36 Hours in Ljubljana, Slovenia

1) 3 P.M. Working Spirit

The capital’s layers — ancient squares, buildings and streets — aren’t for gawking, they’re working parts of an evolving city. Residents, for instance, have been using Castle Hill for thousands of years for everything from defense to a venue for wine tastings and art. Hike or ride the funicular to the 16th-century citadel for the Museum of Puppetry, photography exhibitions and to climb the tower (entry 7.50 euros, or about $8.80) for panoramas of the Julian Alps. On the path back to town, grab an espresso jolt and a different take on that working spirit at Crno Zrno, a cafe on Gornji Trg (Upper Square) that curates and experiments with Colombian coffee beans. “People here come from a tradition of growing things,” said Alexander Nino, from Bogotá, who opened the cafe this year. “They understand why being hands-on is important.”

2) 5 P.M. Nowhere to Hide

Quandary: How to enjoy all the restaurants recommended by friends, guides and cabdrivers during a short stay? Five years ago, Lior Kochavy, an Israeli who moved to Ljubljana after marrying a Slovene, developed the most elegant solution yet. The city hosts Odprta Kuhna, or Open Kitchen, every Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (10 p.m. in the summer), running March to Oct. 27 on Pogacarjev Square. Around 50 restaurants (all from Slovenia’s top 100 list) break out stoves and spatulas to serve up innovative concoctions. “The point is to break barriers between people and restaurants,” Mr. Kochavy said. If you are in town after Open Kitchen ends, head over to Osha, a tiny Southeastern Asian bistro that opened in June, and order a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich with lemongrass-marinated chicken and a can of Bevog craft beer.

3) 7 P.M. Soulful Eats

For your main meal, head over to the city’s most socially (and sensually) forward-thinking restaurant for a tour of world beats and soul food. The brainchild of Zimbabwe-born Max Zimani, Skuhna’s raison d’être was to increase the employability of migrants from the global south. The result is a menu that rotates between countries — shawarmas, curry-based soups and chicken roasted with peppers — and seduces the street with spices from places like India, Tunisia, Colombia and Bangladesh (a main dish with salad costs 7.50 euros). On Fridays, the venue becomes a stage for five-course dinners and live music (15 euros).

4) 10 P.M. New Perspective

The Art Nouveau building known as Neboticnik, or simply Skyscraper, is the castle’s 20th-century, across-the-river, photo-op counterpart. When constructed in 1933, the 230-foot structure was among the tallest in Europe. Today, it provides an ideal spot for a morning coffee or a nightcap with 360-degree views, live acts and D.J.s providing the dance-floor soundtrack until the wee hours.

5) 9:30 A.M. Farm to Mouth

A morning trip to the trznice (markets) — sprawled across multiple squares behind the Cathedral of St. Nicholas — is a rite of passage. The search for the day’s most important meal begins with a tour of the indoor meat and fish sections. Then sidle up to the locals between the outdoor, umbrella-covered stalls bearing crates of seasonal and local fruits and vegetables. Don’t be shy — haggle for produce, honey, cheeses and nuts under the covered arcade.

6) 11 A.M. Ocean Views

Edibles aren’t Ljubljana’s only homegrown products. For longer-term keepsakes, cross the Triple Bridge and the city’s main piazza, Preseren Square. The internationally acclaimed Marjeta Groselj — look for the G above the door — has been designing one-of-a-kind, handmade leather clutches, purses and bags (500 euros on average) in the same shop for 51 years. After, head to Zoofa, a riverside boutique housing a cooperative of 12 Slovenian designers. A swirl of colors and fabrics, dresses, shirts and jewelry fills the minimalist white space with arched ceilings and hardwood floors.

7) 1 P.M. Local Genius

The architect Joze Plecnik, who died in 1957, still drives the city’s aesthetic. Dozens of landmarks found life on his design table, including the Triple Bridge and National Library. Learn about the enigmatic genius’s process with a tour of the Plecnik House (6 euros), where he lived and worked — pencil stubs, spectacles and packs of cigarettes remain in place — for nearly four decades. Then walk five minutes north to the Krakovo neighborhood for lunch at Pri Skofu. It doesn’t get any more local than this 25-year-old restaurant, where the owner, Maja Pitarevic, makes dishes like gnocchi with arugula and prosciutto (10 euros) from scratch and harvests salad ingredients from community gardens.

8) 4 P.M. Metelkova Museums

Perhaps no place in Ljubljana epitomizes the city’s creative repurposing like the Metelkova district. Once a 19th-century Austro-Hungarian army barracks, over the last two decades the complex has found new life as the Museum Quarter. The Slovenian Ethnographic Museum, the National Museum of Slovenia and the Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkovashare a quad and provide a convenient way to embrace a far-reaching slate of permanent and rotating exhibitions. For a more unfettered cultural experience, Metelkova Mesto (city), behind the quarter, has driven the alternative scene in the capital for nearly 30 years and is a go-to spot to party. Today the graffiti-strewn collection of studios and bars hosts around 1,500 yearly events, ranging from lectures and workshops to D.J. soirees.

9) 7 P.M. Dinner and Shopping

Slovenia is small, about the size of Massachusetts, but has three wine-growing zones. Take a one-minute walk from Town Square, Mestni trg, for a pre-dinner tasting at Dobrote Dolenjske, where some 350 products, including liqueurs, cheeses and wine — line shelves from the southeast Posavska wine region. For dinner, continue up the brick-lined avenue as it winds past Stari trg (Old Square) to Gornji trg. Secure a table at Repete, a bistro that hosts live jazz sessions. Check the chalkboards for daily specials — like smoked trout on baby spinach and sour cherry pie for dessert — based on what the owners scored at the market. A dinner for two with a bottle of rosé from Sveti Martin, in southwest Slovenia, costs around 50 euros.

10) 11 P.M. Final Exam

Round out your wine education with a final exam at Wine Bar Suklje, where vaulted ceilings shelter some 300 labels (half from Slovenia), filling the bottom floor of a building constructed in 1619. Relax along the river and order a flight of favorites — the wine card changes monthly — or take a blind-tasting pop quiz to see how well your studies have progressed. If you need a cheat sheet, check out the menu’s rock-music-to-wine mood scale, complete with easy-to-read icons next to each bottle. The family’s own dry, red Modra Frakinja, from vineyards in Slovenia’s southeast corner, is “easy pop.”

11) 8 A.M. Riverside Brunch

You’d be hard-pressed to script a better brunch joint. Opened this year, EK Bistro mixes an indoor exposed-brick, marble-tabletop aesthetic with beaming service and inventive housemade menu items. In the warmer months, tables line the riverbank. You can go the classic route with a mimosa and eggs Benedict, or step up your game with a rhubarb lemonade (3.5 euros) and poached eggs on an English muffin with foie gras, truffles, tarragon and hollandaise (12 euros).

12) 10 A.M. Pedal and Paddle

Finish your time in Ljubljana with a trip beyond it. “One of the best parts about Ljubljana is we are close to great nature,” said Jan Klavora, the director of Visit Good Place, which leads adventure excursions all over the country. On this tour (80 euros per guest), you’ll cycle about 10 miles to the marshes of Ljubljansko Barje, recognized by Unesco for the archaeological value of the prehistoric pile dwellings: structures built on stilts. Afterward, grab a paddle and go one level deeper — observing the flora and fauna at water level — with a Ljubljanica River kayak ride back to the capital, through nature and history.

The 205-room Hotel Park (Tabor 9; hotelpark.si; doubles from 80 euros) is Ljubljana’s first green-certified hotel. Located on the edge of Tabor Park and one block south of the Metelkova Museum Quarter, the newly renovated accommodation started its sustainability conversion in 2015. Since then, it has reduced its energy and water use and its overall waste. However, for gourmands, the highlight may be that the rooftop beehives and garden provide the restaurant with honey and herbs.

Opened in 2011, 26-room Hotel Cubo (Slovenska cesta 15; hotelcubo.com; doubles from 135 euros) works hard to make a guest’s life as easy as possible. Bicycles are free. Picnic baskets can be ordered for excursions to the city park. There’s a fitness room. The staff will arrange car rentals. Mobile phones are provided with free local and international calls. And all this even before a visitor has slept in one of its 355-square-foot living spaces with 700-thread-count Egyptian linens.