend for Ljubljana:

Ljubljana Castle:

Everywhere you go, you’ll likely get a view of this castle complex. It sits on a hill overlooking the Old Town and is a key landmark.

To get to the castle, you can either walk up the hill or take the funicular. I wanted to do the latter, but I never found where it was! I ended up having to hike uphill, which wasn’t anything crazy, but because it was steep and it was hot out, I was drenched by the time I made it to the top. Just walk toward the hill and you’ll see signs for the trail to the castle.

Once at the top, you can walk around outside the castle grounds for free. I recommend paying the entrance fee though, so you can enter and enjoy the various experiences they offer. There are museums, exhibitions, and even restaurants. Not to mention the stunning views at the top are not to be missed!

Ljubljana Cathedral:

Originally a Gothic-style church, it has now been replaced by a Baroque building. It’ll be a quick stop but is very pretty inside.

One of the cool things about this church is its doors! There are bronze sculptured doors that were created for the 1,250th anniversary of Christianity in Slovenia, which coincided with a visit from Pope John Paul II. One of them depicts the 20th century bishops of Ljubljana, while another depicts the history of Slovenia.

Dragon Bridge:

You can’t come to Ljubljana and not take a picture on this bridge, famous for its dragon statues! There’s four statues total, two on each end of the bridge. You’ll likely pass it a few times and every time I did, it was so crowded, and I had to wait to get my pictures with the dragon statues.

Triple Bridge:

Like Dragon Bridge, you’ll likely pass it a few times a day even if you don’t mean to. Triple Bridge is a group of three bridges – when you see it, you might wonder why they have three bridges so close together. Initially, there was just the middle bridge, but it wasn’t wide enough for cars and pedestrians. Instead of rebuilding the middle bridge, they just added one on either side! Today though, all bridges are pedestrian friendly.

Central Market:

You’ll see this big building between Triple Bridge and Dragon Bridge. It has an inside, as well as open-air markets. When I went, they had a night market with TONS of international food stalls, like Argentinian food.

Preseren Square:

This is the main square in the Old Town. It’s a popular meeting point and will even be the starting point of your Free Walking Tour (if you choose to do one). It’s right next to the Triple Bridge and was full of street musicians, children playing, and a nice spot for some Instagram photos (we know those are important)!

Eat along the Ljubljanica River:

Grabbing a bite to eat along the water was one of my favorite things to do. Both during the day and at night, the scene is stunning. There are so many options to choose from so try as many as you can while you’re there!

Free Walking Tour:

You don’t necessarily need a walking tour since the Old Town is so compact, but what I always appreciate on these tours is having a local, knowledgeable guide. Just Google “Ljubljana Free Walking Tour” to find one.

Tivoli Park:

I didn’t go to this park because I just wasn’t interested, but it’s supposed to be beautiful so I’m adding it in case you want to check it out!

Metelkova:

The art district outside the Old Town, you’ll find lots of street art and graffiti here. This was another place I didn’t go to, simply because it didn’t interest me. Reminder that you don’t always have to do things just because they’re tourist attractions! It’s your trip – fill your days with what YOU want to do.

Flavors of the Island

My Recommended Food in Ljubljana

I don’t have a very long list here since I didn’t spend a long time in Ljubjana. Regardless, here are some places I recommend to eat:

Patron Tacos & Bar:

Who goes to Central Europe and eats tacos? Me. I do. Especially when the owners are fellow Hispanics! Check this place out for authentic Mexican food!

Pop’s Place:

This place has gourmet burgers, and there was a bit of a wait when I went. The burgers and fries were really, really good, though, so wait it out and grab a bite to eat here.

EK Bistro:

This place also had a wait when I went. I think I am just really good at picking the top spots! Anyways, come here for great breakfast and brunch options.

Dragon Street Food:

Come here to try trdelnik. It’s originally from Hungary, but I personally first had it in Prague. It’s a dough shaped like a cone, where they put various fillings. You can get ice cream and Nutella inside, for example. This time, I just got mine drizzled in Nutella.