Ljubljana was supposed to be the bit of the trip where we got most of our shut eye. That was the plan, anyway. Fly into Zagreb, drive across the border, use Slovenia’s capital as a base for the lakes and the caves, and not think too hard about the city itself.
Then on the first day we made it to the Dragon Bridge, got distracted by the dragons (they’re bigger than you expect, and a bit angry looking), and one riverside beer somehow turned into 5. By the end of the trip I was quietly annoyed we hadn’t given the place more time.
So this is the plan I’d hand a client or a mate. Ljubljana in 2 days, fully on foot, with real costs in pounds, euros and dollars, where to eat, what to skip, and how to use the city as a base for Bled, Bohinj and Postojna. It’s small. You can tick off the headline sights in 48 hours without rushing. But honestly, it was the in-between bits that won me over: the market samples, the back paths up to the castle, the long lazy evenings by the river.
If you’re planning a wider trip, our Slovenia travel guides pull everything together in one place. And if you want the full route we drove, it’s all mapped out in our Slovenia road trip itinerary.
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2 Days in Ljubljana: Quick Facts
Is Ljubljana worth visiting?
Yes. Short answer, it is incredible.
It’s a capital city of under 300,000 people, which means it feels more like a big, well-kept market town than a sprawling city. The centre is compact, green and mostly pedestrianised, the river is lined with cafés, and there’s a castle sitting on the hill watching over the lot. I kept waiting for the grotty bit round the corner. It never really showed up. It is super clean and no pot holes!
If you’re weighing it up against Zagreb, Budapest or Vienna, think of it this way. Budapest is bigger, louder and more of a party (I covered the highlights in our Budapest walking tour). Vienna is grander and pricier. Ljubljana is the one you walk round slowly with a coffee, and it’s got a lot of the same fairy-tale feel you get in our Salzburg walking tour, just with fewer tour groups elbowing you out of the way.
Ljubljana suits you if you like:
- Walking everywhere and not needing a metro map
- Food markets, street food and long lunches
- Pretty riverside evenings rather than big clubs
- Using a city as a base for lakes, mountains and caves
It might feel a bit quiet if you want huge nightlife every night or a museum list as long as your arm. Two days is the sweet spot. Four days in the city alone would be too many for most people (unless you’re using it for day trips, which you should).
It’s firmly on my list of places people overlook, alongside the others in our round-up of underrated travel destinations.
Getting there and getting around
Most people fly into Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport, about 26 km north of the city. You’ve got three realistic ways into town:
- Public bus: around 45 to 55 minutes to the main bus station, for about £3.50 (€4, $4.70). Weekend fares are usually cheaper. It’s the budget choice, but it only runs roughly hourly.
- Shared shuttle: GoOpti and Nomago run pre-booked vans for around £9 to £13 (€10 to €15, $11 to $17) per seat, dropping you nearer your hotel.
- Taxi or private transfer: roughly £30 to £43 (€35 to €50, $40 to $57) and about 25 to 30 minutes.
Prices correct as of September 2026, and they do creep up, so check before you go.
If you land late or you’re travelling in a group, booking one of the Ljubljana airport transfers in advance takes the faff out of it. Splitting a private car three ways often costs about the same as three shuttle seats.
We flew into Zagreb, which is often cheaper from UK airports, and drove across. It’s a couple of hours by road. Trieste in Italy is another option, around an hour and a half away. If you’re driving on Slovenian motorways you’ll need an e-vignette, so buy it online before you cross the border.
Once you’re in the city, you walk. The old town is car-free, and nearly everything in this itinerary sits within about 20 minutes of Prešeren Square on foot.
For anything further out:
- City buses (LPP): a single ride costs £1.30 (€1.50, $1.70) and, with an Urbana card, covers 90 minutes including changes. The card itself costs €2 and you top it up.
- BicikeLJ city bikes: register online for €1 a week, and the first hour of every ride is free. Dock it, wait a few minutes, go again. Perfect for zipping out to Tivoli Park.
- Parking: the Kongresni trg and Rog garages are the handiest, at around £1.70 (€2, $2.30) an hour for the first three hours, then roughly £2.60 (€3, $3.40) an hour after that. Park and Ride sites cost £1.30 (€1.50, $1.70) a day and include two bus rides into town, which is brilliant value.
Here's the whole 48 hours at a glance before we get into the detail.
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| Day | Morning | Afternoon | Evening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Prešeren Square, Triple Bridge, Central Market, Plečnik's colonnade, Dragon Bridge | Ljubljana Castle by funicular or on foot, Viewing Tower | Ljubljanica boat trip, drinks and dinner along the embankment |
| Day 2 | Tivoli Park, Nebotičnik terrace, City Museum | Trnovo, Plečnik House, Krakovo, a look round Metelkova | Sunset drink up high, then Open Kitchen (Fridays) or a treat meal |
Where to Stay in Ljubljana
Day 1 morning: Old Town, bridges and the Central Market
Start at Prešeren Square. It’s the city’s front room, with the big pink Franciscan church on one side, the statue of the poet France Prešeren in the middle, and the Triple Bridge fanning out across the river. Plečnik added the two side bridges to the older central one, and it works so well you’d assume it was always like that.
Cross over and follow the river towards the Central Market. This is where the morning goes, and I’d let it.
What to do here:
- Wander the open-air stalls on Vodnikov trg and Pogačarjev trg (fruit, veg, flowers, honey)
- Duck into Plečnik’s riverside colonnade for cheese, cured meats and pumpkin seed oil
- Head downstairs to the fish market if you’re curious
- Pop into the cathedral next door for five minutes of calm
The samples got us. A bit of cheese here, a thimble of something strong there, and suddenly it’s 11am and we’d had a second breakfast without meaning to. No regrets.
Carry on along the river to the Dragon Bridge, where four green dragons guard the corners. Take the photo. Everyone does. Then come back via the Butchers’ Bridge, covered in love locks and some slightly odd bronze sculptures.
If you’d rather have someone talk you through the history, our walking tours hub has the self-guided routes we’ve built for other European cities, and the same slow approach works perfectly here.
Day 1 afternoon: Ljubljana Castle
You can’t miss the castle. It’s on the hill above everything, and you’ll have been looking up at it all morning.
Getting up there, you’ve got two choices:
- The funicular: leaves from Krekov trg near the market, takes about a minute, and costs £5.20 (€6, $6.80) return on its own.
- Walking: 15 to 20 minutes up the wooded paths from the old town. Free, a bit sweaty in summer, and lovely.
We walked up and took the funicular down. Well, we sort of walked up. We took a wrong turn on one of the back paths and ended up doing a scenic loop of the hill before popping out by the walls. Worth it for the views through the trees, and one of my mates’ step counter was thrilled.
The castle courtyard and ramparts are free to wander. What you pay for is the ticketed stuff inside:
- Castle Ticket: £12.90 (€15, $17.10) without the funicular, or £16.30 (€19, $21.70) with a return ride. Buy online and it’s 10% cheaper.
- What it includes: the Viewing Tower, a short 4D film called Virtual Castle, the Museum of Puppetry, the Slovenian History exhibition and any temporary exhibitions.
The Viewing Tower is the real reason to pay. The puppetry museum is surprisingly charming, the history exhibition is fine, and the 4D film is a bit daft but short. If it’s a sunny day and money’s tight, the free courtyard and ramparts give you most of the views. If it’s grey or drizzly, the ticket earns its keep.
Opening hours shift with the seasons (longer in summer, shorter in winter), and the last tickets go an hour before closing, so check the castle’s own site before you head up late.
Recommended Tours and Tickets
Day 1 evening: the riverside, a boat trip and embankment drinks
This is where Ljubljana really shows off. As the light drops, the embankments fill up, the café tables spill onto the cobbles, and the whole river turns into one long terrace.
A Ljubljanica boat trip is a nice, lazy way to start. The official tourist boat leaves from the Ribji trg pier, lasts 45 minutes, and costs around £12 to £14 (€14 to €16, $16 to $18) depending on how you book. It’s also included in the Ljubljana Card. You drift past the townhouses, under the bridges and out towards Špica, where the river goes green and leafy.
Then eat and drink along the water. Cankarjevo nabrežje and Petkovškovo nabrežje, on opposite banks, are the two main strips. We sat down for “one quick beer” at about seven. It turned into three, a plate of sausage and some very strong opinions about which bridge was best. That’s pretty much how evenings go here.
Gear we actually travel with
Passport holders, packing cubes, travel wallets. Stuff that earns its place in the bag.
Browse the shopDay 2 morning: Tivoli Park, Nebotičnik and two museums
Start the day with a stroll through Tivoli Park, the big green lung on the edge of the centre. Walk in along the Jakopič Promenade, which often has outdoor photo exhibitions, and just amble. It’s where locals jog, walk dogs and sit with coffee, and it’s a nice reset after a night on the embankment.
On the way back into town, go up Nebotičnik. When this building went up in the 1930s it was one of the tallest in the region, and there’s a café and terrace at the top with one of the best views in the city (arguably better than from the castle, because the castle’s in the shot). The lift is free. It’s polite to order a coffee while you’re up there, and the prices are fair for what you get.
Museums wise, I’d pick two, max. Ljubljana’s not a city for museum marathons, and it’d be a shame to spend a sunny day indoors.
- City Museum of Ljubljana: £8.60 (€10, $11.40). The best one-stop history of the city, including the Roman town of Emona that sits underneath it. Easy to fit into a morning.
- Plečnik House: £10.30 (€12, $13.70). The architect’s own home and studio in Trnovo. Save this for the afternoon, as it’s in the right part of town.
Day 2 afternoon and evening: Trnovo, Krakovo, Metelkova and sunset
Trnovo and Krakovo are where Ljubljana feels most like a village. Trnovo is home to Plečnik House and a quirky Plečnik bridge with trees planted on it. Krakovo, right next door, is all low houses and old vegetable gardens that have been worked for centuries. It’s quiet, green, and about as far from a tourist trail as you get while still being a ten-minute walk from the castle.
Walk back along the river past Špica if you’ve got time. It’s a good spot to sit on the steps and watch the water for a bit.
Now, Metelkova. It’s a set of former army barracks turned into an autonomous cultural centre, covered in street art, sculptures and graffiti, with clubs and gig venues that come alive at night. There’s even a hostel in the old prison next door.
I liked it, but I can see why some people don’t. By day it’s a colourful, slightly scruffy art walk that takes 20 minutes. At night it’s a proper alternative music scene. It’s not polished, it’s not for everyone, and it’s not really a family outing. Go with an open mind, respect it as people’s space, and you’ll be fine.
For sunset, you’ve got two good options:
- Go back up Nebotičnik for a drink as the light goes orange over the roofs
- Or head up to the free castle courtyard and watch it from the ramparts
Where to eat and drink in Ljubljana
Ljubljana punches well above its size on food. You can eat brilliantly on a budget, and splash out once without feeling ripped off.
If you’re in town on a Friday, go to Open Kitchen (Odprta kuhna). It takes over Pogačarjev trg by the market from spring into autumn, with dozens of stalls cooking everything from Slovenian classics to burgers, dumplings and seafood. Grab a glass of Slovenian wine, graze your way round a few stalls, and stand around with everyone else. It’s the best lunch in the city. 🍴
Local dishes worth trying:
- Kranjska klobasa: the proper Carniolan sausage, usually with mustard and bread
- Štruklji: rolled dumplings, sweet or savoury, and very filling
- Jota: a hearty bean and sauerkraut soup, great on a cooler evening
- Potica: a rolled nut cake you’ll see at the market
- Bučno olje: dark pumpkin seed oil, drizzled on salads (and even ice cream)
For budget eats, burek from a bakery is the classic cheap fill-up, and the market is great for picnic bits. Main meals in a normal restaurant run about £12 to £17 (€14 to €20, $16 to $23), coffee is around £1.70 (€2, $2.30), and a local beer is roughly £3.40 to £4.30 (€4 to €5, $4.60 to $5.70).
Beer lovers are well looked after too. Slovenia’s craft beer scene is small but serious, and you’ll spot local brewers on the taps all over the old town. Ask what’s local and fresh rather than defaulting to a big brand.
For one treat meal, book a table at one of the restaurants up at the castle, Strelec or Gostilna na Gradu. Eating on the hill with the city lights below is a lovely way to finish a trip.
The Ljubljana Card: worth it or not?
The Ljubljana Card gets you into 30-odd attractions, including the castle and funicular, the tourist boat, city buses and a guided walking tour. It activates the first time you use it, which is handy. I would’nt bother with the card but it might be worth it to you!
Current adult prices:
- 24 hours: £35.20 (€41, $46.70)
- 48 hours: £42 (€49, $56)
- 72 hours: £46.40 (€54, $61.60)
So does it pay off on this 2-day plan? Here’s the maths, using normal ticket prices for the paid bits of the itinerary.
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| Item | Typical cost | In the Ljubljana Card? |
|---|---|---|
| Airport bus (one way) | £3.50 (€4, $4.70) | No |
| Castle Ticket with funicular | £16.30 (€19, $21.70) | Yes |
| Ljubljanica boat trip | £12 to £14 (€14 to €16, $16 to $18) | Yes |
| City Museum of Ljubljana | £8.60 (€10, $11.40) | Yes |
| Plečnik House guided visit | £10.30 (€12, $13.70) | Yes (book ahead) |
| City bus ride | £1.30 (€1.50, $1.70) | Yes, unlimited |
| BicikeLJ bike hire | 86p (€1, $1.14) weekly sign-up, first hour of each ride free | Not needed |
| Coffee | Around £1.70 (€2, $2.30) | No |
| Local beer (0.5 litre) | £3.40 to £4.30 (€4 to €5, $4.60 to $5.70) | No |
| Main meal in a restaurant | £12 to £17 (€14 to €20, $16 to $23) | No |
Add up the castle, boat, both museums and a couple of bus rides and you’re at about £50 to £52 (€58 to €60, $66 to $68) paying as you go. The 48-hour card is £42 (€49, $56), so you’re saving roughly £8 to £10, plus you get the guided city walk thrown in.
The 24-hour card is a different story. Castle and boat alone come to about £28 to £30 (€33 to €35, $38 to $40), which doesn’t cover the £35.20 card. You’d have to cram in a lot to make it pay.
Want to cost the rest of your trip? Our travel budget calculator does the heavy lifting.
Day trips from Ljubljana
This is where Ljubljana earns its place as a base. Slovenia is small, so the big hitters are all within about two hours.
Lake Bled is the one everyone wants, and fair enough. Buses leave frequently from the main bus station, take about an hour to an hour and twenty minutes, and cost around £5.40 (€6.30, $7.20) one way on weekdays. Get there early, walk the lake loop, and try the cream cake. I’ve put all my tricks for beating the crowds in our guide to Lake Bled without the crowds.
Lake Bohinj is Bled’s quieter, wilder neighbour, and I preferred it. The bus runs on past Bled and takes around an hour and 45 minutes. Pair the two in one long day if you’re keen, or give Bohinj its own day if you like hiking.
Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle go together. Buses reach Postojna in about 50 minutes to an hour, and trains take a little longer. The cave is properly jaw-dropping, with a little train that runs you deep inside. The catch is Predjama, the castle built into a cliff, which is awkward without a car. A tour or hire car makes that combo much easier. Combined entry tickets run to roughly £40 to £43 (€47 to €50, $54 to $57), so check the official prices before you go.
Škofja Loka is the easy half-day. A medieval town about 30 to 40 minutes away by bus or train, with a castle, old squares and hardly anyone else there.
Piran takes the most effort, at roughly two to two and a half hours each way by bus, but it’s a gorgeous little Venetian-style town on the Adriatic. Best as a stopover on a road trip rather than a rushed day trip.
Car, bus or tour? Buses are cheap and frequent for Bled, Bohinj, Postojna and Škofja Loka. A car makes Predjama and the Vršič Pass far easier, which is why we had one. If you don’t want to drive or juggle timetables, Ljubljana walking tours and day trips that combine Postojna, Predjama and Bled in one go are a sensible shout.
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| Destination | Travel time | Best way to get there | Cost (one way, public transport) | Worth it for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Bled | 1 hr to 1 hr 20 min | Bus from the main bus station | About £5.40 (€6.30, $7.20) on weekdays | First-timers, the classic lake views |
| Lake Bohinj | About 1 hr 45 min | Bus via Bled, or car | A little more than Bled, check the timetable | Hikers, swimmers, quieter scenery |
| Postojna and Predjama | 50 min to 1 hr 20 min | Bus or train to Postojna, car or tour for Predjama | A few euros each way, plus cave and castle entry | Rainy days, families, the wow factor |
| Škofja Loka | 30 to 40 min | Bus (drops you nearer the old town than the train) | Around £3 to £4 (€3.50 to €4.50, $4 to $5) | A relaxed half day, medieval streets |
| Piran | 2 to 2 hrs 30 min | Bus, or car as part of a road trip | Around £10 (€12, $14) | Sea views, seafood, an overnight stop |
What I'd skip in Ljubljana
Not everything needs your time. With only 48 hours, here’s what I’d happily leave out:
- The little tourist train. Everything’s walkable, and you’ll see more on foot.
- Every castle exhibition on a sunny day. Do the Viewing Tower and get back outside.
- Riverside restaurants with photo menus out front. Drinks by the water, dinner one street back.
- The market on a Sunday or late afternoon. It’ll be closed or half empty.
- A car for the city itself. Park it at a Park and Ride and forget about it.
- Trying to do Bled, Bohinj and Postojna in one day on public transport. It’s too much. Pick two, or take a tour.
Where to stay in Ljubljana
For 2 days, stay central. You’ll walk everywhere, pop back to drop bags, and wander home from the embankment without thinking about buses.
Your main options:
- Old Town and the riverside: the most atmospheric, and the priciest. Perfect if you want to step outside straight into the action.
- Just outside the centre: the streets around the train and bus stations, Tabor, or Trnovo. Usually cheaper, still only 10 to 15 minutes’ walk to Prešeren Square, and handy for day-trip buses.
By budget:
- Budget: the city has a good spread of hostels, including Hostel Celica in a converted former prison by Metelkova, which is a fun one to tick off. Browse budget hostels in Ljubljana for dorms and private rooms.
- Mid-range: guesthouses and apartments just outside the old town are the sweet spot for value, especially for two or three people sharing.
- Treat: boutique hotels overlooking the river in the old town. Worth it if you want to throw open the shutters and see the castle.
For hotels and apartments, Booking.com hotels in Ljubljana Old Town has the widest choice, and you can filter by parking if you’re driving.
My Final Thoughts
Ljubljana surprised me. I went in thinking it’d be a pleasant place to sleep between lakes and caves, and came away wishing I’d built the trip around it. It’s not a city that shouts. It’s one that grows on you over a riverside beer, a morning at the market and a sunset from the castle walls.
Give it two proper days, take the day trips from there, and you’ll get the best of Slovenia without living out of a suitcase. For the bigger picture, head over to our Slovenia travel guides, where you’ll find everything else from the trip as it goes live. Or grab the whole route in one go with our Slovenia road trip post.
FAQs
Is 2 days enough in Ljubljana?
Yes, 2 days is enough to see the old town, castle, riverside and a couple of museums at a relaxed pace. We could happily have added a third day, but only because we wanted more lazy evenings by the river.
Is Ljubljana expensive?
It’s mid-priced by Western European standards, cheaper than Vienna and a bit dearer than Zagreb or Budapest. Eating at the market and Open Kitchen kept our costs sensible, and the walkable centre means you barely spend on transport.
Is the Ljubljana Card worth it?
The 48-hour card is worth it if you’ll do the castle, the boat trip and two museums, saving you around £8 to £10. If you mostly want to walk and use the free castle courtyard, pay as you go instead.
Is Ljubljana a good base for exploring Slovenia?
It’s the best base in the country for first-timers, with frequent buses to Bled, Bohinj, Postojna and Škofja Loka. We based ourselves there, and not packing up every morning made a real difference.
What's the best way to get from Ljubljana airport to the city?
The public bus is cheapest at about £3.50 (€4, $4.70), while a shared shuttle or pre-booked transfer is quicker and drops you nearer your hotel. If you land late or you’re in a group, a transfer is worth the extra.
Sources checked
- Visit Ljubljana: Ljubljana Card, card prices, validity and what’s included
- Ljubljana Castle: Tickets, castle ticket, funicular and online discount prices
- Visit Ljubljana: Tourist boat cruise, departure point, duration and fares
- Visit Ljubljana: Central Market, open-air and covered market hours
- LPT: Ljubljana Central Market, seasonal operating hours
- Visit Ljubljana: Open Kitchen, Friday dates and opening times
- LPP: Payment methods, city bus fares and the 90-minute transfer rule
- Visit Ljubljana: City buses, Urbana card and fare zones
- Visit Ljubljana: BicikeLJ, registration and hire charges
- MGML: Plečnik House, guided tour times and ticket prices
- MGML ticket shop, City Museum of Ljubljana admission
- Postojna Cave Park: Tickets, cave and Predjama Castle entry
- Ljubljana Bus Station, timetables for the airport, Bled, Bohinj, Postojna, Škofja Loka and Piran
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