Are you wondering where to go for a next city-break? Here’s an answer: Ljubljana. If you haven’t been there yet, it’s a destination to consider seriously. Despite being rather unknown, Ljubljana has a unique allure hard to find elsewhere. It’s chic, but not exaggeratedly, small, but filled with precious gems. Its capital feels like a small, cozy town. To make it clearer, here’s a list of 8 reasons why you should visit Ljubljana.
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Table of Contents
Ljubljana is simply gorgeous…
As soon as you enter the center of Ljubljana, you’ll find yourself surrounded by thousands of lovely things, from charming buildings, tastefully decorated cafés and creatively arranged shop windows, to historical monuments and great pieces of street art. Ljubljana’s elegant, but not overly posh. The countless bridges not only connect two banks of Ljubljanica River but also look fabulous. The squares are dotted with quirky sculptures (both modern and old). The winding cobbled-stone walkways lead to various bewitching spots and getting lost in this labyrinth is the best way to explore the town. Sitting up on the hill, the castle overlooks the myriad streets, buildings, and people. It’s visible from nearly everywhere in the center and adds a bit of magic to the general look of Ljubljana.
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…and green
The architectonic jewels of Ljubljana are set amongst the delightful greenery. Trees are as abundant as buildings, which isn’t common for capitals. Most houses, balconies, and terraces are adorned with colorful flowers. The Tivoli Park is a perfect place to stroll about, make a picnic or take a pleasant rest after sight-seeing. With all the nature present in the town, Ljubljana is a very livable city. It’s more than just an excellent destination for a city-break, it’s also a perfect city to live.
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Lovely shops and boutiques
If you’re into shopping, Ljubljana won’t disappoint you. The center’s full of various stores and many of them specialize in specific products. Organic food and cosmetics, vintage clothes, vinyl records, handmade souvenirs, unique jewelry, fancy gadgets, and wines will speak to you from behind the windows in a very persuasive manner. If you’re having trouble resisting temptations, be ready for your wallet to shrink during the trip to Ljubljana.
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Great cafés, restaurants, and bars
The whole town is full of excellent restaurants serving diverse dishes. The local cuisine is strongly influenced by Italy, Hungary, Austria, and Balkans, so imagine what a mixture comes out of it. You can find both fanciful restaurants and simple eateries. The open kitchen market is a great spot for a quick and delicious lunch. To indulge yourself in a bit of luxury, visit one of the restaurants located on the banks of Ljubljanica. For a budget, snack goes to a bakery and order a burek, a pastry characteristic for Balkans. It’s yummy, cheap and filling. In the evenings the cafés turn into bars, and people stop by for a beer, not a coffee anymore. The terraces set up along Ljubljanica are lit by candles, alluring passers-by with their cozy charm. For more of an alternative atmosphere, visit Metelkova City. It’s the favorite spot of local artists, activists, and eccentric individuals. In addition to incredible street art, Metelkova’s also known for the best night-life in the city. In general, Ljubljana isn’t a dream destination for wild party-animals, but its bars are numerous and exciting enough to keep pub-crawlers entertained.
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It’s small but fascinating
As for a capital, Ljubljana’s tiny. You can easily walk all around the center and neighboring districts, which is very convenient. Within a few hours, you can see most of the major attractions. Nevertheless, it’s so lovely you’ll want to spend more than these few hours there. Even if you stroll about the very same streets all over again, it takes a while to get bored of them. There’s always a detail you haven’t noticed before, an impressive sculpture, a beautifully decorated window, a mysterious backyard, something to attract your attention once more.
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Prices are reasonable
There are cheaper capitals in Europe, such as Zagreb, Budapest, Sarajevo or Warsaw. Nevertheless, Ljubljana is affordable, especially if you compare it to other members of the Eurozone. You can get a cup of coffee for €1,5, a beer for €2,5 and a glass of wine for €2. A good dinner costs about €10. Accommodation isn’t insanely expensive either. The prices of hostels start from €12 per night. Simple hotels and guest-houses charge from approximately €30-40 a night. Of course, the more of the fanciness you want, the more you’ll spend, but it’s possible to enjoy many of Ljubljana’s attractions on a low-budget.
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It’s relatively non-touristy
As for such a beautiful place, Ljubljana isn’t very crowded. Tourists overtake most of the pretty towns in Europe, particularly during the summer. Ljubljana has its visitors too, but there aren’t nearly as many of them as in Paris, Prague or Barcelona. It means you can walk the marvelous streets without crushing with someone each few minutes – doesn’t it sound fantastic?
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Excellent location
Ljubljana’s proximity to many fascinating places is one of its greatest advantages. It takes an hour to get to the Slovenian coast, where you can have a swim in the Adriatic, sail, sunbath the days away and eat tons of delicious seafood. In 40 minutes you can be in Bled, one of Slovenia’s most gorgeous towns, known mostly for its sparkling lake with an island and a castle situated in the middle of it. You need more or less 2 hours to reach Zagreb, the surprisingly captivating capital of Croatia. Skiers can quickly get to the Slovenian Alps. Trieste, Venice, Vienna, Budapest, and Bratislava are quite close to Ljubljana as well.
Are you convinced yet? Let us know whether Ljubljana sounds like a place you’d like to see. And don’t forget to share this article with your friends, especially if they’re wondering where to spend their next weekend off.
