After a few nights in Budapest, Hungary it was time to venture to its south-west neighbor, Slovenia. I had visited Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana back in 2007 with my family, however it was time to go back and explore not just the capital city, but also the beautiful outskirts.
Slovenia is definitely one of Europe’s best-kept secrets. Squeezed between some of Europe’s powerhouse countries (Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia) with only two-million people, the country does not receive the definite praise that it should. The country of Slovenia is devoted to protecting its natural resources and pristine beauty, where 60% of the countries land is covered by forest (only behind Sweden and Finland). As such, this may be a reason why there isn’t much tourism. It is heavily influenced by its neighbors, (Italian, Slavic and Hungarian), where architecture, food and folk traditions thrive on bringing Slovenia as a must-see in Europe.
Coming from Budapest, there were not many options for transportation. There is only one bus a week that departs for Ljubljana from Budapest – which is the one I used. The bus departed HU Budapest at 6:00 am, and arrived in SI Ljubljana Autpostaja at 1:30 pm. For 7.5 hours, it was only 21 euros! The bus station was fairly close to the city and hotel I had prebooked. It was called Hotel Park Ljubljana. The hotel service was fantastic, and the overall interior and exterior designs reflected the Slovenian culture beautifully. The hotel costed $70/night- CAD.
Seeing as the bus ride took 7.5 hours, I thought it would be best to just chill in Ljubljana for the remainder of the day. There was a food, craft and live music street festival happening, which was perfect. The old town also wasn’t very busy, considering it was the heart of summer. It was definitely nice to see the locals out and about, compared to some of the other cities I had previously visited on this trip. Although it is easy for me to communicate in Slovenian (I have a Slovenian grandmother), many people also speak English fluently or very close to it.
The city of Ljubljana itself doesn’t offer too much to an “avid adventurer”, as it is just a relaxing spot with many cafes and sit down restaurants. It is very easy to eat out in Ljubljana, as there are many cafe’s, bakeries etc. Obviously it is way cheaper to eat just outside of the city, but if you’re in the city center, prices aren’t too bad either. It is also pedestrian friendly, as there is a pedestrian only zone within the main city center. Because Ljubljana is so small, it is easy to walk and/or bike everywhere (while this is also encouraged because it is the European Green Capital). I was able to cover all of the ‘hot’ tourist spots the first day. Some of the spots I visited were:
During my 3 night stay in Ljubljana, I visited the following sites:
Triple Bridge: A group of three bridges across the Ljubljanica River in the city center near Prešeren Square. It connects Ljubljana’s historical, medieval, town on one bank, and the modern city of Ljubljana, on the other. It was designed in 1929 by the architect, Jože Plečnik.
Tivoli City Park: Largest park in Ljubljana with numerous walking trails, floral arrangements, fountains and statues.
Franciscan Church of the Annunciation: Built between 1646 and 1660 by the Augustinians, who had also lived inside until the end of the 18th century. Later it was taken over by the Franciscans, where it got its name and colour. There is a bronze statue of St. Mary on the top.
Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity: Built between 1718 and 1726, it is a baroque church built by Carlo Martinuzzi, the Furlanian architect from Italy.
Ljubljana Cathedral: Rebuilt a number a times, the original site was occupied as early as 1262.
Preseren Square: The center of Ljubljana, but also the spiritual center of the Slovene nation – and more practically the “meeting” point in the city where festivals, concerts, sports, political, and protest events take place. There is a bronze statue of the Slovene national poet France Prešeren on one of the corners across the Central Pharmacy. One of his poems, “A Toast” / “Zdravljica” is a part of the national anthem of Slovenia.
Dragon Bridge: In Slovenia, there is a legend that Jason was the founder of Ljubljana, and he and his Argonauts killed a dragon. There are four dragons on the bridge/entrance way to Ljubljana, each of which represent different legends.
Postojna Cave: 24,340 m long cave system in Postojna (Southwestern Slovenia). In 1872 cave rails, along with a cave train were put for tourists. During WWI Russian prisoners were forced to construct a bridge across a large chasm in the cave. Later, during WWII, German occupying forces used the cave to store over 1,000 barrels of aircraft fuel. This was destroyed in 1944. In recent years, the cave houses the world’s only underground post office, and the world’s largest troglodytic amphibian – the Olm.
Apart from the tourist hot spots in the capital city of Ljubljana, the next few days were spent on the outskirts. Even though my days were spent elsewhere, I managed to come back to Ljubljana each night as it was in the center of all bus/train routes to other destinations in Slovenia. Check out my other posts on Hiking/White Water Rafting the Julian Alps and Lake Bled!
