Ljubljana Is Hot. Let’s Get You Wet.
Cold drinking water, inviting pools and several excellent reasons to spend the day in a swimsuit
Unless you come from one of the hottest places on Earth, temperatures approaching 40°C (104°F) may feel like rather a lot for one human body to process. Your internal cooling system begins working overtime, your forehead develops its own weather pattern and suddenly every patch of shade looks like prime real estate.
Fortunately, Ljubljana knows exactly what to do when things get hot. It gets everyone wet.
The city has fresh drinking water flowing from public fountains, outdoor pools made for long summer days, indoor pools for people who prefer their water without direct sunlight and wellness centres where getting steamy is not only permitted, but actively encouraged.
First, wet your lips
We are talking about water. Behave.
Ljubljana has more than 40 public drinking fountains where visitors can fill their bottles with fresh, cold drinking water completely free of charge. No membership card, no secret password and no need to purchase a tiny designer bottle of water that has travelled farther than you have.
Ljubljana’s drinking water comes from the natural environment without technical treatment and is only occasionally chlorinated. It spends just a few hours travelling from the pumping stations to users, which makes it considerably fresher than most people feel before their first coffee.
Use the Tap Water Ljubljana map to find the nearest drinking fountain. It can determine your location and guide you towards cold, publicly funded hydration.
Bring a reusable bottle. Fill it. Drink. Refill. Repeat until you feel like a responsible and exceptionally well-hydrated houseplant.
If you have forgotten your reusable bottle, do not panic or attempt to carry water in your hands. Beautiful reusable bottles are available at the Ljubljana Tourist Information Centre, right next to the Triple Bridge. And because Ljubljana’s summer weather occasionally likes to add thunder, lightning and a dramatic downpour to the programme, TIC also sells elegant beige umbrellas decorated with a dragon motif. They will keep you dry while making you look as if you came prepared, even though you very clearly did not.
And if your T-shirt has become soaking wet anyway, whether from the rain, the pool or your body’s enthusiastic attempt to cool itself down, TIC also sells splendid dragon T-shirts. Simply change into something dry and continue exploring the city with your dignity mostly restored.
The drinking fountains are intended for drinking, of course. Please do not attempt to bathe in one, climb into one or recreate a shampoo commercial in the middle of Krekov trg.
Next: full-body wetness
Ljubljana has pools for that.
Vevče
The modern Vevče Swimming Pool offers a 25-metre indoor pool and a large 50-metre outdoor pool. Families also get a children’s pool, splash area and playground, while the complex includes beach-volleyball courts, table tennis, a café with a terrace and Finnish, Turkish and infrared saunas.
Vevče is the best all-rounder for groups whose members cannot agree on anything. One can swim lengths, one can fall in love with the sauna and the children can conquer the splash area.
Atlantis
At Atlantis Water Park, subtlety has packed its bags and gone home.
Located in BTC City, Atlantis is the strongest choice for families looking for a proper water-park experience in any weather. Its Adventure World includes indoor pools, water slides, a children’s pool and playground, a spray park, a slow-current river and an underground cave.
Adults in need of a quieter escape can retreat to Atlantis Wellness for pools, saunas, massages, relaxation areas and even a private spa. In short, children can disappear down a slide while adults disappear into a bathrobe. This is what experts call a successful family holiday.
Laguna
Laguna offers three heated outdoor pools, more than 60 water attractions, sunloungers, grassy areas, a playground, beach volleyball, two bars and an ice cream garden.
This is one of the best choices for families who want to spend the entire day by the water rather than simply stop for a quick swim. There is enough entertainment to keep children busy and enough lounging space for adults to remember what silence used to sound like.
Kodeljevo
Kodeljevo Swimming Pool has an Olympic pool, a large recreational pool, two children’s pools and slides. A poolside café, playground and grassy areas complete the picture.
With plenty of room for swimming and playing, Kodeljevo suits both active swimmers and families with children. Swimming clubs and water polo players also train here, so do not be alarmed if the person in the next lane moves through the water like a torpedo while you are still adjusting your goggles.
Kolezija
Kolezija is Ljubljana’s oldest swimming facility, although the present complex is reassuringly modern and contains considerably fewer 19th-century bathing costumes.
It has an Olympic pool, a children’s pool, a paddling pool and a massage pool. There are also areas for basketball, table tennis and beach volleyball, in case lying beside the water becomes emotionally too easy.
The wooden poolside platform is perfect for sunbathing, reading or pretending you have not been asleep with your mouth open for the past 40 minutes.
Ilirija
The Ilirija Sports Centre has Ljubljana’s first indoor Olympic pool, a 25-metre training pool and, outdoors, a children’s pool, a paddling pool, sports courts and green areas for relaxing.
Its indoor pools make Ilirija an excellent choice for proper swimming without being personally grilled by the sun. Families are welcome too, but this is more sleek sports centre than tropical water playground.
Prefer getting wet without doing all that exhausting swimming?
We understand. You came on holiday to experience the city, not to be overtaken in the fast lane by an eight-year-old wearing professional goggles.
Ljubljana offers several ways to enjoy water while moving as little as humanly possible.
Float Center
At Float Center Ljubljana, visitors float weightlessly in warm water enriched with magnesium salt. There is no sightseeing schedule, no notification sound and no enthusiastic stranger explaining their travel itinerary. There is simply warm water and silence.
Afterwards, you can enjoy a calming tea in the relaxation room and visit the cosmetic room, where you can dry and style your hair, unless you prefer to step outside and let Ljubljana finish the job.
Serenity Wellness & Spa
Do not be surprised when Serenity Wellness & Spa leads you into the InterContinental Ljubljana. The spa is located on the 18th floor and welcomes outside visitors as well as hotel guests.
It offers massages, facial and body treatments, spa rituals, LPG therapy and pressotherapy, all accompanied by panoramic city views. Once sufficiently pampered, take the lift two floors higher to B Bar for a cocktail or a glass of wine overlooking Ljubljana Castle and the Alps. Hydration is important. There is no need to be overly technical about the definition.
Atlantis Wellness
Atlantis Wellness is the adults-only side of Atlantis, created for anyone who prefers their water without inflatable toys landing on their head.
It offers indoor and outdoor pools, hot and cold baths, massages, a sensory path, themed relaxation areas and 14 different saunas, including herbal, eucalyptus, chocolate and panoramic varieties. Daily sauna rituals range from salt scrubs and hammam treatments to sound baths and Aufguss shows (guided sauna rituals with music, essential oils and dramatic towel choreography - if you were wondering).
For maximum privacy, the private spa comes with a whirlpool, infrared sauna and a large padded resting area for up to four people. If you visit, the hardest decision of your day may be choosing between 14 saunas, several pools and a massage. Fortunately, doing absolutely nothing while you decide is also an option.
Terme Snovik
Those looking for thermal water and a short trip beyond the city can also visit Terme Snovik, set in the Tuhinj Valley near the Kamnik-Savinja Alps. Slovenia’s highest-altitude thermal spa offers indoor and outdoor thermal pools, a sauna world, wellness treatments and Kneipp experiences inspired by water, movement, herbs, nutrition and inner balance.
It is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to combine thermal pools and peaceful nature with a trip into Ljubljana’s scenic countryside.
Your official Ljubljana hot-weather survival plan
The procedure is beautifully simple:
- Locate a public drinking fountain.
- Wet your lips.
- Refill your reusable bottle.
- Choose a swimming pool.
- Get the rest of yourself wet.
- If swimming sounds suspiciously like exercise, book a massage.
- Repeat until the weather stops behaving dramatically.
Check current opening hours, admission conditions and availability directly with each venue before visiting, particularly during periods of changing weather or peak summer demand.
Ljubljana may be hot, but it is also full of cold drinking water, inviting pools and professionals whose job is to make you forget that shoulders can contain tension.
Stay hydrated, stay cool and get wet.
It looks good on you.
Either way.