The Ljubljana Castle, the main tourist attraction in the city, recorded almost half a million visitors in the first half of the year. By the end of the year it is again expected to have over one million visitors.

In the first six months almost half a million people visited the Ljubljana Castle, 487,721 to be exact, which is comparable to the same period last year. Considering the strong summer months are still ahead, when according to past years’ data over 300,000 people visit the Castle, it is expected that the counters of passers-by will for the fourth year in a row record over one million visitors annually. At the same time the number of journeys with the funicular is rising; in the first six months it recorded a 7.54 percent increase in the number of passengers in comparison to last year, which means it took on board 144,767 people.
The main tourist season is still ahead – namely, in the past years most visits were recorded in August – when domestic and foreign visitors can go on the journey of discovery of the rich history of the Ljubljana Castle, also using audio guides. In less than a year since they are available almost 20,000 visitors opted for them. The audio tours were first provided in Slovenian and seven foreign languages, and at the beginning of this year the system was upgraded to include additional four languages; now it offers twelve languages.

Each year more visitors take part in the guided tour with characters in costume titled »Time Machine – from Emona to a City Symbol«; in the first half of this year were 15 percent more such visitors than last year during the same period. During the main tourist season the Time Machine is scheduled four times a day in Slovenian and English and by using audio guides visitors can follow the tour in additional six languages.
This year some novelties are awaiting domestic and foreign visitors at the Ljubljana Castle. They can learn about everything the Castle has to offer at its entry – at a new pavilion where recently the Ljubljana rose started blooming. The walk on the chestnut lined promenade and the Plečnik’s Šance entrenchment can now be continued alongside the castle vineyard on the south slope of the Castle Hill and then all the way to the University Botanic Gardens Ljubljana which are, since spring, connected to the Castle via a new natural science learning path called »On the Trail of Fleischmann’s Parsnip«. Especially for local visitors who often go up to the Ljubljana Castle a yearly pass has been introduced – the Royal Card offers unlimited journeys with the funicular, access to Castle’s exhibitions, ticket discounts for events organised by the Ljubljana Castle and other advantages.
The season of Ljubljana Castle open-air events also started as an addition to the lively heartbeat of the capital. Until 30 July the Film Under the Stars is open, organised by the Ljubljana Castle and the Kinodvor cinema; between 3 and 5 August the summer nights culinary events at the castle courtyard, the cafe and the restaurant is going to be livened up by the group Jamm; on 18 August the sunset with the full moon at the Bastille of the Ljubljana Castle is going to be accompanied by open-air music; on 19 August Gal Gjurin with his orchestra and a guest, his sister Severa, is for the first time presenting his self-written studio album simply titled Earth; between 22 and 26 August the stand up comedy festival Panč is taking place, followed by the Comedy under the Stars (from 27 till 30 August).
In the year when Ljubljana is the proud holder of the European Green Capital 2016 title the Ljubljana Castle is joining a series of events connected to the title. Therefore, it is hosting different exhibitions this summer: National Geographic – Rarely Seen, the documentary exhibition Botanical History of the Castle Hill and the exhibition on bees and the beekeeping tradition Save the Bees (with guided tours). Books are again available at the Library under the Treetops, while Nature in Fairy Tales is providing fairy tale animation for the youngest. In addition, during summer the visitors to the Ljubljana Castle can listen to Castle Pipers on Saturdays, take a walk through the Medieval Camp on Sundays and every day till the end of August visit the fine art exhibition by Vladimir Makuc.