Ljubljana Castle: Tickets, the Funicular and What Is Included

Pay for the castle by deciding how you will get up the hill, because the funicular adds only a few euros and the path takes ten to twenty minutes from the Old Town. The castle has stood above the river since the 12th century, and the ticket you pick decides whether you pay for the lift, the tower and the films, or only for a walk.

Which ticket for Ljubljana Castle

There are two adult tickets, and the only difference between them is the funicular. The one without it costs €15, the one with a return ride costs €19, and buying online is cheaper than paying at the box office. Both open the same doors: the lookout tower, the 4D film Virtual Castle, the video mapping in the casemates, the Puppetry Museum, the Slovenian History exhibition and the exhibition halls.

Families do better with the family ticket, which covers two adults and one child aged 7 to 18, and children under 7 go in free. Students, pensioners and children from 7 to 18 pay the reduced fare. The audio guide and the Time Machine tour are extras sold at the box office, so decide on them at the gate.

The last ticket is sold an hour before closing. The audio guide is €23 and the Time Machine tour €23 at the box office.

On foot or by funicular

Walk up. Three routes lead to the castle gate: Študentovska ulica starts from Ciril-Metodov trg, Reber climbs from Stari trg, and Ulica na Grad rises from Gornji trg. Each takes ten to twenty minutes, and the steeper ones give the better views back over the roofs.

The funicular has run since the end of 2006 and leaves from Krekov trg. A return ride costs €6, which is fair on a wet day or in the heat of July. The sensible split is to climb with fresh legs and ride down when the feet are tired, since a one-way ride costs €3.30 against €6 for the return.

Through the castle in order

Start in the courtyard, which sets the scale. Stone walls close around you, the tower stands at one corner, and the sounds of the town below fade within a few steps.

With a ticket, follow the exhibits in order and keep the tower for the end, when your eyes are used to the dark rooms and the daylight on top comes as a relief. The Slovenian History exhibition gives the context first, and the exhibition halls follow. Finish in the casemates, then climb out to the roof.

3 daysThe castle fits best into the first day, after the market and before the evening in the Old Town. The Ljubljana itinerary shows how the hours add up.Ljubljana in 3 days →

The tower, the film and the puppetry museum

The tower is the reason to buy a ticket. From the top the town lies flat below, with the river threading through the Old Town and the bridges you crossed in the morning laid out like a diagram. Choose a clear afternoon, because on a grey day the view shrinks to the first row of roofs.

Virtual Castle is a 4D film that retells the building's story with moving seats and effects, a good fit for children and a gentle break for adults. The video mapping in the casemates throws images straight onto the vaults. The Puppetry Museum is a small, odd room, worth the detour for anyone who liked old marionette shows. People have lived on this hill since around 1200 BC, long before any stone wall.

BudgetThe castle is one of the dearer items on the Ljubljana bill, though not the dearest. The Ljubljana Card also lists the castle among its attractions, and the budget page puts the ticket next to the rest.What Ljubljana costs →

When there is no time

Without a free afternoon, the castle shrinks to a short visit and still pays off. Keep to the parts that cannot be seen from anywhere else.

• Take the path up and the funicular down, so the ticket without the funicular is enough.
• Go straight to the tower and spend the daylight there.
• Add the 4D film only if a child is with you.
• Leave the Puppetry Museum and the history exhibition for a second visit.