For our first episode, we thought we’d bring you a one-stop overview of some of my favorite things in Ljubljana. It’s based on an article I wrote for The Guardian newspaper, part of their Local’s Guide series. This is an expat’s guide to Ljubljana. It’s just scratching the surface, but it’s a good place to start.
How many times can a city be called a ‘hidden gem’ and still remain hidden? This is the question for Ljubljana, and the country of which it is the capital, Slovenia. It feels as though it is constantly being discovered by the more worldly and knowledgeable tourists, even when its praises have been sung in just about every magazine and broadsheet with a travel section. And yet this city of some 300,000 (a quarter of which are students) still feels like a delight that is beyond the standard tourist route, perhaps because it surprises with its charms, its worldliness, its accessibility, its idyllic, well, everything. Ljubljana means ‘beloved’ and there’s a reason why. Though it sounds like hyperbole, I’ve yet to meet a tourist who did not love Ljubljana. I was one of them, once. While still a student, I undertook a Eurailing trip, as American college students are wont to do, and stopped in Ljubljana for an overnight. Of all the stops, from London to Budapest, this was the city that felt the most immediately liveable, and the biggest surprise, because I arrived with no expectations. It feels more like Switzerland than its former Yugoslavian neighbours, and Ljubljana has always been the most economic and culturally advanced of ex-Yugoslavia, drawing influence from nearby Venice and Vienna. It is also both one of the greenest cities in the world and one of the safest. English is spoken everywhere, at a very high level. Its welcome feel, its accessibility, its reasonable prices but affluent feel, all make it an ideal weekend getaway. Or, like me, you might just up and move here. I’ve become Slovenia’s most vocal ‘cheerleader’ in anglophone media (including past articles in The Guardian), and I even wrote a book called Slovenology: Living and Traveling in the World’s Best Country which, again, sounds like hyperbole, but my argument that Slovenia, and its capital, have the highest quality of life for the most reasonable cost of living is a researched hypothesis. Many a foreigner writes to me with a request for recommendations, and I’m always delighted to help others discover the facets of this ‘hidden gem’.
Yugo-Nostalgia
Perhaps the best way to begin is with what first fascinates foreigners—the aspects of Ljubljana that recall its Yugoslav heritage. These days such locations are considered ‘retro’ and are hipster hangouts, and they feel most exotic to guests. The Museum of Contemporary History will satisfy the curious traveler with exhibits on Yugoslavia, the most positive and user-friendly attempt at socialism. I like to summit Nebotičnik, the first ‘skyscraper’ in Yugoslavia, which is miniature by today’s standards, but has a beautiful Secessionist-style lobby and a fine café at its top, with gorgeous views over the city and to the Alps in the north. Enjoy a glass of wine at the top—Slovenian wines are among the highest-rated in the world, and I particularly recommend the indigenous white wine, Rebula (I’m partial to those produced by Edi Simčič and Marjan Simčič, two unrelated vintners with the same surname, and the sparkling versions from Medot vineyard). The Sunday antiques market along the wonderfully-walkable Ljubljanica River is a time warp, as are dips into various bric-a-brac shops, like Antikvariat Trubarjeva, where you can pick up true relics of Yugo-nostalgia (a real term used frequently in these parts). Don’t forget to grab a pizza a Parma, the first pizzeria in Yugoslavia. In style it bears little resemblance to the gourmet Neapolitan pies en vogue today, but it’s delicious nonetheless, and sits beneath Cankarjev Dom, the national cultural centre, which is itself an architectural masterpiece recently featured in the MOMA exhibition on Concrete Architecture in Yugoslavia.
A Foodie Paradise
There was a time, not long ago, when I felt that I’d tried every restaurant of interest in Ljubljana, but no more. Top-level eateries sprout faster than I can sample them, but there are some tried-and-true classics. The best high-end establishment is JB, a restaurant perennial listed among the best in the world. It’s eponymous chef, Janez Bratovž, was the first chef to introduce nouvelle cuisine to the region, back in the early 90s, and is considered the godfather of fine dining. He also has one of the most reasonably-priced menus among Michelin-star-level restaurants I can imagine. A stroll through Tržnice, the central market, provides a smorgasbord of farm-fresh ingredients. Be sure to stand in the long line for the sauerkraut seller, a dynamic, smiling blonde named Marjetka, whose family is among the last in the country to cultivate an indigenous cabbage that, it is said, makes the best sauerkraut. On fine weather Fridays, the market explodes into a huge outdoor food fair called Odprta Kuhna, which is the best way to sample a wide variety of delicacies. Foreigners inevitably gravitate towards čevapčiči, the burger of the Balkans, best described as oblong meatballs, eaten with fluffy lepinje pitta bread and kajmak cheese. This is not Slovenian, but pan-Balkan, but it is the preferred fast food option here, utterly delicious and appealing to all non-vegetarian palates, and it is the most frequent food ‘discovery’ for visitors. I like to take guests on a čevapčiči crawl, to taste the dish at a series of establishments in a row and determine your favourite. I’m partial to Ajda, Dubočica, Sarajevo ’84 and Saraj, but most locals recommend Čad, a white tablecloth experience in a park on the edge of the city centre. For a more Slovene-specific snack, try Klobasarna, behind the cathedral, which offers only Kranjska klobasa, a geographically-protected local sausage that is worth a journey, served simply, with just a pot of mustard and a warm roll. For those exploring a bit beyond the centre, a full line-up of traditional fare can be found at Pri Vodniku in the Šiška neighbourhood, in the former home of Valentin Vodnik, 18th century author of the first Slovenian cookbook.
Central Market
A stroll through Tržnice, the central market, provides a smorgasbord of farm-fresh ingredients. Be sure to sample some sauerkraut from the ever-smiling Marjetka, whose family is among the last in the country to cultivate indigenous Ljubljana Cabbage that, it is said, makes the best sauerkraut (that she’s the only sauerkraut seller with a queue confirms this thesis). Stock up on what’s local, like pumpkinseed oil, made from the only one of the 825 varieties of pumpkins around the world that is suitable for making pumpkin seed oil. It happens to be native to Slovenia, and the nutty, green-ink oil is an eye-opener atop salads and even vanilla ice cream. You might take home a souvenir jewel-coloured grave candle, which is sold from vending machines—I bought a bunch to decorate my first apartment, not realizing that they were grave candles, and thankfully not scaring off my future wife, when she came over for a romantic evening.
Street Food
On fine weather Fridays, the central market explodes into a huge outdoor food fair called Odprta Kuhna. Founded by Israeli expat Lior Kochavy, it is the best way to sample a wide variety of specialties, as dozens of restaurants, from fancy to down-home, set up stands and offer food truck-style dishes (this is where you can try JB’s take on a burger, made of dry-aged brisket). While most visitors will encounter ubiquitous čevapčiči, oblong grilled meatballs served with fluffy lepinje pitta bread and buttery kajmak cheese, this ‘burger of the Balkans’ is found throughout former Yugoslavia. For the most Slovenian of snacks, try Klobasarna, behind the cathedral, which offers only Kranjska klobasa, a geographically-protected local sausage served simply, with just a pot of mustard and a warm roll.
Coffee and Cakes
After your main meal, you’ll be up for dessert, and the best cakes I’ve ever had can be found at Zvezda, a sweet shop with several locations, where locals go to see and be seen, and to consume Slovenian specialties like kremšnita (a mille-feuille cream cake), gibanica (a layer cake with poppy seeds, walnut, curd cheese and apples) and a flurry of house specialties (try the ‘chocolate dream’ cake, čokoladne sanje). Ljubljana has joined the specialty coffee revolution, with the best cup in town served by a Colombian expat architect named Alex at Črno Zrno, a pocket-sized café on Gorni Trg, beyond the lovely medieval bend of main pedestrian thoroughfare called Stari Trg. Other great, stylish cafes can be found in the Modern Art Museum and the City Museum, where the history of Ljubljana is on display.
Ljubljana’s Genius Loci
Ljubljana, legend has it, was founded where Jason, of Argonauts fame, stopped en route home to slay a dragon, and the Secessionist Dragon Bridge, upon which perch four bronze dragons, is the most-photographed site in the city. The Roman town of Emona grew here, a stop on the trade route between Roman Venice and Budapest, but the city was something of a rural backwater through the Middle Ages, when my adopted hometown, Kamnik, 25 minutes north, was of far more importance. Its importance grew in the 20th century, as did its shape. An 1895 earthquake levelled 15% of the city, but fortune smiled and a young architect, Jože Plečnik, was commissioned to build most of the important structures and spaces in the city. It is rare that one place should have so firm the imprint of a single architect, and thankfully he was a genius, a member of the Royal Society and the darling of in-the-know architectural historians. The best place to get to know him is at his own home, Plečnikova Hiša, which was just the subject of an award-winning renovation. Plečnik was unique, never part of an architectural movement, and his work is a personal hybrid of modernism, art history and a dose of mysticism. He imagined rebuilding Ljubljana as a ‘New Athens’ and managed to receive commissions for so many buildings that taking a Plečnik walking tour, spotting his many buildings and parks, will provide a thorough tour of Ljubljana, which has the highest percentage of pedestrianised streets of any capital in Europe.
Safe and Green Travel Destination
Ljubljana was the Green Capital of Europe in 2016 and prides itself on its eco-friendliness, from an active ‘zero waste’ recycling program, to a free-of-charge electric taxi service through the city centre, to boasting the highest percentage of pedestrianised streets of any capital in Europe. You can see for yourself, strolling the cobbled, medieval Stari Trg and Gornji Trg, in the shadow of the castle, and looping along the riverbank. If traveling ‘green’ is a priority, then you can come here in good conscience. Slovenia as a whole won the National Geographic World Legacy Award in 2017, as the ‘most sustainable’ country in the world. It is also one of the safest places in the world. In 2011, it was ranked the 30th safest city in the world, higher than any city in the UK or the US.
Ideal with Children
With a pair of young daughters, I’m always on the lookout for family-friendly outings, and Ljubljana is rich in them. The official city play centre is Mala Ulica, a maze of psychologist-approved games and spaces ideal for a rainy day. My girls love the Natural History Museum and National Gallery, which do well to integrate interactive exhibits for children. Slovenia has a surprisingly strong tradition of puppet theatre and the Ljubljana Puppet Theatreputs on brilliantly-executed puppet shows and features a magical puppetry museum.
Bridges and Libraries
The Ljubljanica River runs through the city and its banks are lined with inviting cafes. Criss-crossing the river by its many bridges is a great way to explore, from Plečnik’s Cobbler’s Bridge to the Triple Bridge to the Dragon Bridge. Plečnik’s majestic National and University Library is worth entering to experience the ink-dark atrium through which students pass into a light-filled, soaring reading room. And while it is not regularly open to the public, if you’re feeling plucky (or can ask a concierge—or a local—to help you), you can politely request a visit to the 17th century Jesuit library in a seminary near the central market, a marvel of Baroque woodwork and frescoes that many locals have never seen.
Hipster Heaven
Ljubljana is no stranger to elaborate beards and artful tattoos, and you can explore its alternative side by strolling down Trubarjeva ulica, where you might pick up a piece of Yugo-nostalgia (like the sleek, fire-engine red ETA 85 rotary telephone made by Iskra and on display at MoMA, copper Turkish coffee pots, or any number of busts and portraits of Tito) at Antikvariat Trubarjeva. Then go clubbing in the graffiti-laden (but entirely safe and welcoming) Metelkova district. Once the barracks of the Austro-Hungarian and, later Yugoslav armies, it is now a compound of bars, nightclubs and a former prison-turned-hostel, and the base of operations for 200 different youth organizations. Its decorative scheme has grown organically, with murals and statues added ad hoc, including a striking sculpture that resembles a group of Gollums stretched out as if their limbs were made of putty.
Half-Day Trips into the Countryside
One of the benefits of Ljubljana is its quick and easy access to nature and escapes. The most obvious and frequented is a 30-minute drive to Lake Bled, one of the most photogenic places on the planet, though I’m partial to its neighbour, 15 minutes further along, the wilder, more Romantic Lake Bohinj. Or head up to my adopted hometown, Kamnik, also 30 minutes north and a gateway to the Alps. The town boasts three castles and claims to have the most microbreweries per capita in the world. Just beside it is a world-class botanical garden, Arboretum (with a playground area so elaborate and exciting that it will make your children forget about wishes to go to Disneyland). And a few minutes beyond is the other-worldly Velika Planina, a mountain plateau that visitors describe as something out of Lord of the Rings. Driving is easy and Slovenia so compact that it is worthwhile renting a car if you’d like to explore a bit beyond Ljubljana.
This episode is brought to you by Hotel Mrak, my go-to hotel when I stay over in Ljubljana.
