Ljubljana
For many people the lovely leafy, green city of Ljubljana is the first port of call when arriving in Slovenia and it doesn’t disappoint. Traffic is restricted in the centre meaning you can wander around enjoying the sights and sounds, especially if you walk along the emerald green Ljubljana River. In the evening the party atmosphere ramps up especially along the riverbank bars and restaurants overlooking the Ljubljana river just south of Prešeren Square. There are also plenty more offerings one street in called Mestni Trg, situated under the shadow of Ljubljana Castle. Mestni Trg leads to Stari Tri and it’s 19th century wooden shops, medieval houses and courtyards.
The focal point is the lovely Prešeren Square with the statue of poet and Slovenian favourite son France Prešeren. To the south of the square is the ornate triple bridge leading to the old town which is barely a kilometre long flowing alongside the river. There are a number of bridges, especially Cobblers Bridge, across the river to another part of the old town where you’ll find a number of nice hotels, bars and restaurants.
If you take a left after crossing the triple bridge you will find the Central Market and beyond that Dragon Bridge which has become the unofficial symbol of Slovenia. Before you reach these two places make sure you check out the stunning St Nicolas Cathedral, and don’t forget to walk around the outside to see the huge bronze doors and statues.
Finally, don’t forget to visit Ljubljana Castle. You can either walk up the steep slopes via various paths or take the castle funicular from the terminus which is south of the Central Market. Most of the castle, which sits atop the 375m hill and dates from the 16th century, is an interesting place to spend an afternoon. There are lots of spots to explore such as the Watchtower, the Chapel of St George, the Slovenian History Exhibition, and our favourite the Museum of Puppetry. You can also book the Time Machine tour where you will be escorted by a costumed guide who will inform and entertain you with stories about the castle. My favourite was about the Gunpowder Room’s doors flying 4kms away after being hit by a lightning strike. There are many ticketing options but life is too short for me to go through it all (you’ll see what I mean), good luck! Here’s the link to the website ljubljanskigrad.si/en/
You won’t go hungry in Ljubljana that’s for sure. From the haute cuisine of Strelec Restaurant (Ljubljana Castle) to the open air food fair of the Open Kitchen (Friday evenings). We ate at the lovely little traditional Julija restaurant on Stari Trg, great food, reasonably priced. And don’t forget to go to Vinoteka Movia, the wine bar belonging to Movia winery which we visited in the Brda wine region.
We stayed at the Eurostars uHotel which was only 250m from Prešeren Square, very convenient though not as nice as we expected, it looks like it has had a bit of a facelift since our stay. If you can, try to stay next door at sister hotel Grand Hotel Union, we were lucky enough to be able to enjoy dining in their art nouveau breakfast room, very special!
