Cafeography
Terase · Ljubljana

Café terraces in Ljubljana

Riverside tables on the embankments, terraces on the Old Town squares, museum gardens and lakeside seats in Koseze.

Photo: Marek P, Pexels License

Outdoor seating is a terasa (terrace) or a vrt (garden), and the Old Town has the highest share of cafés with one: about half put tables outside. Plečnik built some of the seating into the city itself. When he added the side bridges to the Tromostovje in 1929–1932, he ran stairs down to terraces just above the river.1

The terraces work in winter too. Slovenia banned smoking in enclosed public places from 5 August 2007 but left open public areas out of the ban, and smokers have stayed outside since, under heat lamps and blankets in the cold months.23

Local tip: On a cold day, head for Pritličje on Mestni trg, which heats its outdoor tables in winter, and order a bela kava.5

Where these cafés are: Center (14), Old Town (11), Moste & BTC City (9), Bežigrad (8), Poljane, Tabor & Metelkova (7), Trnovo, Krakovo & Prule (5), Šiška (5), Vič & Rožna dolina (5).

At a glance

64Cafés listed
33With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
03:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Lucky Bar, from 06:00 (Mon–Fri 06:00–00:00 · Sat–Sun 07:00–00:00).
  • Closes latest: Kavarna Mačkon, until 03:00 (Daily 07:00–03:00).
  • Most common features: wi-fi (38%), indoor seating (34%), open late (34%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Ljubljana.

Along the Ljubljanica

The most popular river cafés are on Cankarjevo nabrežje and on Petkovškovo nabrežje, on the opposite bank.3 With outdoor seating on Petkovškovo nabrežje: Lockal at No. 23, open 08:00–00:00; Cafe Capri at No. 33, open only 08:00–14:00; Caffe Charly at No. 59; EK Bistro at No. 65; and Rog at No. 67.

Upstream, TOZD on Gallusovo nabrežje sets tables by the water until midnight, and Café Heritage is on Čevljarska ulica. Away from the river, Bar Platana has outdoor seats on Kongresni trg, LP bar on Novi trg and Podmornica at Miklošičeva cesta 2, a few steps from Prešernov trg. Their redesign earned Ljubljana the 2012 European Prize for Urban Public Space.4

Squares under the castle

Pritličje, beside the Town Hall on Mestni trg, sets out heaters so people can sit outside in winter.5 Slaščičarna pri vodnjaku on Stari trg runs a summer garden and a winter garden.6 Cafetino, also on Stari trg, has outdoor tables and opens 08:00–20:00 from Monday to Saturday, and Robba is on Mestni trg.

Market-side seats are at Hikofi on Pogačarjev trg and at Tri Marije's trailer on Adamič-Lundrovo nabrežje. Grajska kavarna serves inside the walls of Ljubljana Castle,7 and Črno Zrno on Gornji trg also has outdoor seats.

Gardens away from the center

Kavarna SEM, at the Slovene Ethnographic Museum on Metelkova ulica, has a large fenced garden suited to children and is open until 01:00.8 Kavarnica Špica, on Gruberjevo nabrežje, overlooks the Ljubljanica among trees, on the site of an old city swimming pool.9 Klub rečnih kapitanov, on Opekarska cesta, has outdoor seating and stays open until 00:00.

In Šiška, Kavarna Lokus on Koseška cesta, near the Koseze pond, is open 07:00–00:00, and Kavarna Zofa has outdoor seats on Litostrojska cesta.10 In Bežigrad, Pražarna and MONO both have terraces, and in Moste, Kavarna Internacionala on Zaloška cesta keeps its outdoor tables until 01:00.

In Vič, Kavarnica Langus on Langusova ulica opens its terrace at 06:30 on weekdays, Mafija on Jadranska ulica serves outside 07:00–15:30 on weekdays, and Kavarna Square 118 on Tržaška cesta has outdoor seats until 02:00. Čajnica Primula, the teahouse of the Botanical Garden on Ižanska cesta, opens 09:00–19:00 every day.11

Sources

  1. Triple Bridge, Turizem Ljubljana (Visit Ljubljana), accessed October 2026
  2. List of smoking bans: Slovenia, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Cafés in Ljubljana, In Your Pocket, accessed October 2026
  4. Pedestrianisation of Ljubljana city centre, European Commission, Urban Mobility Observatory, accessed October 2026
  5. Kam na kavo v Ljubljani (Katarina Dolničar), Turizem Ljubljana (Visit Ljubljana), accessed October 2026
  6. Slaščičarna Pri vodnjaku, Turizem Ljubljana (Visit Ljubljana), accessed October 2026
  7. Grajska kavarna Lolita, Kaval Group, accessed October 2026
  8. Kavarna SEM, Slovenski etnografski muzej, accessed October 2026
  9. Špica caffe, Kaval Group, accessed October 2026
  10. Kulturna četrt Šiška, Turizem Ljubljana (Visit Ljubljana), accessed October 2026
  11. Plečnik walking tour in Trnovo & Prule, In Your Pocket, accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

Other ways to browse Ljubljana

Specialty kava

Specialty coffee

11 cafés
Slaščičarne

Pastry cafés

12 cafés

Wi-Fi

40 cafés

Open late

40 cafés

By area: Old Town Center Trnovo, Krakovo & Prule Poljane, Tabor & Metelkova Bežigrad Šiška

FAQ

Terraces & outdoor seating in Ljubljana: questions

Where are the riverside café terraces in Ljubljana?

The most popular are on Cankarjevo nabrežje and Petkovškovo nabrežje, facing each other across the Ljubljanica. On Petkovškovo nabrežje, Lockal opens 08:00 to 00:00 and Cafe Capri 08:00 to 14:00. TOZD on Gallusovo nabrežje and Kavarnica Špica on Gruberjevo nabrežje also seat people by the water.

Can you smoke on café terraces in Ljubljana?

Slovenia banned smoking in enclosed public places from 5 August 2007, but open public areas are exempt, so smokers sit on terraces. In winter many terraces stay in use with heat lamps and blankets; Pritličje on Mestni trg sets out heaters.

Which cafés in Ljubljana have gardens away from the river?

Kavarna SEM, at the Slovene Ethnographic Museum on Metelkova ulica, has a large fenced garden suited to families and is open until 01:00. In Šiška, Kavarna Lokus near the Koseze pond opens 07:00 to 00:00, and Slaščičarna pri vodnjaku on Stari trg runs summer and winter gardens.

For café owners

Your café deserves better than a pin someone else dropped

Free listings are free for good. A featured page gives you photos, a menu and your own URL, in your café's own design, for less than a coffee a day.

Get listed, free See a page in its own design