Ljubljana Food & Wine Tours
Ljubljana is a small capital with a big market: Plečnik’s colonnade along the river, the Friday Open Kitchen with forty stalls, and within an hour and a half of it every wine region, the coast and the Alps, which is why the food tours and cooking classes of the whole country start here. This is our Ljubljana hub. Below are the top-rated experiences in the city, then our pages for food tours and cooking classes, and the wine and coast day trips that leave from the capital.
Top-rated food and wine experiences in Ljubljana
Two ways in: a food tour through the Central Market and the old town; a cooking class for štruklji and potica.
What to eat: štruklji, jota, Kranjska klobasa with mustard and horseradish, žganci, potica, Prekmurska gibanica, and a glass of Rebula or Malvazija from the wine bars.
Day trips: Goriška Brda and Vipava for wine, Piran for the sea, Bled for the cream cake.
Food and wine in Ljubljana: the market and the city
Ljubljana’s food happens along the river. The Central Market runs from the cathedral along Plečnik’s covered colonnade to the Dragon Bridge: fish and dairy in the arcades below, fruit, vegetables, honey and dried fruit on the square above, and on Fridays from March to October the Open Kitchen, Odprta kuhna, where forty restaurants cook outdoors and the whole city eats standing up. The old town behind it is gostilne serving the classics, wine bars pouring the whole country by the glass, and the pastry shops that keep potica and gibanica in business.
Food tours
Three to four hours from the market through the old town with eight to ten tastings: štruklji, Kranjska klobasa, jota, a Karst pršut plate, a gibanica, wine from Brda or Vipava. See Ljubljana food tours.
Cooking classes
Štruklji, the rolled dumplings, are the class: stretching the dough, the cottage cheese or walnut filling, the boil or the bake. Many classes add potica, the nut roll that takes a day to do properly. See Ljubljana cooking classes.
Wine from Ljubljana
The Vipava Valley is an hour west, Goriška Brda an hour and a half, the Karst an hour; day tours visit two or three cellars with lunch. In the city, wine bars run tastings of Slovenian wine by region. See Slovenia wine tours.
Bled and the coast
Bled is an hour north for the lake, the cream cake and alpine cooking classes; Piran is an hour and a half south for seafood and the salt pans. See Piran food tours.
When to come
Fridays from March to October for the Open Kitchen; May, June and September for the terraces; December for the Christmas market along the river.
How we choose
We list only experiences with a strong rating over a meaningful number of reviews and free cancellation where available, and we favour small-group and family-run hosts. FindEatLocal earns a commission when you book through GetYourGuide or Viator links on this page; it doesn’t change the price you pay. More about how we choose.
FAQ about Ljubljana Food & Wine Tours
Frequently asked questions
Why Ljubljana for food?
Because it is walkable, cheap, and has the best market in the region; and because every Slovenian food experience worth doing is a day trip from it.
What food is Ljubljana known for?
Štruklji, jota, Kranjska klobasa, žganci, potica and gibanica, and the Central Market’s Friday Open Kitchen.
When is the Open Kitchen in Ljubljana?
Fridays from mid-March to October, from late morning to evening, on Pogačar square beside the cathedral, weather permitting.
Can I do a wine tour from Ljubljana?
Yes; Vipava, Brda and the Karst are one to one and a half hours away and day tours with lunch run year-round.
Is Ljubljana good for cooking classes?
Yes; štruklji and potica classes run most days, in the centre and in homes just outside it.
How many days do I need in Ljubljana for food?
Two in the city, then one day trip each for wine, the coast and Bled.