Ljubljana Castle (Slovene: Ljubljanski grad, German: Laibacher Schloss) is a castle complex standing on Castle Hill above downtown Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is a key landmark of the town. Originally a medieval fortress, it was probably constructed in the 11th century and rebuilt in the 12th century. It acquired its present outline with an almost complete overhaul in the 15th century, whereas the majority of the buildings date to the 16th and 17th centuries. Initially a defense structure and since the first half of the 14th century the seat of the lords of Carniola, it was since the early 19th century used for various other purposes and today is used as a major cultural venue.
The castle is depicted on the city's coat of arms, along with a dragon on top.
Monday | 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
Tuesday | 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
Wednesday | 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
Thursday | 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
Friday | 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
Saturday | 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
Sunday | 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
Estefanía Mantas | Feb 7, 2018
Don’t miss the Ljubljana Castle if you visit the capital of Slovenia. The walk to arrive at the top of the castle it is around 10-15min, depending on your speed. Enjoy its views on your way, but the best part is when you arrive at the top. Amazing views of the city, and a perfect spot to take pictures. Beautiful during the day, where you can enjoy its landscape with the day light; and stunning during the night, with the colorful lights of the city and the contrast of the darkness of the night.
Dewi Blom | Feb 26, 2018
The castle gives a nice view over Ljubljana. The castle itself doesn't look like a ruin since it is recently renovated. Inside the castle there is a kind of escape room game (easy) and a museum about sovenian history. To get into the highest tower of the castle (with the best view) you have to pay entrance to the museum.
Matthew Meh | Jan 12, 2018
Do not leave anything in your car that even a junkie would feel is worth busting your car window to get. And even though it looks busy with lots of foot traffic around your car, some of the visitors are there just watching what people leave in their cars. Any security guards will give you a false sense of security because they seem more keen on watching only the entrance despite everyone there knowing how common break-ins are. Someone thought my camera bag was worth stealing despite likely watching me take all the gear out of it and carry it with me. All this while two guards stood 50ft up the road with a clear line of sight. It was a disappointing experience to say the least.
Francesco Xodo | Jan 4, 2018
It is for sure worth a visit but I expected something more from this castle. The main attraction is the tower: on top of that you can enjoy a beautiful sight on the city if the weather is good. Then there's a room showing a video with the story of the castle, a small chapel and a penitentiary (it served as a prison in the past). I reached it on foot climbing a hill, the walk is doable even though the climb is quite steep and slippy in the last part (during winter). As an alternative you can take a cableway.
Jonathan Anderson | Jan 18, 2018
A cool castle with a few nice things to see (including a spectacular wine collection). It costs 10 euros including going up on the funicular (kind of tram on steep tracks). Inside is also a puppet show and some art and a calligrapher you can pay a few euros to have someone's name written on a card in a fancy fashion.
David Clarke | Mar 7, 2018
If you are used to the grandeur of UK castles, Ljubljana castle may disappoint. Don't let its lack of capaciousness put you off. It's a great walk through the narrow street corridors just to it. Beautiful views can be taken in from the top. Afterwards, relax in the cafe or have a taste of traditional influenced food at one of the many high quality restaurants located within the grounds.
Vladimir Tutov | Mar 31, 2018
So many interesting things were fit into the relatively small castle. It worth spending a big part of the day there. Crawl the hill, listen to the audio guide and wander around the castle, eat sweets in cafe, learn interactive history and discover toy's museum. Do not forget to use a funicular in the end to get to the city
David Bohunek | Mar 20, 2018
Not the usual castle with old furniture etc. Still worth visiting. The view is nice, I believe you can see the highest mountain of Slovenia - Triglav - if the weather is nice. Other than that they have a puppet museum inside, which is very nice. The museum of Slovenia history is okay too, but nothing major.
anke van eck | Mar 10, 2018
I went here with a big group: perfect for tourists, the staff speaks English and they are very kind and helpful. There were also actors who told us the history of the castle: it was hilarious and informative. The view from the tower is beautiful!
Bernard Tee | Apr 29, 2018
One of the main attractions in Ljubljana that cannot be missed, in my opinion. It had everything, from the prehistoric and historic past of Slovenia and the former Yugoslavia. Simple yet interesting exhibits in the little museum. The views from the top was worth every Euro paid for the tickets. The funicular was one of the most modern and well maintained I've seen. Nice effective technology to transport visitors up the hill. There is a viewing tower that involved some climbing up spiralling staircases. There was a part that had indicators of the alpine mountains surrounding the beautiful city (info included height and location; tip: to find the correct mountain name, align the peak to the metal wire). Further up the spiralling staircase and you will be greeted with a 360 degree views of the city and surrounds. You'll be able to see all key landmarks and the wonderful snow capped mountains nearby. Can get windy so be prepared. Only downside was the gift store. Maybe a good idea to have more castle related souvenirs instead of the generic stuff like liqueur, aprons and mugs etc. In summary, such a wonderful place with lots of potential for further improvement.
Tarek Omran | Apr 11, 2018
Visited there on a rainy Saturday night! But it was nice to see the castle specially that most galleries are indoors! There was sort of a small praying room and some prisons inside! However we didn’t have time to roam around the entire castle! In addition sometimes they have galleries and exhibitions which are cool and change all year long! (I have attached a few pictures from it) We used the cable car to go from the castle to the bottom! Indeed it was a very short ride but a cute experience! At the bottom there was a nice duck restaurant! However, in the castle there is apparently one of Ljubljana’s finest restaurants but you need to book in advance! All in all, definitely worth visiting if you happen to be around!
Simon Park | May 3, 2018
Very good value, amazing views of Ljubljana from the tower. Either choose the funicular for an easier route or walk up the hill to get those pedometer steps up. Audio headsets available and an interesting video of the history of the castle.
Valdemar Baran | Apr 6, 2018
Castle is really good compared to other European cities. You get a really good view from it, you can go there by funicular, so you don't need to use your feet. One of the towers is free - this is really cool. They also have a permanent exhibition which cost at reasonable price.
Xiu Jing Seow | May 4, 2018
We had such a great time at the castle - catching the hidden dragon. Each castle has its history and myths but we were down to our fourth castle.. so we played the game instead. It got our heart pumping and we loved it! Thanks!
Gregor Findlay | Jun 6, 2018
Well worth a visit! Stunning views and easily accessible. The funicular is a quick to get to the castle and for a reasonable price, especially for students (as is the castle) staff were friendly and approachable. That castle was clean and had lovely cafes at it's centre. The History of Slovenia museum was interesting, interactive and informative, however, it was a very specific type of history so may not interest all. The virtual castle short film was also very interesting, giving a general oversight of the history of the castle and surrounding area. The watch tower is worth the cost because it provided spectacular views over Ljubljana. Would strongly recommend!
Ema Cimpoesu | May 31, 2018
The castle is in a very beautiful site overlooking the city of Ljubljana. It is well maintained, renovated, it has several interesting exhibitions, an audio guide to tell you more about its history and some fun stories related to the castle, a funicular to take you to the city fast, fun activities like a castle escape, and also a restaurant and a cafe for those who spend more time there. Hat's off for transforming it and keeping it a part of the City life throughout the centuries. Only minus for me was the fact that being so heavily renovated takes a little out of its authenticity, but this is just my personal opinion, it is not necessarily a bad thing. Go visit and you will spend a few delightful hours there.
Serena Ferchal | May 9, 2018
Great view of the city & the mountains, you can get some marvellous picture of Ljubljana from up there. The castle is a nice way to spend an afternoon. Interesting history & good displays in a compact site. The cafe there is good (yummy toasties & cakes!). The walk up is very steep but it's worth it. If you have a car then there's plenty of parking & I believe in the summer season there's a little tourist train that goes up there.
krishna Mohan | May 29, 2018
Going up the castle using the funicular is worth , because you can have a great view pf the city on a sunny day... the restaurant on the top is great , serves authentic slovenian dishes at a good price... please avoid taking the castle ticket (which costs 10 euros) , because its a complete wastage time and money .. the dragon museum inside could be interesting for a 3 year old , and the place actually had no historic stuff... so go up the castle to chill and enjoy the panoramic view , but not looking to learn some history ..
Erin McTigue | Jul 11, 2018
Beautiful walk up on tree-lined path - took us about 15 minutes with 2 kids. Great views of the city all around and can explore many parts of the castle (prisons, chapel, etc.). My kids' favorite was the puppet museum where they put on their own puppet shows with different types of puppets. The cafe in the center also has tasty marmalade croissants.
Catalina Oana Tudor | Jun 18, 2018
Very nice castle on top of a heel overlooking Ljubljana! Must see. There is a funicular going up to the castle. Or you can go by car or hiking the heel from three different locations. The tickets for the castle are sold up after the funicular ride. They include also a short video of 10 minutes that you must watch to understand the history of this place. There are a coffee shop and a restaurant located in the castle's yard. Sometimes they also organize events and shoes and exhibitions in this yard.
Andrew Fillmore | Jun 27, 2018
This castle is amazing. So worth the price to get the full experience. The exhibits are great (especially the room with all of the dragon lore) and the views are spectacular. The whole place feels very clean and comfortable while still preserving the history that the castle represents. If you do one thing in Ljubljana, this should be it.
Daniel Ricardo Laiton Veloza | Aug 8, 2018
I played the scale the castle game with my girlfriend, it took us some time. It was fun and sometimes challenging, good for young adults. The game also include an entrance to the castle, which took us about 4 hours to see everything (I must say we take our time reading and talking about what we see, enjoying the views and try to find out about the history and facts of the place). This castle is one of the most well used historical places I've seen in Europe, the rooms and not full of furniture from old times people don't really have the time to see anyway, but they offer different art exibitions,places to just explore, sometimes you would get lost on the stairs and stages. We could have easily spend around 8 hours to see everything. I want to go back.
Teresa Bayona Margarit | Aug 12, 2018
We really liked it, we did the time machine guided tour, it was really interesting. The guide was really nice, some of the actors/actresses could be better, but the overall experience was really good. I would recommend it. What we also liked are the views from the tower and also from the funicular. Besides that, the expositions could be better.
Robert K. | Aug 2, 2018
Very beautiful castle that combines the past with the present. We took the tram up and down for a good price. On the hill you have a great view over the city. We don’t pay for entry but only the stay in the yard of the castle was a good experience.
Alex Kirkpatrick | Aug 15, 2018
Nicely preserved castle. A few small museums such as a museum of puppetry which has some hands-on exhibits. The view from the castle tower is breathtaking. There is a cafe and a restaurant serving 4-course meal, but we are elsewhere. You can rent and audioguide, or you can download an app to your phone. Plug in your headphones and you're ready to go!
Dugal Smith | Aug 3, 2018
Very picturesque castle in a great setting. A little bit of a maze to find your way around. During the summer (2018) they have/had an adventure game requiring you to find answers to a number of puzzles - dotted around the castle. A good hour of fun. Recommend a visit whilst in Ljubljana.
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