Hi guys,

I am going to show you the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana (->map).
Woooh relax, I haven’t even started yet but I can already picture some of you rolling their eyes and asking :
->”Bloody hell, how do I pronounce Ljubljana ?”.
I know guys. It is kind of hard to pull it off.
In english, you could pronounce it “Lyoo-Blya-na” and in French “Liou-blia-na“.

I have kind of a mix feeling about Ljubljana.
I guess the first time I went there, I was expecting too much.
I didn’t know anything about Ljubljana and I was thinking BIG.
BIG city with tons of things to visit and discover for many days.
But that was not the case at all.
With 280.000 people living in Ljubljana, the city is by far the most populated city in Slovenia.
Though the city is 275 km2, the old city center that is worth visiting is really tiny.
From “Prešeren Square” (the heart of old the city), 90% of the most interesting places to visit are within a radius of 1 km.

But …having said that, I think the city is really worth visiting.
Just don’t expect too much (like I did) and it will be all right.
When I look at the bright side, a small city center can also have advantages.
I am pretty sure anyone can easily visit the old city center in one day.
Many of us travel for at least 2 or 3 days to visit a city.
In Ljubljana, you won’t have to rush to see as many things as possible.
In 2 days, you’ll be able to see a lot and even come back to re-visit places that you’ve liked the previous day.
You won’t have to feel rushed because you know you’ll have time to see (almost) everything.
If you are staying more that 2 days in Ljubljana then you’ll have even more fun.
You’ll be abe to visit other cities of Slovenia within a day such as Bled for instance.
Even without a car, you can take a bus in the morning to go visit Bled and come back in Ljubljana in the early evening.
Easy peasy ! Taking the train to go visit Bled is also an option.
The bus station is just next to the Ljubljana central train station.

Now Ljubljana … I don’t really know where to start exactly.
I think one of the coolest thing in the old city center is the atmosphere.
It is very laid-back, peaceful and trendy.
Cherry on the cake, the old city center is only for pedestrians.
It really gives a cool and quiet atmosphere.

The central market of Ljubljana is one of my top 3 highlights of visiting Ljubljana.
It is situated along the Ljubljanica river between the “Dragon bridge” and the “Triple bridge” (just next to “Prešeren Square”).
One part of the center market (“Plecnik covered market”) is covered, another part is in open air and a third part is hidden inside a white building.
The “Plecnik covered market” was disigned by the famous Slovenian architect Jože Plecnik. It is really gorgeous.

The colonnade and the arcades give this covered market an unique look.
Inside this covered market, you’ll find many shops, bars and restaurants.
When I go to Ljubljana, I really like to go eat in one of the restaurants of the covered market.
I can eat while watching the river and people walking by on the other side of the river.

Hanging out in the central open air market is also a lot of fun.
If you are hungry, it is one of the best place to be.
There is a large variety of food there (local food, snacks, pizzas, salads, cakes, cookies, Burek …).

Do not miss the part of the central market that is inside a white building.
I discovered it for the first time in March 2018, and it was so nice buying food there.
A lot of good things to see, eat and drink. It was also great to blend in with local people running errands.

Another highlight of the city is the castle of Ljubljana.
I could have started by the castle but it is so famous here that it doesn’t need more publicity.
It is on higher ground at the top of a hill.
The funicular to Ljubljana castle and the alley leading to the castle are very close to the Ljubljana central market.
There are a lot of things to see and visit inside the castle.
You’ll find a free photo exhibition, a permanent exhibition, a museum, a tower, souvenirs shops,a chapel, restaurants etc…
I recommend you to spend at least 2 hours in the castle to see all or most it.
I also highly recommend you to go at the top of the tower in the courtyard of the castle.
From there, you’ll have a fantastic 360° view over Ljubljana and the mountains.

To go up to the castle of Ljubljana, you can either walk up a steep path or take the funicular.
Should you choose the second option, you can purchase a ticket (Funicular + Castle).

Now, let’s go back down towards the market and turn left on a street named “Vodnikov trg”.
A bit further, you’ll see the “Cathedral of Saint Nicholas”.
Do not miss it and try to pay attention to some of the details inside and outside (massive bronze doors, paintings on the walls).
You can learn a lot about it if you attend a walking tour of the city center.
But let’s pause for a quick moment. Walking tour … most of the time, I like walking tours.
When I go to Ljubljana, I like going inside St. Nicholas’ Cathedral because it is so peaceful inside …
untill a large group of tourists (on a walking tour) come inside with their guide to ruin my day.
But last saturday was my lucky day.
I was walking around the cathedral and I took pictures of one of the massive bronze doors.
Then a tall guy saw me coming near the entrance of the cathedral and asked me if I was interested to know about its story.
I said “Yeah, sure” but I was thinking “Mmmmh, how is it going to cost me at the end ?”.
He explained to me that he and her female colleague worked for an association.
One weedend a month, members of this association provide infos and tell the story of the cathedral for those who are interested.
For at least 45 minutes, this nice gentleman taught me a lot about the Cathedral and all the details inside the church and on the walls outside.
And guess what ? it was free …. AMEN !
We were only three people for this little private tour.
I wanted to give him a 10€ tip at the end but he said “No need too. It’s free”. Unbelievable !
He gave me the name of his association on Facebook.
It is called “PIETRE VIVE SLOVENIA – Živi Kamni” .
Type it on Facebook if you are interrested and want informations.
One of the guide from this association told me they stand near the cathedral one day a month during the weekend.
If you happen to be around the Cathedral and someone ask you if you want to hear about the story of the Cathedral … do not freak out.
Let him talk first. If he or her is from this association, then just answer “YES, thank you !”.
You’ll learn a lot about the Cathedral, away from other large tourists groups.

I would like to show you now “Prešeren Square” and the “Triple bridge”.
That’s the heart of the old city center.
You’ll see a big bronze statue in this square.
That’s the statue of France Prešeren, well known poet here in Slovenia.
This 19th century slovenian poet is kind of a Rock Star of poetry here.
One of is most famous poem (“Zdravljica“) is now the national anthem of Slovenia.
From this square, you’ll also see the “Franciscan Monastery”.

There are plenty of bars, restaurants and shops along the Ljubljanica river.
The atmosphere in the paved alleys along the river is really pleasant.
No cars in those alleys, just pedestrians and cyclists. The city center is a green city.
No wonder Ljubljana held the title of European green capitale in 2016.
No bad smell of exhaust pipes there. Fantastic !
But it was not so at the time.
If you look at the photos in an exhibition room of the castle, you will maybe see pictures of the old city center before the 1990s.
There were cars everywhere in the old city center.
It looks sooooo much better now, in 2018.

Let’s continue towards the city hall of Ljubljana, just 2 minutes away on foot from Prešeren Square.
You can actually go inside and visit a little part of the city hall.
The paved street where the city hall is situated is also one of the places where I like to walk and go get a drink.
Many bars, restaurants and shops.
My favorite restaurant in this street is Güjžina.
The food in this restaurant is exquisite.
Their speciality are dishes from the region called Prekmurje (in the eastern part of Slovenia near Hungary).

About 10 minutes away (on foot) from “Prešeren Square”, you’ll find one of my favorite place in Ljubljana.
It is the oldest skyscraper of Ljubljana. To me, it is kind of a mini-Empire State Building.
Built during the 1930s, it is called “Nebotičnik“.

Back then, this old building was a masterpiece of archictecture and technology.
It was even conceived to be earthquake resistant. At the time, it was pretty groundbreaking!
Even now, it still looks very nice and it has a lot of charm.
But wait …that’s not all.
You won’t just be limited to watch this 70 meters tall skyscraper and take good pictures of it.
No sir … you’ll be able to do much more than taking pictures.
There’s a little surprise waiting for you at the top of the building.
A very nice bar with a huge terrace, giving you a great view over the city and the mountains.
But wait …there’s more.
You can order drinks, snacks or excellent cakes for a very affordable price for such an iconic building.
Last time I went there, I ordered I slice of cake and cup a tea. It cost me about 6 or 7 €.
I can already tell you that if you want to have a cake and a tea in an iconic building in Paris or London, it would cost a lot more than 7 €.
But wait…there’s more.
The bar at the top of “Nebotičnik” has also a great wifi.
When I am tired of walking or when the weather is bad or cold, I go up there.
I order a drink and watch Youtube videos on my cell phone for a long time. It always works perfectly.
AWESOME! How many time have we been to bars or hostels and wifi was barely working or not at all.
But at the top bar of “Nebotičnik”, the wifi is like a wonderful dream.
The entrance leading to the elevator that goes up to the top bar is on a street named “Štefanova ulica” at n° 1.
Have a good look at the beautiful lobby on the ground floor (near the elevator) with its statues and black karst marble tiles.

Another very popular place in Ljubljana is the Tivoli Park.
It is about 10 minutes away from “Neboticnik”.
If it is sunny, this park is really a very nice place to relax and hang out with friends.
Tivoli park is quite huge. You could easily spend a few hours there away from concrete buildings and asphalt.
If you spend enough time in Ljubljana, I recommend you to go visit this park.

Another great place, another great square … we are now in “Congress Square”.
It is just 3 minutes away from “Prešeren Square”.
It is situated near the administrave building of the university of Ljubljana and the “Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity”.
This square is quite huge. From there, you’ll also be able to see the castle if you look up.
If you happen to be there one day, I recommend you to go have a cake and a coffee at the “Zvezda Café”.
It is just 150 meters away in a street called “Wolfova ulica” (at n° 14) between the “Congress Square” and “Prešeren Square”.
The cakes there are really really good. They also have a great wifi by the way.

If you have a little extra time, try to walk around randomly in the city and even outside the old city center.
You’ll maybe see cool streets with old run-down buildings and grafittis on walls.
It sometimes reminds me of some cool streets in former East Berlin.

One last thing, my friends.
We are not leaving Ljubljana without spending time by the river.
Taking a stroll along the Ljubljanica river is also a nice way to start or end the day.
If you feel lazy, another excellent option is also to go on a little boat cruise.
It is not expensive at all and you’ll see a lot of beautiful things.
The boat cruise on the Ljubljanica river last about one hour and it is quite cheap.

 

MY TIPS FOR LJUBLJANA:

1/ Go see the central market of Ljubljana (hang out, watch, eat & drink).
2/ Visit the Ljubljana Castle.
3/ Visit the Cathedral of St. Nicholas.
4/ Go see Preseren Square and the Triple bridge.
5/ Go to the info center near the Triple bridge (a lot of free maps for all Slovenia).
6/ Go inside the Franciscan Monastery in Prešeren Square.
7/ Walk along the Ljubljanica river.
8/ Go inside the city hall of Ljubljana on “Mestni Trg”.
9/ Go walk on the Congress Square.
10/ Go see the Napoleon monument at the French Revolution Square.
11/ Go get a drink at the top floor terrace of Nebotičnik.
12/ Go to Tivoli Park.
13/ Go on a boat cruise on the Ljubljanica river.
14/ Loose yourself in the city and look at hip and cool areas.
15/ Go see the “Ljubljana National and University Library” building.
16/ Good places to eat -> Güjžina, Barbarella, As, Zvezda, Ljubljana Central Market.
17/ Book a food walking tour (not cheap).
18/ Go on a free walking tour.
19/ Take the bus or the train to visit Bled.
20/ Rent a car to go visit nice cities on the Slovenian coastline (Koper, Izola, Portorož, Piran).
21/ Go get some fresh air -> Arboretum Volčji Potok (25 min by car).