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

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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

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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

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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 .

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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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

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.

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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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

Image by Union.SLO

This is a unique experience in Ljubljana: drinking coffee on the terrace, 50 meters above the streets, in the first skyscraper in this part of Europe. The café on the top of Nebotičnik finally reopened its doors in 2010.

It was the center of the social life in the past. Each person has its own memory of the place. Older ones think about all that jazz on the top at nights, while younger ones still fancy a strawberry juice with whipped cream. Sadly the place shut down in late 90′s and we almost forgot that this existed in Ljubljana.

I remember the first time I went for a coffee after the renovation. It was cloudy and somewhere in the middle it started to rain, but I didn’t care. The view from the top is spectacular!

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Nebotičnik | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Intern.) | Coffee € 1.60
Štefanova 1 | Center | +38640601787
Cafe Sun – Wed 09:00 – 02:00, Thu – Sat 09:00 – 03:00 | Restaurant Tue – Sat 12:00 – 22:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

Image by Jost Derlink

A few decades ago this was the only café between the Cobblers and the Triple Bridge. Nowadays, you will hardly find a spot on that street without a bar or café, because this is the place to be, where Ljubljana shines in all its glory.

But Maček remains the most popular. That’s why sometimes we have to decide to drink a coffee somewhere else, because getting a table can be a battle.

I’d never sit inside though, for a few reasons: it’s too dark inside, you don’t have the beautiful view inside and because frankly speaking: this is a spot to watch and to be seen .

Also keep in mind that on a weekday there is happy hour (16:00 – 19:00).

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Kavarna Maček | Bars, Coffee & tea | Coffee with milk € 1.60
Krojaška ulica 5 | Center | +38614253791
Mon – Sat 09:00 – 01:00, Sun 09:00 – 23:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

Image by Tjasa Janovljak

On the eastern side of Presernov trg square along Petkovskovo nabrezje bank of Ljubljanica River less crowded bars are situated. One of the first here was Caffe Promenada.

This bar shows that it has been here for some time already with quite an old wooden sign. It isn’t the sign that makes you notice the place but the tables and chairs in front of it with promenade passing in between. The café’s front view offers you a beautiful view over the river of Ljubljana’s main market, designed by very important architect for our city, Plecnik.

This place, though situated in exact center of the city, still gives you a reasonably calm option to have coffee and watch the river flow by. If you are more into finding yourself some company, just turn around, people are passing by. The garden is open also during winter and gets quite a lot of sun, even between buildings, during (of course) sunny days.

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Cafe Promenada | Bars, Coffee & tea | Coffee with milk € 1.40
Petkovskovo nabrezje 9 | Center
07:00 – 01:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

Image by Eva Taucar

Sweetshop Zvezda is the right address for those with the sweet tooth. They have the best ice cream in town: cookie and roche flavors rock, that’s for sure. Their latest offer is rice milk ice cream and 100% fruit ice cream (thumbs up for that!), which is great for those, who are looking for a more refreshing and healthy dessert or are allergic to dairy products.

If your blood sugar level is still low after the ice-cream, switching to the cake department is a smart option – they are all gorgeous! (they also have dairy free versions)

They are good in sandwich making, coffee cooking and tea preparing so take your time and read a magazine or two while enjoying your afternoon. Forget the spa, this is the place where you should pamper yourself and allow yourself to sin once in a while.

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Sweetshop Zvezda | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Ice cream € 1.20
Wolfova ul. 14 | Center | +38614219090
Mon – Sun 07:00 – 23:00, Sat 10:00 – 20:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana

Image by Tjasa Janovljak

By the Koseski bajer pond (see the Koseski bajer pond article), bar Pri Cvicku is situated. The lovely bar is called after Dolenjska’s (Lower Carniolia – Slovene region) great “Cvicek” wine. It offers great views of the pond.

Gostilnica Pri Cvicku is a simple bar, quite well known among the locals and it attracts a crowd that wants to enjoy their coffee or a glass of Cvicek wine. This rosé wine is bought directly from wine producers so you shouldn’t be disappointed, but be prepared, this wine could be quite dry for some tastes.

They also offer dried sausage with minced lard, which is traditional Slovenian, but obviously it is not suitable for vegetarians since it’s made of bacon and spices.

Bar Pri Cvicku can be an excellent stop on your way around Ljubljana on The Path of Remembrance and Comradeship.

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Gostilnica Pri Cvicku | Bars, Coffee & tea | Coffee € 1.30
Marjekova Pot 23 | Siska | +38615174095
09:00 – 22:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Ljubljana