For the best salt, head to Mestni Trg's Piranske Soline, where you'll also find the brand's legendary, salt-dusted chocolate bars and beeswax candles – Slovenia's Carniolan bee is a protected species, and the country has 90,000 beekeepers. Items to look out for include hand-painted ceramic plates and bowls and Slovenian salt. Mestni Trg and Stari Trg (Trg means "square" in Slovenian, but also refers to streets), at the base of Castle Hill, are where you'll find the highest density of souvenir shops. Which is all well and good, but if you're on the hunt for souvenirs, the city centre is the place to be. Osojnica, Slovenia © Alberto Loyo/Shutterstock Where to shopĪnother surprising fact about Ljubljana? It's got one of Europe's largest shopping malls - the BTC City Ljubljana, a sprawling complex with a water park, multiplex cinema and hundreds of stores. There are daily tours of the castle, which has a wonderful Museum of Puppetry within its grounds – reflecting the city's love for one of its oldest art forms. A major renovation in the 1970s turned it into Ljubljana's biggest tourist attraction, reached via a short, steep funicular which starts at the base of Castle Hill. During WWII, quarantined prisoners of war were sent here, and later still it was used to house the city's poorest families – albeit in horrendous conditions. The building has a long history – it was built as a defence against Ottoman invasions before being used as a military hospital and prison in the 1800s. One building Plečnik can't lay claim to is the fifteenth-century Ljubljana Castle, which towers over the city. His former home is stuffed with tools, models and drawings, including sketches of a building which never came to fruition – the Cathedral of Freedom, which would have housed the Slovenian Parliament had his designs not been rejected. You can learn more about the architect at Plečnik House. The bridge was designed in 1929 by Jože Plečnik. One of Prešeren's sonnets was used as the basis for the country's national anthem and his statue stands proudly in the square's centre.Īnother architectural gem is the Triple Bridge –a cluster of three bridges spanning the Ljubljanica River and connecting modern Ljubljana with the historic centre. The square was created as a tribute to the late France Prešeren, considered one of Europe's finest romantic poets.
Head to Urbanc palace on the square, regarded as the city's finest example of Art Nouveau architecture, to find the city's original (and still operating) department store, Galerija Emporium. It's surrounded by several colourful mansions, like the Mayerjeva palača (Mayor's Palace), an impossibly grand building which now houses a pharmacy. Prešeren Square is the logical (and spectacular) starting point for all explorations of Ljubljana.
Planning a trip to Slovenia? Get in touch and we can connect you with a local expert to plan your dream trip. Ljubljana Castle with its mountain backdrop © Matic Stojs Lomovsek/Shutterstock In a nutshell, Ljubljana a destination with endless appeal, but which has somehow remained blissfully crowd-free and wonderfully affordable – for now, at least. There's also a great range of bars and clubs (the 50,000-strong student population can take some of the credit for this). The city is home to some great restaurants and fascinating museums and there's plenty of history to discover. Don't be fooled by the name – a sliding roof means performances can take place on rainy days. Regarded as a master of modern architecture, Plečnik designed large parts of Ljubljana's centre in the early 20th century, shaping its embankments and designing its cemetery, market buildings, library, famous Triple Bridge and the Križanke Summer Theatre, converted from a former monastery of the Teutonic Order. The residents have architect Jože Plečnik to thank for the city's elegant, orderly layout. No wonder it was voted the European Commission's Green Capital of Europe in 2016.
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It's a place which feels surprisingly ahead of its time, thanks to a recently pedestrianised centre and a fleet of electric jeeps which will whisk you around for free – simply dial the number on the side of the vehicles.
Ljubljana is one of Europe's smallest cities - two million people live in Slovenia, and just 292,000 in the capital.