Things to do
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Dragon Bridge
Dragon Bridge is where you meet Ljubljana's emblem up close. Copper dragons stand on tall plinths at each corner, wings raised and tongues out, and it is one of the most photographed bridges in the city.
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Ljubljana Castle
Worth the climb for one view: from the top of the Viewing Tower you see the whole of Ljubljana and the land beyond it, and in summer the castle stays open late enough to come up after dinner.
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Ljubljana Cathedral
Between Masses, step in off Cyril and Methodius Square and look up: Baroque fresco covers the ceiling and every side chapel, and the bronze doors outside tell Slovenia's story.
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Ljubljana Central Market
A morning here puts you among Ljubljana’s own shoppers, at farmers’ stalls across two squares and under Plečnik’s riverside colonnade.
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Ljubljanica River Cruise
Gliding low along the Ljubljanica, you see the old town's bridges from beneath, with the best views of the architect Jože Plečnik's Triple Bridge and a close look at the Dragon Bridge's dragons.
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National Gallery of Slovenia
Robba's original fountain, the marble one whose copy stands on Town Square, is inside this gallery: see it first, then work forward through the paintings.
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Postojna Cave
Two things bring you to Postojna: Europe's largest show cave, its halls crowded with stalactites and stalagmites, and the olm, a blind amphibian adapted to life in the dark.
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Predjama Castle
A Renaissance castle closes off the mouth of a cave halfway up a sheer cliff, and you walk through its rooms straight into the rock behind them.
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Prešeren Square
Stand under Prešeren's statue and look where he looks: on a facade in Wolfova ulica, across the square, is Julija Primic, the woman he loved.
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Triple Bridge
Take the middle span of the Triple Bridge for the view that shows how Ljubljana fits together: Prešeren Square on one bank, the medieval old town on the other, and the castle on its hill above.
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Grand Hotel Union
An Art Nouveau facade from 1905 fronts this hotel on Miklošičeva, a few minutes' walk from Prešeren Square and the Triple Bridge. Rooms in the historic wing keep period details, and the hotel has a pool and a café that locals use. The address suits a stay with the whole old town on foot.
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Hostel Celica
The old military prison at Metelkova is now a hostel whose cells were redesigned by artists, one cell at a time. Guests can join a free guided tour of the building every day at one o'clock. The clubs of Metelkova are next door and loud late at weekends, so light sleepers should know before booking.
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Križanke
Plečnik rebuilt a former monastery of the Teutonic Knights into an open air theatre and a set of arcaded courtyards. From late June to early September it is one of the main venues of the summer festival, and an evening concert under the sky is the best way in. Outside the festival, look in if the gate is open.
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Ljubljana Botanical Garden
Two hundred years of planting in a working university garden: come for a tree planted on opening day in 1810, a glasshouse of tropical plants and beds arranged by plant family.
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Metelkova
Squatted in 1993 and never handed back, a former Austro-Hungarian barracks block now holds studios, galleries and late clubs, every surface painted, welded or mosaicked. Concerts run from Thursday to Saturday; by day the courtyard is quiet and slightly derelict, which is when the sculpture and murals read clearly. Photographing drinkers inside the bars is unwelcome, and the courtyard noise carries late.
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National and University Library
Worth stepping inside for the staircase alone, Plečnik's most important building in Slovenia leads you from a dark entrance hall up a black marble stair towards the light.
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Open Kitchen
On sunny Fridays from March into autumn, cooks from restaurants across the country set up stalls on Pogačarjev trg beside the cathedral. Rain cancels it, so check the morning of. The square fills after work.
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Šmarna Gora
City buses 8 and 1B run to Tacen at the foot of the hill, and the paths climb three to four hundred metres to the summit church and inn in under an hour to an hour and a half, depending on the route. On a clear day the Kamnik Alps and the Julian Alps line the horizon. Roots and wooden steps turn slippery after rain, so wear shoes with grip.
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Tivoli Park
Swapping the old town for Ljubljana's biggest park gives you Plečnik's promenade of open-air photographs, a rose garden and a pond, then an easy wooded climb up Rožnik to a hilltop church with a view over the city.
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Trnovo
Upstream of the old town, this riverside quarter feels like a village a few minutes from the centre, with Plečnik's bridge planted with birch trees in front of the church. With neighbouring Krakovo and its vegetable gardens, it is a quieter base than the old town and on foot from everything. The riverbank here stays calm on summer evenings.
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Vander Urbani Resort
A row of old town houses beside the Ljubljanica was joined into this design hotel, a few steps from the Triple Bridge and the central market. A small rooftop pool and terrace look up at the castle hill, and the rooms are compact and modern inside the old walls. It suits a stay spent on foot, since the pedestrian centre starts at the door.
