We did it, Joe. This past September, I finally achieved my goal of visiting my 30th country at age 30! After spending five weeks in Spain as we applied for the Spain digital nomad visa, we set off on a month-long trip through five more countries. First was Croatia (country number #29) and next, finally, was country #30: Slovenia. Specifically, we went to Slovenia’s capital city, Ljubljana.
Ljubljana may seem like a random place to visit. Matt hadn’t even heard of it, and neither had anyone at home when we told them we were going to Ljubljana. I only knew about it because in college, my school had a study abroad program in Ljubljana. I was always curious about it, wondering why in the world Ljubljana had been chosen as an exchange partner.
It turns out that Ljubljana is a beautiful city and I can totally understand why students would love to live there! Here’s my city review of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
About Ljubljana
I assume if you’re reading this post, you’re either planning a visit to Ljubljana, or you’re considering it. So here are some things you’ll need to know about Ljubljana.
First, let’s get the most glaring thing out of the way. How in the world do you pronounce “Ljubljana?” While this may not be exactly how the natives say it in Slovenian, it should get you close: “Loo-blee-AH-nah.” When I was first trying to remember that, it helped if I imagined the j’s as i’s instead, which gets you “Liubliana.” Pretty close to how it’s pronounced!
So, Ljubljana is Slovenia’s capital and largest city, with a population of about 300,000 people. It’s not a big city, but it is super charming! With a river running through the middle, numerous bridges, the castle up on the hill overlooking the town, and the fact that it’s almost entirely pedestrianized, it’s hard not to fall in love with Ljubljana. Matt had never heard of it before we visited, but now he says it’s one of his top favorite cities in Europe — along with Toulouse, France.
How Many Days Do You Need in Ljubljana?
You could see Ljubljana’s highlights in 24 hours if you really wanted to, but I think you’ll enjoy it more if you’re able to explore at a more leisurely pace. So I’d say to plan on at least two days in Ljubljana.
If you have three days in Ljubljana or more, consider taking a day trip from Ljubljana to Lake Bled! Lake Bled is only 34 miles away from Ljubljana, and it’s a gorgeous place to visit — one of the most famous sights in all of Slovenia. You’ll find a lake nestled into the Slovenian Alps, a tiny island with a single church standing tall, and even a castle visible in the surrounding mountains.
I really wanted to take the day trip out there, but unfortunately all our time in Ljubljana was during the workweek, and we had meetings at random times during the day.
Things To Do in Ljubljana
Ljubljana’s city mascot is a dragon, which makes it so much fun! And the best place to enjoy the Ljubljana dragons is at Dragon Bridge, one of the three most famous bridges in Ljubljana. At Dragon Bridge, a total of four dragons flank each corner of the bridge, said to be protecting the city. It’s also one of the best photo ops! All around Ljubljana, you’ll find fun dragon souvenirs. We got a dragon magnet for our fridge, and a dragon Christmas ornament — the two things we collect when we travel.
As you walk west along the river from Dragon Bridge, the next bridge you’ll come to is Butcher’s Bridge (Metarski most), though I didn’t know the name of it until just now. Originally, it became famous for the sculptures on and around the bridge. But these days, it’s more known for the padlocks adorning both sides, placed there by couples. If you want to put a love lock of your own, you can buy them in many souvenir stores. Traditionally — at least in Paris — you throw the key into the river, but please don’t do that. For obvious reasons. 🙂
Finally, the third famous bridge is (fittingly) Triple Bridge. And it’s basically what it sounds like. It’s three bridges all right next to each other. One, in the middle, goes straight across the river, and the two next to it go slightly at an angle. So, how and why did Triple Bridge come to be? Apparently, there was originally only one bridge, an old medieval wooden bridge. When they decided to replace it, they built an additional bridge on each side during construction. When the middle bridge re-opened, they decided to just keep all three.
As you might be able to guess, with all the bridges, the Ljubljanica River is a central part of the city, and taking a walk along the river is a can’t-miss activity in Ljubljana. Like I mentioned, almost all of the old city center is pedestrianized, meaning only foot traffic is allowed — no cars. It makes it super relaxing to spend time wandering through the city, checking out the shops and, of course, the Central Market. The partially open-air, partially covered Central Market, which is open every day (except Sunday) from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., is the perfect place to buy local produce, flowers, handicrafts, souvenirs, and more.
Two of the most impressive buildings in Ljubljana are the Ljubljana Cathedral (with its green domes, visible in the two photos above) and the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation — the unmissable bright pink building. We actually did not go in either of these, as we’ve seen possibly a million European churches already. If you want to go in, the Cathedral costs €3 and the Church of the Annunciation is free.
One last place in the city center that you can’t miss is the Ljubljana Castle and Funicular. While we’ve also been to a lot of castles in Europe, the Ljubljana Castle is definitely worth a visit. First of all, the castle has served many purposes during its thousand years of existence, and it was purchased by the mayor for the people of Ljubljana in 1905. During your visit, you can see the mixture of new and old architecture and how the castle has evolved over the years. And one unique thing you can do in the Ljubljana Castle is a scavenger hunt to “save the dragon,” which is fun for families with kids… or kids at heart.
Finally, while it’s a bit out of the old city center, some visitors may be interested in visiting Metelkova. If you’re familiar with Christiana in Copenhagen, it’s kind of similar to that (though much smaller and much less “official” feeling, in my opinion). Metelkova is an “autonomous cultural center,” and in plain English I’m pretty sure that means a bunch of people are squatting in old military barracks, but the government doesn’t care. Metelkova is known for its artistic community made up of artists, students, activists, and more. Art exhibitions and concerts are often held in the area, and while some people think it feels unsafe, I really didn’t think it did.
How Expensive is Ljubljana?
When it comes to the cost of visiting European countries, I typically compare places to Spain. For example, places like London and Dublin are way more expensive than Spain. I would say Ljubljana is a bit more expensive than Spain. (And just a tiny bit more expensive than Zagreb, where we had just come from.)
Typically, in Ljubljana, we spent about €30 on dinner for two people. Though Ljubljana has tons of beautiful restaurants alongside the river, we knew they would be more expensive. But when you’re traveling for two months, like we were, you really gotta make your money stretch, so we worked hard to find restaurants with prices in a range that we were more comfortable with.
At coffee shops, a cappuccino would cost about €2-€3. A pint of beer was about €3-€4; a glass of wine was between €4-€7.
Where We Ate
Here are some of our favorite places we ate during our time in Ljubljana, and all of them met our budget!
Baščaršija: While we were in Ljubljana, several of the restaurants we ate at served Bosnian food — and Baščaršija was one of them. In fact, Baščaršija is the name of a famous district in Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo. Baščaršija the restaurant was a cute little place about a block from Dragon Bridge, that has indoor and outdoor seating. Matt and I shared a platter that was meant for one person, but it was plenty for both of us considering how much meat it had. We also ordered baklava for dessert, which was probably the best I’ve ever had in my life.
Baščaršija
Trubarjeva cesta 52
1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Vino & Ribe: We initially wanted to eat at a popular spot nearby, but Google lied to us and said it was “not busy” when really they were packed for the night. Therefore, we ended up at Vino & Ribe. And it was awesome. It’s a seafood bistro, but not the white-tablecloth kind that’s going to break the bank. I had fish and chips (probably my first time ever outside the UK) and Matt had a seafood plate, and we split a carafe of house wine. It all still only came out to about €30.
Vino & Ribe
Stari trg 28
1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Klobasarna: The perfect place for a cheap — but filling — lunch or dinner, Klobasarna is a traditional Slovenian sausage restaurant. There are only a few things on the menu, but all of them look delicious! We had cheese sausages with sauerkraut tucked into a flaky pastry, with a glass of cviček (a traditional Slovenian wine made of red and white grapes) on the side. Yum!
Klobasarna
Ciril-Metodov trg 15
1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Where We Stayed
It’s been a while since I stayed in a hostel, but we stayed in a hostel in Ljubljana. No, it’s not because Ljubljana’s hotels and homestays were too expensive. It’s because Ljubljana is home to one of the most unique hostels in the world — Hostel Celica — and I wanted to check it out!
Hostel Celica is a hostel, though it also has private rooms… but here’s the interesting part. It’s a former prison!
The hostel has 20 private rooms, each of which is a former prison cell. (“Celica” means “cell” in Slovenian.) Outside the door of each room, you’ll find a placard stating the names of some of the prisoners who once lived there. And each room has been uniquely redesigned and remodeled with “artistic concepts and unique stories.” Check out what each of the rooms look like here.
We were in Room 114, which had two lofted beds and even a little desk, which was perfect for working remotely. Each morning, after other travelers would check out of their rooms, housekeeping would leave the doors open, which was cool because you could see what all the other rooms look like.
Not our room, but it photographed much better than ours (lol)
Besides the private rooms, there are also traditional dorm-type rooms in the hostel on the second floor.
Hostel Celica, which has a fantastic location for walking anywhere in Ljubljana — including the old town or the train/bus station — is located in Metelkova. Rather than seeming out of place, you get the feeling that Hostel Celica has found common ground with its neighbors. With a focus on art and sustainability, it’s apparent that Hostel Celica really cares about its community and the world as a whole.
You can book Hostel Celica through Hostelworld.
Final Thoughts
Ljubljana is a small city, but it’s big on charm.! It may not be very well known, but that makes it a hidden gem that isn’t completely overrun by tourists. I really hope to come back to Ljubljana someday, and hopefully take a day trip to Lake Bled next time!
Are you thinking about visiting Ljubljana? What else do you want to know? Let me know in the comments!
-Cathy
This site contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you.
Leave a Reply