Ljubljana scavenger hunt: dragons, bridges and baroque churches by the Ljubljanica
The Ljubljana scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk from landmark to landmark, solve a riddle at each one by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories and legends behind it. Set aside about 2 hours even though the walking is brief, 27 minutes and 2.2 km in total, because the 10 riddles, their stories and the riverside cafés fill the rest.
Highlights include the baroque Town Hall with the Robba Fountain, St Nicholas's Cathedral, the Vodnik Monument at the Central Market, the copper dragons of the Dragon Bridge, the padlocks on the Butchers' Bridge and Prešeren Square. Ljubljana's old town is compact and largely car-free along the river Ljubljanica, so the route is short and easy on foot.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 27 min · 2.2 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
Riddles on bridges, fountains and façades
Where dragons give clues
One riddle waits at each stop, and the answer is in the stone, bronze or copper in front of you: the columned front of the Ursuline Church, the bronze doors of the cathedral, the wings of the Dragon Bridge. Observation and logic are enough, so nobody needs to know Slovene history beforehand.
Poets, saints and Plečnik
Every solved riddle opens a story: the earthquake of 1895 that reshaped the city, Valentin Vodnik and the first Slovene newspaper, France Prešeren gazing across his square towards the woman he loved, and the architect Jože Plečnik, who turned one bridge into three. Each story is also recorded as audio, so you can listen with your eyes on the river.
Back and forth across the river
Google Maps guides you between stops, 27 minutes and 2.2 km in all, crossing the Ljubljanica more than once. Most of the centre is closed to cars and almost flat, so the walking is easy.
Burek, coffee and the market
Stop for a coffee on the riverbank or a burek from a bakery whenever you want, and the game simply pauses. The Central Market lies right on the route, and you can pick up the trail later or the next day.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who the Ljubljana riddles suit best
Just a weekend in Ljubljana
Ljubljana's historic centre is small, and many visitors only have a day or a weekend. The 10 stops cover the old town on both banks in about 2 hours, which leaves the rest of the day free.
Dragon-spotting kids
Children count the dragons on the Dragon Bridge, hear the legend of Jason and the Argonauts fighting a dragon in the marshes and look for padlocks on the Butchers' Bridge. They play with an adult on their team.
Groups with a competitive streak
Up to 5 players share a team, each with the game on their own phone, which suits friends, colleagues and school groups. The stops lie close together, so teams keep crossing paths, and Prešeren Square makes an obvious meeting point at the end.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The route: Congress Square, the Town Hall and the cathedral, then the market and the bridges
10 stops · about 27 min walking · start: Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity · finish: Triple Bridge
The hunt starts at the baroque Ursuline Church on Congress Square, passes the main building of the university and crosses into the old town to the Town Hall and St Nicholas's Cathedral. From there you walk through the Central Market to the Vodnik Monument and the Dragon Bridge, come back over the Butchers' Bridge and pass the Franciscan Church on Prešeren Square, finishing at the Triple Bridge. The answers are all on the outside of churches, bridges and statues, so an entry ticket never comes into it, and if you happen to be standing by the Triple Bridge, the app is happy to begin there and reorganise the remaining stops.
Open the route map ↗
1Ursuline Church of the Holy TrinityStart
Built for the Ursuline nuns and consecrated in 1726, this is one of the finest baroque churches in Ljubljana. Its tall columned façade looks onto Congress Square, and inside stands a high altar of coloured marble by Francesco Robba. In front of the church rises a baroque Holy Trinity column.
2University of Ljubljana
Founded in 1919, the University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. Its main building on Congress Square was built after the earthquake of 1895 as the Provincial Palace of Carniola. Look at its richly decorated façade, typical of the rebuilding that followed the earthquake.
3Town Hall
Ljubljana's Town Hall on Mestni trg received its baroque look in the early 18th century and still serves the city council. In front of it stands the Robba Fountain, an allegory of the three rivers of Carniola made by Francesco Robba in the mid-18th century; the original is now kept in the National Gallery.
Read the full story →
4St Nicholas's Cathedral
Ljubljana Cathedral was built at the start of the 18th century to plans by the Jesuit architect Andrea Pozzo, and its green dome rises above the market. Inside, frescoes by Giulio Quaglio cover the ceilings. Look at the bronze doors added in 1996 for the visit of Pope John Paul II, which tell the history of Christianity in Slovenia.
5Vodnik Monument
This bronze statue honours Valentin Vodnik (1758–1819), a priest regarded as the first Slovene poet, who also edited the first newspaper in the Slovene language. Made by the sculptor Alojz Gangl and unveiled in 1889, it stands on Vodnik Square among the stalls of the Central Market.
6Dragon Bridge
Opened in 1901, the Dragon Bridge was one of the first reinforced concrete bridges in Europe and is built in the Vienna Secession style. Four copper dragons guard its corners, because the dragon is the symbol of Ljubljana. According to legend, the Greek hero Jason and the Argonauts fought a dragon in the marshes here.
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7Butchers' Bridge
This footbridge over the Ljubljanica opened in 2010, at a spot where Jože Plečnik had once planned a bridge. Couples fix padlocks to its railings as a sign of love, and bronze sculptures by Jakov Brdar, among them Adam and Eve and Prometheus, stand along it.
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8Franciscan Church of the Annunciation
Built by Augustinian monks in the mid-17th century, this pink-red baroque church passed to the Franciscans in the late 18th century. Its façade closes the north side of Prešeren Square, and inside the high altar is the work of the sculptor Francesco Robba.
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9Prešeren Square
The square is named after France Prešeren, Slovenia's national poet, whose bronze statue by Ivan Zajec has stood here since 1905 with a muse above him. A verse of his poem Zdravljica is today the Slovenian national anthem. Follow his gaze to a relief of Julija Primic, the woman he loved without return.
10Triple BridgeFinish
A single stone bridge from 1842 once stood here, until Jože Plečnik added two footbridges at an angle on either side in the early 1930s. With their white balustrades and steps down to the river terraces, the three bridges link Prešeren Square with the old town.
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