Do you want to know what to do in 36 hours in the Slovenian capital? Do you want to see a nice and attractive city? here it is: Ljubljana!
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Ready to explore it? Here we go.
After the mercury mines and the lace ofIdrija, during the night I got to the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, but after a long visiting day I’ve decided to relax a bit and not to visit further.
The next day I’ve started to visit the city in the morning and I need to say that the historical centre is really a nice place and I loved its atmosphere. You can immediately feel it when you walk along the Ljubljanica river.
My itinerary started from the one of the main squares, Preseren Square (Presernov trg), developed from a crossroad in front of one of the city gates of the medieval Ljubljana. You can see some interesting buildings, the the 17th-century Franciscan church of the Annunciation and the monument representing the square.
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If you look towards the castle, you should access to the old gate of the old medieval town ( that was destroyed). The first landmark you can notice is the Triple Bridge: its central bridge replaced in 1842 an old medieval wooden bridge. Then in the 20th Century the other 2 lateral bridges were added.
From the bridge you can have a stunning view of the river and of the markets.
Once crossed the Triple Bridge you get to former and old medieval town that displays interesting buildings such as the Town Hall, built during the 15th Century.
The interior is even better than the exterior and you can even see it here:
The Town Hall has also temporary expositions of local artists and you can only visit the ground floor (free entrance). The old medieval town displays nice streets and buildings around and personally I loved it.
Close to the Town Hall you can find another important landmark, that is the Robba Fountain (or the Fountain of Three Carniolan Rivers), one of the Ljubljana\’s best known Baroque monuments, located in the Mestni trg square and created by the Venetian sculptor and architect Francesco Robba.
Not far from the fountain, you can see the cathedral of Ljubljana.
Behind the Cathedral, you can see the Central Market where you can buy local handicraft products.
One of the most important landmarks and symbols of Ljubljana is for sure the Dragon Bridge, with its famous dragon statues. This is one of the iconic postcards you can get from Ljubljana and it is an example of Art Nouveau.
Not far from the bridge you can take the funicular railway and buy the combo-ticket ( funicular + castle) for 8 Euros. The Castle is the main attraction of Ljubljana and is located upon the hill and dominates the entire city. It was the place of the first settlements here, occupied by the first tribes and then by the Romans. The Castle displays three main landmarks and it is for sure one of the castles to visit.
Once you get to the castle, there are two restaurants and you can also access to the main landmarks.
First of all you can get to the prisons:
In the prisons you can hear the prisoners screaming because of an audiovisual effects used to make people aware of the life that the prisoners had to live. From the prisons you can get to the Tower: you can climb it and have a great view of the city and the castle itself.
You can also visit the St. George’s chapel, originally built in the Gothic Style and later rebuilt in the Baroque style, that represents one of the oldest parts of the Ljubljana Castle and it is decorated with 15th Century frescoes.
Another interesting part of the Ljubljana castle is represented by the permanent exhibition of the Slovenian history. Since I love the historical museum or however everything that tells about the history of a city or a place, I really appreciated this part. Since Ljubljana lies at the junction of natural routes between the Alps, the Adriatic Sea and the Pannonian Plain. It is an interactive and visual tour along the centuries.
Well you can also take some funny pics that remind the domination the castle or the settlement of Ljubljana had in the past. Here I was a Roman governor.
Well the interactive guide was nice, isn’t she? 🙂
Another interesting part is represented for sure by the space dedicated to the travels of the poet and writer Alma M. Karlin, a Slovene-Austrian poet. Wow I would love to live a life like that…
Now it’s time to leave the castle and get back to the centre.
Back to the city centre, an interesting place is the Kongresni trg square, a big square with a park where you can find many young people relaxing (also students) and some important buildings such as the Congress, the University of Ljubljana, the Slovenian Philarmonic building and the Slovenska Matica.
One of the most beautiful things to do during a summer night ( I was there approximately one year ago) is to stroll around, sit down in a cafè along the Ljubljanica river and have a drink. Don’t miss Ljubljana by night: it is really an enchanting place with a soft and relaxed atmosphere.
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Map: click on the top left to see the days and/or on the top right to enlarge the map
Travel tips:
Where to eat: normally I eat street food or buy something at a supermarket, but this time Iate something at theEksperiment, Slovenska Ceska 10. The prices are good. Normally I found the average prices of Ljubljana not that different from the Italian ones.
What to visit:
You can also visit the City Museum of Ljubljana, the National Gallery, the National Museum of Slovenia and most of all the Tivoli Park, the largest city park.
You can also have a boat trip along the Ljubljanica River.
How to get there:
The train is not recommended, but it is an option. You can get there by car, bus or by renting a car so you can visit also the surroundings like Idrija
Where to sleep:
Budget accomodation: If you travel solo, I would recommend theHostel Tresor, probably one of the best hostels I’ve ever seen, an old bank turned into an hostel with its previous features.
I would also recommend in case you travel with one or more people theBed & Breakfast Atticus, just 1 km far from the central station and 1,5 km far from the Park Tivoli, breakfast included, prices around 75 Euros per night per double room.
Medium budget: absolutely recommended for the services and the position theAdora Hotel, a boutique hotel with breakfast included and prices around 125 Euros per night per double room.
Luxury accomodation: located at the feet of the castle, theLesar Hotel Angelis an elegant structure with luxury suites, breakfast included, prices around 350 Euros per room per night.
Ljubljana is one of the top travel destinations of Slovenia and it is a pleasant and nice city.
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What a beautiful and clean city! I had never head of it till today – and now I want to go. The cathedral ceiling reminds me so much of Sant'Ignazio in Rome. And the market house is also amazing right along the river. Thanks for this introduction!
Yes David! it is! 🙂 a city with a great city centre. I recommend you to spend a couple of nights there: the atmosphere is great especially during a summer night.
The interior is even better than the exterior and you can even see it here:
What a beautiful and clean city! I had never head of it till today – and now I want to go. The cathedral ceiling reminds me so much of Sant'Ignazio in Rome. And the market house is also amazing right along the river. Thanks for this introduction!
Yes David! it is! 🙂 a city with a great city centre. I recommend you to spend a couple of nights there: the atmosphere is great especially during a summer night.