Slovenia is a small country in Europe that doesn’t get as many visitors as its neighbors, but it’s a fantastic place to visit. Its capital of Ljubljana is wonderful and the nature of its countryside is even better. So, if you’re planning a trip to Slovenia and wondering how much it will cost, I’m going to break down everything I spent during my trip so you can plan out your own Slovenia Travel Budget. I’ll also give advice of ways to adjust the budget based on your own preferences.
About My Trip to Slovenia
I visited Ljubljana, Slovenia as part of a larger trip through Europe. My trip started in Slovenia before I headed to Vienna, Austria. From there I went on to Bratislava, Slovakia and Budapest, Hungary.
I had just two and a half days in Slovenia (which was not enough!). The first day was a half day in Ljubljana where I only had time for a little bit of sightseeing. My first full day was actually a day trip to Triglav National Park and Lake Bled. Then I had one more full day in Ljubljana before leaving very early the next morning for Vienna.
About My Travel Style
Before we get started, I want to give a little insight to my travel style. I think this is important as travel styles can vary wildly. Your travel style will dramatically affect your budget. My hope is that you can take my travel style as a base and adjust your budget accordingly.
I travel solo and consider myself to be a budget conscious traveler. I’m not a complete budget traveler because I will pay for some luxuries (such as having a private room), but I’ll make up the difference in food and transportation costs. For activities, I look for a nice balance between free and paid activities. I don’t want to skip the top sights, but I’m only going to pay for them if it’s something that truly interests me.
A Note
This article will use USD as a base. You will pay for everything in Euros, but I used my credit card for almost every purchase. So, when I went back to look at exactly how much I spent, everything was in USD. You can convert this into your local currency.
Note – At the time of my visit, $1 USD = 0.86 Euros (1 Euro = $1.16 USD)
How Much Did I Spend in Slovenia?
| Total Spent | Average Per Day (3 Days) | |
| Hotel | $210.86 | $70.29 |
| Transportation | $4.68 | $1.56 |
| Food | $51.61 | $17.20 |
| Activities | $98.75 | $32.92 |
| Total | $365.90 | $121.97 |
Slovenia Travel Budget Breakdown
Sure, numbers are fine, but lets breakdown each of those categories further to give a little more detail. I’ll also give some ideas for ways you can adjust the budget, either to save money or to travel more luxuriously.
Hotels
While I normally prefer to have my own private room with private bathroom, I decided to make some sacrifices on this trip to Europe. Knowing that I was going to be spending a bit more money than normal on activities, I chose to stay in places that gave me a private room, but not a private bathroom. Traveling on a budget is all about balancing what’s important to you and the activities were more important.
So, for about $70 USD per night, I found a private room in a hostel. The location was excellent and was just steps away from the river in Ljlubjana’s Old Town. The room was huge (I think I ended up with a different room than what I had originally booked) and the bed was comfortable. The only downside was that the toilet and shower was down the hall. But again, this was how I decided to balance my Slovenia travel budget and I’m happy with how things worked out.
I booked several months in advance, so there was plenty of availability throughout Ljubljana’s Old Town. While it does lock you in to your itinerary, it gives the most options while booking. So while I absolutely would have loved a private bathroom, if I was ever in Ljubljana again and trying to travel on a tighter budget, I would stay at the same hotel again.
It’s also worth pointing out that I traveled in October. While it wasn’t high season, it also wasn’t low season so prices for hotels sat firmly in the middle.
Adjustments to the Budget
I spent $70 USD per night for my room. So if you’re also traveling on a slight budget and don’t mind sharing a bathroom, I think $75 per night is a great place to start. If you want something a little fancier (such as a private bathroom), I’d start your Slovenia travel budget at around $100 per night. Yes, you may find something cheaper, but then you have extra money to spend in some other part of your Slovenia travel budget.
In addition, I traveled in October. If you’re traveling during the summer high season, I’d suggest raising your budget a little bit. You will likely still find some deals, especially if booking early, but expect hotel prices to be higher during the peak travel months.
On the other end of the spectrum, if you want to go full budget traveler mode, there are plenty of hostels throughout the city. Dorm beds in the hostel I stayed in went for about $25 to $30 per night.
Transportation
Ljubljana is an incredibly walkable city and I didn’t need much transportation. In fact, the only transportation I needed was a bus from the airport to the city center. This cost four euros and the driver was adamant that it had to be paid in cash.
Other than that, I walked. Most of what you’ll want to see in Ljubljana is either in the Old Town or within walking distance from the Old Town. In fact, the Old Town is pedestrianized, so it’s the perfect place to get out and explore on foot.
The bottom line is that you don’t need to budget a lot for transportation in Ljubljana.
Adjustments to the Budget
If you’re just sticking to Ljubljana’s pedestrianized Old Town, there’s really no need to include much of a budget here. It’s a 15-20 minute walk to the main bus/train station, so as long as you can get there, you don’t need budget much, if anything for transportation.
Food
I ate so well in Slovenia. I spent about $52 USD and had three fantastic, filling meals, a pastry from a bakery, gelato, and a big piece of cake. That is fantastic.
I paid about $10 to $15 for meals at a sit down restaurant. In Ljubljana, I ate lunch for two days at Droga Violina. Yes it was a fantastic price, but the food was also delicious so I had no qualms about eating there twice.
The other meal was a sit down lunch at a restaurant on a tour to Bled. Our guides picked somewhere more local for us to eat (and while they could be lying to me, the restaurant was definitely not big enough to hold a large tour bus full of people so I’m inclined to believe them) and again, it was delicious. What I learned is that portion sizes are huge so after these meals, I really didn’t feel like I needed much more during the day.
My pastry cost just $3 and my dish of gelato was $4. In Bled, I bought a slice of the famous creme cake which was $10, but huge and absolutely delicious.
The bottom line is that you can eat really well for a good price in Slovenia.
Adjustments to the Budget
I think my meal spending was pretty average. I may have only eaten one big meal per day, but I don’t know if I could have eaten any more, even if I wanted to. So for budget travelers, I’d suggest setting aside $15-$20 per day. You can get a good meal and supplement any other hunger with snacks from the grocery store.
For those who want fancier meals (or more than just one big meal per day), budget more. I’d suggest going up to $30 or more per day.
Activities
My spending on activities is all tied into my day trip to Bled. I didn’t pay for any sights within Ljubljana, which was a great budget saver because my day trip to Bled wasn’t cheap. In total, it was nearly $100.
I had originally planned to visit Bled by myself as a day trip, but I found a tour on GetYourGuide with excellent reviews and I couldn’t get it out of my head. Normally I’m all for self exploring but for some reason, I decided to take the tour and I’m so glad I did. Not only did I get to visit Bled, but I also visited Triglav National Park for the Savica Waterfall (which cost an additional $5) and Bohinj.
While I wish I would have had a bit more time in Bled, I can’t argue with my day trip. It was so nice not to have to worry about the logistics of bus schedules and tickets and I got to see more than I would have on my own.
So yes, I spent more than I normally would on activities, but I don’t regret it one bit.
Adjustments to the Budget
I didn’t pay for any sights within the city of Ljubljana and I have no regrets about that. Sure there are sights that you can pay for, but for the average tourist, I don’t think it makes sense.
The biggest adjustment to the Slovenia travel budget is my day trip. Rather than taking a guided tour, you could visit Bled on your own and significantly cut this price. For a round trip bus from Ljubljana to Bled, budget about 15 euros.
A Reminder About Inflation
Naturally, prices tend to go up as time goes on. I traveled in October 2025 though I do my best to update this article and keep it current.
Final Thoughts
Ljubljana and Slovenia are great places to visit and I wish I would have had more time. Here’s the best part though, I found Ljubljana to be an affordable capital to travel to, so knowing that, I will definitely be back one day.
Continue Your Adventure
Ljubljana, Slovenia: Learn how to spend one day in Ljubljana.
Nearby: While it’s a too far for a day trip, you can reach Vienna, Austria after a half day on a bus. Likewise, you can also reach Budapest, Hungary in a half day.