After having seen lots and lots of pictures of Ljubljana and heard so much about how cute yet underrated it is, we decided that we wanted to set our restless feet on it and let it charm us. The slovenian capital, which counts less than 300.000 inhabitants, was the first stop of our european summer adventure. We spent 3 days there, which also included daytrips to nearby places, so we literally devoted one full day to explore Ljubljana.
Here's a quick guide of Europe's cutest capital, based on our short stay there :
Getting there and transportation
If you arrive to Ljubljana by plane, like we did, you can either take a taxi or a bus from the airport to get you to the city centre. The taxi ride will cost you approximately 40-50 euros, according to where exactly you wish to go. The bus ticket costs 4.10 euros and the ride lasts less than an hour. If you take the bus, please notice that it will take you to the central bus/train station of the city, which is pretty close to the historical centre.
Once in the city, the best way to move around is wether by bike or on foot, as Ljubljana is really small and cars are not allowed inside its old part!
Sightseeing
While Ljubljana is one of the smallest capitals in Europe, it still has some must-see attractions, that you simply cannot miss.
The Franciscan church of the Annunciation is maybe the most recognizable sight of the slovenian capital and has no entrance fee.
Right in front of it, you'll be able to see the popular Triple Bridge, while all accross the river which runs the city, you'll get to see several bridges connecting the two banks. The Dragon and the Butcher Bridges are are also quite popular.
Kongresni trg (Congress square) is not to be missed either, as it's home to some of Ljubljana's most beautiful and imposing buildings, like its University and Philarmonic Academy.
Last but not least, a visit to Ljubljana's castle (grad) is almost mandatory as you'll get amazing views of the city. The funicular will take you up within less than a minute for only 2 or 4 euros, depending on wether you wish to book a single or a return ticket.
Once up on the castle, we strongly recommend you to spend some more euros and climb up to the Tower. The normal ticket costs 7.50 euros and the student discount one 5.20 euros.
Food , coffee , gelato
As you can probably imagine, the old part of the city is more than full of restaurants and bistros, covering a great range of taste preferences from local cuisine to italian pizza and from juicy burgers to viennese steaks.
For our ''light lunch break'', we chose the beautifully decorated restaurant Robba and had one chicken fillet, one chicken risotto and two glasses of wine, for the the fair price of 35 euros.
For our gelato getaway, we had two cups of Vigo ice cream, and can certainly say we fell in love with their cheescake and mango flavours! Give them a try!
Our cofee break slash refuelling was spent at Cafe Cokl, one of Ljubljana's best cafes for sure. Later in the evening, at the end of our explorations in Ljubljana, we dined by the river at Paninoteka , where we had the most delicious lamb dumblings (100% recommended) , as well as a domaca salad, plus two glasses of wine for a total 28 euros. However, didning by the Ljubljanica river, after a day full of explorations in the slovenian capital is quite priceless!
Daytrips
Lake Bled is maybe the most popular daytrip destination and you can get there by taxi, bus or car within 35-60 minutes, depending on which means of transport you will use. The less popular slovenian town of Piran is another excellent daytrip choice, reachable by car or bus in 1-2 hours. Paying a visit to Slovenia's second largest city, Maribor, is also a good idea and you can get there by bus, train or car within approximately 2 hours.
In a nutshell
It will take you no more than one day to explore the slovenian capital and maybe less than a minute to fall in love with it. There is no need to hurry at all, as Ljubljana is the perfect destination for those who wish to go sightseeing on a relaxed and slow pace.
Boat cruises on Ljubljanica river are also popular, if you wish to see the city by the water.
Useful vocabulary
Thanks Hvala
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Hello Zdravo
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