Elegant, refined, light-hearted and trendy, Ljubljana manages to retain a cultured and retro atmosphere that makes it a pleasant city, full of things to see, thanks also to its urban style that has been able to wisely combine ancient and modern.
The different souls, Slavic, Austrian, Central European, mingle through the alleys of the small Jewish quarter and then pass after a few hundred meters to the commercial avenues that have been pedestrianized in the last few years, some of which are still being completed. A city in constant renewal, I try to go back at least once a year, especially to discover the new faces that the city has drawn in the previous months.
In this list things worth seeing to experience the atmosphere of the capital of Slovenia.
Metelkova
A little social center, a little artistic space, this is one of the most particular areas of the city. If you also like alternative places or if you are simply curious, it is really worth a visit to this place, which is compared by many to the Christiania in Copenhagen. Set apart from the historic center, it can be reached on foot with a short walk, it is an old abandoned barracks following the independence of Slovenia and occupied in 1993.
Metelkova is an autonomous and self-managed cultural center, a place where different groups give free rein to their creativity. Here are located associations, theater companies, art galleries, concert halls and even a hostel, which is itself a work of art: built in one of Tito’s prisons, he has adapted the cells into rooms, each of which has been painted in a different way (the grates on the doors and the Spartan furniture have been kept, however).
All the buildings that house the various activities are covered with colorful murals. During the day it is a quiet place, but in the evening it is filled with young people and life. Hope there is a sunny day. Because in this case the two pedestrian streets that line the river are filled with crowded outdoor tables and Ljubljana gives its best.
Promenade along Ljubljanica
Colorful, cheerful and full of life, the promenade along the river is beautiful to walk on both sides and will immediately assail the desire to take more than a break, perhaps to have lunch outdoors. There is also a café at water level, which is accessed by going down a few steps halfway down the walk, on the right side. If the sky is gray or too cold, the atmosphere will be more melancholy and you will have to settle for the tables inside, but a walk here is worth doing in any case. On Sundays there are also the stalls of the antiques market.
Ethnics district
The ethnic district is a not so well known area of the city, but it is one of the most characteristic and certainly worth a visit. It is a neighborhood that, in essence, coincides above all with a street, the Trubarjeva, which runs parallel to the course of the Ljubljanica, but towards the interior and leads to the city center on one side and the Metelkova district on the other. It is largely pedestrianized and originally the shops of the tanners and other artisans of the city overlooked here.
Today, however, there are some local shops, alternating with delicious ethnic restaurants, some sex shops and many graffiti and posters on the peeling walls of the buildings. Some alleys allow you to go down to the riverside, while if you go straight ahead, you arrive, almost without noticing, after passing some interesting bookstores, on the central Prešernov square. It represents the essence of the city.
Open-air markets
The popular open-air markets are always beautiful, but Ljubljana’s is something even more. First of all, it is huge and completely invades a large area of the heart of the historic center, the one that goes from the Dragon Bridge to the triple bridge that crosses Prešernov Tgr, the main square of the city. It is an unmissable event for all the inhabitants, whether they decide to shop or just want to socialize with friends while having a drink in the many outdoor kiosks.
It is perfectly organized in different areas: that of fruit and vegetables near the Bridge of Dragons (one of the symbols of the city), that of flowers behind the church, that with typical products on the square in the middle. And then there are the large covered spaces occupied by the meat and fish markets. Finally, under the arcades of the loggia overlooking the river, the craft market: it will be impossible to leave empty-handed.
The Saturday market is also one of the best places to have a bite to eat at one of the many stalls, mingling with the inhabitants of the city.
Museums
There are two areas dedicated to museums in Ljubljana. An older one, which is concentrated in the area in front of the Tivoli Park around in particular the National Art Gallery (Nardona Galerija) and the Modern Art Gallery (Moderna Galerija), renovated about ten years ago and which houses the collection of Slovenian and Yugoslav contemporary art of the 20th century. This area has undergone a recent pedestrianization that has made it even more interesting and accessible to visitors, who can also find shops and restaurants here. In these parts there is also the National History Museum.
The second area is located behind the Metelkova on one side and the Ethnographic Museum (Slovenski etnografski muzej) on the other and is the most surprising. In fact, until about ten years ago, there were a series of dilapidated buildings in this place and the area was cordoned off for safety reasons. Now there are three large museums here, as well as the headquarters of the ministry of cultural heritage and a large open space on which photographic exhibitions are often set up. The Ethnographic Museum overlooks a green park that in the summer becomes a cheerful outdoor bar with deckchairs instead of chairs and games for children: more and more museums in Ljubljana are a place to spend many hours, even simply in have a chat with friends.
The recently built open space is overlooked by three large structures. The new museum of contemporary art, the + MSUM, alongside the Museum of the City of Ljubljana (Mestni muzej Ljubljana) which is also a historical location in the center and which houses a bit of everything about the history of the capital and finally the Museum of Natural Sciences (Prirodoslovni muzej Slovenije) designed primarily for educational purposes.
Ljubljana’s Park
In the great green lung of the city, the inhabitants love to come for a run, have a picnic or a bike ride, take the children to play or simply relax with a book. The park, which stretches between the districts of Rožna Dolina and Siška, is so large that if you really want to walk through it, it can take hours. The main entrance opens onto a large avenue flanked by a series of images in giant format that show the city of the past and the one today. The avenue leads to the Tivoli Castle, a building that houses the International Center for Graphic Arts and a bar. Behind the building there are acres of green park, with paths, flower beds and small hills. Some paths lead to a pond and to the Palazzo dello Zecchino, which houses the Museum of Contemporary History. Following a path in the opposite direction, you reach the modern Hala Tivoli, a multifunctional center that puts a stop to major sporting events and concerts. A longer hike leads up to a 394-meter hill that once housed a leper colony. Today here, in addition to a splendid panorama, there is a church and a restaurant.
However, it is worth going up the hill on which the manor stands (on foot along the path or using the funicular) to admire the city from above. Walking along the path, the glimpses that open curve after curve among the thick trees give satisfaction to those who have wanted to try their hand at the uphill walk. Access to the funicular is located behind the Vodnikov Trg, in the Krekov Trg, a small tree-lined square. Those who choose the walk in the woods, on the other hand, should head towards Študentovska ulica on the Vodnikov Trg, always near the funicular. There is also another path, the Reber, which comes out in Stari Trg.
