Stone bridges over canals. Tromostovje, triple bridge, underneath water, with a small boat on it. On the left a large white plastered building. On the right trees and above a blue sky with some white clouds. Afternoon in Ljubljana.
City,  Kids,  Slovenia,  walking

An afternoon in Ljubljana

February 11, 2020 / 17 Comments
Yuri is standing on a square. The middle of the square is wet. Behind him a red brick building with green trees in front of it. On the left construction work. Afternoon in Ljubljana.
Standing in the ‘rain’

We loved Ljubljana, the city has a laid-back vibe, and is perfect to stroll around in. That’s just what we did one afternoon in Ljubljana. We stood on a campsite on the edge of Ljubljana and took a bus to the center of town. It stopped right in front of our campsite and went all the way to the center of town, very easy. Here’s what is perfect to do when you stroll around Ljubljana one afternoon.

The upper part of a bell tower. A clock is on the tower. A tree to the right and a small one on the left. Blue sky with white clouds above and beyond. The tower is yellow plastered.
Bell tower

Stroll around the center

Candles with a lot of wax drippings. More drippings than candles visible. On a wooden underground. Behind is cafe. Afternoon in Ljubljana.
Candles

The city center with it’s broad, low traffic avenues is perfect for wandering around. Watch and enjoy the buildings still there from the Baroque and Jugendstil periods. We had nice weather and didn’t feel the need to go inside the buildings, seeing the buildings from the outside was a treat in itself. The buildings have grand designs and are colorfull. I just love to stroll around a city or town that still has lots of old buildings preserved. It’s a feast for the eyes and I just can’t get enough of it.

But it’s not just the buildings that are beautiful, the canals are also well worth your time. Tromostovje, the triple bridge is beautifully adorned, perfect to walk over and stare at from a distance. Just to see all the people walking over the bridge, people going in all directions. Some people admiring the bridge or trying to find the perfect picture others clearly having seen the bridge all to often and having a clear direction.

People walking on Tromostovje, a triple bridge. Behind are several large buildings in different colors, some trees and a blue sky with white clouds.
Tromostovje

Since there are traffic-free areas, we didn’t need to worry that we would bump into a car. This helped contribute to the laid-back atmosphere we felt in Ljubljana.

Yuri standing at a cangeroe, pouring water in a bottle. It was hot weather. Afternoon in Ljubljana.
A cangeroe to take your water from

Ljubljanski Grad

In the below part of the picture green trees and bushes against a hill/mountain. Above a castle, Ljubljanski Grad. Above is a blue sky. Afternoon in Ljubljana.
Ljubljanski Grad

When strolling around it’s hard to miss the big castle towering over the city. You can drive or walk up to the castle, but there’s also a funicolare, a glass cogwheel, going up to the castle from the center. Since the sides are made from glass, you have a perfect view on the city going up with the cogwheel. The views don’t stop when stepping off the funicolare. You can walk around the castle and enjoy the beautiful views of the city.

The courtyard and walking around the castle is free of charge. We walked around enjoying the views on Ljubljana. We opted out on seeing the castle from the inside and climbing the tower for budget reasons, we already had other castles on our itinerary and Yuri likes to have a bit of circulation in what we do. The castle is still on our list for next time. We had lunch in the restaurant and drinks on the terrace in the courtyard, was fabulous. After a few hours we went down again with the cogwheel.

A glass cealing from the cogwheel.
The cogwheel.

Funicolare: Open year round, goes every 10 minutes. Adults return ticket 4.00, one way 2.20, 7-18 years return ticket 3.00, one way 1.50. They have a website: https://www.ljubljanskigrad.si/it/visitateci/curiosita/la-funicolare/ .

Castle: Same opening hours as the funicolare. Adults 7.50, 7-18 years 5.20. You can visit their website: https://www.ljubljanskigrad.si/sl/ljubljanski-grad/ .

View over Ljubljana, buildings with red tiled roofs, white and yellow plastered. Trees in between. Afternoon in Ljubljana.
View over Ljubljana

What else to do on an afternoon in Ljubljana

Besides the castle, what else can you do while wandering around? There was a market on the day we visited Ljubljana, it was fun to check out the produce from the market stalls and buy some fresh fruit.

Market day in Ljubljana. A stall with fresh fruits and vegetables. Behind it are more stalls. A few people standing around the stall. Afternoon in Ljubljana.
Market day

We were in Slovenia after the Pokemon Go hunt rage had just started. Lucky for Yuri you get one hour free wifi from Ljubljana and we used it to catch a lot of Pokemons while walking through the city. Yuri loved this the most. Because of the free wifi for one hour, Ljubljana ranked high on Yuri’s list.

We also enjoyed sitting on a terrace and watching the business of the city, on the water as well as on the streets. It was hot that day, so it was perfect for Yuri that on a square there was waterspray coming down. He had some fun running around here.

Yuri and some other kids are standing on a square. Only the square is wet. They let it rain there for the heat, to cool down.
It’s raining on this square

In short Ljubljana is perfect for an entertaining afternoon or longer if you have the time and perfect to include on road trips, like we did. It’s also the perfect start to the ultimate Balkan road trip.

For more information on a neighbouring country, check out the blog about campsites in Croatia.

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