Image by Jost Derlink

I think this is the best museum in Ljubljana, maybe Slovenia, because it’s something different. It shows you the way of life of our ancestors and they don’t do it in a boring way but with a fresh and interactive approach. You will see this immediately when you stand in front of the museum with it’s nice architecture; a mixture of modern and old.

At the moment there are 2 exhibitions. The first one is We and Others: Images of my World and Between Nature and Culture. The second one has been the permanent exhibition since 2006 and I really like it. It’s divided into two parts. The first one shows you everything about Slovene way of life in the past. The second part is dedicated to other parts of the world.

There are also some other activities in the museum. You can test your weaving skills or do a pottery workshop. Who knows, maybe you will discover a new thing you’re good at! There is also a workshop about the proper way of preparing and drinking tea like they do in Japan.

On the ground floor you will find a nice café, where you can sit down and enjoy the view of the castle and adorable neo-Gothic church. Here you can also buy Filter 57, the first cigarettes in Yugoslavia with filter (they started with production in 1957…go figure).

If you have the chance, visit SEM on the last Sunday of the month: you can get in for free.

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Slovene Etnographic Museum (SEM) | Art & culture, Coffee & tea | Admission (adults) € 4.50
Metelkova 2 | Moste | +38613008700
Tue – Sun 10:00 – 18:00

Image by Jost Derlink

When I was in high school, we went practically every day for our morning coffee or afternoon groaning in Bar Cinkole (named after the owner), because it was one of the closest places.

Some say that they have the best coffee in Ljubljana and some just like the atmosphere.

Inside there are a lot of smaller rooms, all of them decorated with pictures of Marylyn Monroe, James Dean etc. The best room is the last one, with 4 famous pictures of Monroe done by Andy Warhol, colorful walls and a sofa. They also have a lot of tables outside.

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Cinkole | Bars, Coffee & tea | Coffee with milk € 1.20
Poljanska cesta 17 | Center
Mon – Fri 07:00 – 00:00, Sat – Sun 08:00 – 23:00

Image by Jost Derlink

There are times when you are stuck in the city alone and don’t really know what to do. Sure, there are plenty of options and most of them are reading a book…somewhere. A blanket and a book in Park Tivoli (check the Park Tivoli article) sounds fun… but you forgot your blanket at home…and your favorite book as well. You could get one at the city library, but you’re not really from Ljubljana and you can’t borrow any (and reading in a quiet library is disturbing!).

In Drago F. Tinta you can enjoy a book and a coffee outside on a sunny day. Inside you can find some really nice books (also in English and once I found something in French). There are also a few bookshelves where you can pick a book, take it with you and replace it with one of your old books you don’t need.

It’s one of my favorite spots, because the location is almost perfect. A few steps away from Prešeren square (with the almighty mass of tourists) and still close to it (well, it is the main meeting point in Ljubljana). It’s also great for studying, doing my geodesy exercises etc because you can get a nice bright table at the window, and because it’s not too crowded.

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Drago F. Tinta | Coffee & tea | Coffee € 1.60
Gallusovo Nabrežje 27 | Center
09:00 – 00:00 daily

Image by Jost Derlink

What do you get if you combine location in the undiscovered part of old town, cool furniture, tables made of timber, a library with books in Serbo-Croatian and lots of cocktails with absinth? You get one of the greatest places to hang out in Ljubljana – a cozy living-room feeling café at daytime and a great party place at nighttime! You are going to worship their cocktails based on absinth.

Don’t get scared when you come to the bar and see their doors. They make you think the bar has been closed since the last millennium. Just open it and order a Supreme tonic .

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Pri Zelenem zajcu | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Supreme tonic € 4.00
Rožna ulica 3 | Center
Mon – Wed 09:00 – 00:00, Thu – Sat 09:00 – 01:00

Image by Union.SLO

For a long time Cha was the only place in Ljubljana where tea was served in the same way they do in England. In the last few years some new tea-houses opened, but Cha remained the cherry on the topping. It’s located on the Old Square (Stari trg) in one of those cute mansions. You can’t miss it because it has a teapot hanging in front of it.

In Cha, you can choose from a large number of black, green, red, herbal and other teas from India, China, Japan and also South America and South Africa. If you compare prices with Ljubljana cafes, you can see that in Cha you will pay slightly more, but for your money you will get better quality and more than just a cup of tea. In summer or wintertime they also have some special offers.

In summertime you can order homemade ice teas and in December they have Christmas green and Christmas fruit tea.

Beside teas you can also order something to eat, like really good sandwiches, salads, cakes etc.

There is also a shop, where you can buy your favorite tea.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Teahouse Cha | Coffee & tea | Teas from € 1.60
Stari trg 3 | Center | +38614212444
Mon – Fri 09:00 – 22:30, Sat 09:00 – 15:00 & 18:00 – 21:00