This post is the start of a new series documenting our travels to the beautiful but underrated Central European Nation of Slovenia in the European Spring of 2026.
After working in a crowded city for most of the year the top criteria hen searching for a vacation destination is that it should have no crowds. With the advent of mass tourism that has become really tough nowadays. As we planned on yet another European vacation to make full use of our long term visa we zeroed in on Slovenia as it seemed to tick all the boxes. It had a variety of places from beautiful lakes to picture postcard coastal towns and a convenient capital City right in the middle to fly in and out of.
I had a rough idea about the country and the places because I had done the research for a friend’s family vacation years ago. They had combined Slovenia with Croatia since it was right next to it. We do a 10 -11 night vacation maximum and tend to stay for multiple days at one place, so doing both together was never on the cards ( And we had done the highlights of Croatia 2 years ago , which I have still not written about!). The weather would be just right in the Spring so Slovenia it was! We would start with the capital City of Ljubljana before going to the “right out of a picture postcard” towns of Bled with it’s pretty lake in the Julian Alps and Piran with its beautiful old town jutting into the Adriatic.
The flights and hotels were booked well in advance. One thing that was a mild inconvenience was that the internal buses could not be booked online from abroad. So we would need to do that once we reached Ljubljana. Spring weather is usually very variable and we hoped that we wouldn’t get rained out at any place. Staying 3 nights at a place was a sort of insurance against that happening but then I know better having been rained out in Zakopane in Poland despite staying 3 nights there all those years ago!
Soon it was time to travel and we set out from Mumbai on a sweltering summer night. We had booked Lufthansa flights via Frankfurt this time as we like to get the immigration done with the layover rather than at the final destination. Mumbai airport was buzzing as it was summer vacation time but we had reached way in advance and finished our baggage drop, security & immigration in good time. Since we had time to kill we did our routine stop at the airport Burger King before proceeding to our gate.
At our by now routine stop at the airport Burger King – almost never have Burger King otherwise!
With my coffee at the gate at Mumbai Airport
The flight to Frankfurt was pretty uneventful and I even got a few hours sleep for a change. We landed in Frankfurt around 45 minutes late thanks to the chaos in the Middle East leading to a longer flight path. Thankfully we had a long enough layover and it didn’t cause any undue stress.
After a uneventful flight to Frankfurt from Mumbai
The next new thing which we would have to go through was the new EES implemented by the Schengen region where they would collect biometrics and facial scans on entry. It had reportedly caused extreme delays and I was wondering what was in store for us. Luckily for us our non biometric Indian Passports meant that we skipped one step and had to go to the immigration officials as usual. The line was nothing more than what we usually encounter and we soon got our data collected and were on our way to our next gate for our flight to Ljubljana.
That gate turned out to be near some great seats facing the tarmac where we had our packed egg sandwiches watching flights take off and land.
Soon it was time for our flight to Ljubljana and we boarded our short flight to Ljubljana. An uneventful flight later we were at Ljubljana airport on a beautiful sunny spring afternoon. We collected our luggage and made our way out of the airport to the bus station outside where we would take a bus which would take us to Ljubljana city centre.
Outside Ljubljana airport on a beautiful sunny afternoon
The beautiful setting of Ljubljana airport half an hour outside the city centre
It turned out that we had reached Ljubljana on a local public holiday which meant a reduced bus schedule. We waited patiently at the small bus stop and bought our bus tickets from the ticket machine. The bus arrived after a long 45 minute wait but we had a comfortable ride to Ljubljana bus station right at the edge of the City Centre / Old town.
We had booked the City Hotel Ljubljana which was a big hotel in the City Centre 500 metres from the main bus station. We always have limited luggage so we picked up our backpacks and walked to the hotel. Thanks to the long wait for the bus we had reached the hotel after the check in time and immediately got our room.
Our comfy room at the City Hotel Ljubljana
Having a hotel in the City Centre is a must for us as it gives us the freedom to set out for a walk whenever we want without thinking about the logistics of getting back to the hotel later. Our room was typical of a big hotel, nothing extraordinary but it had all the necessary comforts. We freshened up with a hot shower after our long travel from Mumbai and set off for our first walk through the City Centre of Ljubljana. We just wanted to get a lay of the land and have an early dinner on our first evening since we were in Ljubljana for multiple days.
Ljubljana city centre is an extremely walkable size and we walked through it for the first time at its most crowded, which wasn’t really crowded as compared to the other European hotspots. The City Centre is a pedestrian only zone located on either side of the Ljubljanica river with numerous bridges spanning the river. In addition to the river, the bridges, cobblestoned lanes and pretty squares on either side of the river it also has a castle looming on a hill right in the centre making it a great place to just walk aimlessly through. We did just that on that day taking a few photos along the way ( leaving the majority of the photos for our standard early morning walk the next morning.
On the way to Preseren square from our hotel with the Franciscan Church in the background
A first of many selfies on the Triple bridge in Ljubljana City Centre
The Ljubljana Grad / Castle on the hill just above the City Centre
The triple bridge and the popular Preseren square beyond
The triple bridge from the newest bridge in Ljubljana the Ribja brv
A statue of the composer Gustav Mahler in Ljubljana City Centre
We then decided to find a spot for a light and early dinner. I had wanted to try out the most iconic Sausage shop in Ljubljana called Klobasarna and I asked the better half if I could eat there while she tasted a local dessert the sweet Struklji made with cottage cheese, tarragon, walnuts. Thankfully she agreed so I got my chance to eat their famous Carnolian Sausage with their house baked bread, mustard and horseradish. The sausage was amazing and the hot freshly baked bread with the pungent horseradish and mustard made it a great first meal for me. The better half tried the Struklji but didn’t like it so much so I polished that off too and told the better half that she could have her favourite falafel roll at a place nearby, that cheered her right up.
Happy me after trying the Carnolian sausage at Klobasarna in Ljubljana
The Carnolian Sausage with some of the most enjoyably pungent horseradish and mustard
With my hunger satiated we started for the Falafel place called Seherezada which was just on the opposite side of the river. We crossed the Ljubljanica this time on the Dragon bridge which has a pair of dragons ( a mascot of the city from olden days) on either end of the bridge.
The Dragon bridge of Ljubljana
A souvenir shop that sells lots of dragon themed souvenirs
We reached Seherezada and ordered the Falafel Pita roll and an Ayraan (the Turkish buttermilk we have enjoyed in all such Turkish/ Lebanese places since our Germany trip) for the better half. The falafel roll turned out to be huge (almost the size of her forearm!) and perfect for the better half’s tastes. I couldn’t help drink some of the Ayraan as it satiates my usual habit of having curd with every meal back home!
The better half enjoys her Falafel roll and Ayran at Seherezada in Ljubljana
Returning back to the hotel after our first walk through Ljubljana City Centre
With both our tummies satiated we were starting to feel the tiredness of the long journey and returned back to our hotel for a peaceful night’s sleep. The next morning forecast was iffy with few showers predicted, I hoped that they were not accurate as I wanted to do our standard early morning walk through the City Centre.
We woke up early the next morning and I peeked out of the window to see cloudy skies but no pouring rain. We quickly got ready and decided to go and wander around the City centre and build up our appetite for the buffet breakfast.
As we started towards Preseren square the better half pointed to a strikingly painted building which was coloured using the colours of the Slovenian Flag. We stopped to take photos of the building which we found out later was called the Vurnikova Hisa and is a Commercial Bank building.
The Vurnikova Hisa – painted in the colours of the National flag
We then reached Preseren Square named after Slovenia’s greatest poet, which was empty at that early hour except for a few fellow photographers. We took photos of the square and the statue of the poet before crossing the Triple bridge and going on the other side after stopping to take some more photos on the iconic bridge.
Preseren Square or Presernov trg in Ljubljana from all angles
The triple bridge the the castle high above
The better half clicks a photo of me with the castle in the background
The sun rises in Ljubljana as viewed from the Triple bridge
The Triple Bridge with its unique 3 lanes across the Ljubljanica
As the sun rises on Ljubljana the buildings next to the river shine in the golden light
A selfie in golden light on the Triple Bridge in Ljubljana
We continued crossing the river with each bridge we came to & the small city centre has 5 of these beautiful and different bridges. We crossed the newest bridge called “Ugly Duckling” bridge because of it’s modern aesthetics as compared to the other bridges in Ljubljana which were mostly designed by Joze Plečnik who designed most of the city centre as it exists today.
Walking by the riverside clicking photos as we go along
The Triple bridge as viewed from the “Ugly Duckling” bridge
The better half poses on the most modern bridge in Ljubljana – The”Ugly Duckling”
The Cobbler’s bridge in the distance – We would cross that too at a later date!
We then came to a small square called Ribji Trg which during the day is filled with people enjoying their riverside drinks and meals. At that time in the morning it was empty and made the fountain of the Girl with a Jug ( such a simple no nonsense name for a fountain – tells you more about Slovenians then anything else!) look all the more serene.
Ribji Trg – The fountain of a girl with a jug
We then passed through a pretty little cobblestoned street covered in arches to reach the Mestni Trg or the Town Square.
The narrow arched lane that connects Ribji Trg to Mestni Trg
The Town square is a gently curved plaza which we passed through the previous day but I didn’t bother taking any pictures as I knew it would be perfect at this time of the day. The town hall and the 3 rivers fountain from the 1700s were free of even the limited crowds that throng this square during the peak hours and looked beautiful even with the overcast skies overhead.
Mestni Trg / Town Square with the 3 rivers fountain and the Cathedral in the Background
The 17th century town hall on the Town Square in Ljubljana
Always good to have such pretty squares to ourselves early in the morning
The 3 rivers fountain on Mestni trg in Ljubljana City Centre
We then walked towards the next bridge which we had skipped the previous day – the Butcher’s Bridge. The pretty lanes of Ljubljana Centre without the crowds and just locals going to start their day’s work was the perfect way to start a day.
Walking the pretty street of Ljubljana early in the morning
We then reached the Butcher’s Bridge or Mesarski Most which was originally designed as a covered bridge by Plečnik but not completed. It was only completed in 2010 but not in Plečnik’s original style but in a unique mix of old and modern aesthetics. It has a glass walkway and bronze statues by a local artist Jakov Brdar. It became famous as a “love bridge” where couples burden the architecture with padlocks and the city has to cut off the padlocks every few years lest the bridge collapse into the river due to these so called symbols of love!
We took photos of the bridge and the unique architectural blend without adding to it’s weight permanently and moved on.
Bronze statues of Adam & Eve at the Butcher’s Bridge
The better half photograph’s the grotesque bronze statue on Butcher’s Bridge
Padlocks even on the tiny dragon statues on Butcher’s Bridge!
The better half poses on the Butcher’s Bridge early in the morning
At the Mestarski Most / Butcher’s Bridge in Ljubljana as the sun rises in the sky
The padlocks cover every available inch of Butcher’s Bridge in Ljubljana
We then made our way back to the hotel stopping at the Dragon’s Bridge / Zmajski Most for a couple of photos as the skies turned dark overhead. We wanted to go to the Ljubljana Castle after breakfast but I had put off buying tickets online to see how the weather would turn out. We returned to the hotel hoping the dark clouds would pass on without any heavy rain.
The Dragon Bridge or Zmajski Most in Ljubljana with the Castle hill in the background
View of the Market, the Cathedral dome and towers and Butchers bridge from the Dragon Bridge
Irrespective of how the weather turned out after this, it had been a great morning walk around Ljubljana Old town / City Centre and we returned to the hotel happy with our morning walk amidst the pretty lanes and bridges of Ljubljana.
Happy us after our morning walk through Ljubljana City Centre !
Whether the weather would continue to be kind or it would make us postpone our visit to the Ljubljana Castle is topic for another post, some other time, some other day.
Till then,
Čau!
Oh. Thank you for taking me back to wonderful memories. And for showing me an empty and dry ljubljana. It rained non stop on the 3 days we were there. The locals were also surprised. But it’s a lovely town. And thank you for planning my trip there.