Where am I? - Central Europe: Slovenia, Hungary, Austria & Slovakia (Part 2 of my European Summer 2026)

LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA

After returning our rental car in Trieste following a fabulous 5 days in the Dolomites, I took a Flixbus to Ljubljana, only a 1.5hr ride from Trieste. We arrived in the evening and checked into our hotel in central Ljubljana, the Vander Urbani Resort, a great centrally located hotel, with a cosy rooftop pool area overlooking the riverside. I was so excited to return to Ljubljana, having loved my short time here in 2025. It is such a gorgeous, compact and very walkable city, with most of the attractions and atmospheric dining along the river in the old town. The city is definitely becoming more popular, and it was bustling on the weekend when I was here in July! The city had even set up a temporary volleyball court along the Ljubljanica river for summer tournaments!

Our first full day here included some exploration of Ljubljana. I highly recommend visiting the key sites of Prešeren Square and the Three Bridges in the heart of the city. A walk or funicular up to the Ljubljana Castle also offers amazing views over the city. This castle has been amazingly restored, blending the ancient heritage with contemporary extensions, underground exhibition spaces and dining options. The Tivoli Gardens are another great park within the city.

Some of my favourite dining and café spots in Ljubljana included:

Silk and Fizz cocktail bar - located right near Vander Urbani Resort. Experimental cocktails in a sort of speakeasy vibe - super cool spot!
Fétiche - lovely wine bar and riverside restaurant. Nice focaccia, paninis and salads here!
Ala Pršuterija - tapas bar on the river, great for a drink
Moji Štruklji dumpling - nice spot along the river with this typical Slovenian savoury or sweet dumplings. The pistachio one was my favourite and definitely worth a try!
Tozd Bar - cool café during the day and bar at night, offering fun drinks in a funky urban atmospheric setting
Osem, Pekarna in Trgovina - amazing bakery in Ljubljana - morning croissant, coffee and bread rolls, great for an easy breakfast!

LAKE BLED & MARIBOR, SLOVENIA

On our second full day in Ljubljana, visiting Lake Bled was an absolute highlight! This day trip was easily one of my favourites and I would love to have stayed in the quaint Bled town next to the lake itself. Bled is easily accessible from the Ljubljana bus station, taking approx 50mins each way. At Bled, the 6km scenic walk around the lake is an absolute must, surrounded by stunning mountains, forests and the iconic central island home to the church in the middle of the lake. I had a dip in the lake and we enjoyed some coffee and meals at Zaka Bar (which offers the Lake Bled cake specialty – admittedly very similar to a vanilla slice!) as well as the Carman Wine Bar & Restaurant, which offers local Slovenian dishes with stunning views over the lake (a great lunch spot!).

After another morning in Ljubljana, we were collected for our drive to Budapest, the Hungarian capital. A few hours into the drive, we stopped in the lovely Maribor for a quick lunch. Maribor is Slovenia’s second largest city, and definitely an underrated spot! We loved our local lunch at Baščaršija, offering nice hearty meals, as well as visiting Trta, home to the world’s oldest grapevine, right in Maribor.

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY

We arrived in Budapest that evening, and checked into 7Seasons Apartments, located in the central ‘Pest’ side of the river, in great proximity for sightseeing, transport and dining options. I enjoyed exploring the key sites, including the iconic Váci utca (main shopping street), the Danube Shoe Monument and the Hungarian Parliament Building. I was amazed by the size and architectural detail of the building, especially when lit up at night. The following day we crossed the Chain Bridge across to Buda, for some exploration of the hillside of Budapest. We loved Fisherman’s Bastion and St Matthias Church. The views of the Danube and the parliament building here are amazing! I enjoyed this old town, wandering through Buda Castle and crossing back into Pest to check out the Central Market Hall. We also enjoyed a Danube Sunset River Cruise, which is a great way to get a different perspective of the city.

Budapest also has a great metro system, so we caught it out to City Park, to look around the lovely gardens. I highly recommend visiting the House of Music Hungary, a contemporary space designed by Sou Fujimoto, as well as Vajdahunyad Castle. Nearby are the famous Széchenyi Thermal Baths, which are well worth a visit to experience one of Budapest’s most iconic attractions.

Some of my restaurant, café & bar highlights in Budapest include:

Dobrumba - a great tapas / Middle Eastern style mezze restaurant in the Jewish Quarter. I loved the atmosphere here!
Pingrumba & BigFish at TimeOut Market - this great market is located slightly further out of Pest towards the iconic New York Café, in an upmarket style food court.
26° Budapest - This building has a unique indoor green rainforest style courtyard and dining area. This is attached to the unique boutique Stories Hotel, which I would love to stay at on a future Budapest visit!
4Minutes Café - this quaint café in Buda old town has lovely takeaway style drinks
Goat Herder - a brunch cafe recommended to us by a fellow Aussie we met in Ljubljana. They have several locations around Budapest and are great for a coffee and avo-smash brunch.
High Note SkyBar - great spot for drinks and views over the city. I recommend booking a spot on the outdoor terrace here for sunset/evening views over the St Stephen’s Basilica rooftop and surrounding Budapest skyline.
Szimpla Kert - this is the most popular of the ruin bars and a truly unique space. In order to avoid the queues, I recommend a late afternoon visit here.

The Garden Café - this is a super cute café with delicious options, right in the heart of Pest tucked away down a side street.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA

We continued by train for about 3 hours, to spend the following 3 nights in the capital of Austria. Vienna was one of my favourite cities of the entire trip! So many gorgeous buildings, great areas to explore and lovely cafés to enjoy. We stayed at the Lindner Hotel am Belvedere, a great hotel right near the Belvedere Palace, a great base between the old town and the Wien Hauptbahnhof (central station), for a day trip to nearby Bratislava. I loved checking out Stephansplatz and St. Stephen’s Cathedral. We wandered the main streets of Graben & Kohlmarkt, before strolling the gardens and streets around the Museums Quartier to see the iconic Hofburg Palace, Burggarten, Volksgarten, and Karlsplatz! I loved checking out the Naschmarkt, both for dinner and a weekend brunch, super vibey with lots of dining options. Also recommend checking out the lovely Belvedere Palace for a walk around the gardens.

Another one of my favourite areas was exploring Neubau and surrounding suburbs. Mariahilfer Straße is a great shopping street in Vienna, with the nearby 24 Burggasse combining a café and vintage store, along with the MISA Matcha store having great takeaway drinks. I would love to stay in this area next time in Vienna!

Some of my dining suggestions:

Café Camelle - a great spot near our hotel and Belvedere Palace on the way to the old town. Quite close to the lovely Stadtpark as well.
Needle Vinyl Bar - a cool cocktail bar with vinyl records
Kaffee Alt Wien - a typical Austrian pub style dinner for some Viennese classics
Tewa am Markt - a great brunch spot in Naschmarkt, especially on a Saturday morning!
Li’s Cooking - another Naschmarkt spot, highly rated for a delicious dinner. I loved the sushi platter here!
Shoyu Ramen - a great Japanese restaurant in the heart of the old town. Highly rated and fabulous food.
Café Bräunerhof - a Viennese institution in the old town of Vienna. We stopped here for some delicious apple strudel dessert.
Der Dachboden - a great rooftop bar in Vienna, part of the lovely 25hours Hotel at MuseumsQuartier. I would love to stay at this funky hotel on a future Vienna visit.

BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA

During our time in Vienna, we also took a half day trip to the Slovakian capital, Bratislava. Located about an hour by train from Vienna, this city has a surprisingly underrated old town, with gorgeous squares, streets, courtyards and old buildings. Make sure to walk up to the Bratislava Castle, which has views over the entire city. Bratislava has a unique ‘Blue Church’ which is a cool attraction to see as well. I enjoyed a stroll along the Danube, lunch at Bistro 2, a brunch style café, and coffee at the funky Baryk Café for some homemade lemonade, near the cool Slovak Radio building. We then returned to Vienna after a fun few hours exploring the city. I would definitely recommend a day trip here if you have time while in Austria!

Central Europe: Xavier

Vietnam: Jackie