The Long Weekend Guide to Exploring Ljubljana

So you’ve fallen in love with the idea of visiting Ljubljana, Slovenia, but you have no idea how you’re going to fit this entire trip into a long weekend off of work. Luckily we’re here with a long weekend in Lujubljana itinerary.

I had the pleasure of spending 7 full days in Slovenia, but will pick the best of my experiences to include in this long weekend guide to exploring Ljubljana.

What do you think?

Check out our video on things to do in Ljubljana:

(Long) Weekend in Ljubljana Itinerary

Day 1: FRIDAY

You’ve finally gotten the go-ahead from your boss to pack your things up, lock your cabinet drawers and head off for a long weekend in Ljubljana. Woohoo!

I hope you already have your bags packed from the night before, because there’s no wasting time. The earlier you get there, the more opportunity you have to explore!

• Head to the airport and hop on your flight en route to Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport.
• Arrive at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport and grab a GoOpti shuttle to the city centre of Ljubljana. The shuttle buses can range between 10 to 20 Euro, but are a speedy way to get into the city. If you choose to take a local bus, consider it to be more of a tour rather than a getting from A to B type of transportation (a 20 minute drive into the city takes upwards to 1 hour).
• Time to drop off those weekend bags and enjoy the city! If you’re looking for an affordable, yet central accommodation, Tresor Hostel is a great place to stay.
• Embrace the city nightlife and go out for dinner and a local craft beer! There are tons of amazing restaurants in the area that are within 2 minutes of Tresor Hostel, so you’ll never go to bed hungry. If you’re really wanting to start embracing the taste of Ljubljana, check out my list of delicious delicacies from the region.

Time to call it a night! I hope by this point you haven’t outdone yourself too much so, because tomorrow’s going to be a jam packed day!

Day 2: SATURDAY

Rise and shine! You’re in Ljubljana and it’s time to start your adventure through the city. The best possible way to get your bearings straight in any city is to jump in on a couple city tours that show you around the area. But first, let’s start with breakfast!

• you’re staying at the Tresor Hostel, spoil yourself to a fresh coffee and a warm homemade chocolate croissant. If you worked up more of an appetite from yesterday’s arrival, there are tons of delicious breakfast spots along the Ljubljanica River (again, only a 2 minutes walk). Get a spot in the sun!
• The best way to see the entire city without wearing yourself out for the rest of the day, is to join in on a cycling tour around the city. The Ljubljana Tourist office is right in the city centre, so you won’t have to go too far to meet your guide. The bike tour begins in the city’s centre and takes you to all the city highlights, many historical sites and some beautiful places where you can kick back and relax for a little while.
• Now that you’ve got your bearings straight, it’s time to check out that castle that you could see from the aeroplane window. Whether you’re a history lover or not, the castle is something you’ll have to say you did while visiting Ljubljana. It’s the castle. Not to mention the what’s better than snapping an aerial shot of the city standing 376 metres above the ground? If you want to learn a bit more about the castle while you’re up there, take their Ljubljana Castle Time Machine tour as it takes you back in time to tell the story of the city and it’s people.
• Exploring the city is beautiful, but you’re going to need some time to wind down into the evening. Head back to the city center and sit down at one of the local cafe’s or restaurants for a coffee and a delicious local meal. There’s tons of amazing restaurants around the area and are all quite affordable.
• Are you ready? You can leave Ljubljana without experiencing their local craft beer culture. So why not join in on some fun with a local who knows all about the Slovenian beer? The Ljubljana Tourism Board offers an amazing local beer tour called the Ljubljana Beer Experience which not only takes you around town drinking local beers, but also takes you to a beer museum and offers you tons of delicious snacks along the way.  
• Alright, if you really can’t keep those eyelids open, you can head back to your room and get some shut eye. However, if those beers gave you a little extra energy, it’s time to spend the night along the Ljubljanica River embracing the bar culture in the city.

Day 3: SUNDAY

It’s okay if you’re feeling a little hungover after last’s night’s beer festivities, there’s more than enough ways to explore the city rather than finding that energy to walk. Take a look at my post mentioning all of the coolest methods of transportation around the city of Ljubljana.

• Don’t forget to eat breakfast, the most important meal of the day!
• It’s time for a refreshing cool down, and what better way to do so than to explore one of the 10,000 caves around Slovenia? While many travellers take a liking to exploring the Postojna Caves, I decided to get down and dirty with a local caver to explore the secrets of caving in Ljubljana. I definitely recommend doing the same!
• The same tour that guides travellers through the underground caves of Ljubljana offers to take you back to the city centre by van, or has you hop on into a kayak to venture along the Ljubljanica River back to the city centre. Take your pick! Do you really need to think about that one?
• While I’d like to keep telling you to explore the city, you’re really missing out if you don’t take some time to head into the small villages surrounding Ljubljana for some relaxation. Take a shuttle or arrange transportation with Geoss Adventure Park and explore the beautiful rural Slovenian scenery along the way.
• I’m not just sending you here for more adrenaline activities. While the Geoss Adventure Park is a must do, climbing through the beautiful trees of Slovenia, they also have the most amazing treetop beds you could possibly imagine. So spend your evening winding down and relaxing in the hills on the country just outside of Ljubljana for that amazing nature experience.

Day 4: MONDAY

It’s morning time, but no one is forcing you out of bed. If you’d followed my itinerary, you’ll be spending Monday morning in the treetops. The Experience Treetops team puts together a local basket of breakfast goodies that will hang below your bed. Not only will you awake to breakfast in bed, but you’ll have the sunrise at your feet and the birds singing above your bed.

Unfortunately, today’s your last day and then you’ll be catching your flight home (hopefully in the evening). So whatever you have left of that bucket list, today is the day! If you’re ready for some more adventure, there’s a couple things worth exploring:

• Have you ever heard of SUP’ing before? It’s stand up paddle boarding. In Ljubljana, Bananaway Tours offers SUP tours of the Ljubljanica River and shows you many of the city sights by paddleboard. It’s not tough to do and is definitely worth it if the weathers nice!
• Depending on how late your flight is, you may even be able to get in some golf while you’re here. There’s a smaller course within the city with beautiful views.

I’ll let you plan your trip home on your own, because it’s not easy for me to suggest how to leave this beautiful country, I still haven’t gotten over my departure!

If you’ve fallen in love with this beautiful city as much as I have, stay a little longer and enjoy yourself! A great suggestion is to purchase a Ljubljana tourist card so that you can get local discounts, maps and excursions while visiting!