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Food tours in Ljubljana: what to eat and which tour to book
Ljubljana is small enough to eat your way across in a day, and Slovenian food borrows from all its neighbours: Austrian-style sausages and strudel, Italian pasta and wine, Hungarian stews and pastries, and Balkan burek and grilled meat. The local classics to look for are Carniolan sausage (kranjska klobasa), štruklji (rolled dumplings), Idrija žlikrofi, jota (a bean and sauerkraut stew), potica and the layered Prekmurje gibanica. The centre of food life is the Central Market designed by Jože Plečnik along the Ljubljanica river, and in the warmer months the Friday Open Kitchen (Odprta kuhna) street-food market next to it.
Use this page to decide what to order and where. The tours shown are real GetYourGuide listings, with prices as seen when we checked; confirm the price and meeting point on the booking page before you pay.
What to eat in Ljubljana
| Dish | What it is | Where to eat it | Typical price* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carniolan sausage kranjska klobasa | A smoked pork sausage with garlic and pepper, protected as a Slovenian speciality by the EU. Served warm with mustard, horseradish and bread, sometimes with sauerkraut. | Sausage stands and casual places in the old town, and traditional gostilnas (inns). | roughly €5–9 |
| Rolled dumplings štruklji | Thin dough rolled around a filling — most often cottage cheese, but also tarragon, walnut or buckwheat — then boiled or baked. Eaten as a side, main or dessert. | Traditional restaurants and some specialist štruklji places in the centre. | roughly €6–12 a portion |
| Idrija dumplings idrijski žlikrofi | Small potato-filled dumplings from the town of Idrija, often served with a lamb or pork sauce (bakalca) or butter and crackling. | Gostilnas and restaurants serving Slovenian cooking. | roughly €10–16 a plate |
| Bean and sauerkraut stew jota | A thick soup of beans, sauerkraut or sour turnip and potatoes, often with smoked pork; a winter staple shared with neighbouring Trieste. | Lunch menus (malica or dnevno kosilo) in traditional restaurants. | roughly €5–9 a bowl |
| Prekmurje layer cake prekmurska gibanica | A heavy, layered pastry from north-east Slovenia with poppy seed, cottage cheese, walnut and apple fillings between pastry sheets. | Cafés and pastry shops (slaščičarne) in the centre. | roughly €4–6 a slice |
| Nut roll potica | A rolled yeast cake with a spiral filling, classically walnut but also tarragon, poppy seed or honey; a festive cake now sold year-round. | Bakeries and pastry shops; some places sell whole potice to take home. | roughly €3–5 a slice |
| Burek | Filo pie filled with cheese, meat or apple, the city's late-night snack, usually eaten with drinking yoghurt. | Burek shops around the centre and near the train and bus stations, some open very late. | roughly €3–5 |
Where to eat: markets and neighbourhoods
Central Market (Osrednja tržnica)
Plečnik's riverside market buildings between the Triple Bridge and the Dragon Bridge, plus the open-air stalls on Vodnik Square. Produce, cheese, honey, cured meats, bakeries and a fish hall on the lower level. Part of Plečnik's UNESCO-listed work.
Open Kitchen (Odprta kuhna) at Pogačarjev trg
A weekly street-food market where Slovenian restaurants and street-food vendors cook in stalls next to the Central Market. The easiest way to taste many Slovenian and international dishes at once.
Old town and the Ljubljanica riverbanks
Cafés, wine bars and restaurants along the river (Cankarjevo nabrežje, Ribji trg) and the old streets around Mestni trg and Stari trg. Pleasant and central, though prices are higher on the river terraces.
Trubarjeva Street
A more relaxed street just north of the river with casual and international places: burek, Balkan grill, falafel, bakeries and bars.
Trnovo
Quiet residential district south of the centre along the Gradaščica canal, with neighbourhood cafés and gostilnas where locals eat.
Food tours in Ljubljana compared
Every tour below is a real listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 2 Oct 2026. Prices move with season and group size, so treat them as a guide and confirm on the booking page.
| Tour | Length | Price* | Group | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ljubljana: Traditional Slovenian štrukelj Cooking Class | 3 hours | from €60 per person | max 10 | Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients. | Check dates |
| Ljubljana: Slovenian Cuisine Walking Tour with Tastings | 4 hours | from €90 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Ljubljana: Wine Tasting Experience with Appetizers | 2 hours | from €55 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Ljubljana Pub Crawl | 5 hours | from €25 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| From Ljubljana: Vipava Valley Wine Express Tour | 5 hours | from €109 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Ljubljana: Bike City tour | 3 hours | from €34 per person | — | First-timers on a budget who want to try many cheap dishes in one go. | Check dates |
Ljubljana: Traditional Slovenian štrukelj Cooking Class
On GetYourGuide · run by Polak Tomaž
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €60 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 93 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 10
- Included
- Learn how to make štruklji - You get the recipe at the end. Snacks and drinks - A prosciutto and cheese platter with a special spread accompanied by soft drinks, beer and wine (alcohol only for adults +18). Local spec…
- Suits
- Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients.
- Starts
- Once you are in the area search for a small square surrounded by buildings, there is a broken concrete fountain in the middle of it. You either need to pass a chinese restaurant, near the old church, or go trough a small passageway in the building, near the bus stop. The shop is recognisable by the big clear window. For parking in the afternoon call Luka and he will help you (he has whatsapp), in the morning free parking spots can be found on the platform behind the building.
Ljubljana: Slovenian Cuisine Walking Tour with Tastings
On GetYourGuide · run by ROUNDABOUT d.o.o. (Slovenia)
- Length
- 4 hours
- Price
- from €90 per person
- Rating
- 4.8 ★ from 580 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Included
- Guided walking tour of the city with professional English speaking guide Food, wine and oil tastings Organisation
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- Adamič-Lundrovo nabrežje 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Ljubljana: Wine Tasting Experience with Appetizers
On GetYourGuide · run by WineTastingLjubljana
- Length
- 2 hours
- Price
- from €55 per person
- Rating
- 4.8 ★ from 248 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Included
- 7 top Slovenian wines Appetizers Souvenir certificate for becoming an ambassador of Slovenian wines Sommelier Chocolates Chair lift tickets
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- Grajska planota 1, 1000 Ljubljana
Ljubljana Pub Crawl
On GetYourGuide · run by Pub Crawl Ljubljana
- Length
- 5 hours
- Price
- from €25 per person
- Rating
- 4.5 ★ from 202 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Included
- 6 shots Private party guide/entertainer for the night Drinking games Beers for beer pong Beer bong for brave drinkers Extra shots from a vodka gun Free entry to one of the best clubs or dance bars in Ljubljana
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- Mala ulica 8, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
From Ljubljana: Vipava Valley Wine Express Tour
On GetYourGuide · run by To do in Slovenia
- Length
- 5 hours
- Price
- from €109 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 147 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
Ljubljana: Bike City tour
On GetYourGuide · run by To do in Slovenia
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €34 per person
- Rating
- 4.5 ★ from 96 reviews (on 3 Oct 2026)
- Suits
- First-timers on a budget who want to try many cheap dishes in one go.
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Street food, sit-down or a cooking class?
Street food
Street food in Ljubljana is sausages, burek, and the Friday Open Kitchen market in the warmer months, when restaurants cook from stalls and you eat at shared tables. Outside Open Kitchen, the market's bakery and cheese stalls are good for a cheap picnic by the river.
Sit-down meals
Sit-down eating means traditional gostilnas serving štruklji, žlikrofi, roast meats and soups, and a growing number of modern Slovenian restaurants. On weekdays many places offer a cheap set lunch (dnevno kosilo or malica) of soup, main and salad. Restaurants usually close earlier than in Italy or Spain; kitchens may stop around 22:00.
Cooking classes
Classes are fewer than in bigger cities. Where offered, they usually teach štruklji, potica or a Slovenian menu with local wine, sometimes after a Central Market visit. Book ahead and check the language and location.
How much to budget for food
| Style | Per person, per day* |
|---|---|
| Budget (street food, markets) | €25–35 (bakery breakfast, set lunch, burek or sausage dinner) |
| Mid-range (one sit-down meal a day) | €50–70 (two restaurant meals with Slovenian wine) |
| Splurge (tasting menus, wine) | €120+ (a tasting menu at a modern Slovenian restaurant) |
Vegetarian, halal and gluten-free
Vegetarian & vegan: Fairly easy. Štruklji with cottage cheese or tarragon, mushroom dishes, buckwheat (ajdovi žganci), salads and vegetarian burek are common, and the city has several vegetarian and vegan restaurants. Traditional soups and jota often contain meat or meat stock, so ask.
Halal: Limited but available. Ljubljana has an Islamic Cultural Centre and a sizeable Bosnian community, and Balkan grills (ćevapi) and kebab shops near the centre often serve beef or chicken; ask whether the meat is halal. Pork is common in Slovenian cooking.
Gluten-free: Moderate. Coeliac awareness is decent in newer restaurants, and some bakeries sell gluten-free bread, but štruklji, žlikrofi, potica, gibanica and burek all contain wheat. Grilled meat, sausages (check fillers) and polenta-style dishes are safer. Say 'brez glutena'.
Food scams and tourist traps to avoid
- Riverside terraces charging well above the city average for coffee, beer and set 'Slovenian platters' aimed at visitors. Check the price list before you sit; walk a block away from the river for better value.
- Bottled water brought to the table and charged when tap water would have been fine. Ljubljana's tap water is safe; ask for tap water ('vodo iz pipe') if you don't want to pay for bottled.
- Long queues and higher prices at Open Kitchen stalls run for tourists, and paying for small plates that add up fast. Go early (before the after-work crowd), set a budget, and share plates. Most stalls show prices, so compare before you queue.
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Staying near the markets saves time and taxi money — most food tours start in the old centre.
Common questions
Do I need to tip in Ljubljana?
Tipping is appreciated but not obligatory. In restaurants, rounding up or leaving about 5–10% for good service is normal; in cafés, rounding up is enough. Service is not usually added to the bill. Cash tips are more likely to reach staff than tips added on a card terminal.
When is the Central Market open?
The Central Market runs Monday to Saturday from early morning and is closed on Sunday and public holidays. The open-air stalls on Vodnik Square are busiest in the morning, and hours are shorter in winter. The covered halls and shops have their own hours, so check current hours before a late visit.
What is Open Kitchen and when does it run?
Open Kitchen (Odprta kuhna) is a weekly outdoor food market at Pogačarjev trg, next to the Central Market, where restaurants and street-food vendors cook small dishes from stalls. It usually runs on Fridays from about mid-March to October, from late morning into the evening, weather permitting. Check current dates, as it is cancelled in bad weather.
Is the food in Ljubljana expensive?
It is cheaper than Vienna or Venice but no longer cheap. Weekday set lunches are the best value, often roughly €10–15 for soup and a main. Dinner in a traditional restaurant with a glass of wine is about €25–40 per person. Riverside terraces and Old Town cafés charge more.
What Slovenian wine should I try?
Slovenia has three wine regions. From Primorska, near Italy, try Rebula (Ribolla Gialla) and the orange (skin-contact) wines; from Podravje in the east, crisp whites such as Šipon (Furmint) and Laški Rizling; and from Posavje, the light red Cviček. Wine bars in the centre often sell by the glass.
How much should I budget for food per day?
On a budget, about €25–35 covers a bakery breakfast, a set lunch and a sausage or burek dinner. A comfortable day with two restaurant meals and wine is roughly €50–70. Modern restaurants with tasting menus start around €80–120 per person before wine. Open Kitchen plates cost roughly €5–12 each.
* Prices are approximate, gathered on 2 Oct 2026 from menus, markets and the booking pages linked above. They change with season and exchange rates.