A Gem Called Ljubljana

6 min readOct 28, 2020

In 2015, I took a train from Treviso, where I was for work, to Trieste, to visit the only concentration camp that had existed in Italy. It was on that trip, while I was exploring the maps, did I realise that, I was very close to a country called Slovenia.

All I knew about Slovenia then, was that it was a newly formed nation, when, in 1991, it broke away from the erstwhile Yugoslavia. After World War II, Yugoslavia had been set up as a federation of six republics, based on ethnic and historical lines: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia.

The capital and the biggest city of Slovenia is Ljubljana.

Slovenian border is just about 10 km from Trieste and Ljubljana is around 90 km away. Yet it’s not very easy to get there. There are no trains that run between Italy and Slovenia except a single slow connection between Villa Opicina in Italy to Ljubljana. One can take the historic tram or bus from Piazza Oberdan in Trieste to reach Villa Opicina. Therefore, if one has just a day in Trieste, it would not be feasible to plan a trip unless you have a vehicle of your own.

There are also buses plying between various cities of Italy to Ljubljana. Flights are super expensive, so just forget that.

It was in 2017, that I finally visited Ljubljana. I booked a return trip on Flix bus online from Venice which was a very comfortable 3 hr ride through a scenic route. The tickets are very reasonable. I also booked a hostel very close to the city centre.

Top Things To Do In Ljubljana

I had two days in Ljubljana. And had booked place in a hostel on the western outskirts of the City Centre, which was about a 15 min walk. The biggest attraction to book there was the Tivoli Park, which is Ljubljana’s largest and most beautiful park. It was designed in 1813 by the French engineer Jean Blanchard. Its crossed by three grand horse chestnut tree-lined walks a variety of bird species.

The best way to experience the pulse of a city is to see it on foot. I always start my daily early and follow a rough plan. And that’s what I did on my first morning there. I went on a free walking tour of the city.

The tour started from the Ljubljana Cathedral in the Preseren Square, which is a prominent landmark. Made in baroque style the peach coloured church with a green dome is worth a visit inside.

Ljubljana is a city of beautiful and very unique bridges built across the river Ljubljanica. These bridges are the highlight of the city with a legend associated with each of them. A good part of your time in Ljubljana should be spent exploring these bridges.

Triple Bridge

Dragon Bridge

Cobbler’s Bridge

Butcher’s Bridge

Ljubljana Castle

As I walked along, a small hillock rose in front of me with a medieval fortress from the 11th century on top of it. That’s the Ljubljana Castle. It is a key landmark of the town. The old city quarter lies between this fortress and the river. The picturesque old city centre embankments, is one of Ljubljana’s most noteworthy landmarks.

I walked it up to the castle, although there’s a funicular too that is available. It was a beautiful early morning climb to the top, from where I could see the entire city with its red-roofed houses. A few locals were already up there, some walking there dogs merrily!

Central Market

Our tour guide that morning had mentioned the Central Market is something not to be missed. So, after the morning tour got over, I headed to this market. The whole place was abuzz with locals and I realized that it’s more than just a place to shop. Its a popular rendezvous for the locals of all ages to meet and spend some good time together. On the cool early afternoon, the very familiar fragrance of coffee and croissants wafting through the cafes, was very comforting.

The Central Market is an open-air market, located between two squares. In the middle are kiosks and vendors selling fresh vegetables, flowers, meat, honey, coloured glassware and souvenirs. On the side, next to the river is a series of cafes in a colonnaded covered space.

What to eat?

The food of Slovenia has flavors merging from Italy in the west, Austria to its north, Hungary to the east, and Croatia in the south. I also found restaurants specializing in Serbian food. A variety of pasta, salami, dumplings, seafood, olive oil, cheeses, cakes make the Slovenian food.

Beekeeping is very popular in Slovenia, therefore honey is sold in plenty. One evening, during the evening chat with our host, we enjoyed some honey liqueur (honey with brandy and spices)called Medica.

Interestingly, I also found Ghee (clarified butter) being sold in the farmer’s market which reminded me of home.

One afternoon, while looking for a place to grab a quick bite in, I bumped into this fast food restaurant called Hot Horse — selling the latest fad in Ljubljana — horse meat hot dogs, burgers, steaks, sausages, served in sliced breads. Curious although, I was, I just couldn’t bring myself to try some!