Ljubljana Castle in Slovenia

How to get to Ljubljana Castle

The easiest and most convenient way to reach Slovenia is to fly. Book your flight to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, via Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (Airport Code: LJU). From there, you can take a taxi or bus to Ljubljana city center (there are no ride sharing services just yet in Slovenia like Uber, Lyft, or Bolt).

For those who want to save a few Euros, taking the Ljubljana airport bus is a great, cost-effective way to reach the city center of Ljubljana. The bus journey takes 45 minutes and costs 4 Euros. Just take public bus number 28 (Bus timetable here).

Once reaching Ljubljana, it isn’t too difficult to find the castle itself. It is the tallest point in the city so make your way to the Ljubljanica River and you will find it. As far as a pathway to get there, there are several to take on different sides of the castle but I believe this to be pretty easy to figure out with signage.

When to see Ljubljana Castle

My first shot of Ljubljana Castle can in the morning, in mid-October, when the morning mist was still hovering lower than the level of the castle, which made for some dramatic photo imagery. I also came back many times during sunset to get some great golden hour shots.

Overall, peak times for visitors to the castle are always around mid-day so I would do the mornings and evenings if you want photos without many other people in them.

As far as time of year, I don’t think you can ever go wrong with the Autumn. I planned my whole road trip through Slovenia to coincide with fall foliage and it did not disappoint. The fall colors juxtaposed to this castle were fun to capture. I believe I have seen a photo or two of Ljubljana Castle in the winter and when it does snow, the entirety of Castle Hill looks incredible.

How to Photograph Ljubljana Castle

There are many vantage points to take photos of Ljubljana Castle from. As far as which lenses to use, I think a wide angle lens (10 mm focal length), a standard lens (24-70 mm focal length), a telephoto lens (200-300 mm focal length)as well as a nifty fifty (50 mm prime lens) would be the most useful.

While you’re at the castle complex itself, any lens with focal lengths from 10-70 mm will work. Since the paths around the castle do not give much room for you to capture the entire facade, a wide angle will work best for this. I like the idea of using the 50 mm prime lens to get some great bokeh of the castle fortifications in the back while highlighting something in the foreground.

All shots from within the city center of the castle can be easily taken with a telephoto lens since the castle is at the highest elevation with nothing else obstructing your view. The streets lining the river will provide nearly a 270 degree orbit of the castle, giving you nearly unlimited viewpoints of Castle Hill from below. You can play with different foregrounds here whether it is the fall foliage or another object, you will find it rather easy to capture the castle from the river.

PROTIP: If you would rather not have to walk up to the castle, there is a Castle Funicular just north of Castle Hill. You can buy a combined funicular+castle ticket at the station below.

Purchasing Photos

Conclusion and Further Resources

Here is more information about Ljubljana Castle, including a more detailed history, opening times, and purchasing tickets. There are countless castles to see in the world, let alone Slovenia, but if you find yourself in the capital city of the country, I guarantee you will love seeing Ljubljanski Grad from up close.

If you want to learn about more destinations in Slovenia, check out my blog posts below.

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