Day-by-day eating plans for Ljubljana. weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.

Day-by-day plans

Ljubljana weekend: the classics, walked end to end ★ 4.6

First-time visitor, two days2 days

A weekend built around Plečnik's Central Market, the canonical Slovenian dishes, and the small chef-driven kitchens making Ljubljana its own food city.

  1. Day 1: Saturday: market mornings, gostilna lunch, riverside dinner

    Morning
    Plečnik's Central Market at 09:00. Walk the fish market under the colonnade, then the outdoor stalls. Filter coffee at Stow 2 Go on Presernov trg afterwards.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Druga Violina on Stari trg. Daily 6 to 8 euro menu of struklji, kranjska klobasa and gibanica. Walk it off up to the castle (15 minutes uphill).
    Evening
    Dinner at Strelec in the castle archery tower from 19:00. Five or seven-course tasting menu with views over the city as the lights come on.

  2. Day 2: Sunday: castle cafe, river lunch, classic Slovenian dinner

    Morning
    Filter coffee at Cafe Cokl on Krekov trg from 09:00. Walk up to the castle for the view before lunch (15 minutes uphill, or take the funicular).
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Ribca under Plečnik's colonnade for fried squid and cuttlefish risotto from the fish market upstairs. Stroll Krakovo's garden allotments.
    Evening
    Dinner at Spajza on Gornji trg from 19:00. Wood-and-vintage rooms below the castle, aged steaks, seafood and Karst pršut, kitchen open till 22:00 Sundays.

Ljubljana Friday weekend: Open Kitchen anchor ★ 4.7

Visitors arriving Friday between late May and October3 days

A weekend timed to Odprta kuhna on Friday, the canonical Ljubljana food event, with city days either side and a Saturday wine country side trip.

  1. Day 1: Friday: Open Kitchen all afternoon

    Morning
    EK Bistro on Petkovskovo nabrezje for brunch from 09:00. Eggs benedict on house brioche, French toast.
    Afternoon
    Odprta kuhna at Pogacarjev trg from 12:00. 65 vendors, over 280 dishes, work through 6 to 8 small plates over the afternoon.
    Evening
    Drinks at Wine Bar Suklje on the embankment from 20:00. 500-label list of Slovenian growers, late dinner small plates if hungry.

  2. Day 2: Saturday: Vipava wine day trip then late city dinner

    Morning
    Drive west to the Vipava Valley (1 hour). Visit Movia or Burja for a cellar tasting and farm lunch.
    Afternoon
    Back to Ljubljana mid-afternoon. Filter coffee at Stow inside the City Museum. Walk the river embankment to the castle.
    Evening
    Dinner at Aftr from 19:30. Chef Jorg Zupan's a la carte room in the original Atelje space, plated with the same technique as the 2020 Michelin era.

  3. Day 3: Sunday: riverside brunch, Krakovo walk, castle lunch

    Morning
    Tozd on Cankarjeva at 10:00 for cold brew and toast on the riverside terrace. Walk the Krakovo garden cottages just south afterwards.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Gostilna na Gradu at the castle for the 24-region Slovenian tasting menu, Michelin Selected.
    Evening
    Quiet dinner at Druga Violina on Stari trg. The social-enterprise gostilna runs the city's most under-the-radar serious Slovenian kitchen.

Ljubljana with a Hisa Franko pilgrimage ★ 4.8

Foodie traveller wanting Slovenia's three-Michelin-star room3 days

A two-night Ljubljana stay around a long lunch at Ana Ros's Hisa Franko in Kobarid, 2 hours west of the capital.

  1. Day 1: Day 1: Arrival, riverside dinner

    Morning
    Arrive late morning. Coffee at Crno Zrno on Gornji trg, walk the river embankment, light lunch at Klobasarna.
    Afternoon
    Wine bar crawl: Vinoteka Movia on Mestni trg, then Dvorni Bar for the by-the-glass Slovenian list.
    Evening
    Dinner at Gostilna As in Knafljev passage. Handmade Karst pasta and a Slovenian wine cellar of 300 bottles, kitchen until 01:00 Fri-Sat.

  2. Day 2: Day 2: Hisa Franko in Kobarid (book months ahead)

    Morning
    Drive 2 hours west to Kobarid through the Soca valley. Arrive 12:30 for the three-Michelin-star lunch tasting.
    Afternoon
    Hisa Franko lunch runs 3 to 4 hours. Walk Kobarid afterwards, the WWI museum if time. Drive back to Ljubljana late afternoon.
    Evening
    Light dinner at Tozd on Cankarjeva. Natural wine, toasts and plates till midnight on the riverside terrace.

  3. Day 3: Day 3: Market morning, castle lunch (weekday)

    Morning
    Plecnik's Central Market at 09:00 (Mon-Sat only, closed Sundays), then breakfast at EK Bistro on Petkovskovo nabrezje.
    Afternoon
    Lunch at Pen Klub on Tomsiceva (Mon-Fri lunch service from 12:00). The Kaval Group's casual sibling to Strelec, with a Slovenian-focused list.
    Evening
    Last drink at Wine Bar Suklje on Breg before departure.
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