Ljubljana Nightlife – A guide to nightclubs and going out in Ljubljana’s

1. Tips for studying abroad in Ljubljana – Study abroad in Ljubljana
2. How to get to Ljubljana – Getting to Ljubljana by plane, train, bus or car
3. Public transport in Ljubljana
4. Accommodation for students in Ljubljana & Cost of living
5. Save money in Ljubljana - Tips for living in Ljubljana on a student budget
6. Ljubljana neighbourhoods – The most important districts of Ljubljana
7. Ljubljana Nightlife – A guide to nightclubs and going out in Ljubljana’s
8. Where to eat in Ljubljana – Slovenian cuisine and gastronomy in Ljubljana
9. The best things to do in Ljubljana
10. Festivals in Ljubljana – Festivals and events in Ljubljana
11. Day trips from Ljubljana – Places to visit and Excursions around Ljubljana
12. Ljubljana in 3 days – what to see and do in 3 days

When you are studying abroad in another city, you meet new people, go out and explore the nightlife. The Erasmus network ESN is hosting quite some parties in certain places so of course you can check their website or Facebook page. In the following I list some Bars and Clubs in Ljubljana that are common among students and nice to visit as well.

Bars

1. Premier Pub

Premier Pub is located by the Ljubljancia river (Petkovškovo nabrežje 17) and you can sit outside as well as inside. It is one of the first bars in Ljubljana that offers a wide selection of imported beer and the atmosphere is good. In the evenings it might get a little louder and the interior is country-style, some of the tables are made out of real wooden rudder. The opening hours are from Monday until Saturday from 8am until 1am and on Sunday it’s 9am until 1am.

2. Centralna Postaja

Centralna Postaja is something between a bar and a restaurant as they serve good food along with nice drinks. It is right in the middle of the Old Town in a narrow street (Trubarjeva cesta 23) at a corner. In the evening the place gets crowded and you might have to wait a little to sit down as everyone wants to sit outside and enjoy the street life with a drink. They also have an Info spot so that tourists can ask about any suggestions where to go and what to explore next. Often there are live DJs playing their sets and sometimes they host events like a burger party or something. A chef is standing outside then and making fresh nice street food burgers with fries and salad. You can get an Espresso for 1€, a smoothie for 3€, an Aperol Spritz for 3,50€ and a Cocktail for 5€. The opening hours are:

• Monday to Thursday from 8am until 1am
• Friday and Saturday from 8am until 3am

3. Cutty Sark Pub

This is a traditional English Pub with a lot of events going on. On Wednesdays they have standup comedy, on Thursdays live music and on Fridays and Saturdays you can go dancing (80s and 90s and the best Hits). It is located right in the center at Knafljev prehod 1 and the opening hours are:

• Monday and Tuesday from 8am until 1am
• Wednesday to Saturday from 8am until 3am
• Sundays and Holidays from 9am until 1am

You can even rent a beerbike at their place to make a tour around the city or celebrate your birthday with friends for example. A Cappuccino would be 1,60€, a beer between 2,40€ and 4,70€ and a Cider 3,50€.

4. Pritličje Bar

At this bar you will always find students at it has a good atmosphere and they play electronic music in the background (also often DJs play there). Furthermore they sell comic books and you can sit in the windows or outside to enjoy your drink. It is situated at Mestni trg 2, close to the hill to the castle and next to the town hall. During the night you will see the nice lights from the castle shining in the sky. The opening hours are:

• Monday to Wednesday from 9am until 1am
• Thursday to Saturday from 9am until 3am
• Sunday from 9am until 1am

5. Zoo and Prulček

I already mentioned them before so they just complete the list. As I said these are clubs where you can enjoy live concerts, usually Mondays at Zoo (Tržaška cesta 2) and Wednesdays at Prulček (Prijateljeva ulica 2).

Zoo was a factory building before, you can still see that from the interior of the place. It is also a club at some nights of the week (Friday and Saturday). The opening hours are:

• Monday to Thursday from 7am until 1am
• Friday and Saturday from 7am until 5am

The opening hours of Prulček are:

• Monday from 12 until 2pm and 8pm until 2am
• Tuesday to Friday from 8am until 2am
• Saturday from 8am until midnight

6. Tresor Bar

Tresor Bar is at Čopova ulica 38, one of the shopping streets of Ljubljana. The hostel Tresor owns this bar and it has an interesting interior, quite modern. The coffee is of good quality and a lot of people that sleep in the hostel enjoy the bar downstairs. They often have artists playing music outside the bar. The hostel offers the artists a bed in exchange for their music. Sometimes they offer yoga classes in the mornings, have a flea market, host ceramic workshops or collect things for the Red Cross. The opening hours are the same as the hostel.

7. Ziferblat

This is more a café than a bar but of course also here you can enjoy a nice drink in the cosy surroundings. Located at Vegova ulica 8 it is close to the National Library and a bit hidden in a courtyard. They have places for bicycles and couches outside the café which are really comfortable.

This café has a special concept: You pay for the time you are there. If you enter you use a clock and they will count the minutes when you leave and that much you pay. For students it is one or two Cents cheaper than for the others. If you think now that this is really expensive and you wouldn’t like to go to this place, you should know that you just pay for the time, not for the beverages. You are welcome to use everything at the kitchen and drink and eat everything they offer. There is a nice coffee machine baristas would use and you can make your own coffee or (of course) ask the staff if they help you. They have juices, sparkling and normal wine, cookies, sometimes cake, sandwiches etc. It is the concept of this place that you feel like home and just enjoy your time there.

The inside looks like a big living room with a lot of seats, couches and armchairs. They have bookshelves with all kinds of books you can read, some board games, an old typewriter if you feel like getting creative and host a lot of events during all seasons. In Winter it will be movie nights, a vegan dinner, board game evenings etc. In summer concerts are held to be outside and workshops are presented like Talking Slovenian. Moreover people get invited to talk about topics like travelling on a low budget, writing a book, science (chemistry, biology, physics) etc. It is a nice place to spend an afternoon or evening no matter what season and a lot of Internationals go there. The opening hours are:

• Monday to Saturday from 9am until 10pm
• Sunday from 4pm until 10pm

8. Daktari

Last but not least I would like to present Daktari, a really comfortable bar that is located near the Funicular station at Krekov trg 7. They offer outside places and the interior is just stunning. You really feel like coming into a living room and sitting down to relax. The walls are covered with books, they have wooden tables and the staff is really friendly. I already talked about the Open Mic Night they have every Sunday evening. Sometimes they host artists as well that play a concert for the guests. They have food as well as drinks and it the same prices as everywhere. The opening hours are:

• Monday to Saturday from 8am until 1am
• Sunday from 9am until midnight

Clubs

1. Parlament Pub

Parlament Pub (at Slovenska cesta 25 right in the center) might be your first club experience as the student organisation is hosting parties there for the international students every monday evening. It is a pretty small place to it gets crowded soon and sometimes you really cannot move anymore. Also the temperature rises and the queue at the bathroom gets longer and longer. They have cheap beer and cocktails and the music is the typical club music you hear in many clubs. Admission is usually free as it is also a pub.

2. Circus

Circus club is close to the city center (Trg mladinskih delov. Brigad 7). They have events on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and it is closed from Sunday until Tuesday and on Thursdays. Sometimes live bands play there but usually DJs play dance music, electronic, pop, rock and house. As “circus” is supposed to be the program, performances by go-go dancers, acrobats, costumed animators and other artistic stuff can be seen in the club. It is not very popular among locals but internationals like to go there. Admission is free before 23h, after it is 5€.

3. Compañeros

This club is famous among students as well (Slovenska cesta 51). It does not really play Latin or Spanish music, just the name is exotic. At some nights they do play songs that have been popular in the former Yugoslavia which is funny. Upstairs they have a covered outdoor terrace and lounge area, downstairs you will find a smoking room. The entrance depends on the event, usually you get in for free before midnight as a student.

4. Pr' Skelet

Many students go to this place (Kongresni trg 3), it is a bar in the evening but also turns out to be a nightclub such as Parlement Pub. The decoration reminds you of Halloween and give the bar/ club its charm. There are creepy portraits of skeletons on the wall and skeleton puppets downstairs in the club, the toilet looks quite weird as well. On Tuesdays they usually have the student parties and admission is for free.

5. Metelkova

If you are searching for a bit more alternative stuff, do not like partying to the typical club music and want to meet some locals, Metelkova is the best area for that. If you have been to Kopenhagen before, Metelkova might remind you a bit of Christiania. It is way smaller though but walls seperate the Metelkova area from the streets and old military houses are to be found inside the area which are used for other purposes now. They have an an art gallery, bars, artists studios, space for designers, offices of cultural organisations and concerts featuring different types of live music from Free Jazz, Rockabilly, Psychobilly, Punk rock, Heavy metal and Noise to Dub and Techno.

There is a house decorated with a big skeleton which might be a bit creepy but somehow it is also the charm of the place and you find graffiti everywhere. Same as Christiania it is an autonomous social center and as they host LGTB and anti-racist activities, Metelkova has been a target of racist skinheads. You might find the people being there a bit weird sometimes as they might use drugs, look not like a “normal” person and talk loud. But they are friendly and as long as you do not judge about them or bother them, everything is fine. On their website you find the different clubs and bars and events they host during the week. For example they promote their events with these words: mid 60's "Swinging London" Mod styled British Rhythm'n'Blues, Freakbeat, Blue-Eyed Soul, Oz & Kiwi Garage, spiced with little bit of French Yé-Yé girls and Italian Beat.

It is always something going on at that place and the concerts and club nights are different and interesting. At most of the places smoking is allowed but it is not that bad. The entrance fee for the clubs is between 3 to 5€, for concerts it is more.

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