One Day in Ljubljana: How to See The Best of Slovenia’s Capital!

If you want to see the best of Slovenia’s capital city in a short amount of time, follow this easy one day in Ljubljana itinerary.

Below you’ll find where to eat, what to see and how enjoy the city for the first day and how to travel to Lake Bled on the second day of a great weekend in Ljubljana. 

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Contents

About Ljubljana

Ljubljana is the capital city of Slovenia located in Central Europe neighbouring Croatia to the south, Austria to the north, Italy to the west and Hungary to the east. The population is almost 300,000 and in my opinion, is a friendly, charming and culturally-interesting city.

Ljubljana was voted the European Green Capital in 2016 because of its sustainability measures (and lots of trees).

How to Pronounce Ljubljana: loo-blee-yah-nuh

How to Get to Ljubljana

Bus: Travelling between cities in Europe is so easy by bus and it’s also a great way to see a lot of places in between major capital cities like Ljubljana. Flixbus is one of the cheapest and most reliable companies to use.

Car: If you’re doing a European road trip and already have your rental car, do not miss Ljubljana. From here you can drive to lots of popular spots like Venice, Zagreb and Graz.

Train: I visited Ljubljana as part of my 4 month Europe backpacking trip and used Trainline for most of my routes including getting from Salzburg to Ljubljana.

Flight: Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport is the main international airport in Ljubljana, and the busiest in Slovenia, with flights coming from all major airports. If you’re coming from the UK, look for flights from Gatwick and Heathrow. The journey from the airport to the city centre can take up to 1 hour in traffic so plan ahead.

How Many Days in Ljubljana Slovenia

I highly recommend spending at least two days in Ljubljana even though this is a 1 day itinerary Ljubljana. Why? Because the second day of your trip needs to be spent visiting Lake Bled and I’ll discuss this more below.

So for now, this is a one day in Ljubljana itinerary that focuses on what to do in the actual city including sights, food, culture and history.

Ljubljana Itinerary: Fast-Tracked

Stay connected: Get this Airalo esim for data, calls and texts in Slovenia

Airport transfer: Get from the airport to Ljubljana by a private car

Top-rated tour of Ljubljana: House of Illusions entry ticket is travellers’ favourite tour in Ljubljana!

Slovenia car hire: Use Discover Cars to compare prices

One Day in Ljubljana

Walk Ljubljana Centre

Image of Ljubljana square in Old town in background, bridge in centre and river in forefront
Image taken from the street pointing upwards toward a green dragon statue on top of a boulder at the entrance to the Dragon Bridge in Ljubljana Slovenia
Image of Ljubljana river with arched bridge and colourful buildings in the background

Whenever I visit a new place, one of the best things to do is taking a walk around the city to get to know my surroundings (and plan ahead for places to return to and where to eat).

During the walk, you’ll cross many of city’s bridges including the Triple Bridge, Shoemaker’s Bridge, Butcher’s Bridge and the iconic Dragon Bridge (Ljubljana is known as the city of dragons).

Throughout the Old Town, you’ll come across Presernov Trg Square to see a large, orange/pink church and a statue of France Preseren (the square’s namesake) who was one of Slovenia’s great poets.

While this self-guided walk through Ljubljana is free, easy-to-navigate and includes the highlights of the city, there are several guided tours to choose from like Ljubljana bike tour or seeing Ljubljana from the river, by foot and from a skyscraper all in one tour accompanied by a guide.

Ljubljana Castle

Colourful houses with Ljubljana Castle in the background on a high hill
Image of cross-roads signs with various cities and their distances on them in front of an orange building and green trees in Ljubljana Slovenia

At the end of the walk, you’ll reach the base of the hill where Ljubljana Castle is located. To explore the castle, you can take the cable car to the top or continue your steps and hike the hill.

At the castle you’ll learn about Slovenia’s history in many exhibitions, see a puppet show, visit the lookout tower and get epic views of the city.

Kongresni Trg Square

Image of yellow building from the side looking toward a hanging Slovenia flag in Congress Square - A day in Ljubljana
Cobbled path with black table and chairs next to the river in Ljubljana with colourful houses in the background
Shireen's left hand holding a large Pizza slice up to a small, red pizzeria in Congress Square Ljubljana 1 Day

After visiting Ljubljana Castle, head toward Kongresni Trg Square, a meeting place for cultural events and public gatherings.

Here you’ll see excellent architecture like the University of Ljubljana (formerly Provincial Mansion where congress took place), Ursuline Church and the Slovenian Philharmonic Building. There’s a green space known as Zvezda Park filled with people enjoying lunch, a coffee or hanging out with each other.

My favourite part of the square is the music pavilion where you’ll likely see performers, choirs or buskers. We watched a group of violinists while there and it’s a nice end to the morning of a day in Ljubljana.

The Coolest Street in Ljubljana

Image of shoes hanging from a wire above an orange building with street art on the bottom half in Ljubljana Slovenia
Image of the Slovene bookshop entrance on Trubarjeva Cesta in Ljubljana Slovenia

On your one day itinerary Ljubljana, you have to visit Trubarjeva Cesta, one of the prettiest and urban streets in the city.

Here you can see colourful buildings, street art, live music, excellent restaurants, various shopping options, cool bars, museums, a Slovene/English bookshop and shoes hanging on lines above the road.

Lunch

Image of Shireen's left hand holding a wrap covered in foil outside Abi Falafel on Trubarjeva Cesta
Image of Trubarjeva Cesta with no people - colourful buildings either side and cobbled path in centre in Ljubljana

Staying on Trubarjeva Cesta, I recommend getting lunch at Abi Falafel. Serving traditional Arab food, get your hands on a delicious shish kebab wrap that will keep you going all day. Instead of sitting at the restaurant to eat it, take it to nearby Kavarna Mackon.

Kavarna Mackon

Image of chess table in forefront looking out to the cobbled streets and opposite buildings outside Kavarna Mackon in Ljubljana
Bird's eye view of chess table with chess pieces and two espressos and two beers to the left of the table in Kavarna Mackon Ljubljana

Kavarna Mackon is a cool bar located a few doors down from Abi Falafel on Trubarjeva Cesta and is one of my favourite memories of backpacking Europe.

After ordering some Slovene beers and espressos, ask the staff if you can bring your takeaway Abi Falafel to enjoy on the outside tables and spend a few hours people-watching this great street. The outside tables double as chess tables with chess sets available at the bar and covering gazebos, making it the perfect option for what to do on a rainy day in Ljubljana.

Metelkova

Image of Metelkova interior buildings with street art and trees in Ljubljana
Image of Metelkova interior street art on a wall with a giant foot in the bottom right - Ljubljana Itinerary
Image of Metelkova interior street art on a yellow building

In 1993, around 200 volunteers of the Metelkova Network, a group of artists, squatted in this former army barracks to protest the complex being knocked down. Today, this art home is one of the best things to do in Ljubljana.

By day you can see the impressive street art on every wall, statue and surroundings and by night you can attend a music concert in many of the clubs. Keep an eye out for art exhibitions or festivals during your trip.

Central Market

Wide image of Ljubljana Market. People in front, market stalls in centre and large yellow building towering in the background
Image of a single market stall selling fruits and vegetables in Ljubljana market

Ljubljana’s central market is a key part of the city’s make-up located between Vodnikov trg and Pogačarnev trg squares. It offers several sections including indoor stalls along the riverside for fresh ingredients and outdoor stalls for fruit, vegetables and flowers. It’s also a gathering spot for locals and events. I was there when a chilli festival was happening and watched a hot wing contest.

If your one day in Ljubljana falls on a Friday, you’ll be able to visit the Open Kitchen (Odprta kuhna) to experience a food market.

Traditional Slovenian Dinner

This wouldn’t be a true one day Ljubljana itinerary on my website without some local food included. You can choose from over 15 Slovenian dishes to try while in the country but for dinner in Ljubljana, I recommend heading to Restaurant Sestica.

Restaurant Sestica is a traditional Slovenian restaurant that has been feeding the city since 1776! This cosy place to eat in Ljubljana has homemade, local dishes on their menu such as hearty mains like Kranjska sausage, Jota and Ricet or the typical fare of steak, duck and salmon.

Address: Slovenska cesta 40, SI-1000 Ljubljana

2 Days in Ljubljana

Image of island in Lake Bled with turquoise blue water and Slovenian alps in back
Image of Shireen smiling in front of Lake Bled in Bled Slovenia

If you have more than 1 day in Ljubljana, you must do a day trip to Lake Bled, one of the most picturesque lakes in Europe and a real gem of Slovenia. Once there you can do a circular route around the entire lake, rent a kayak to go to the central island or climb to visit the castle.

Getting from Ljubljana to Lake Bled is so easy and travelling by local bus is the best option (and exactly what I did on my second day in Ljubljana).

There you have it, exactly what to do in Ljubljana in 2 days for a meaningful trip.

Elsewhere in Slovenia

Other places to visit in Slovenia include heading to the coastal town of Piran, visiting the Skocjan Caves, seeing the Predjama Castle that is built in the side of cliffs, Vintgar Gorge in Triglav National Park or Kranjska Gora in the Julian Alps.

More European Itineraries

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pin image for 1 day Ljubljana itinerary. Images from top left clockwise: Dragon bridge, Ljubljana old town river and bridge, Metlkova street art, chess table on Ljubljana street

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