Today, we go for the first time to The Balkans, in South-Eastern Europe. We are in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
Similarly to many people, Slovenia had not been on my travel list before I visited. I had only ever heard of Lake Bled and thought it would be nice to go to see that but that was all.
Luckily for me, a friend of mine did an Erasmus in Ljubljana this year so I was able to experience this beautiful city and country with her. I was incredibly impressed with the city and even more so with the country’s nature. I was stunned by how green, beautiful and wild it felt. It offers all you could want – forests, rivers, lakes, hills and mountains, sea, caves and more – many of which are on UNESCO World Heritage lists.
We have beautiful nature in Ireland, we are known for it. And yet, I was blow away by how green and wild Slovenia was. I even saw an impressive – and slightly scary – storm while I was there. The sunsets are gorgeous too.
So if you do decide to visit this wonderful country, I would encourage you to do at least 1 day-trip outside of the captial. I will be writing on some of these day-trip options soon but for today, we are staying in the city’s capital.
Ljubljana is beautiful, has everything you could want from a city but with a safe, peaceful atmosphere. There are many students here, as a lot of people choose do an Erasmus year here, so it has a fun atmosphere too. A lot of the people in the city speak German and / or English.
Ljubljana is known as a city of dragons, it’s not just me connecting it to it! The dragon is the city’s symbol and has been way before Game of Thrones became popular! The dragon is the symbol due to the city’s foundation myth.
According to legend, Jason (from Jason and the Argonauts), on his back way home fought – and defeated – a dragon in a marsh beside a big lake. This is supposedly where the city stands today. It’s always nice where there’s a good foundation myth, especially when it’s connected to Greek mythology! As a Classicist myself, I like this one a lot.
Today, you can see the dragon the city’s coat of arms and if you keep your eyes open, you’ll see it pop up on manholes, bridges and more. It’s not as obvious as Manchester’s bee but then again, what is? I’ve never been to a city that advertised its symbol so obviously as Manchester!
Apart from looking for dragons, here are some parts of the city that you should check out while you’re there (this is not everything but it is the main sites). Good news, the city is very walkable! It’s very easy to see the main sights from foot.
- The castle
The castle is the city’s main attraction. There is an impressive view from here so you really appreciate how the city is surrounded by hills! And how there is so much green. You can also admire how huge Tivoli Park is.
The views are amazing but it is a relatively easy walk to the castle. There is a funicular too but you have to pay, see website below for more details. The walk is really not difficult so I would recommend walking, if you can.
Address:
Grajska planota 1
1000 Ljubljana
Website:
https://www.ljubljanskigrad.si/
Social media:
- Jože Plečnik’s architecture
Jože Plečnik is a Slovene architect and he designed most of what are today considered the main touristic sites of the city, such as Triple Bridge, Central Market, and the National and University libraries.
These works of architecture, and more, are all considered UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This makes the city an even more attractive place to visit!
It is very easy to walk around and admire his architecture, they are almost all in the city centre!
- Modernist Buildings
There are a number of beautiful, colourful buildings in the city, such as the one photographed above. For a small city, it has a very impressive mix of architecture syles.
This is something that is interesting about Europe, that even by going to one country, you can experience elements of other cultures. E.g. In Slovenia, you can see the German influence in a number of the buildings; in Tallin, Estonia, as another example, you can see Russian, Danish and Germany influences in the city’s architecture. As most of us won’t be able to visit all the countries in the world – or even in one continent – it is fascinating to be able to experience elements of so many different cultures in one country.
- Butcher Bridge
There are a number of famous bridges in this city but this one stands out for its sculptures and also for its many, many locks of love, as you can see from the photograph below!
Does anyone know who started this trend? I’d love to know. Most cities have locks on bridges, and in S. Korea, they have them on the top of a tower. But who started this idea? A locksmith looking to boost business? A very romantic person who was so in love that they had to announce it to the world with a lock? If anyone has heard the reason or even a rumour, I’d love to hear it in the comments!
- Dragon Bridge
This is probably the most famous bridge in the city! Apparently you have to get a photo here if you visit the city, otherwise people won’t believe you visited. I did get a photo, just in case!
Even without taking a photo, it’s well worth seeing. Out of all the bridges I’ve seen on my travels, it really does stand out!
- Union Beer
This is a local beer that you should try while you are in the city / country. You can pay to go to the Union Beer experience but I just drank one in a restaurant. So it’s up to you what you decide!
- Tivoli Park
No, it’s nothing like the one in Copenhagen! There are no attractions here, but it is huge and is near some museums. It’s very green, beautiful and peaceful so you can easily spend a lot of time here.
- Neboticnik
This is a skyscraper with a café/bar at the top which offers amazing views. We went to see the sunset and it was beautiful! As you can see in the above photograph.
I would recommend that you either start or end your day here!
Address:
Štefanova ulica
11000 Ljubljana
Apart from all of these attractions, there are a number of museums and galleries you could visit. At the same time, you can see definitely the main sights in 1 day and then have plenty of time for day-trips to the areas of country’s gorgeous nature.
Truly, after visiting this beautiful city – and country – I am amazed that they are not on everyone’s travel list. Then again, a lot of the tourists are from neighbouring countries and choose to drive. There are a lot of German and Austrian tourists, so you can hear a lot of German being spoken. This was interesting and good practice for me! But even so, you can speak English in the city no problem. As it is a student city, there is a lot of English spoken.
If you love nature, Slovenia is a place for you. If you enjoy beautiful, small, walkable cities with beauty and some unusual sights then Ljubljana is for you.
I hope that this post makes you consider visiting Ljubljana or Slovenia one day! If you it does, let me know what you think in the comments!