Ljubljana in 3 days

Begin on Prešeren Square, where the poet's monument from 1905 faces the Triple Bridge, and cross to the Old Town. Giovanni Picco's stone bridge opened in 1842, and Plečnik added two footbridges beside it in the early 1930s. All three have carried only pedestrians since 2007. Walk back along the river to the Central Market on Kopitarjeva, where Plečnik's two-storey arcades from 1940 to 1944 hold the fish market below and Slovenian produce shops above. It is shut on Sundays and holidays, so on a Sunday trade it for the embankment.

Walk up to the castle rather than ride. Študentovska Street climbs from Ciril-Metodov trg and takes ten to twenty minutes, while the funicular from Krekov trg, running since 2006, is the answer to heat or rain, at €6 return. The ticket without the funicular is €15 at the box office. It covers the tower, the 4D film Virtual Castle and a video mapping show in the casemate.

Klobasarna at Ciril-Metodov trg 15 serves the Carniolan sausage for €5.50. The castle path starts a few steps from its door, so the lunch can be as short as you like.

Wander Mestni trg and the lanes below the hill, then find the Dragon Bridge, built in 1901 with a span of 33.34 m. It is a good place to slow down before the evening.

Take the Ljubljanica embankment. If it is a Friday between mid-March and the end of October, go on to Pogačarjev trg, where cooks from Slovenian restaurants make dishes from around the world. Entry is free, and bad weather cancels it.

Plečnik House at Karunova 4–6 is the booking that decides the day. The original house is seen only on a tour, which starts on every full hour with seven visitors at most, in Slovene or English. The last one leaves at 17.00. Entry is €12 with the tour and the permanent exhibition, tickets are sold online, and the house is closed on Mondays.

Tivoli is the city park, about 5 km² with the hill of Rožnik included, and it needs no ticket. Walk the main avenues first and climb the hill only if the legs still want it.

Back in town, with nothing booked. Gujzina on Mestni trg serves Prekmurje gibanica, which is a good reason to arrive hungry.

Metelkova is an autonomous cultural centre in former barracks built in 1882, occupied in September 1993. Its seven buildings cover about 12,500 m², and the site has counted as national cultural heritage since 2005. Part of the barracks is the Hotel Celica, and walking through costs nothing.

Nebotičnik, opened on 21 February 1933, rises thirteen floors and 70.35 m, with a café on the top three. Go for the view of the castle and the roofs, and leave the hour open.

Bled lies about 50 km north-west of Ljubljana. The lake is 2.12 km long and between half a kilometre and a kilometre wide, and an island in it carries a pilgrimage church. The Bled page covers the walk round it and the rest of the day.

Or choose Postojna instead. The combined ticket for the cave, Predjama Castle and the EXPO is €55. It includes the train through the cave, a lit path to the Briljant stalagmite, an aquarium with olms and Predjama itself, built on a cliff 123 m high. The cave system runs 24.34 km, the second longest in Slovenia. Pick one of the two, because they do not share a day.