Lively Ljubljana

Ljubljana can be visited on foot, since the majority of its most interesting parts are in the city centre itself, which is divided by the river Ljubljanica.

The stamp of past eras

The traces of the past two thousand years – from the founding of the town of Aemona by the Romans – can still be seen in Ljubljana. You can still visit the walls of Roman Ljubljana. Below Ljubljana's renovated medieval castle are the well-preserved remains of the medieval town.

Ljubljana owes its present appearance partly to the Italian Baroque and partly to the Art Nouveau style of the Vienna Secession, which is reflected in the architecture of many of the buildings built immediately after the powerful earthquake of 1895.

In the first half of the 20th century, the world-famous architect Jože Plečnik left a very personal stamp on his native city. The city's appearance was later further shaped by Plečnik's pupils and by the creations of a 'new wave' of rising young architects.

Capital of culture

Ljubljana is a city of culture, home to numerous theatres, museums and galleries, and also boasts one of the oldest philharmonic societies in the world. Over 10,000 cultural events take place in Slovenia's capital each year, including several international festivals. Ljubljana has been chosen by UNESCO as the 2010 World Book Capital.

Life on the banks of the Ljubljanica

In the warmer months of the year, many cafés and restaurants spread out into the open air, to the banks of the Ljubljanica and the squares of the Old Town. Here residents and visitors alike meet over a morning coffee, after the almost obligatory Saturday visit to the central market, or the Sunday flea market, or for an evening chat with friends.

The pulse of the city is lively yet at the same time relaxed, in part because so many young people live in Ljubljana. Students, roughly 50,000 of them, account for almost a fifth of the population.
 

A base from which to explore the surrounding area

Thanks to its geographical situation, the capital is an ideal base from which to discover the extraordinarily varied faces and beauties of Slovenia.

On the edge of the city is the Ljubljansko Barje Nature Park, a sanctuary for many bird species. South of the city is the picturesque Iški Vintgar gorge, a popular summer destination for city-dwellers, who go there to enjoy a refreshing day out.

Near Borovnica is the famous Pekel gorge with its several waterfalls, while in nearby Bistra the Technical Museum of Slovenia is housed in a former monastery. In nearby Vrhnika there are several karst springs, the sources of the Ljubljanica.

On the northern edge of the capital rises the isolated hill of Šmarna Gora, perhaps the most popular hiking destination in Slovenia. Its summit offers a fine view of the capital city.

Also worth a visit to the north of Ljubljana is Lake Zbilje. Many day-trippers like to visit the hills in the area around Litija, to the east of Ljubljana.