I’m not sure how this gorgeous city, Slovenia’s capital no less, has managed to stay quite this far under the radar. Part of me feels like keeping it a secret so it doesn’t end up swamped with tourists.
But I’m a nice person. Besides, Ljubljana deserves to be much much better known – these are my 13 reasons to visit Ljubljana, to start you off.
- Ljubljana is incredibly pretty
It’s rare you have to be grateful for an earthquake, but the tremors of 1895 which flattened whole sections of the city meant that a lot of rebuilding was done in the then popular Art Nouveau style. Even better, the old town escaped pretty much unscathed.
That means twisty cobbled streets dating back to medieval times, gorgeous pastel coloured buildings and elegantly grand architecture, all divided by a river.
- It’s just the right size for a city break
Not too small but just right (as Goldilocks might have said). There’s plenty to do and see in three days but not so much it’s overwhelming, the rest of Slovenia – and even neighbouring Austria, Croatia and Italy – are a potential day trip away.
The population of under 300,000 (by comparison, Stoke-on-Trent where I grew up has about 250,000) makes it very welcoming too. And the centre is helpfully pedestrianised so you can wander easily.
- There’s a castle
With sections that are 500 years old, the castle towers over the town from its vantage point on the hill – and as I love a castle, that would be enough reason to visit Ljubljana alone.
The best views are from the top of the tower, flying the dragon flag, but there’s also exhibitions and restaurants inside to discover – and a funicular to take you up the hill if you don’t fancy the walk.
- Here be dragons
Most famously on the dragon bridge, built notionally to commemorate one Austro-Hungarian emperor’s anniversary. The sculptures, with their curled tails, are still there long after the empire and subsequent ones have collapsed.
Cross the river and you’ll spot a few more dragon sculptures too. Legend has it that the city was settled by Jason and the Argonauts, after valiantly defeating a dragon, so they’re symbolic of its founding.
- The fantastic food
It’s hard (if you’re not Slovenian) to point to a specific Slovenian dish. In fact, the country has plenty you might recognise but with its own twist.
Despite its small size, there’s sea coast for fresh fish, vineyards for lovely wine, traditional hearty dumplings, sausage and apple strudel plus modern organic, local, sustainable dishes.
The restaurants and cafes are also impressively good at highlighting allergens, so if you’re allergic to lactose or gluten, you’ll still have a lot of choice.
- And lots of riverside restaurants
Cafe after cafe after bar after restaurant stretch along the banks of the Ljubljanica river, and even in the October chill, it’s a fantastic place to sit with a drink, a cake or a meal with heaters and blankets as you relax.
I highly recommned the ‘kuhano vino’ if you’re there in autumn – hot wine, but more surprisingly there’s white mulled wine which is ideal against the cold.
- Discover festivals galore
Despite being there out of season and only visiting Ljubljana for a few days, we stumbled across the last Open Kitchen – a huge set of food stalls, with various dishes cooked by different restaurants.
Lining the square around the central market, it runs from spring to the end of October, if the weather permits and we made a few circuits before narrowing down the distinctly delicious choices.
A day later, there was a chocolate festival in the same place, complete with truffles and chocolate wine. Yum.
- Discover turbulent history
Someone born just before the First World War could have seen half a dozen states come and go, from empire to newly formed state through wars, communist years and the birth of Slovenia in 1991.
We took a communist history walking tour, which gave a fascinating glimpse into life in the former Yugoslavia and how those days differed from countries behind the Iron Curtain, but are still impacting on politics today.
- No really, a lot of history
And that’s only the last century. Go back further and you’ll find stories featuring Napoleon and eventually all the way back to the Romans who created the town of Emona here over 2,000 years ago.
Statues, remains of walls and former houses still stand and there’s a walking trail you can follow which includes the City Museum.
- Ljubljana’s quirky tours
I do love seeing another side to a city with someone who knows it well. And as well as the standard free walking tour (run by the same company that offers the communist tour), we took a fabulous bike tour and personalised food walking tour.
The former was great to head out of the centre a little, and explore more of Ljubljana’s scenery. The latter was a fantastic way to guzzle in the name of research.
- Ljubljana street art
Metelkova is street art central, home to bars and restaurants (with erratic opening hours) and squats plus galleries in a former military barracks.
There’s an eclectic mix from paintings to mosaic collages and a whole host of different styles – you can also book different tours of Metelkova.
- The river – and its crossings
I’ve already mentioned the cafes which line the banks, and it’s frankly lovely at all times of day. But an extra bonus is some gorgeous bridges, from the triple bridge to the colonnaded shoemakers’ (or cobblers’) bridge as well as one infested with padlocks, those dragons and so on.
You’ll find a flea market on Sundays, boat tours and fabulous views each way.
- The warm welcome
Slovenian is not an easy language – I managed to pick up enough in a few days to say hello, please, thank you and order hot wine. Everyone seems to have pretty much impeccable English, be delighted if you make any stumbling attempts at their language, and be generally very friendly.