Slovenia's cities, from largest to smallest

The two largest: Ljubljana and Maribor

Ljubljana is the capital and the country’s only big city, with 293,244 people. It has a castle around 900 years old, Plečnik’s works, on the World Heritage List since 2021, and a car-free centre. Maribor, the second city, is wine country, with the world’s oldest vine in the Lent district, recognised by Guinness World Records as more than 400 years old, and Pohorje a cable car ride away, 5 km from the centre. The first is covered in Ljubljana and the second in Maribor.

Celje, Kranj, Koper and the mid-sized cities

Celje and Kranj are almost level, at around 38,000 each. Celje was the city of the Counts of Celje, a family the Tourist Board ranks among the most important in medieval Europe, and it keeps the Old Castle and remains of Roman Celeia. Kranj’s old town sits on a rock above the Kokra canyon and is Prešeren’s town. Koper, with 26,579, is Slovenia’s main port and the centre of Slovenian Istria. Velenje, a new town opened in 1959, has the Coal Mining Museum, and Novo mesto curls round a bend of the Krka.

The small towns I like best

Among those under 20,000, my favourite is Ptuj, Roman Poetovio, with its castle and Kurentovanje, the country’s biggest carnival. How many people live in each is in Slovenia population. Škofja Loka has the castle the Bishops of Freising built in 1202 and its Passion play, on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list. Kamnik has two castles and the way up to Velika Planina, while Izola on the coast has a medieval centre and eight beaches along 5 km. Nova Gorica shares Europe Square with Italian Gorizia and has Solkan Bridge nearby.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Maribor on Expedia and filter by area before price.

Piran, the exception

Piran doesn’t reach 10,000 people, just 3,678 in the town, but its municipality had 631,821 arrivals in 2025, more than any other except Ljubljana. That’s why I treat it as a city here. Its Venetian old town, with Tartini Square and St George’s church above the sea, is to my mind the prettiest in the country. If the coast appeals more than the interior, start there.

How I’d combine Slovenia’s cities

There’s no need to see them all. On a one-week trip, Ljubljana and Piran are enough. With ten days I’d add Maribor and Ptuj, both in Podravje. The rest work as stops along the way, Kranj and Škofja Loka heading for the Alps, Postojna on the road to the coast, Celje if you’re making for the eastern spas. If you fly in and out of Ljubljana, the capital can bookend the trip, with a night at the start and another before your flight home.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Maribor and pick one that fits your day.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Maribor on Booking.com and filter by area before price.