Dinkwads Abroad

With its river running through downtown and pedestrian bridges, architecture reminiscent of France or Austria, and castle perched at the top of a hill, Ljubljana has all the trademarks of a beautiful European capital, without all the crowds. It’s one of those places that had never been on my list prior to this trip. Once there and experiencing the city, my only thought was “Why is no one talking about this place?!” It felt as though I stumbled across one of Europe’s best kept secrets in this charming capital. And I’m here to spill that secret and encourage everyone to go experience one of my new favorite cities!

If you missed part 1, covering where we stayed and what we ate and drank, you can find that here! And if you’d like to see the best way to fit Ljubljana into a two week trip, see my perfect itinerary here.

What To Do in Ljubljana

Must Do

As the largest city in Slovenia that also happens to be very centrally located, Ljubljana is a great location to spend a few days in the city and use as a jumping off point for day trips! Here are my recommendations of what you should do while in Ljubljana!

Take a Walking Tour

See the major sights and learn some history along the way with a guided tour of the city! We did a walking tour that was the perfect blend of history and local culture. It also included a few free, tasty treats along the way. I would highly recommend it! You can book that specific tour here. Or search for all the great walking tours available here!

Cost: While these are technically “free” walking tours, you should tip the guide based on what you think it was worth. The typical recommended tip is $15 – 50 per person. Please make sure you tip, otherwise the guides literally end up paying to show you around!

Time Allotted: Most tours are 2 – 2.5 hours long.

Logistics: Book ahead of time to secure your spot. The guide will send details on where to meet and who to look for the day before!

Predjama Castle & Postojna Caves

Only about 40 minutes by train from Ljubljana is the stunning Predjama Castle and Postojna Caves! Predjama Castle was built into the caves over 800 years ago, evolving over the centuries into the medieval marvel you see today. It’s built right into the cliffside overlooking a lush green valley below, making for an impressive sight. A tour of the castle takes you from room to room, learning about its history, and all about the most famous inhabitant, Slovenia’s Robin Hood figure, Erasmus of Lueg.

Only 15 minutes away and often included in a combined ticket are the Postojna Caves. This is a huge subterranean cave system, complete with baby dragons and a train ride!

While we didn’t get to do the Postojna Caves, the castle itself was well worth the trip out.

Cost: This varies depending on what you do and how you do it. We just did the castle and it ended up being about $55 per person all said and done with the train ticket to get there, a car ride to the castle, and the castle tickets.

Time Allotted: If just doing the castle, plan for 4 hours. Plan for at least 6 if doing the caves as well.

Logistics: Read my post on the full logistics of getting there and navigating the caves and castle once you’re in Postojna here. But if you want to save yourself the hassle of figuring it all out, you can always book a full tour with transportation here!

Ljubljana Castle

Grajska planota 1, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Website

Ljubljana Castle is a choose your own adventure activity. You can hike up or take the funicular up. You can pay for the whole castle experience or just do the free things. You can spend all day there or just an hour. Whatever you choose to do, just make sure you check out at least parts of it!

Right in the middle of the city, this medieval castle is easy to spot and even easier to get to. Just off of the market square, you can pay 6 euro for a round trip ticket on the funicular and take the short ride up. Or you can walk about 20 minutes to the top.

At the top, you can opt to buy a ticket to the castle to enjoy everything it has to offer, including special exhibits about the cultural history of Ljubljana and access to the tower for panoramic views of Ljubljana and the mountains beyond. Or you can enjoy views from the ramparts and the castle grounds along with a cafe and restaurant for free.

While we opted to get the full ticket, I felt 15 euro was a little steep for what the castle offered. I would probably choose to just do the free activities instead.

Cost: 19 euro per person for the castle ticket and the roundtrip funicular ticket. If you opt to walk up, the castle ticket by itself is 15 euro. And if you just want to take the funicular up, it is 6 euros for a round trip ticket.

Time Allotted: If you want to walk up and see all the exhibits, it could easily take you 4 hours. However, if you’re not paying for an entrance ticket to the castle and take the funicular up, you could see everything within 1 hour. Add in some more time if you want to eat lunch or have a glass of wine or cup of coffee while there.

Logistics: You can purchase your tickets right there at the funicular station or at the top in the castle itself.

Other Things You Can Do

While we didn’t do these things, I’ve seen these recommended by others as options of things you could do!

River Cruise

Walking across one of the many bridges, you’ll likely see someone advertising a river cruise. They averaged around 15 euros per person. This would be a great way to see the city from the river on a nice day!

Take a Day Trip

There are many other day trips you can do from Ljubljana besides Predjama Castle and Postojna Caves. Lake Bled is an option (though I recommend staying there) as well as Lake Bohinj or Vintgar Gorge. Ljubljana is a great hopping off point for many day trips, whether you are renting a car or using public transportation!

Final Thoughts on Ljubljana

Similar to my first post on Ljubljana where I described a mixture of excitement and apprehension in writing about it, I’m not quite sure how to close out my final thoughts on this city. How do you wrap up and summarize a place that left such a meaningful impact on you? It’s one thing to say “This city was great and you should go there.” It’s another to say you left a part of yourself in that city that you had only just discovered days before.

I don’t want to romanticize it too much and oversell it for you. Most people will go and visit Ljubljana and not have that immediate home away from home feeling. Many will walk the streets of old town and not feel a sense of true belonging. A lot of people will just see a cool city, and that’s that. And you know what? That’s totally fine.

You see, whether you have an immediate, deep, personal connection with Ljubljana like I did or you just experience an underrated European city, I’m still confident that it will stand out in your travels. Because it wasn’t the architecture or the food or the landscape that won me over in Ljubljana. You can find those things anywhere. It was the heart and soul of the city and its people. The intangible that can’t be replicated just anywhere. And even at its most surface, basic level, I think that’s enough for Ljubljana to earn a place on any traveler’s must see list.

Check out my other posts to see where else we went in Croatia & Slovenia, what we did, and where we ate!