Ljubljana, the Capital of Slovenia, is situated right in the centre of the country. It is considered the cultural, economic, political and educational centre of Slovenia. Slovenia is situated to the North East of Italy and became an independent country in 1991.
I flew from Milan to Ljubljana, via Zurich (on Swiss Air) and returned via Frankfurt (on Lufthansa). My return flight cost €340. There are direct flights from Paris, London, Miami, Dubai etc. You can also travel by train to Ljubljana from several cities including Prague and Zagreb.
I had arranged to take the hotel shuttle from the airport which was a service shared with other hotels. It cost €12 each way and the journey took about 35 minutes. Private cars arranged by hotels can cost approximately €33. Local buses operate a service to the airport from the city centre costing €6.
My hotel was called “The Hotel Ljubljana”. It’s a new boutique hotel, on the riverbank near the Cobblers Bridge. I had a single room which cost €112 per night. The location of the hotel was perfect as was extremely central to everything. There are lots of cafes and restaurants along each side of the river. It felt very safe walking around, including at nighttime.
The Ljubljana river flows through the city centre and really is the heartbeat of this beautiful city. Ljubljana is known as the “City of the Dragon”. There is a Dragon Bridge and it appears on the cities coat of arms and flag. The city has strong botanical and green initiatives and in 2014 won the European Green Capital Award.
While I had 4 days to explore the city, I wished I had an additional day. The following are the things I did and learnt during my stay.
Boat Cruise
It was really warm when I arrived in Ljubljana at 10.30am. I was tired after my early morning flights so when I saw a sign for a river boat cruise, I thought that would be perfect to do first. The sign said the next departure was in 15 mins and the duration was 60 minutes. I requested a ticket and was asked if I was alone. When I said I was, the lady told me she only sold tickets in groups of two. She suggested I stand in the corner and wait to see if another single person came along. I declined her offer as thought that was really strange !
Later on that day, I saw several more signs advertising boat cruises. I approached a seller on the Butchers Bridge (distinctive as is the one with the padlocks) and asked about availability. Thankfully he just sold me a ticket and my 50 minute cruise cost €12. I was able to get a seat right at the bow of the boat, which was perfect for taking photos and seeing all the sites. It was still extremely warm, even though it was 5pm, but it was lovely and cool on the water. There was no tour guide on the boat so it was really up to yourself to recognise the bridges, buildings and landmarks.
My cruise travelled south for approximately 20 minutes. We passed by the Cobblers, Dragon, and Triple Bridges. You really get a unique view of all of these from the river. The river is lined with different types of buildings and we travelled through a mainly green space for a short time. There were lots of people in kayaks, wearing the distinctive green sports shirts of Slovenia. Children were getting lessons and were navigating their way through some obstacles.
The water looks quite clean and has a lot of marsh in places. Once you got away from the city centre there were ducks, mallards and large rodents that looked like beavers.
The boat did a u-turn and went back past the Butchers Bridge and did another u-turn and returned to its dock. I really enjoyed this trip and certainly recommend doing it. Do shop around, as prices and durations vary and some have guides on board.
Ljubljana Castle
The Castle tower, with two flags (city and country) form an imposing presence over the city. I walked up to the castle via a wooded area, which took about 10 minutes. At one stage, there are were small steps which would be ideal for people who don’t like to walk up hills. You can take a funicular (cable car) also. You can visit several areas for free, or pay €11 for an all access pass. I purchased the audio guide and it cost €16, which included the all access pass. You can purchase tickets online and can also include a return ticket on the funicular.
I was given a map, with the audio guide. It had numbers to identify each area and you press the corresponding button on the audio guide. I did find it difficult to locate a few of the areas and the numbers didn’t correspond to the numbers on the maps located throughout the grounds. I met several people trying to find items and showing some frustration. I do think some of the signage needs to be updated and it made clear that the numbers differ to the other maps.
However, even with these minor challenges, I was very glad to have the audio guide as I thought it was fantastic. The descriptions of the artefacts and areas of the castle were excellent, detailed and not too lengthly. You also had the option to listen to additional information occasionally. I spent about 3 hours walking around and saw everything that was available. I suggest you do pay for a ticket as some of the areas which were only available to paying visitors, were particularly interesting especially the top of the tower and the historical exhibitions.
It really is worth climbing the 150 steps to the top of the viewing tower. The design of the red spiral staircase is just pure genius, as one is used to go up and one to go down. I haven’t seen one like this in any of the castles and towers I have visited. While all areas of the castle are on a hill and you can get a panoramic view of the city, you see even more from the top of the tower.
I also enjoyed the historical exhibition. Items were showcased in glass cabinets with good signs and the audio guide gave detailed information on most of the items. I remember watching news reports on the War Of Independence in 1991, so seeing items from that period and listening to a Slovenian account was extremely moving.
Prisoners were held at the castle at various times and like most things in life, there was a real class distinction between where the rich were held versus the “commoners”. The audio guide gave detailed descriptions of each area and cell and I wouldn’t have learnt as much without it. You enter a small area which contains 4 preserved cells. The last one is locked and when you look through the peep hole, visuals appear of former inmates. You feel as if you are looking at real people. It’s extremely clever.
There are several coffee shops, ice cream stands and restaurants situated throughout the grounds. The Strelec Restaurant has a Michelin star and their website says it is one of the most renowned restaurants in Slovenia.
I really wanted to go to a vineyard during my time in Slovenia but I knew I wouldn’t have time, so I did a wine tasting at the Castle instead.
Wine Tasting
You can chose from a 3, 5 or 7 wine selection and I opted for the 5, which cost €36. This included a generous plate of cold cuts (meat, cheese and bread). As I am vegetarian I was brought a plate of 3 types of cheeses. Along with the crusty bread and some dried fruit, it was an ideal portion size. The young lady that poured for me, was excellent. She was extremely knowledgeable in the wines and regions and she answered all my questions very clearly. For those of you who may not know this, you get an added surprise in Slovenia as you don’t just have the option of red, white or rose ! They also have a local orange wine. My 5 wines were as follows:
Sparkling White (BJAN BRUT), very refreshing dry light sparkling wine
White (VERUS Sauvignon), had a strong smell, was quite heavy for a white and very fruity
Rose (Belica), I am usually not a fan of Rose, but I really enjoyed this. It had a spicy after taste
Orange (Malvazija), The orange wine is made from white grapes and the seeds and skin are used during fermentation. It was very different to any wine I have had before. It was acidic with a peppery taste.
Red (Albiana), I usually love red wine, but this was my least favourite of the 5. It was very light and difficult to describe.
I really enjoyed the wine tasting and was delighted to learn about the Orange wine and to find a Rose I like. I don’t see Slovenian wines readily available in other European countries though. I did see the Verus and Malvazija labels in restaurants and shops during my stay in Ljubljana.
Churches and Cathedrals
The Church of the Annunciation is the distinctive pink building on Preseren Square. When I arrived morning mass was starting so I stayed for it. It was a beautiful service, even though I couldn’t understand a word being spoken. There was a Baritone and a wonderful choir.
Regardless of whether you are religious or not, I think it is very interesting to attend a service when travelling. I have attended several different religious services when travelling and all were memorable. It is important though to remember you are not at a tourist attraction and the people sitting beside you are members of the congregation. There was a lady recording the service in the Church of the Annunciation and had her iPhone held up, as if she was at a concert.
The church is different than ones I have been in as the marble is very dark and not the pastel colour I am more used to seeing.
The Cyril and Methodist Church, near the Tivoli Park is also worth visiting. Again the interior is quite dark. It has the largest gallery of Orthodox frescos in Central Europe.
The Cathedral of St. Nicholas is just off the market square. You pay €2 to visit it and is worth paying. This Gothic style church was built in 1707, after two previous ones were destroyed by fire. Again the interior has dark coloured marble and there are 6 side chapels all with beautiful paintings and frescos.
Tivoli Park
Tivoli Park is a 10 minute walk from Preseren Square and parts of it have been around since the 17th Century. I visited it twice and still only saw a fraction of it. It was raining a little the first day, but there were lots of people around, some walking dogs and others with children on bicycles.
The main walkway (Jakopic Promenade), had an amazing Sports Photography Exhibition with large images on both sides. The photographs are really fantastic, some action shots and some portrait shots of athletics. There are lots of household names including Tiger Woods, Lyndsey Vonn and Max Verstappen. There were also stars of sports which don’t get as much mainstream media coverage. I understand that the exhibitions change regularly.
There are lots of walkways and trails in the park and seats are located in all areas. There are some very interesting sculptures throughout. Tivoli Park is the home to The National Museum of Contemporary History, the International Center of Graphic Arts and the Tivoli Sports Hall.
I came back early on my last morning and again it was extremely busy. The railway line runs on an overpass near the park entrance and makes an interesting backdrop to the city landscape, especially when the long freight trains travel by.
Opera House
I had read about the Opera House on @RJonTourUK, who has several blogs on Slovenia. I booked a ticket on-line for a box seat for €35. I attended the premiere of “Eugene Onegin”. I had a brilliant view and it was a real treat to sit in a box in such a beautiful theatre.
There was a lady on her own in the box also and we chatted during the intervals. She was a local, involved in the Slovenian music industry and was friends with several cast members. She told me several of the soloists were famous stars in Slovenia. She pointed out several famous people in attendance including the singer who sang Slovenias latest Eurovision entry. People were dressed for the occasion and there were several photographers taking photos during the breaks.
I really enjoyed the evening and the performance. The orchestra, music and all cast members were tremendous. If you are a music and theatre lover like me, I strongly suggest you book something if you visit Ljubljana. I still can’t get over what the ticket cost me, a fraction of the price you would pay in London or New York!
The National Gallery of Slovenia
The National Gallery is about a 5 minute walk from Preseren Square, almost opposite the Opera House. The exterior of the building looks very Parisian. The entrance fee was €8. You leave your belongings in a locker but do take your ticket with you, as I was asked to show mine several times when walking around.
It took me about 2 hours to walk around and see everything on view in the multiple rooms. The Portrait room was my favourite area. There was also an exhibition on restoring a painting. They had pictures of the process at various stages and the finished painting was on display. They had works on display from Slovenian artists and international ones. It was interesting to see that most of the Slovenian artists had to go to other European cities to hone their trade. There was a room with religious statutes and I have never seen so many with rosy checks and I have seen lots of religious statues on my travels. My least favourite was the exhibition of works by Zoran Music and that was the exhibition I was looking forward to seeing as had read about it previously.
The museum has a lot of artwork and they are displayed on walls and on standalone structures throughout the rooms. The signs were in several languages including english. I really enjoyed this Museum and recommend you visit and allow yourself at least 2 hours.
The Museum of Modern Art
I went to the Museum of Modern Art also and the entrance fee was €5. The atmosphere was very different than over the road at the National Museum. No one checked my ticket although there were people based in each room. No one made eye contact or greeted me and I felt I was being watched at all times.
There is a lot to see at this Museum and my favourite was the sculpture called “Shattered Happiness” as it looked the exact opposite, as was two people embracing. I also liked “The Dreams of a Slovenian Alpinist” and the beautiful patchwork quilt which was really a picture of a picture. There were some videos being played and I watched one called “Follow Me” where a very young Croatian boy was giving a futuristic tour of a place called Kansas in Croatia in 2002. I didn’t quIte understand what this was all about, to be honest.
If you are a modern art lover you will probably really enjoy this Museum but if you only want to attend one Art Museum I would go to the National National Gallery. I suggest you allow at least 90 minutes to see everything at MOMA.
The Metelkova District
This area is known as the centre of arts, crafts and independent culture and was about an 18 minute walk from the Cobblers Bridge. I had read about this area but was surprised at how small it is. I arrived at just after 10.00am and there were a lot of young men sitting around the area. I wasn’t sure, to be honest, if it was safe to be there. An older man with a camera arrived just after me so I decided there was safety in numbers so I did walk around and take some photographs. The buildings are covered in street art and sculptures and are certainly very distinctive but it also felt a little run down and unloved.
In contrast to that, just to the right are lots of modern buildings and they house several museums including the Museum of Contemporary Art, the National Museum of Slovenia Metelkova and the Slovenian Ethnographic Museum.
Slovenian Ethnographic Museum
I decided to visit this out of the 3 as it sounded the most diverse. The entrance free was €6 and it has 4 floors although the 2nd one was closed as is being renovated.
I was told to start at the 3rd floor. As soon as I walked in, I thought I have made a mistake and come to the wrong museum. The first exhibits were all about African, South American and Native American culture. As I have been to museums on those continents, I was initially disappointed as I wanted to learn more about Slovenia. I walked through the areas pretty quickly and through two groups of school children being given a tour. Thankfully, I came to the Slovenian section. It had exhibitions from various trades through the years – farming, fishing, weaving, blacksmith etc. There were TV screens everywhere and you could select things to watch. Some of them were edited a little too much i.e. the pottery maker created the vase very quickly ! Glass displays were on the floor showing a huge array of items including wood, textiles etc.
I then went to the 1st floor and it has a lot on display and signs are in English. There was an interesting exhibition from the 1930 which said they considered rural culture the symbol of the Nation. I found this interesting as usually you will hear that urban and city dwellers were considered cultural icons back then. Here they considered “peasant art” as the nations art and had exhibitions dating back to the 1800’s.
There was a very interesting exhibition on the NSK movement which was a collective of 5 painters in Ljubljana and was set up in 1984. In 1993 they declared it a global art community without a “territory” and passports were issued to 14,000 members. They had their own currency and some notes were on display. They had a motto “Valid Until Cancelled” which seems quite relevant to today. While this sounded like a bohemian group, one of the main leaders was photographed in a uniform not unlike those of the 3rd Reich ! I really want to learn more about this group at a later stage.
In another section, there was an area dedicated to ‘Oriels Team” a group of photographers and researches who traveled around Slovenia documenting peoples lives from 1948 to 1982. There were lots of black and white photographs showing them travelling and their findings. It really is an unique glimpse into the lives of ordinary people.
This floor also contained an exhibition called “The story of Cotton”, a Freyers Lectarija furniture display and a replica of a 1931 Jakob Krbavcics candle and honey products shop. I wondered how many of todays shops have been influenced by this as some of the products looked very modern.
The ground floor had an exhibition called “Sacred Horses”, which I walked through very quickly. While I love horses, I didn’t find this very interesting. Over in the corner, was a local weaver with her loom and a display of her knitwear. I was the only one there and she showed me some of the items, told me about the wool and her process (she has been a weaver for more than 40 years). I really enjoyed talking to her and seeing her work.
This is a very unique museum but might just have too many exhibits to see all at once. There was a coffee shop on the ground floor and in hindsight, I should have taken a break between floors and had a coffee. I really did enjoy it and if you are a museum lover, this is the museum to visit in Ljubljana, but do allow yourself at leats 3 hours.
Transport
The centre of Ljubljana and by the river banks are all pedestrianized. While there were people on bicycles and scooters it felt very relaxing walking around. The streets are clean and everywhere is very well maintained.
There are electronic vehicles available throughout the pedestrian streets. You can call them and have them meet you and take you to your destination within the zone. One afternoon it rained very heavily. I had just entered a cafe for lunch and was able to stay dry under the umbrellas. I saw several people being met and ferried away in these distinctive green vehicles.
Food
There are cafes and restaurants everywhere in Ljubljana. Most have indoor and outdoor dining. I had some great meals during my few days and tried a few more Orange and Rose wines. My favourite meals were a lemon risotto at “Most” and soup and salad at “Vander”, both on the riverbank.
If you are a meat lover and like to try the local specialities, I suggest you visit “Gostilna Sokol”. The waiters were dressed in traditional dress, the interior is like a museum and I saw a tour group guide talk her group through the menu. It opened in 1870 and is just one street off the riverbank area.
I had breakfast each morning at “Lolita Cafe”, on the riverbank. A very good quality coffee and croissant cost €4.40. The interior of the cafe is lovely with its frescos on the ceiling and quirky artwork.
While it was very busy when I was in Ljubljana, I was always able to get seated at the restaurant of my choice. I found the waiting staff all extremely friendly. English is widely spoken and this really felt like a city that has embraced tourism. Prices seemed reasonable and everything seemed in the mid range of European cities from a cost perspective.
I really enjoyed my visit to Ljubljana and will be returning again. While I saw a lot during my 4 days, I still have things I want to see and do. I also want to see some of the smaller towns and countryside in Slovenia. While Ljubljana is a busy and vibrant European city, I thought it had a relaxed atmosphere. I think it is an ideal place for city break, with lots to appeal to everyone and very safe for solo travellers.
