Slovenia nightlife
An insider's guide to the best bars and nightclubs in Slovenia, including the top spots for dancing, cocktails, live music and great views, in locations such as Ljubljana and Lake Bled. By Steve Fallon, Telegraph Travel's Slovenia expert.
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Nebotičnik
If you want to be on top of the world in mostly low-level Ljubljana, head for Nebotičnik, an elegant café/bar on the top floor of a building of that name (which means 'Skyscraper’ in Slovene). This was Ljubljana's tallest building for decades after it was built in 1933 and, though it has now been renovated inside and out, it still looks like it could be part of the set for a King Kong movie. In fine weather grab a table on the terrace: the views – of the Old Town, Ljubljana Castle and sprawling Park Tivoli – are the best in town. On the floor just below, there’s a flashy club and lounge which is a favourite Ljubljana's beau monde; it's open Thursday to Saturday evenings, and reservations are recommended.
Address: 12th floor, Štefanova ulica 1, Ljubljana 1000
Contact: 00 386 40 233 078; neboticnik.si
Getting there: bus to Ajdovščina (1, 6, 14)
Opening times: café/bar: Sun-Wed, 9am-1am; Thu-Sat, 9am-3am. Club/lounge: Thu-Sat, 10pm-3am
Price: coffee with milk €2.80
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Reservations: not necessary
Dvorni Bar
This large, L-shaped venue just up from the Ljubljanica on the river’s west bank is a bit of a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde – a delightful café and lunch venue by day (two courses €7.90 Monday to Friday) and one of the best wine bars in town in the evening. If you’d like to try a few of the local vintages but don’t have the time to visit Slovenia’s wine-growing regions, this is the place to do it. Dvorni Bar stocks more than 100 varieties and has wine tastings every month (usually the second Wednesday). Should you feel peckish between sips, tapas as blotter cost €4-€10.
Address: Dvorni trg 2, Ljubljana 1000
Contact: 00 386 1 251 12 57; dvornibar.net
Getting there: bus to Križanke (3, 11, 27)
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 8am-1am; Sun, 9am-midnight
Price: wine from €4.50 a glass, €15 a bottle
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Reservations: not necessary
Centralna Postaja
I love this classy place on pedestrian Trubarjeva cesta which tries – and largely succeeds – at being just about everything to everyone. It’s a slightly louche cocktail bar with street-art tags on the walls and lots of dazzling neon, a club with DJs at the weekend, a café with its own homemade fruit teas, and a restaurant with burgers, pizzas and 'fingers’ (chicken wings, spare ribs, calamari rings). Anything else? Oh, yes, 'Central Station' is also a gallery where anyone can exhibit, and an information centre with a surfeit of brochures and two computers for plotting your next move in Slovenia. You might never go home.
Address: Trubarjeva cesta 23, Ljubljana 1000
Contact: 00 386 5 919 04 00; centralnapostaja.com
Getting there: bus to Žmajski Most (13, 20)
Opening times: Mon-Wed, 8am-1am; Thu-Fri, 8am-3am; Sat, 9am-3am
Price: schnapps from €3.50; cocktails from €5
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Reservations: not necessary
Kavarna Cacao
Taking pride of place in the centre of Obala, the main thoroughfare in Portorož, Cacao is by far and away the most stylish café-bar on the coast. The chocolate brown interior is a great place to chill out with a slice of cake or freshly prepared fruit smoothie, but most punters prefer to sit and enjoy the sun on the fabulous waterfront terrace. Try the ice cream; it regularly gets voted the best in town. And if you can’t make it all the way down to the coast, Cacao now has a carbon-copy branch in Ljubljana just east of central Prešernov trg.
Address: Obala 14, Portorož 6320
Contact: 00 386 5 674 10 35; cacao.si
Getting there: bus to Portorož (multiple services from Ljubljana and Piran)
Opening times: Sun-Thu, 8am-1am; Fri, Sat, 8am-3am
Price: coffee with milk from €2.80; cakes from €3
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Reservations: not possible
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Kavarna Zvezda
The kavarna (coffee house or café) is nowhere near as much a part of the social fabric and daily routine in Ljubljana as it is in, say, Vienna or Budapest. However, several are worth a visit. Perhaps the best 'olde worlde’ one is bustling Zvezda Café, with an entrance off both Kongresni trg and Wolfova ulica. The 'Star' has all the usual varieties of tea and coffee (just about the strongest in town), but it is celebrated for its cakes made in-house, particularly its skutina pečena (€3.90), a baked eggy cheesecake. The clientele at the Zvezda is diverse to say the least, attracting everyone from students from the nearby university to the blue-rinse set.
Address: Kongresni trg 4 and Wolfova ulica 14, Ljubljana 1000
Contact: 00 386 1 421 90 90; zvezdaljubljana.si
Getting there: bus to Konzorcij (1, 6, 14)
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 7am-11pm; Sun, 10am-8pm
Price: coffee with milk from €2.20; cakes from €2.80
Payment type: credit cards not accepted
Reservations: not possible
Pub Bled
This very popular drinking spot sits atop the popular Oštarija Peglez’n restaurant (see under Eat recommendations). It has a great selection of beers and cocktails, and there’s a DJ most nights. The crowd is mixed, with tourists, students, local hipsters and aging party animals all rubbing shoulders. The big screen TV in residence is usually broadcasting some sporting event or another, but it’s never up too loud. And this place does not live by night alone; by day, Pub Bled changes into its work clothes and becomes something like a café, with lovely views across Lake Bled to the hilltop castle.
Address: Cesta Svobode 19a, Bled 4260
Contact: 00 386 4 574 26 22; facebook.com/pages/Pub-Bled
Getting there: bus to Bled centre, train to Lesce-Bled station (multiple services from Ljubljana)
Opening times: Sun-Thu, 9am-1am; Fri, Sat, 9am-3am
Price: pint of beer from €3.50
Payment type: credit cards not accepted
Reservations: not possible
Kavarna Park
Bledčani (Bled residents) have been arguing from time immemorial over the true birthplace of their town's culinary speciality, kremna rezina – 'cream slice’, a layer of vanilla custard topped with whipped cream and sandwiched between two layers of flaky pastry. There are a lot of candidates but Kavarna Park regularly wins the largest number of votes, and in my opinion it is the best location for trying it. The café has a commanding position over Lake Bled’s eastern end, views of the surrounding Alps, and a sprawling terrace (reservations are recommended).
Address: Cesta Svobode 10, Bled 4260
Contact: 00 386 4 579 18 18; sava-hotels-resorts.com
Getting there: bus to Bled centre, train to Lesce-Bled station (multiple services from Ljubljana)
Opening times: daily, 9am-9pm
Price: coffee with milk from €2.50; kremna rezina €3.50
Payment type: credit cards accepted
Reservations: recommended
Café Evropa
Located on the western side of rectangular Mestni trg and facing the neo-Gothic Town Hall, Café Evropa is the centre of the action (in every sense) in Ptuj. By day it's a popular café, while at night it’s more of a bar, and there’s an in-house pizzeria serving pasta too. More importantly, on Friday and Saturday nights it turns into Ptuj’s hottest central club. The crowd is for the most part young and from the surrounding areas, and the fun goes on to the wee hours and dancing on the tables is not unknown. Drinks wise, Café Evropa is known for its cocktails and signature sangria.
Address: Mestni trg 2, Ptuj 2250
Contact: 00 386 2 771 02 35; dogaja.se
Getting there: bus or train to Ptuj (multiple services from Ljubljana)
Opening times: Mon-Thu, 7am-11pm; Fri, 7am-4am; Sat, 8am-4am; Sun, 2pm-10pm
Price: coffee with milk from €2; pint of beer from €2.50
Payment type: credit cards not accepted
Reservations: not possible
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Žmavc Bar
Žmavc, just west of the main drag Slovenska cesta, is the best place to slum it in Ljubljana, with the smallish bar inside packed day and night with students and the young at heart. The décor is great – check out the manga comic-strip scenes and figures scurrying up the walls. There's a pretty garden terrace for summer evening drinking: try to arrive early to snag a table as this place is on just about everyone’s must-visit list, so there will be stiff competition. Žmavc is also an excellent spot for morning coffee when the crowds are still sleeping off the night before.
Address: Rimska cesta 21, Ljubljana 1000
Contact: 00 386 1 251 03 24; facebook.com/barzmauc
Getting there: bus to Aškerčeva (1, 6)
Opening times: Mon-Fri, 7.30am-1am; Sat, 10am-1am; Sun, 6pm-1am
Price: pint of beer from €2.50
Payment type: credit cards not accepted
Reservations: not possible
Klub Daktari
Americans of a certain age visiting this watering hole may be reminded of kids’ television series Daktari ('doctor’ in Swahili), about a kindly vet and his daughter who protected wild animals from poachers and corrupt local officials somewhere in East Africa in the late 1960s. That said, I'm not sure about the connection, and if there even is one. This rabbit-warren of a watering hole at the foot of the funicular to Ljubljana Castle is so chilled there’s practically frost on the windows. The décor is retro-distressed: antique-style furniture, shelves full of old books and a pianola in the corner. More of a cultural centre than club as such, Daktari hosts live music sets, jam sessions, theatre, cabaret and an eclectic mix of other cultural events.
Address: Krekov trg 7, Ljubljana 1000
Contact: 00 386 5 905 55 38; daktari.si
Getting there: bus to Krekov trg (2)
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 8pm-1am; Sun, 9am-midnight
Price: pint of beer from €2.50
Payment type: credit cards not accepted
Reservations: not possible
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