Solo travel · Ljubljana · Slovenia
Solo travel in Ljubljana
How to enjoy Ljubljana at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Ljubljana is easy for solo travellers: small, walkable and English-speaking, with lively hostels, free walking tours and plenty of café terraces where sitting alone with a book is normal. Many solo travellers base themselves in Tabor and Metelkova.
Key facts
- Base
- Tabor and Metelkova
- Getting around
- Walking
- Emergency number
- 112 (European emergency number)
- Language
- Slovene
Solo travel tips
- Join a free walking tour from Prešeren Square on your first day to get your bearings.
- Hostels around Metelkova and the station are sociable and close to the centre.
- Use the Friday Odprta kuhna market to taste several dishes without committing to a full restaurant meal.
- Shared shuttle vans to Bled and the airport are an easy way to meet other travellers.
- Walk Rožnik or Šmarna Gora with the locals on a weekend morning.
Where to stay
$ · Best for budget, nightlife and solo travellers
Tabor and Metelkova
Around Metelkova the old Austro-Hungarian and Yugoslav barracks now hold the graffiti-covered Metelkova autonomous cultural centre, the Slovene Ethnographic Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Hostel Celica, a former military prison, is here, and Trubarjeva street's small bars and ethnic restaurants lead back to the river.
- Good
- Lower prices for hostels and rooms; Alternative clubs and street art; Ten minutes' walk to the Dragon Bridge
- Watch out
- Noisy on club nights; Less polished streets
- Nearby
- Metelkova, Slovene Ethnographic Museum, Trubarjeva street, Dragon Bridge
Great on your own
Castle · Castle Hill
Ljubljana Castle
Walk up through the woods on the Študentovska path and take the funicular down, then continue straight to the Central Market.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Views
- History
- Kids
_(9380933958).jpg){kind=link}
Landmark · Center
Triple Bridge and Prešeren Square
Look for Julija's bust on the building at Wolfova 4, diagonally across the square from the statue.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- After dark
Landmark · Center
Dragon Bridge
Combine it with the Central Market and Butchers' Bridge for a short loop along both banks.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- Kids
- Photo spot
- Architecture
.jpg){kind=link}
Market · Old Town
Central Market
Come in the morning for the farmers' stalls, and on a Friday from spring to autumn stay for lunch at Odprta kuhna.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Food
- Free
- Shopping
- Architecture
Religious site · Old Town
Ljubljana Cathedral (St Nicholas)
Look closely at the two bronze doors before going in; they are the cathedral's most striking modern feature.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Street · Old Town
Mestni trg, Stari trg and the Town Hall
See the original Robba Fountain afterwards in the glass hall of the National Gallery.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Shopping
- Architecture
Meeting people
- Odprta kuhna on Friday — The Open Kitchen food market takes over Pogačarjev trg beside the cathedral on Fridays from spring to autumn, weather permitting, with dozens of restaurants cooking Slovenian and international dishes in small portions.
- Daily set lunch — Many gostilnas and cafés offer a dnevno kosilo, a weekday set lunch of soup, main course and sometimes salad, at a fraction of dinner prices. Look for chalkboards outside.
- Ljubljanica embankments — Cafés and cocktail bars along Cankarjevo and Petkovškovo embankments stay busy late on summer nights.
- Metelkova — Small clubs and bars in the former barracks with alternative, punk, electronic and LGBTQ+ nights.
Sensible precautions
Ljubljana is generally calm and safe for visitors. Watch your bag in crowded spots such as the market and Prešeren Square in summer, and take care with cyclists sharing pedestrian streets.
- Emergency number
- 112 (European emergency number)
- Staying connected
- EU roaming applies to European SIMs, mobile coverage is good across the city, and many cafés offer free Wi-Fi.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Ljubljana good for solo travellers?
Ljubljana is easy for solo travellers: small, walkable and English-speaking, with lively hostels, free walking tours and plenty of café terraces where sitting alone with a book is normal.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Ljubljana?
Tabor and Metelkova: Former army barracks turned arts quarter, museums and hostels east of the station.