Cafeography
Ljubljana · Center

Cafés in Center

Terraces on Petkovškovo and Cankarjevo nabrežje, café-bars on Trubarjeva, and the Nebotičnik, Union and Moderna cafés.

Photo: Bogdan R. Anton, Pexels License

The center begins at Prešernov trg and the Tromostovje (Triple Bridge). The middle bridge has stood since 1842; Plečnik added the two pedestrian bridges in 1929–1932 and stairs down to terraces just above the water, planted with poplars.1 Motor traffic was banned from Prešernov trg and Wolfova ulica in 2007, the first restriction of its kind in the center.2

Slovenska cesta followed: a 400-meter stretch was handed to pedestrians, cyclists and buses in 2013 and later made a permanent shared space with more than 60 new trees.2 Since 2009, small electric Kavalir cars have carried people with reduced mobility around the car-free streets for free.2 Kavalir rides need no ticket; the cars stop on request.

Local tip: Kofi Stop on Slovenska cesta opens at 06:00 on weekdays, and in November 2024 its kava z mlekom to go cost €1.90, cheaper than any sit-down café checked nearby.10

At a glance

55Cafés listed
21With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
03:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: LivingRoom Lounge, from 06:00 (Mon–Fri 06:00–00:00 · Sat 07:00–00:00 · Sun 07:00–23:00).
  • Closes latest: Kavarna Mačkon, until 03:00 (Daily 07:00–03:00).
  • Most common features: indoor seating (31%), wi-fi (27%), outdoor seating (25%).

Kofi Stop

  • Slovenska cesta 27
  • Mon–Fri 06:00–19:00 · Sat 09:00–18:00
  • Takeaway
  • Card payment
  • Wheelchair access
  • Open by 6am
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Coffee chains in Center

Both banks of the river

The riverside terraces sit on Cankarjevo nabrežje and, across the water, on Petkovškovo nabrežje.3 Lockal at Petkovškovo nabrežje 23 is open 08:00–00:00 daily; Forum is at No. 25, Cafe Capri at No. 33 (08:00–14:00) and Caffe Charly at No. 59. On the opposite bank, Lolita is at Cankarjevo nabrežje 1 and Divine at No. 7.

Upstream, TOZD on Gallusovo nabrežje opens 08:30–00:00 every day, and Café Heritage is at Čevljarska ulica 2. The embankments were rebuilt and 13 bridges renovated or added, seven of them new; the work won the European Prize for Urban Public Space in 2012.2

Trubarjeva cesta

Trubarjeva cesta runs east from Prešernov trg, one small café after another. MUNCHIES is at No. 4, Renaissance Specialty Coffee at No. 7 (08:00–15:00 Monday to Saturday), Cielito Lindo at No. 9 and WaU at No. 20.

Trubar, at No. 43, opens 07:00–01:00 daily, and Kavarna Mačkon, at No. 44, runs 07:00–03:00 every day of the week. The street continues past the end of this district to Centre Rog, the old bicycle factory at No. 72.4

Union, Nebotičnik and Moderna

The Grand Hotel Union was built in 1903–1905 to plans by Josip Vancaš, in the Vienna Secession style, as part of the rebuilding after the 1895 earthquake; the Kavarna Union occupies its ground floor on Miklošičeva cesta.5 It is open 10:00–22:00 daily.

Nebotičnik, at Štefanova ulica 1, opened on 21 February 1933; Vladimir Šubic designed the 13-floor, 70.35-meter tower.6 Its café is on the 12th floor, with a terrace above the center, homemade cakes and cocktails; it opens 09:00–22:00 on Mondays, 09:00–24:00 Tuesday to Saturday and 12:00–22:00 on Sundays.7

Kavarna Moderna, at Cankarjeva cesta 15 in the Moderna galerija, opens 10:00–20:00 from Tuesday to Sunday and sells single-origin beans by the bag.8 Its menu from November 2025 lists an espresso at €2.30 and a cappuccino at €2.90.9

Slovenska cesta and the early openers

Kofi Stop, at Slovenska cesta 27, opens at 06:00 on weekdays. In a November 2024 price check, its kava z mlekom to go cost €1.90, against €2.40 at TOZD, €2.50 at Pritličje and €2.80 at Le Petit Cafe.10 Barbarella Juicebar at No. 38 opens at 07:00 on weekdays, and BBIGE & Co at No. 51 runs 07:00–22:00.

R&B Cafe Roasters, at Slovenska cesta 47, takes its name from roaster and barista: it roasts single-origin coffee and runs sessions where you roast your own.11 It opens 08:00–18:00 on weekdays and 08:00–13:00 at weekends. LivingRoom Lounge, on Igriška ulica, opens at 06:00 on weekdays and closes at 00:00.

Sources

  1. Triple Bridge, Turizem Ljubljana (Visit Ljubljana), accessed October 2026
  2. Pedestrianisation of Ljubljana city centre, European Commission, Urban Mobility Observatory, accessed October 2026
  3. Cafés in Ljubljana, In Your Pocket, accessed October 2026
  4. Centre Rog, Turizem Ljubljana (Visit Ljubljana), accessed October 2026
  5. Grand Hotel Union, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  6. Nebotičnik, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  7. Kavarna, Nebotičnik, accessed October 2026
  8. Kavarna Moderna, Kavarna Moderna, accessed October 2026
  9. Cenik (price list valid from 1 November 2025), Kavarna Moderna, accessed October 2026
  10. Cene kave v nebo: razkrito, ali jo je v centru Ljubljane sploh še mogoče dobiti za manj kot dva evra (November 11, 2024), Metropolitan.si, accessed October 2026
  11. R&B Cafe Roasters, R&B Cafe Roasters, accessed October 2026
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In Center, also browse: Specialty coffee Terraces & outdoor seating Pastry cafés Wi-Fi Open late

FAQ

Center cafés: questions

Where are the riverside cafés in central Ljubljana?

They line both banks of the Ljubljanica: Cankarjevo nabrežje on one side and Petkovškovo nabrežje on the other, on either side of the Triple Bridge. Lockal at Petkovškovo nabrežje 23 is open until 00:00, and TOZD on Gallusovo nabrežje runs 08:30 to 00:00 every day.

What are the opening hours of the Nebotičnik café in Ljubljana?

The café on the 12th floor of Nebotičnik, the 1933 tower at Štefanova ulica 1, opens 09:00 to 22:00 on Mondays, 09:00 to 24:00 from Tuesday to Saturday, and 12:00 to 22:00 on Sundays and holidays. It serves coffee, homemade cakes and cocktails on a terrace above the center.

Which streets in central Ljubljana are closed to cars?

Prešernov trg and Wolfova ulica were closed to motor traffic in 2007, and the car-free zone has grown to about 10 hectares. A 400-meter stretch of Slovenska cesta became a shared space for pedestrians, cyclists and buses from 2013. Free electric Kavalir cars carry people with reduced mobility.

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