Adriatic Cruise Chronicle – Ljubljana, Slovenia

Having taken a memorable vacation with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) in 2024, we booked another small boat tour in late 2025. The sailing part would be on the Adriatic Sea, the body of water that separates the Italian peninsula from the Balkan peninsula. Before sailing the Dalmatian coast from Croatia to Greece, we booked an earlier flight to spend a few extra days in Slovenia.

With the exception of a day trip to Lake Bled, featured in the next post, we stayed and noodled around the charming, walkable capital city of Ljubljana.

Ljubljana, Slovenia, View from Castle Hill (24 October 2025)

Slovenia is a small central European nation. New Jersey is bigger. It was part of many empires and then Tito’s Yugoslavia before declaring its independence in 1991. Ljubljana (“Loo-blee-ana”) is a delightful city within sight of the Julian Alps.

Ljubljanica River (26 October 2025)

Our hotel was a few blocks from the Ljubljanica River which is the hub for shopping, eating and people watching. Restaurants line both sides of the river.

Castle Hill, Ljubljana, Slovenia (26 October 2025)

This was a typical first day in Europe, meaning the day before was busy getting ready for an overnight flight that involved NO sleep, a second flight from Amsterdam after a four-hour layover and immediately hitting the streets after checking into our hotel. One needs to stay awake and active to quickly adjust to the new time zone.

Later in the day, we decided to walk up ‘Castle Hill’ to see the medieval fortress and view the city from above. This stunt certainly ensured that we would have no trouble getting to sleep that night. Only after we were most of the way up did we see a funicular that effortlessly glided folks to the top. We rode down, giving our legs a much-needed reprieve.

Castle Hill Funicular, Ljubljana, Slovenia (24 October 2025)

 

On the Dragon Bridge, Ljubljana, Slovenia (26 October 2025)

Dragons are everywhere in this enchanting city. The Greek hero Jason is said to have killed a dragon when he passed through this area after stealing the golden fleece. The beast has since become the symbol of the city.

One of the river bridges is called the ‘Dragon Bridge’ because there are four of these big boys on each corner. Smaller versions decorate the streetlamps.

Dragon Magnets, Ljubljana, Slovenia (26 October 2026)

The morning after the Lake Bled excursion was a Sunday and we wandered the less busy city streets.

Sunday Entertainments, Ljubljana, Slovenia (26 October 2025)

It wasn’t long before people filled the popular places. On one of the bridges, we paused to enjoy a lively band that played everything with a rocking beat.

Ljubljana is a charming, easy city. While I appreciate that I’ve seen the major historic European capitals like Rome, London and Paris, they are now too crowded with visitors. Getting almost anywhere is a hassle. The Slovenian capital was the perfect way to begin our Eastern Europe adventure.