From Wikitravel

Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia.

Contents 1 Understand 1.1 Orientation 2 Get in 2.1 By plane 2.2 By train 2.3 By bus 3 Get around 4 See 5 Do 6 Eat 6.1 Budget 6.2 Mid-range 6.3 Splurge 7 Drink 8 Sleep 8.1 Budget 8.2 Mid range 8.3 Splurge 9 Get out 9.1 Hitchhiking 10 Contact

Understand

Slovenia is, arguably, the cutest of the formerly communist countries, and Ljubljana ("lyoob-lyAH-nah") is a great little city full of charm. It's pretty easy to have a good time here. It's full of galleries and museums and young artists. The population of the city is around 330,000. Ljubljana Tourist Board

Orientation

The Ljubljanica river flows through the center of town, past Baroque buildings and under the ramparts of the ancient castle on the hill. The new city and modern-day commercial core lies to the west of the river, while the east side has Ljubljana's old city and the castle. Connecting the two are a number of bridges, the most famous of which is the Tromostovje (triple) bridge.

Get in

By plane

Ljubljana's pint-sized Brnik Airport (Aerodrom Ljubljana) [1], located 27 km north of the city, is the country's main international gateway and the hub of Slovenian national carrier Adria Airways [2]. The airport is serviced by most neighboring countries and low-cost carriers easyJet and Wizzair. The airport has the bare necessities (bank, ATM, cafe) but little else; a two-stage renovation is under way, with new wings opening in late 2007 and 2010.

There are regular public buses (€2.50, 50 min) and minibuses (€4.00, 30 min) to the bus/train station at Trg OF. Alternatively, a metered taxi to the center will cost about €30.

By train

Ljubljana is the hub of Slovenia's rail system. There are direct international connections to Budapest, Munich, Trieste, Venice, Wien and Zagreb, as well as local trains throughout the country — no point in Slovenia is more than 3 hours away. The train station is on Trg Osvobodilne Frente (OF) at the northern edge of downtown, at walking distance to most hotels.

By bus

Ljubljana bus station (avtobusna postaja) is right next to the train station and has services throughout the country and to neighbors as well. The station has several useful schedule search engines (also in English) for working out connections around the country.

Get around

Ljubljana has a good bus network, but it is small enough that you will be able to walk everywhere in the centre. You can pick up a free city map in one of the Tourist Information Offices either in the train station or in the city centre (Adamič-Lundrovo nabrežje 2).

The train and bus station are within easy walking distance of the centre of town - which is roughly speaking the "Three bridges" area. From the station take any of the roads heading into town and this will lead you to this area.

Taxis are very cheap, and between two or three people it can be a convenient way to get back to the hotel if you're not in the centre. Taxi Laguna (tel. 080 11 17) and Taxi Metro (tel. 080 11 90) are considered the cheapest. These are free numbers, so can use a phone booth to make a call.

See

• Old Ljubljana - monuments, historic buildings.
• Stari trg - This street has local designer shops, trendy cafes etc. If you are up for an alternative, interesting buy then the so-called 'old Ljubljana' is your cup of tea. It is situated on the east side of the river (cross Tromostovje bridge, go straight ahed for 30 metres to the City hall then turn right into the narrow street surrounded by medieval houses). The street is called Mestni trg, and later it changes to Gornji trg.
• Triple Bridge
• Ljubljana Castle
• National Museum of Contemporary History. Celovška cesta 23, tel. 01 300 96 10, fax 01 433 82 44, [3]. Slovenia's 20th-century history museum gives you a real sense of the country's roller-coaster ride through regime after regime. Its immersive exhibits include a walk-through WWI bomb bunker, with sound effects. In another room, a portrait of Stalin lies smashed on the ground. You walk through a pretty park to get here.
• Tivoli Gallery - International centre of Graphic Art. Pod turnom 3, tel. 01 241 38 00, [4]. Specialised in art shows, often in collaboration with international institutions. Open Tu-Sa 10.00 - 18.00, Su 12.00 - 18.00, Mo closed.

Do

• Water City of Atlantis is water park offering 14 pools, thermal baths, slides and saunas. Special section is dedicated for children. It is located within the BTC City Shopping District. Prices: from €6 to €14.(Website: www.atlantis-vodnomesto.si)
• Laguna Fun & Spa offers open-air pools during the day and themed parties at night. It is located within the Ljubljana Resort. Prices from €6 to €12. Website: www.laguna.si. Laguna is only open from june to september.
• Vodafone Live! Arena is a great place to spend an evening. Main features include bowling, pool, laser games and a state-of-the-art 3D XpanD cinema theatre (the latter from €4.59 to €7.93). (BTC City Shopping District)
• Kolosej (The Colosseum) is Ljubljana's main multiplex. Unlike in the rest of Europe, all movies are presented in orginal audio language (mostly English) while equipped with Slovenian subtitles. This does not apply to computer-rendered and animated movies, which are dubbed for the children. Prices: from €3.94 to €4.59. Special discounts on Tuesdays. (BTC City Shopping District) www.kolosej.si
• Ljubljana Zoo is one of the most beautiful Zoos of Europe - Tickets from €5.00 to €6.00.

Eat

Budget

• Hot-Horse, Trubarjeva 31 (other outlets in Tivoli Park and BTC). A fast food joint with a difference: all the meat used is horse meat! The star of the menu is the horse burger, which is gigantic and costs €3.

• McDonald's. This global fast food chain has seven restaurants around the town. Menus usually cost from €3 to €5. The drive-thru restaurants are located on Celovška street, on Šmartinska street and in shopping district Rudnik, all near the motorway ring.

Mid-range

• Gostilna Sokol. Ciril Metodov trg 18, tel. 01 439 68 55 [5]. This restaurant deals up authentic Slovenian cuisine, complete with all waiters and waitresses dressed up in traditional costume. The food is hearty and served in generous gut-busting portions and very good value for money. The fish cooked in a paper bag with vegetables is highly recommended. There is plenty of meat, fish and vegetable dishes to choose from. The only downside was the house red, which is very sharp and quite cold, but this is a minor quibble.

• Julija. Stari trg 9. Right next to Luka’s, serving similar fare of Italian pasta and risotto dishes. Not quite a nice as Luka’s but still a good filling meal, and at a reasonable price. Pasta or risotto dishes are under SIT 1,500 (€6.26)

• Jurman, Zaloška 151, tel. 051 358 358. Open daily from 11.00 to 23.00. Affordable prices and very diverse choices. They have themed rooms, such as castle room and fishing room. Children can play in a designated indoor and outdoor playgrounds. The staff is friendly and the service is fast; it usually never takes longer than 10 minutes for 2 or 3 people. You are advised to make a reservation in advance.

• Luka Gourmet Lunch Cafe. Stari trg 11. One of a line of cafes on Stari Trg with outside seating. Serves up tasty, mainly pasta dishes with reasonable prices and friendly service. Most lunch dishes are about SIT 1,300 (€5.42).

Splurge

• Gostilna Pod Rožnikom (formerly known as Gostilna Čad) specialises in dishes from southeastern Europe. They are located near Ljubljana Zoo. You are advised to book in advance (tel. 01 251 34 46). Prices almost always exceed €10 per person, which ranks this restaurant among the expensive ones.

• Špajza. Gornji Trg 28, tel. 01 425 30 94. Closed Sun. This restaurant is much larger than you first expect when you initially enter. You walk through several candlelit rooms before you reach the outside terrace. The waiters are initially quite attentive, serving you a nice little aperitif to get you started. The food is a mixture of Slovenian and European, and the menu is kept to a handful of choices for each course. Because of the service, surroundings and food this felt like an expensive restaurant, although by Western standards, it was quite reasonable. An average main dish is SIT 2,500 (€10.43) to SIT 3,500 (€14.60).

Drink

Most of Ljubljana’s bars tend to cluster on the streets running parallel to the river, radiating from Prešernov trg, which is the main square in Ljubljana. The more interesting bars tend to be on the backstreets, rather than directly facing the river. Part of the joy of this city is stumbling across these places, but these are few to start you off.

• Čajna Hisa. (The Tea House) Stari trg 3. This is a quirky little coffee and tea room, offering many variations on those warm beverages as well as basic breakfasts and lunches. The background music is impeccably cool, and the atmosphere is ideal for some elegant loafing. Linked to the café is a teashop selling drinking paraphernalia and loads of different fruity flavoured teas by the 100g.

• Vinoteka Movia. Mestni trg 2. Anyone with any interest in wine should visit here. The cosy, candlelit wine bar comes with knowledgeable barmen who can recommend a wine based on your tastes. The wine glasses are huge, so it’s hard to tell if they were being stingy or if it has simply spread out. Be careful about asking for ‘samples’, as they will charge you full price for the privilege. The prices can vary from modest to a remortgage.

• Okrepcevalnica Makalonca. Hribarjevo nabrežje. The unenticing entrance leads down some steps into a small underground bar that sits level with the river. You can sit inside on stone steps (cushions provided) looking out at the water, or sit outside right by the river. It feels like your own little discovery.

• BI-KO-FE. A lively little bar that plays excellent jazz music (CD, not live). There is outside seating, but inside is where it seems to be happening. It looks like the place the youngish locals hangout to drink the night away.

• K4 is a nice clubbing spot at 4, Kersnikova Trg. National and international DJs play electronic music. Opens Tu-Sun, 10 pm - 2.30/4 am.

Sleep

Budget

Ljubljana offers two all-year hostels (Celica and Bit Hotel) and several student's homes, that function as hostels in the summer.

• Celica (The Cell), Metelkova ulica 8 (400m from bus/railway station), [6]. A redecorated military prison within the former Yugoslav army base of Metelkova, which turned first into a squatter settlement and is now Ljubljana's burgeoning cultural center. Two years ago, the cells of the former prison were assigned to several Slovenian artists, who designed every one of them individually. The Celica hostel was declared to be the best hostel of 2006 in the World by Lonely Planet, which means they've jacked up prices and it's often full. A bed in a cell (2-3 beds) or normal room (3-5) costs 20&euro, give or take a few euros depending on how many you're sharing with, including breakfast. Coin laundry, free internet PCs, pleasant cafe-restaurant. Credit cards accepted.

• Ljubljana Resort (formerly known as Autocamp Ježica), Dunajska 270, (3 km north of the centre, take bus 6 or 8 for 190 (€0.79) -300 SIT (€1.25)), +386 (0)1 568 3913 (fax +386 (0)1 568 3912, email ac.jezica@gp-ljubljana.si)[7]. Pleasant location near river Sava. You can pitch a tent or hire a bungalow. Swimming pool, sauna, fitness centre, badminton, volleyball, bowling, children's playground, restaurant, snack bar. Double bungalow is SIT 15,000 (€62.59) per night including breakfast.

• Park Hotel, Tabor 9. +386 (0)1 300-2500 (fax: +386 (0)1 433-0546, hotel.park@siol.net email address has permanent error at least since 22nd of august 2006.)[8]. This 2-star hotel in fact also a HI hostel and its accommodation is split between hotel and "hostel" rooms. The latter are cheaper but have only an outside bath and no TV. Staff may request to keep your passport at check in, so it might be useful to have a copy to hand in. Single €56.

Mid range

• Short-term apartments [9] Rent vacation rental apartments in the center of the old city of Ljubljana,or in quiet suburbs. a great home base from which to tour the rest of the country, including Lake Bled. $787/week and up.

Splurge

Get out

• Postojna Caves[10] - 20 km of underground galleries, chambers and corridors. Guided tour on special cave train takes one and half hour. The temperature in caves is always 8 C. Start of guided tours is at 10.00, 12.00, 14.00 from October to April and on every hour on the hour between 9.00 and 18.00 from May to September.
• Bled
• Kamnik — button-cute little town 45 min away, with a perfectly preserved medieval town center
• Julian Alps
• Crossing the border. Ljubljana has very good links with Croatia, there are regular trains running to Zagreb and Rijeka. Journey time is about 2.5 hours.

Hitchhiking

Unlike in the rest of Europe, hitchiking is not illegal.

Using your thumb is OK, but also make sure to present a sign with a big friendly inscription indicating the two-character code of the major city of the region you're headed to, as follows:

• LJ for Ljubljana (central Slovenia)
• MB for Maribor (and further to Graz, Austria)
• KP for Koper (Sloveninan coast and further to Croatia and Trieste, Italy)
• KR for Kranj (Slovenian mountains and further to Austria)
• MS for Murska Sobota (and further to Hungary)
• NM for Novo Mesto (and further to Zagreb Croatia)
• GO for Nova Gorica (and further to Gorizia, Italy)
• CE for Celje (and further to MB-Maribor)
• PO for Postojna (and further to KP-Koper)
• SG for Slovenj Gradec (and further to Austria)

Some international codes:

• ZG for Zagreb, Croatia
• TS for Trieste, Italy

To the coast (Koper, Izola, Piran)

Get to Dolgi most by bus 6 and hitchhike at the entrance point of the motorway to Koper.

Contact

Free access

• Cyberpipe located at Kersnikova ulica 6, it is closed in summer
• Faculty of Electrical Engineering located at Trzaska cesta 25

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!