Well hello hello.
We find ourselves in a new destination.
We are currently in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
We've only been here a few days but I can already say this is one of our new favorite
cities in Europe.
Yeah, it sure is.
It is just been so charming.
It is small, so easy to navigate on foot and we've just been having a lot of great experiences
here.
So we're going to show you 10 different things you can do here in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Let's go check it out.
So we are starting out sightseeing here right in the center of town.
We are in Preseren Square (Prešernov trg).
Beautiful pink church behind us and guess what we also have 3 bridges.
We're at the triple bridge.
Triple bridge.
What is the reasoning behind this what do you think?
I have no idea.
It is being used a lot.
You know there is tonnes of people walking, there is people biking and I just saw a river
cruise go right underneath.
Yeah.
The triple bridge so.
I think we should choose the main bridge.
Let's walk down the middle bridge of the triple bridge.
Let's go.
Prešeren Square is a central meeting spot in the heart of the Old Town, so it made sense
to start our tour of Ljubljana here.
The square is named after Slovene national poet, France Prešeren, and this is where
you’ll also find the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation (Frančiškanska cerkev),
lots of gelato shops, and the baffling bridge we just mentioned.
As for the reasoning behind the Triple Bridge (Tromostovje), it turns out that at one point
there was only one bridge, which wasn’t wide enough to handle vehicles and pedestrians.
To prevent a bottleneck, an architect decided it would make sense to build two additional
bridges for pedestrians on either side of the middle bridge.
Of course, today, the whole area is closed to traffic, so that leaves visitors with 3
bridges to choose from.
So Sam you've been finding all of these bridges pretty fascinating but this one in particular.
I've been most fascinated by this bridge for one very particular good reason.
And I've seen a lot of love lock bridges around the world but I've never seen one so organized.
Normally there are way too many love locks.
It is almost like tearing down the bridge but here they are like almost like perfectly
symmetrical.
There is not too many.
It is very tidy.
It is the tidiest love lock bridge I have ever seen.
And this is not the only fascinating bridge.
If you just look over here I believe that one is called the dragon's bridge and we're
going to go walk to that one next.
If you keep walking east along the river, you will come across the famed dragon bridge
(Zmajski most), which is guarded by four dragons - one on each corner.
Legend has it that Jason, a hero from ancient Greek mythology, founded this city and killed
a dragon, so that explains the bridge and the numerous dragon statues you’ll see scattered
around Ljubljana.
(Live Music)
Alright, so after walking across a gazillion bridges it feels we have finally reached the
central market (Osrednja ljubljanska tržnica).
Yes.
It smells amazing.
We're in the flower section right now.
Yeah.
And it like fresh blooms.
Yeah, so we are noticing lots of flowers.
Also there is a really big fruit and produce section and there is also another section
on the other side which is selling souvenirs.
Yeah, and all that being said we are visiting in the middle of the week and it is also late
in the afternoon so it is not super busy.
A lot of the stands are starting to shut down but it still looks really pretty.
So let's have a look.
If markets are your thing, Ljubljana’s Central Market is another spot worth checking out.
Aside from fresh produce, plants and flowers, we also noticed a few food trucks along the
perimeter where you can grab a meal on the go.
And while you’re in the area, just west of the market you have Ljubljana Cathedral
(ljubljanska stolnica), also known as St. Nicholas Church, which is another major landmark
in the Old Town.
We had big sightseeing plans on our second day in Ljubljana, but first up, we needed
to sample some Slovenian food so we went to Allegria.
Sam ordered Zlikrofi (zhlee-krofi), a Slovenian dumpling stuffed with potato, which came with
a lamb goulash.
And I ordered the Slovenian sausage with cabbage and mashed potatoes.
Then for dessert, we had a layered pastry stuffed with poppy seeds, walnuts, apples,
raisins, and a light dusting of icing sugar.
All of that including wine was 28 Euros.
After a filling lunch, we were ready to kick off our sightseeing.
Our first stop: Ljubljana Castle (Ljubljanski grad - Laibacher Schloss), which sits on Castle
Hill overlooking the city.
Alright today the sightseeing commences with a visit to Ljubljana Castle and we just got
our tickets.
We paid 10 Euros per person and that was to take a ride about the funicular so we could
save our legs but it also included admission to the castle so not bad.
Originally built as a medieval fortress in the 11th century, Ljubljana Castle has seen
many redesigns and renovations.
If you’re only wanting to visit the central courtyard, you can enter free of charge, however,
if you pay for the ticket, this allows you to climb the Outlook Tower which offers 360
degree views of the city.
Alright Sam, you ready to climb some more stairs?
Yeah, we've been burning off lunch and now we've got the spiral staircase.
Alright, lead the way.
Let's do it.
Oh, it is a push door.
Yep.
Push to go in.
It is kind of cool.
I mean cool as in like the temperature is cool.
Haha.
Cool as in refreshing.
It is refreshing.
That is the word I'm looking for.
Alright guys this isn't exactly the kind of staircase I was expecting or the kind of staircase
I enjoy because I'm not a huge fan of heights and with this one you can really see all the
way down like you can see through the steps, you can see to the side oh my gosh.
But we're almost there.
Alright time for the next adventure.
Yeah, so we're going to be taking a river cruise and we're going to get really good
views of Ljubljana from a high vantage now it is time to see it from ground level.
Well, more specifically river level.
Yeah.
Let's do it.
How much was it?
Oh, it was 8 Euros per person.
There are a few different departures for cruises down the Ljubljanica.
We boarded a cruise directly underneath the Love Lock Bridge (Mesarski most), which is
actually called Mesarski Most.
This was our favourite activity in Ljubljana and it was a super relaxed way to watch the
city go by.
Alright, so I would say we got the best seats in the house.
We're up front.
Is that the bow or the helm?
I don't really know my boat lingo.
Put it this way we're sitting in lawn chairs yeah and we're going to have front row seats
so.
And we even have blankets like if you do this tour later on in the day it gets a bit chilly
so this is perfect.
Alright, so that was a lovely boat tour.
So so relaxing.
It was so relaxing you slept for half of it.
To be fair as soon as we got on we each got a glass of wine.
Sam got the red.
I had a glass of white.
Then you wrapped yourself up in a blanket and you were out like a you were as snug as
a bug.
I missed half the journey.
You really did.
But anyway it was gorgeous and that was a really good river cruise.
Yes.
Some river cruises suck to be honest.
That one was good.
From what I saw.
Yeah, from what you saw.
I was awake for the whole thing and it was really good.
It was nice and long.
45 minutes.
So I'd recommend that.
Only 8 Euros.
Pretty good value.
And now time for ice cream.
Oh yeah.
Alright guys so stopped at Cacao which is the most famous ice cream shop in the whole
city.
Double scoops.
So what did you get?
Rum and raisin and pistachio.
And how is it?
Oh, it is good.
I've been already digging in.
Haha.
And I got santo domingo chocolate and wild strawberries.
It tastes so much of rum.
Look at this.
Look at the size.
I know these are huge.
And we had a huge lunch oh my gosh.
Ultimate pigs over here.
Well welcome to what is probably the most colorful neighborhood in the whole city.
We are currently in Metelkova and this area used to be an ex-army garrison and then it
was taken over by squatters in the 90s and they kind of started their own artsy commune
with their own rules.
There is lots of street art everywhere and this place kind of reminds me of a few different
spots we've visited this year.
One of them I'm thinking about is kiefernstraße in Düsseldorf.
Yeah.
Where they also had this squatting complex.
I mean we've seen a bit of this in Berlin.
There was that neighborhood in São Paulo.
Beco de Batman.
Yeah, Batman Alley.
Yeah.
And yeah it is really colorful so let's go have a look around.
Sam how would you like to be an alien riding a giraffe.
Would that suit you?
Yeah, that could be an okay life.
Give up the life of travel.
I'll just be an alien riding a giraffe.
There you go.
Why not.
Straight out of Star Wars.
Metelkova is home to a number of clubs and venues that host concerts, performances, and
exhibitions, but even if your visit doesn’t coincide with one of these events, you can
still visit for the street art.
As for getting there, Metelkova is located across the train station and over a few blocks
east.
Now here’s another restaurant recommendation.
One place we really enjoyed was Sarajevo 84, a restaurant specializing in Balkan cuisine.
Not only were the portions massive, but everything we ordered was absolutely delicious.
We had a feast featuring: grilled meat with pita and onions, baked beans and sausage,
roasted peppers, and a flaky pastry stuffed with cheese.
All of that food including dessert, only came to 23 Euros.
And if you're in the mood for museums right across from Tivoli Park you've got a whole
bunch of different museums and galleries for you to choose from but we're going to skip
that because we've had a long day and we have a big adventure coming up tomorrow.
What is the plan for tomorrow?
We're going to Bled.
But speaking of galleries and museums, a few you’ll find in the area include: the National
Gallery (Narodna galerija), the Museum of Modern Art (Moderna galerija), and the National
Museum of Slovenia (Narodni muzej Slovenije).
Lastly, we finished off the day at Tivoli, which is the largest park in Ljubljana.
It’s located west of the Old Town and it’s home to numerous gardens.
We only visited a fraction of it, but it was a nice way to wind down the day and wrap up
our time in this city.
And that’s it for our time in Ljubljana.
Our visit was short, tasty, and relaxing, and we’re really glad we made some time
to visit this underrated capital.
Now you guys know the drill; if there are any other things to do in Ljubljana that we
may have missed in this travel guide, feel free to share your suggestions with fellow
travellers in the comments below.
Wishing you happy travels and until next time!