Things to do in Ljubljana – My Top 5: Exploring the Dragon City
Ljubljana was nothing short of a stunning city. The prettiness of the architecture, cleanliness of the streets; the city just exudes beauty. It was pretty easy to just wander the streets and take it all in so I wrote this blog on my Top 5 Things to do in Ljubljana.
Before we get stuck in, if you’re checking around Ljubljana for accommodation check out the map below from Booking.com to see the latest deals on accommodation in this gorgeous city! Of course, if Airbnb is more your style then you’re in luck as here’s €30 off your first stay!
Booking.comNow that that good stuff is done with let’s get down to Ljubljana! What makes Ljubljana great, asides from the wonderful things there are to do around the city, is the public transport connections the city has to other sights around Slovenia – Lake Bled for example.
The ability to enjoy both your time in the city centre and experience something completely different just a short bus ride away makes Ljubljana a superb destination.
Here are my Top 5 Things to do in Ljubljana. If you’re planning on going be sure to check them out and if not, hopefully this list convinces you to go!
Top 5 Things to do in Ljubljana: 1. Ljubljana Castle
We’re going to start this list with a trip to Ljubljana Castle. Ljubljana’s castle stands on top of Castle Hill (aptly named) and is accessible via a walking trail which we took or a funicular (a really short rail car).
We spent a good portion of our day here so make sure you leave time to explore its many attractions.
What stood out for me was the Outlook Tower, the Prisoners’ Quarters, the Dragon Exhibition, and the Chapel of St George.
There is also a museum of Slovenian History which is always a good shout when visiting a new country to try get a little information on how they came to be.
The Prisoners’ Quarters were really interesting. You walk into a corridor that houses 3/4 cells. In each of the cells you can walk in and read about what was discovered in them when the site was excavated, what the typical life of a prisoner was, and even their menu Monday through Sunday – it wasn’t very appetising to say the least.
The Chapel of St George was stunning and the art painted onto the ceilings was unbelievable. If churches aren’t your thing, the castle often holds art exhibitions and other interactive exhibitions. When we were there, Vogue had a fashion exhibition on detailing the scenes behind a fashion shoot together with blown up pictures of their cover models. I haven’t picked up a Vogue magazine in my life but their exhibition was a really interesting insight into fashion.
There was also a dragon exhibtion on, detailing the history of dragons and their relationship with Ljubljana! It was really cool and a fantastic photo opportunity!
Lastly then you definitely want to check out the Lookout Tower, climb a few hundred steps and you come out on top of the Lookout Tower. Stunning views encapsulating the entirety of Ljubljana await you when you get up on top so if you want to witness the majesty of ljubljana then this is the place to go!
All in all the castle is a great place to visit, it’s been recently renovated so it is airy, open, and fun to explore. There’s even a nightclub believe it or not. Easily accessible for everyone of all abilities, it’s a superb stop on your journey to discover Ljubljana.
Grajska planota 1 1000 Ljubljana
Phone: +386 (0)1 306 42 93
Email: [email protected]
Website: Ljubljana Castle
Castle ticket including return funicular fare
€10.00 per person for adults
€7.00 per person for children and young people aged 7-18, students, senior citizens, and groups of more than 15 people
€26.00 for families of up to two adults and at least one child aged 7-18
Castle ticket only
€7.50 per person for adults
€5.20 per person for children and young people aged 7-18, students, senior citizens, and groups of more than 15 people
€19.00 for families of up to two adults and at least one child aged 7-18
Top 5 Things to do in Ljubljana: 2. Dragon Bridge
Dragon Bridge is awesome. I loved checking it out and taking some cool shots. It’s not hard to find with it being bang smack in the middle of the city. It’s a quirky stop on your journey to discovering the city and it is definitely worth it.
Incorporate the other bridges in Ljubljana with the Dragon Bridge because some of them are very unique, peaceful, and just lovely to see. In nearly every place I’ve been there’s always a couple of bridges to go see; sometimes they’re big, grand bridges, sometimes historic, and sometimes just huge, but the bridges in Ljubljana are lovely to visit; take some romantic photos and maybe even put a love lock on one of them.
Top 5 Things to do in Ljubljana: 3. Metelkova
Metelkova was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in all my travels. During the day it’s essentially a massive art display exhibiting the human spirit and artistic expression but during the night it turns into a fringe nightclub and bar scene, frequented by those who wouldn’t associate themselves with the status quo.
It was originally the Austro-Hungarian Slovenian headquarters then later the Slovenian headquarters of the Yugoslav National Army. Metelkova has been squatted in since 1993 when it was illegally declared independent by those who occupied it. The word illegal comes across quite strong, and while technically correct, in 2005 the area was declared a national cultural heritage site. The European Cultural Fund even provides funding for the area.
While the legal technicalities around its dominion can be a bit ambiguous, it adds great cultural value to Ljubljana and I think that’s why the police haven’t stormed it and burnt it to the ground. The area also provides great economic advantages with it being said to host 40% of Ljubljana’s concerts.
It is a really cool place to go, if you want to experience culture in its raw form then you must visit Metelkova. I recommend going at day-time first to witness it first hand – it is usually pretty quiet and abandoned. Then, if you’re feeling adventurous go to one of the many parties hosted there at night time.
Top 5 Things to do in Ljubljana: 4. Take in a football match
Whether you’re a football fan or not you shouldn’t pass on the opportunity to go watch a European football match!
NK Olimpija Ljubljana is Ljubljana’s football team and they are great to go watch at home! If you’ve never heard of the term ‘ultra’ when it comes football then just know it means fanatical fan, like, the most intense fan there could be.
NK Olimpija’s ultras are something to behold. We went to see them take on Maribor who the taxi driver on the way to the football match told us was their fiercest rival. We didn’t think much of this.. until we got there..
Rows upon rows upon rows of police riot vans lined the route to the football stadium’s entrance. It was crazy. We were a bit unsure of what we were getting ourselves into but I’m delighted we went.
Just as a tip, when you line up for the tickets, as international travellers you first have to line up in a queue to write down your name, number, and address (as far as I can remember) in a separate queue. You’re then given a ticket stub, you bring this into the line to get into the stadium and you hand it to the ticket inspector who also checks your ticket. It’s a little confusing but you’ll be fine.
The stadium is quite big and you are separated from the opposition’s supporters and both team’s ultras.
We decided to book our seats pitch-side and while they may not be the most coveted seats in the whole stadium you get a full view of everything and it was awesome.
We saw flags being set fire to, flares going off all over the stadium, and tonnes of riot police. Nothing happened in the end which was a relief but it was very exciting. While all of this was going on the police presence and fire brigades made me feel pretty safe. To be honest it was a lot of fun and quite exciting.
Having said that we didn’t waste too much time leaving as NK Olimpija actually lost their match that night against their rivals and a lot of the home fans weren’t happy! So we left pretty quickly and hopped into a taxi.
I hope I’m not turning you off going to one. The tickets were cheap and it was a lot of fun – definitely go if you can if you want to experience real passionate European football!
Top 5 Things to do in Ljubljana: 5. Day trip to Bled
Okay so I know Bled isn’t Ljubljana but you can’t go to Ljubljana and not visit Lake Bled. We had three days to spend in Ljubljana and we dedicated one day to visiting Bled and its famous Lake.
There are a lot of buses to and from Bled each day but I recommend getting down early to book your ticket and hop on one of the earlier buses. The connections run hourly and it costs around €7 for a ticket. Discounts are available for children and others. The departing bus station is just across from Ljubljana’s train station – you can’t miss it!
It takes around an hour and twenty minutes to get to Bled and the bus is a coach so it’s nice and comfortable – full of backpackers and travellers looking to visit the magical Bled.
Got to witness the stunning #LakeBled today in #Slovenia 🇸🇮 Water rafting in the morning, then up to Bled Castle to take in the breathtaking scenery 🏰 and to finish off the day – a quick dip in the lake 🏊 #travel #visitslovenia #wanderlust #exploremore #travelblog pic.twitter.com/WO3ErTnfPZ
— Primabl 💼 (@Primabl_) August 18, 2018
We decided to incorporate White Water Rafting into our trip to Bled with Outdoor Slovenia and we’re so glad we did. They picked us up from our designated pickup spot (we picked a hotel that was beside the bus stop in Bled). Tickets ran to €35 per person and it was worth every penny.
We drove for around forty mintues to the Sava River. We left all of our stuff in the van which was going to pick us up further on down the river. We got into our rafting gear and our guide gave us a quick lesson on what calls he’s going to make and what we then have to do – very easy stuff.
I highly recommend rafting with these guys as they were very professional, experts in all things white water rafting, and most importantly – fun!
The rafting was only a little bit strenuous but very easy for all ages over 10 I would say. We were joined from people all over the world and it was a lot of fun to share the experience. Our guide was a lot of fun and really nice.
We got to jump in the river several times, got to apply face masks from the mud along the river which would probably cost you €50 in the shops, and lastly we got to lay on our backs and float down the river like we were in a waterpark. It was a lot of fun altogether and something I would recommend you do the morning of your arrival into bled. It took around 2.5 hours altogether.
After rafting you’re probably going to want to get some food into you. There’s a bunch of restaurants and cafe’s in Bled along the lake itself and more into the town. As you can guess it’s a busy place chock full of travellers so the food can be hit and miss. We just got a pizza and a beer between us, seemed like the easiest option and it did the trick.
Next on the itinerary for your day trip to Bled is to take in Bled Castle and/or the Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Maria. We decided to go to Bled Castle as we weren’t appropriately dressed for the church. While some people might gasp at the thought that we didn’t take in the church we just weren’t feeling it. I’m a firm believer in travelling your way so don’t feel like you have to do everything when visiting a new country as long as you enjoy it that’s all that matters.
I’m glad we journeyed up to Bled Castle. It had a cute museum which went into the castle’s history but really its the views from up top which made it for me. The view can be described as nothing short of stunning. If you’re going to take the trail from the lake beware, you will be gasping for air by the time you get to the top as it is a steep climb with hundreds of steps!
It’s no easy trek and for people who may not be as able its something to take note of. It is most definitely worth it though. Entrance prices are €9 for adults, €6.50 for students and €5 for children up to 14 years of age.
Finally then on your itinerary for your trip to Bled, you have to take in the lake itself! There’s a lovely walk to be had around the lake. You can rent kayaks which you can take to the Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Maria or you can take one of the gondolas for €10. I found that it was a bit tourist trap-y charging so much and the gondola guys were quite rude so after that they definitely weren’t getting my ten euro.
While you might think that you can jump into the lake from anywhere there is actually a designated swimming area – Castle bathing area – situated just under Ljubljana Castle with sun loungers, slides, inflatable trampolines and lots of fun things in the water for children and adults alike.
The further you walk down the quieter it gets and that’s where you’ll find most adults sun bathing. We took a dip in the lake and relaxed in the sun. It was lovely and super refreshing! There are a few different price structures depending on the time of day you visit but the price for the Bled Castle Bathing Area ranges from €4-7 for adults, €3-5.50 for students, and €2-4.50 for children under 14 years of age.
So there you have my Top 5 Things to do in Ljubljana. There’s plenty more to see and do in the city like The Central Market, Tivoli City Park, and the Niboticknik – a high-rise building which boasts great views but these were my top five that I enjoyed the most. Shoutout to my good friend Dan O’Connor for recommending Lasko beer to me – it’s a Slovenian brewed beer and absolutely gorgeous. Don’t leave without trying a pint of the good stuff. He also recommended we go visit Metelkova so thank you to him! You can check out Dan’s Spotify here.
Had a fantastic time in the gorgeous #Ljubljana The city’s very pretty and the view from Ljubljana Castle was simply amazing 🤯 We were made to feel completely welcome by lovely people, thank you Slovenia 🇸🇮 #Travel #exploreslovenia #wanderlust #exploremore #slovenia #cityscape pic.twitter.com/r6wGH2D8DW
— Primabl 💼 (@Primabl_) August 21, 2018
While you’re here, why don’t you read about my time in Belgrade, Serbia, or even my time in Skopje, Macedonia, they were both cities I visited on my interrail and were equally superb.
