Ljubljana: The cutest capital city…
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Updated: 25th November 2014
This year has been my year of Europe (before it became my year of Asia as well). I have been lucky enough to visit 15 of its wonderful capital cities. But my favourite is still the same as this time last year. The charming, quirky and underrated European city of cool Slovenia, Ljubljana.
Only a short train ride from the natural beauty of Lake Bled, which by now is making it onto the main stream Europe destination list you can easily visit both destinations in a long weekend.
So, why do I love it so much? What makes it my favourite capital city, and why should you should start researching getting to and from Ljubljana yourself for your next trip.
WANDERING ON FOOT
I can happily while away my days in Europe wandering down little alleys, peering in shop windows and soaking up the coffee culture. This is one city totally suited for that! It is compact enough and centres around the river. Some people say its like a small relaxed Amsterdam, I say that’s a good thing.
SURROUNDED BY NATURE
Slovenia is a stunning country, both because of its hospitality and its incredible scenic surroundings. The view from the top of the castle overlooking the mountains is beyond impressive, especially if caught at sunset.
FOODIE HEAVEN
When you are done with your coffee culture for the day, or your sunset beers along the river Ljubljana packs a punch for dining options. The cobbled streets and outside tables make for a great surrounding to enjoy some of the local dishes including the famous Bled cake (that is, if you can’t make it to Bled for the real deal.) Head to the market for a lively way to feast your way through some of the local Slovenia sausage specialities.
GET SHOPPING
This is my kind of city for having a little splurge. Sure, you have plenty of high streets names but down these small streets sit some pretty unique gems. From vintage vinyl stores to tiny boutiques and collectables stores you can spend a good few hours picking out stuff that might not be required but will make your house look that little bit cooler.
SIMPLY ENJOY A LAID BACK CAPITAL
Capital cities can be brash, bold and beautiful at once however here in Ljubljana you can just chill out and go with the flow. With plenty of other spots nearby to explore use this as a base before getting out to enjoy Slovenia. It is certainly a country high on my list to get back to.
Slovenia has so much more to offer though and you could easily fill weeks exploring this beautiful country. Check out this incredible list of day trips from Ljubljana to see just how stunning this nation truly is.
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Honestly – Ljubljana is definitely one of the most stunning places in Europe! Thanks for sharing
When we planned on visiting Ljubljana, I had never heard of the place. Still can’t pronounce the name correctly. But I fell in love with this vibrant town. Your blog conveys the essence of the city quite well.
The Coal mine museum of Slovenia, Velenje
The underground adventure
Prepare yourself for an adventure like never before.
Visit the Coal mining museum of Slovenia in Velenje, which is one of the most popular museums in Slovenia.
Put on the miners boots for a short time, descent 160 m beneath the surface of the earth and go on an interesting journey into the once active mine tunnels of the mine Škale, which are now a part of the museum.
Come and convince yourself how mysterious the underground world is. In the company of our guides you will enter the coal mine exactly as the miners did last century. Dressed in mining clothes, overcoat, with a helmet on your head and with a snack in your hand, you will get into the coal mine, 160 meter deep, through the Old shaft from 1888. In the underground tunnels you’ll see in an hour and a half a vivid demonstration of how the miners work looked like in the past and how it does today.
http://www.rlv.si/muzej
Velenje
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0_CGH3ZxFw
… road trip definitely; you can “pick” amongst many themes: one is wine regions with “open” cellars (of course you’ll have to try lots of finest wine varieties which are also still “undiscovered”) and beautiful sceneries (you’ll need sober driver)…
So nice to read. :) And speaking of foodie heaven, you are more than welcome next time you’re here to join my personal foodwalks. The tasty side of Ljubljana awaits you. :) I also second Soča river valley, wine region Goriška brda, Vipava valley, tiny Karst villages (think Coljava, hehe), and I also like to take a dip in Laško natural spa. Or any other spas. Welcome!
Good article, Dan! Slovenia is most definitely on my to-visit list.
Hey man.
That’s a really cool article. I’m Irish and live in Dublin but I’ve also lived in Barcelona, London, Catania, Almeria, Trieste, Taipei, Ciudad Real, Limerick, Galway, Toronto, Reading, Daejeon (SK) and I have to say Ljubljana is one of my favs! Also come to Ireland and you’ll always be welcomed! Slainte!
Good post, I liked your way of writing. Personaly as a local I would say that the best places are outside the capital. On a very small place you can take a look at alps, karts, adriatic coast, vinecountry and even pannonian plain.
Good post, liked your way of writing. Personaly as a local would say that Ljubljana is beautiful, but still best places in Slovenia are outside the capital. On a very small place you can take a look at alps,karts, vinecountry, adriatic coast and even pannonian plain.
hi! i can be your tourist guider when you will go next time to ljubljana ^^
You should visit the beautiful valley of Soča river. Especially the Tolmin gorges.
WOW. Looks truly beautiful. Excited to explore it some time soon!
Make a visit to the upper Kolpa river valley, combined with a tripp to Ribnica – center of wooden ware making in the province of Dolenjska (Lower Carniola). Or why not just make a roadtrip around whole of this less known part of the country? =)
I think a road trip is going to be needed! Sounds like my summer is going to get a lot more exciting…. Thanks for the tips!
Daniel. I am glad you feel well in my home country Slovenia. Actually Slovenian nation sometimes undervalue beauty of Slovenia, so we need foreign people to talk, write and educate about it.
Come around to Iceland. I am tour operator right here.
Thanks for the kind words. Iceland is my 2015 must do, hopefully be there in the next six months :)
I heard. I always struggle to book so far in advance with other commitments so will be trying my luck!
Anyway, if you drop in some booking troubles you can contact.
Haha, Daniel! I see many Slovenians already give you tips for your next visit! Maybe you will need to stay more than just for a weekend? :) Already suggested Velika Planina and Soča are our favourite in summer, but also very crowded. I fyou like nature, Nadiža is very popular too!
If you will not be able to go outside of Ljubljana, due to lack of time, I suggest you have a walk to the Cankarjev vrh- Rožnik. Locals usually go there for a quick escape from the “city” in the middle of the working day and really good Slovenian dishes are served in a restaurant on the top too. Koseški bajer is on the other side of the hill, so you have Rožnik practically on your way :)
Yes, haha. I think I’m going to need a few weeks, which is fine by me!
Cant believe your country has so many beautiful places to visit. Nadiža also is somewhere that looks to good to miss!
Thanks for leaving your comments :)
Looks like a great place to get a bike and explore, thanks!
Many people recommanded Soca valley. Nobody mentioned, that beside rafting, you can go cayaking on Soča. Furthermore, in that area are some caves you can visit, and some of the most beautiful canyons in Europe.
If you are up for an adrenalin experience in the middle of beautifule nature, I higly recommand those.
If you go canyoning, I would not choose Sušec, because it is the most touristic one.
You can find all the information and a great guide for all the activities here:
http://www.outdoor-galaxy.com/canyoning-bovec/
Kayaking is my favourite thing to do, so thanks for the heads up! I’ll be there in summer so might follow your advice and avoid Susec
Thanks so much for the tips!
If you are interested in sightseeing a medieval city, you should visit Škofja Loka. It is a small city, it takes you 20 minutes with train from Ljubljana station via Jesenice, train ticket costs cca. 2€ in one direction….There, you can visit Škofjeloški grad (castle), eat in Jesharna (great pizzas, pasta, salads etc.), and for desert, stop by Homan, where they have amazing cakes and other deserts…but visit it in summer time, in winter it is quite dull, except for the local bars with amazing coffee (yep, typically Balkan style, great coffee all day long hehe). In summer, city is fairly crowded with tourists, which are interested in Upper square, with tiny old houses and small shops. Škofja Loka will make you busy for a day, check it out ;) I hope I helped.
Oh, and if you go to Jesharna, you definitely MUST order pancakes! They are awesome!
Pankcakes! SOLD!
Thank you so much for the detailed reply, sounds like a great day visit from Ljubljana… Seems I have a lot of places to visit next time :)
It is always nice to hear someone saying such beautiful things about my home land :) Apart from Soča valley (which really is amazing if you are into nature) I’d add heart shapped vineyard on Plački vrh and cute little old town in Radovljica (close to Bled) where you can taste amazingly tasteful slovenian culinary.
Anyway…I also am a traveler so if you are up for sharing some stories in and about Slovenia, let me know (:
Safe journey!
Thank you so much for the comment!
Radovljica looks so cute! I can see myself eating a lot on my next visit haha!
Sounds great, ill let you know when I am next in your lovely country.
Safe travels to you too!
Looks beautiful. Can not wait! Thanks for sharing the videos
you will need 2 weeks for one region…So 2 or 3 months of your life…
Its starting to look like its going to be my summer vacation for the next few years, NOT complaining :)
Definitly you have to visit Piran, Postojnska cave, Predjamski castle, Maribor with Pohorje.
Yes, yes, yes and yes. Great ideas!
you must see Goriška Brda, it’s like tiny Tuscany.
I think you are right. It all looks so beautiful!
Lipica Studfarm, cradle of lipizzaner.
definetly trip to the highest mountain in our country Triglav :) and while you’re at it have a look at Triglavski narodni park
Sounds like a fun challenge. Im in! Thanks for the tip
Visit Prekmurje and Prlekija… Jeruzalem and its wines and good food and nice scenery in Goričko and happy people of course:) will make u like Slovenia even more.
Ive decided, I’m going to have to visit everywhere!! Haha, too many great ideas – Thank you
Great article, Ljubljana is really stunning! But you really should stop in Vipava Valley on your next visit. Vipava has some great winemakers, restaurants and is very rich in natural and cultural heritage. It offers sports activity that you can mix with great gourmet offer. The Vipava river is actually the only river in Europe with a delta spring and in the old days, the royal family from Vienna had a castle which is now almost fully rebuilt. Since I’m a local there just let me know when you arrive and I can give you a quick tour or give you some of the sights you should see in Vipava.
Thanks so much for all the information! I will let you no indeed, its being added to my summer to do list now!
Velika Planina and Bohinj are a must!
On the list. Thanks for confirming :)
Goriška Brda-village Šmartno is the most beautiful natural monument in Slovenia. – A glass of of excellent wine and top slices of ham with spectacular views of the Brda vineyards and orchards.
Wow. Just searched it and looks amazing. Wine watching that sounds pretty damn perfect, thank you!
Come to Maribor and I’ll show you around!
Vineyards, Mountains, Wine culture and MAGIC is happening here… ;)
I’m there! Especially if there is magic. See you in the summer!!!
Wow. That looks amazing, seems I’m going to need a good few weeks to explore next!
I recently posted a very similar article! Ljubljana really is one of the cutest capitals ever!! I love returning there!
Its great isn’t it. Cant wait to go back
Visit Soča valley during Metaldays festival which takes place is Tolmin at the end of july usually. ;)
I tkink you should visit Idrija! There is a lot to see and you can try Idrija speciality dumplings..they are just so jummy! And ofcourse you must visit Piran and Portorož :) Greetings from Idrija, Slovenia
Another beautiful place. Wow, your country has too many beautiful places! My list is huge
Kostanjevica na Krki!
I will write more on Slovenia’s secret gems in my future posts ;-)
Kostanjevica na Krki! I wrote a post on it here;
Great post. Wow, looks like a brilliant off the beaten path spot to visit. Thanks
Kranjska Gora , with Vršič (highest car pass trough mountains) and Zelenci (water source of river Sava)
cycling in the mine
Wow, cycling through the mine’s looks really interesting. Thanks so much for sharing the idea :)
Karst region -village Štanjel is very beautiful. And there is a lot of great food & wine ;)
Looks amazing AND food and wine! I’ll be there! Thanks
Hi,
Very nice words about Ljubljana,thanx a lot:)
My recommendations:
Mountain area: Bohinj area; river Soča,Bovec,Kobarid;Kranjska Gora, Planica,Vršič;Logarska dolina
Coastal side: Piran,piranske soline, small villages in inner part of slovenian Istria
Panonian area: Lendava,Goričko, Ptuj
…..
Thanks for the ideas, think I’m going to need a lot longer than a long weekend this time!
Definitely the food market Odprta kuhna on Fridays (March till October) in Ljubljana, if you haven’t been.
Ive been and ate so much!!! But, will go again every time
River Kolpa is nice. Or go to slovenian mountains:Triglav, Mangrt,… There is hundreds of stunning Mountains in Slovenia
Lake Cerknisko jezero is nice as well…
Certainly seems a beautiful place to get some trekking in. Who needs Switzerland eh!
You have to visit Kamnik, 21 km north from Ljubljana, especially in August because of Kamfest or just to visit Velika planina…
A few people have told me about Kamfest so will try and time my visit with August. Thanks for the tips
You are warmly welcome in our little, friendly, cozy and international Capital, ifyou come back. There are also mayn other sights of our beautiful country you hould see.
Thank you so much. I have a long list now :)
Rafting on the river Soca
Yes! Sounds a little more adventure filled than my boat trip around Bled :)
Tolmin is the place to go
I hadn’t heard of Tolmin before but the photos look great, will add to the list. Thanks!
Forget Tolmin..Go to Kobarid instead (further north) and visit the WWI museum. Unforgettable.
Restaurants: Skaručna (close to Aerodrom Ljubljana airport; a bit pricey, but well worth it), Mahorčič (moderate prices, totally cool food). Pizzas: Da Mattia (Trzin), Garaža (Ljubljana).
Vistas: Logarska dolina, Piran.
Great calls. I actually had Pizza at Garaža before but will check the others out. Thanks
Tolmin and Soča valley
Look forward to seeing them!
škocjan cave, Postojnska cave ( although a bit too touristic) and definetely the coast, it’s very mediterrenian. Bohinj lake is also very relaxing
These all sound great, really excited to visit them next summer. Thank you!
If you’re in town just for the weekend, make sure you take Top Ljubljana Foods food tour – a fantastic combination of a food walk and city tour! Google them!
I will check out it. Really enjoyed the foods (and wines) in Slovenia next time so getting to try a bit more sounds great!
Lake Bohinj at summer, Blejski Vintgar, Nadiza river, Soca river
Wow. Some beautiful places. Looks like Ill be renting a boat on my next visit. Thank you for the suggestions!
You have to visit the seaside as well… Portorož, Piran, Koper :)
100%. I did Croatia last summer so the Slovenia coast is high on my agenda!
Predjama Castle, Soča Valley with Kobarid and Bovec, Kamnik during Kamfest (August)
Kamfest looks really fun, will tie this in with my visit next year. Thanks for letting me know about it :)
Trenta valley, Vršič, Velika planina
So much I still need to explore. Thank you for the ideas!
Kranjska Gora, Bohinj, Bovec, Soča river! Enjoy :)
I will. A few weeks next Summer is sounding exciting already!
I would recomend coast part of Slovenia: Piran and Izola.
Think a Summer coastal trip is on next years agenda. Thanks for the tips!
… and also consider visiting those places from a different- water perspective ;-). Have FUN!
You must see place Zelenci and Koseški bajer
Thanks for the tips! Bet they are a little less visited than Bled :)
Koseški bajer, a se hecaš? Mogoče Šobčev bajer.
With bike from Kobarid to Goriška Brda.. There is one paved road with no traffic from Kolovrat range directly to Brda Wine region.
Sounds like my kind of trip. Plus, I found the Slovenian wines really great so would be awesome to visit that Region
If you like nature and sports then Soča valley is a must
And of course the whole coastline with the old city like Piran.
Hope it helps :)
Pozdrav from Slovenia,
Naty
Thanks for the response. The coast looks beautiful, I did Croatia’s coast last year so Slovenia will be next year!
If you haven’t been in mercury mine yet,than go to Idrija. Small town west from Ljubljana. At the same day you can visit Piran on Slovenian coast as well. Or Postojna cave,or go to Soča valley.
Great. Thanks for the tips, Piran is now on my summer visiting schedule :)
Škocjan cave
Wow. They look amazing, added to the list!