How to spend 2-days in Ljubljana (w options)
So, you’ve just landed in the capital of Slovenia and are wondering what to do?
Well luckily for you Ljubljana is a friendly solo-traveller city, and also a friendly no-car-needed city.
NOTE:** I would actually advise on hiring a car if you are wanting to explore more of Slovenia (pick up from the airport), but if you are only planning on visiting Ljubljana than you don’t need one. I’ll explain further later on.
I have been to Ljubljana twice, the first time I didn’t have a car and only spent the night. The second time I had a car and spent two nights because we drove to some neighbouring areas which I will mention later on. Therefore, I am going to suggest a few different options for your visit to Ljubljana. One path sticks with seeing the sights in Ljubljana city itself and doing a day trip to Lake Bled (not requiring a car). The other involves being a bit more adventurous, with some hiking and staying out of the city centre.
Ljubljana is a pretty town and is extremely walkable. It actually has the largest car-free zone in the European Union with many of the main sights in this area (hence the no need for a car if you are just planning to see Ljubljana). Overall, if you are staying in Ljubljana without a car, I would suggest one night. If you are staying with a car than you can do two.
Quick itinerary overview
First option (no car)
Day 1: Arrive in Ljubljana in the morning and visit Tivoli Park, the Old Town and the Castle.
Day 2: Visit Lake Bled
Second option (car needed)
Day 1: Arrive in Ljubljana, pick up your car. Visit Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj
Day 2: Hike day, explore Tivoli park and Old Town.
Day 3: Leave the next morning to explore more of Slovenia (you could skip the extra night but day 2 is a big day so it’s nice to relax in the evening)
Detailed itinerary breakdown
First option (no car)
Day 1 (Tivoli, Old Town and Castle)
There are many ways you might arrive into Ljubljana (bus, train or plane), so depending on this you will either arrive in the city-centre or at the airport. If you arrive at the airport it is very easy to get to the city centre with public buses (predominantly bus 28), taxis/uber or private shuttles.
Today you will explore the attractions in and around Ljubljana including Tivoli Park, the Old Town and the Castle. Start at either Tivoli or the Castle, as the Old Town is in between the two.
Tivoli Park is quite large, depending on if you include Rožnik and Šiška Hill. Many tourists would stick to a small section and I personally think this is all you need to see. If you are into your running, than you could definitely use the park as a running route. From the city centre, you want to walk up the Jakopič Promenade and than it is over to you which direction you take. There are many different little paths you can take, leading to fountains, statues, skate parks or museums. The main museum is the Grad Tivoli which is part of the MGLC and is directly at the end of the Jakopič Promenade. If you are wanting to enter Grad Tivoli, tickets cost €8 but I haven’t been inside so am unable to state whether this is worth the visit or not.
Grad Tivoli - to read more info about tickets, exhibitions and opening times visit: https://mglc.si/en/
After visiting Tivoli, you will want to walk back down Jakopič Promenade to make your way back to the city centre. If you aim for Cankarjeva cesta and then Čopova ulica you will be taken directly to Prešernov trg which is where the Triple Bridges are located. Wander around the streets with many shops and restaurants along the way without the worry of looking out for cars.
If you are starting to feel peckish I would highly recommend passing by Klobasarna for lunch. It is a small restaurant but is absolutely delicious with vegan/vegetarian options as some of the main options, which you can then add sausage. As your vegan/vegetarian options there are two stews that you can choose from: Barley or Istrian. We tried both and I have no complaints about either.
Now that you have fuelled up, it is time to head to the castle. To reach the castle, you can either walk, ride the funicular, or catch the urban tourist train. Here is the link to the castle’s main website which provides the breakdown. https://www.ljubljanskigrad.si/en/plan-your-visit/how-to-get-to-the-castle-en-us/
When I visited the castle, we chose to walk and I do remember it being slightly steep but it wasn’t too strenuous. If you aren’t up for paying to enter the actual castle, you can walk around the grounds for free and I would definitely recommend doing this at the minimum as the views down are pretty impressive.
The official website does provide a comprehensive outline of what sights there are to see with a guide on timings: https://www.ljubljanskigrad.si/en/plan-your-visit/ideas-for-your-visit/. We visited the Chapel of St George and the ceiling was magnificent.
After you have visited the castle, you have the evening to relax and visit another restaurant of your choice. For vegan/vegetarian options a quick google search provides many options. With some highly rated ones being: Veganika, Barbarella and Gaudi & Naan
Day 2 (Lake Bled)
Today is the day you visit the infamous Lake Bled.
Depending on how much freedom you want today, you can either book a tour (options below) or use public transport to get to Bled. The bus to Bled from Ljubljana city centre is the easiest public transport option and takes about 1 hr to 1 hr 20 minutes or you can catch a train to Bled Jezero (closest station but trains are infrequent) or Lesce-Bled (4 km away so you need to then catch a local bus or walk).
At Bled, you can walk around the whole lake (6 km) which I would 100% do. It is an easy walk and offers some beautiful views, including Bled island. The walk will take you around 1 hr 30 minutes to 2 hrs, but there are points at which you can stop and catch a Pletna boat to Bled island, swim, visit the castle or sit by a cafe etc.
To visit the castle it is paid entry, and whilst I didn’t do this, the views are said to be extremely nice. Particularly at sunset. I have heard that the actual museum isn’t anything to rave home about.
You will find the main town and many restaurants on the eastern shore, so depending on how you have gotten to Bled, this will likely be your starting and ending point. You can also try a Bled Cream Cake at one of the cafes. The official Bled website recommends visiting Kavarna park to try one, however many patisseries sell them.
If you don’t want to worry about catching public transport, then there are plenty of tours which operate from Ljubljana so take out a lot of the hassle. Some include tickets to the castle and a pletna boat ride and some don’t. So please be mindful if you book that you know what is included.
After a big day, it is time to head back to Ljubljana and treat yourself to some dinner again before heading to your next location.
Second Option (car needed)
Day 1 (Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj & Slap Savica)
Get ready for a big day of exploring! For my second trip to Ljubljana, we had arrived late the night before so I had already picked up the hire car. This meant we didn’t need to muck around in the morning and could set off on our adventures.
In my first itinerary, I did not provide the option to visit Bohinj and Slap Savica as I think it is too overwhelming without a car. However, if you have a car than it is super easy to do and very much worth it. I actually think Lake Bohinj is the much nicer lake out of the two and would go back here over Lake Bled any day of the week.
Yes, there might not be as much to do in terms of restaurants or activities, but the scenery and surrounding areas are absolutely beautiful and you can visit Slap Savica.
You will start your day by visiting Lake Bled. I recommend getting on the road early, as the parking near Bled gets full quite quickly. The drive is obviously quicker than the bus, averaging about 40 minutes from Ljubljana city centre. When we arrived around 9:45 AM the car park was virtually empty, but by the time we left (around 12:20 PM) it was completely full.
Here is the car park we used (Prešernova cesta 9, 4260 Bled, Slovenia):
** NOTE: most car parks in Slovenia are paid but often you can use your card for this.
Without repeating myself, the walk around the lake is definitely worth it. At the end of our walk, we stopped at Čajnica Bled so my friend could get a coffee which he said was good. Someone next to us was eating a Bled Cream cake and I was extremely tempted but didn’t want the sugar rush just yet.
After stopping by the supermarket to grab a quick lunch we headed to Lake Bohinj. By the way, the Mercator in Bled had some great little vegan salads that were tasty for about 2-3 €. If not, there is also a restaurant called Public & Vegan Kitchen Bled that has great reviews.
The drive from Lake Bled to Lake Bohinj takes around 30 minutes and it is utterly amazing. You drive into Triglav National Park along the way and the mountains look like a 2D windows desktop photo. My friend and I saying “wow” every second. Parking at Lake Bohinj is very simple if you use this address (57 Jezero- Savica).
Once at Lake Bohinj, it is possible to also walk around the lake, however it is much bigger than Lake Bled coming in at a distance of roughly 12 km to complete the full circuit. We knew we didn’t have enough time as this can take around 3-5 hours. My friend had brought some bathers, so he went for a quick dip but I was too much of a scaredy cat to brave the cold. He said it was “refreshing”.
We then walked to one of the scenic points (Stara Fužina 3, 4265 Bohinjsko jezero, Slovenia) here. It had benches facing the lake and mountains so we sat and relaxed for a little bit. There were also toilets located near here without a fee (in 2026).
Now to move to your final stop of the day, Slap Savica. In Slovenia, Slap means waterfall so you will see signs saying this A LOT. The parking lot to Slap Savica is located about a 10-15 minute drive from where we parked at Lake Bohinj so it’s very close but does get a little bit narrow and windy. It’s definitely still an easy drive if you pay a bit more attention for other cars. At Slap Savica, you need to do a little “hike” to actually reach the waterfall so you will pass an entry point (no payment required). To be mindful, the waterfall there are set opening hours of 09:00 to 17:00 all year round or 08:00 to 20:00 in summer. The entry point will close in cases of bad weather.
The walk takes about 20 minutes depending on your pace and whilst it is steep, it isn’t a technical walk. The waterfall is 78 m high and is quite a pretty thing to see. In saying that, I actually think the walk provides some great views of the surrounding area and enjoyed this a bit more than the waterfall itself.
The waterfall is quite a popular attraction as there were tour groups visiting as well. A little cafe is situated near the car park so if you did fancy a snack or the toilet now is your chance. Once you are satisfied, it’s time to drive back to Ljubljana. This is roughly an 1 hr 30 minutes - 2 hrs.
Day 2 (Hike, Tivoli Park and Old Town)
Are you ready for an adventurous day?
We set off on a hike today: Jezersko - Ceska Koca. It is a circular route (big fan) and was actually quite a challenging hike at the time we went. The drive there takes around an hour from Ljubljana and you will get sick of me saying this, but the views are beautiful as you go along. Parking was paid but easy to find and not many other cars were parked when we arrived. If you enter Gostišče Jezersko into your maps, this will take you to where we parked.
There was still a fair bit of snow on the peaks and at points along the path, but please please please pay attention to the trail markings. We somehow missed one of the turns, even though I was using AllTrails, which then took us to a very precarious path.
Here is the AllTrails hike (click on the image to be taken directly to it)
I am assuming the normal path is much easier, but the way we went did still have markings on AllTrails so we committed to the cause of a steeeppp incline. At the top, we were meant to continue to a viewing point but we decided at this point we didn’t want to risk our lives anymore so made the decision to turn around. I definitely don’t advise to do what we did as looking back on it now, it wasn’t well paved and we didn’t have the right sort of shoes on to be tackling that much snow and leaf fall.
The version of the hike we did took us 2 hr 50 minutes and was a total of 11.2 KM with 561 m of elevation gain. I know that does not sound like much, but at one point we were basically crawling upwards. I do highly recommend completing this hike, the proper way. We had a packed lunch with us, so we sat at the top in disbelief at how pretty the world is. The views were absolutely gorgeous and on the way down and you end up walking parallel to the road you drove on to reach the area.
We chose to stay in Ljubljana for a second night as we knew the day was going to be quite exhausting. We arrived back at our riverside accommodation around 3 PM, and after some well deserved showers made our way to Tivoli Park to stroll around the area and see some of the Old Town.
We made home cooked pasta and had one of the best nights sleeps I had had in a longgg time. If you are limited on time, having a car obviously gives you a lot more freedom so you could definitely make your way to another nearby town.
Final comments
Overall, Ljubljana is a great little city to base yourself if you don’t have a car! You will still be able to see lots of wonderful sights and landscapes. Unless you are wanting to really relax and take life slowly, you do only need one or two nights there. However having the car gave us even more freedom and opportunity to go off the beaten track so the second time around it was nicer to have the additional night without exhausting ourselves. The hike is probably one of my favourite hikes I have done so far and Lake Bohinj will always be etched in my memories.
Thank you for reading and I hope you have a lovely trip to Ljubljana
Briggle xx