How to spend 1 day in Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the cultural, educational, economic, political, and administrative centre of the country. Its population is about 295 500 inhabitants.
A cool fact is that the city has a HUGE history and first appeared in text in the Antiquity as a Roman city called Emona. But Ljubljana itself was only mentioned in the first half of the 12th century.
And another one is that the dragon is the symbol of the city. Legend as it that a Dragon nest was present in the source of the Ljubljanica (the river passing in the city).
We visited the city in a road trip we made in August 2021. We spot by the city on our way to Croatia for a day and we had an amazing time.
Table of Contents
Mapping the day
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Getting there
We were there with our car in a road trip in Eastern Europe, and it was super easy to access the city. From the highway, we headed right into the city on the main road that leaded us to the parking Tivoli. This parking located near the park has the best rate you can get while being 5min walking distance from the old city.
To get to Ljubljana by public transportation, you can take a plane directly to Ljubljana Airport located north of the city and then get to the city:
- By Bus: The Alpe Tour bus run from the Terminal (Letališče Brnik) to the the main bus station (Avtobusna Postaja Ljubljana) located in front of Train Station. It takes around 1h and cost 4.1€. The line runs every 30 min from 5am to 8pm.
- By Shuttle: You can a ticket directly in the airport for 10€. The ride will take 30min and goes once the van is full.
- By Taxi: Of course, this will be the fastest and most expensive
Or ask your accommodation for a transfer 😊
Moving Around
Moving around Ljubljana is super-duper easy and can be done walking. The old town is actually quite small and everything can be reach on foot.
When to Visit
The best time to Visit Ljubljana is in summer from Mid-June to Mid-September as you are quite close from the Alps. But overall, the weather is really great from May to September.
We were there in August, and we didn’t feel like the city was super crowded.
Where to Stay
We didn’t sleep overnight in Ljubljana, we visited it and then left for Croatia. But here are some of the places we would have gone to:
- Apartment with parking: SIPPO Apartments
- Hotel: Adora Hotel
- Hostel: Turn Hostel
What to Eat
As always, we cooked all our meals. But the one most famous local delicateness we tried was the “Kremna rezina” a cream cake.
Things to do in Ljubljana
Tivoli Park
We arrived at 10am and as we parked our car in Tivoli parking lot, we started by strolling a bit around this beautiful and gigantic park. From there, we headed straight toward the city center using a small underground passage.
National Gallery
Our direction was toward the National Gallery, while we didn’t visit it, we just admire the architecture of the building and all the neighbourhood. We are not much fan of visiting galleries or museum but love to stroll around their neighbourhood.
Franciscan Church of the Annunciation (Cerkev Marijinega oznanjenja)
Our next stop was the Franciscan Church. A beautiful church located right in the main square.
It was built in 1660 and display a Baroque style front façade and its red colour is symbolic of the Franciscan monastic order.
Prešeren Square
Prešeren Square is the main square of the old town. And even though we were there early in the morning, you could see that local and tourist started to gather around the area. It was a really lively place to be.
Triple Bridge & Butchers' Bridge & Dragon Bridge
From there, we followed the river and from bridge to bridge until the Dragon’s one. Where we fell like the old town was stopping. We crossed it, watch some local cruise passing under and then headed toward the central market. So far, we had spent maybe 1h strolling around.
Central Market
The central Market was a cool place to be visit as many stalls were present around the square selling fruits & veggies but also souvenirs and clothing. We didn’t buy anything, but we like to see those flea market
This was design by Jože Plečnik in 1931 and is located on the Vodnikov trg and Pogačarnev trg squares
Ljubljana Cathedral
We then walked to the cathedral that was maybe 2min away. It is a small building with a nice interior. Unfortunately, it cost 2€ to visit it.
Also called the church of St. Nicholas, it was originally occupied by a three-nave Romanic church and was later rebuilt as a church with Baroque style.
Robba fountain & Town Square
And after another 5min strolled, we were in front of the Robba fountain & Town Square. All the area is amazing but honestly it is quite small.
Did you know that the fountain is a Baroque monument and is also called the The Fountain of Three Carniolan Rivers and is modelled on famous Roman fountains
Ljubljana Castle
And we finally “hike up” to the castle. Located on a hill, it takes some 15min to reach on foot. That’s where we spent most of our time. You can visit a part of the castle free and another part for 10€ per person. We didn’t really know, so we bought a ticket and headed inside. At first, we were a bit lost but in the end, I think we visited everything.
The ticket gave us access to:
- the puppet museum: Quite Original as you can even make your own play there. Amazing if you have kid.
- Watch tower: Viewpoint
- 3d story video: that was the best part as that’s where we learnt about the history of the city and the castle. It is also there that we learnt about the Dragon!
- History museum: small museum will relics.
Šance - Plečnikov spomenik
And to rest a bit after all this we made a lunch break in the park behind the castle. Before returning to our car and going on to our next destination: Plitvice in Croatia.
Things to do Additionally
Metelkova Art Center
If you have more time, sleep over or come from the train station, you could stop at the Metal art center. It is located right next to the train station. It is a social and cultural centre and was in the past military headquarters of the Army of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Plečnik House
And visit the Plečnik Houseto learn about the life and work of the famous architect Jože Plečnik, who left an indelible mark on the cityscape of Ljubljana. At Plečnik House you can see the architect’s home exactly as it was in his lifetime and view a permanent exhibition showcasing his work.
1-day Itinerary Ljubljana
Day 1:
- Tivoli Park
- National Gallery
- Franciscan Church of the Annunciation (Cerkev Marijinega oznanjenja)
- Prešeren Square
- Triple Bridge
- Butchers’ Bridge & Dragon Bridge
- Central Market
- Ljubljana Cathedral
- Robba fountain & Town Square
- Ljubljana Castle
- Šance – Plečnikov spomenik
Slovenians don’t throw up… They “call the reindeers” (Kličemo jelene).
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