Ljubljana

Having seen a lot of magnificent European capitals, I wanted to experience another Europe – hospitable and homely, a place where I could walk around in my slippers.

I have found such friendly comfort in Ljubljana, a lovely small capital of Slovenia.

If you wish to have a professional photo shoot in Ljubljiana you can get more details on this page. The prices are from €250 for 2 hours photo shoot.

I stayed at the Hotel Galleria, Gornji trg 3.

This is just a gift for any aesthete and antiquity lover! Vaulted ceilings and antique furniture, crystal chandeliers and massive tables, a fireplace and the main highlight of the hotel, a small picturesque garden, where you can enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. I was also pleased with a stylish modern room and excellent location of the hotel just in the heart of the Old Town.

My story about this hotel is in this article.

After breakfast, I took a map of the city from the friendly young man at the reception, who also told me with great pleasure about the key places in Ljubljana worth visiting in case you are in the capital of Slovenia for a very short time.

It turned out that little Ljubljana can be walked around in just a few hours!

1) I started with the famous Old Trade Square (Mestni Trg). Its souvenir shops, tiny cafes and boutiques made my walk here just a pleasure! My visit to Ljubljana was in January, but it is also very beautiful and warm in winter here.

2) Another landmark of Ljubljana is Tromostovje, the so-called "triple bridge". It is actually three bridges fanned out from one point of one river bank to the opposite side of Ljubljana River. If you walk 300 meters along the river, you will see also a glass bridge, the best to take photos from.

3) And then, I went to see the heart of Slovenian capital — Ljubljana Grad.

You can get to the castle either on foot or by funicular. The walk will take 10-15 minutes and the funicular will save you time and effort. The best is to go up on the funicular and walk down back along a winding path. The cost of a funicular ride is €4.

The entrance fee is €10 for adults, €7 for students, schoolchildren and retired adults. Tickets can be purchased on-site or online.

Despite its rather old age, the fortress really impressed me with its freshness and neatness — even the grass on the lawn looked like it was combed!

4) If you got to Ljubljana Castle, then, the best place for lunch or dinner is Restavracija Strelec (address: Grajska planota, 1), a restaurant with unusual interior design: at first glance, it seems that the decoration of the wall is either some simple children's drawings or ancient rock paintings. But, as the owner of the place told me, these are the plots of Slovenian fairy tales.

5) After wandering around the castle, I could not resist buying some items of Slovenian folk crafts (I was especially touched by the ceramic dishes and clay whistles).

While choosing gifts for my friends, I asked the owner of the souvenir shop, why there was a dragon on almost every magnet and postcard. It turned out to be a symbol of Ljubljana. According to legend, it was here, where Jason from the ancient Greek myths about the Argonauts defeated the dragon. But in Slovenia, the dragon is not considered an evil, but, on the contrary, it is the patron of the local citizens. The famous Dragon Bridge, popular with tourists, is also decorated with dragon statues.

And if you are looking for some sweet souvenirs, I strongly recommend you to buy the ones from Ljubljana Castle. I have not really tried anything more delicious before! And to get more of these, I am ready to go to Slovenia again!

6) After my trip to Ljubljana Grad, I visited other key locations of the city - the Town Hall, the Franciscan Church, St. Nicholas Cathedral and the famous Gallery of Modern Art. Despite its almost toy-like size, Ljubljana is a real paradise for museum lovers. There are archaeological expositions, art galleries, Technical Museum, Museum of Illusions, a House of Experiments and plenty of others.

7) On the other side of the river Ljubljana I went to the Tivoli Park dating back to the XIX century when Ljubljana was a French province. This park really reminds of France with its statues, fountains, flower compositions, alleys and a pond with swans. Due to all this, Tivoli is attractive at any time of the year.

And if you visit Tivoli Castle (Tivoli Grad), be sure to check out Cafe Biennale (address: Pod dubnom, 3).

It is located in a beautiful estate on a very green territory and has a breathtaking panorama of the center of Ljubljana!

8) By the way, there are bike paths in Tivoli Park. Overall, the cyclists in Ljubljana are very well taken care of. Of course, there are not as many of them as in the Netherlands, but this, actually, makes cycling here even more comfortable.

Bike parking lots are all around the city and few of them are near the park.

You can take a bike at one place and return it at another (you just need to register on this site). The first hour of rent is free! 2-nd hour is € 1. But based on my own experience, you don’t need to take a bike for the whole day but mix bike rides with walking.

A week rent costs only € 1 and you can take the bike as often as you wish.

9) I spent the end of my day walking around the night city.

Ljubljana has such a high density of beautiful architecture, historical monuments, legends and local charisma, that it takes not a lot of time to see the entire Slovenian capital with all its charm!