Joanna Booth is bewitched by the charms of the Slovenian capital
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Ljubljana is simpler than it sounds. Simple to get to: just over two hours, daily from Stansted with easyJet or three times a week from Luton with Wizz Air.
Simple to get around – a small network of streets on either side of the river make up the city centre, overlooked by a castle on a hill. Simpler even to pronounce – if you aim for Lub-yana, that’ll pretty much do.
Come September, Ljubljana will be getting a lot more love from the travel industry as the Abta Travel Convention comes to town. Attendees will find a pint-sized city that’s almost absurdly pretty, where historic buildings sit in tree-lined streets, and locals and tourists alike watch the world go by from riverside cafes.
Slovenia lies between Austria and Italy, and visitors to Ljubljana will see influences of both – plus something uniquely Slovenian added – which gives the country its own special flavour. This is a city with a fondness for kaffee und kuchen, where streets are spotless and things run with a certain Teutonic efficiency.
It’s also a place that knows how to party, where you’ll find fine wines, late nights, long lunches and some world-class gelato. Now is the time to start selling Slovenia, before everyone else cottons on to just how lovely it really is.
CITY SIGHTS
It seems as though every hill in Slovenia has a fairytale castle built on top, and Ljubljana is no exception, with one right in the city centre. Take the funicular and you don’t even have to break a sweat to get there – although once inside it’s worth climbing the stairs of the viewing tower for panoramic views over the city. There’s a museum of Slovenian history, though many may prefer to have it brought alive on one of the castle’s new Time Machine tours, where guides in period costume illuminate six key points in the city’s past.
Visitors are spoilt with two really good restaurants: Strelec, which offers fine dining in the grand setting of the Archer’s Tower, and the less formal Na Gradu, which serves modern takes on Slovenian favourites in the main courtyard.
The funicular’s lower station deposits visitors close to another of the city’s highlights, the Central Market. Fruit, vegetables and flowers fill the stalls in the square; in the covered market there are baked goods, meats, fish and cheeses, plus the odd hole-in-the-wall wine bar selling vintages by the glass. Cafes line the colonnade, offering snacks and specialities, including the local Carniolan sausage, served hot and sliced with sides of mustard and grated horseradish. Stock up here for a picnic in Tivoli Park, a huge green space that reaches right into the city centre, just a short walk away over the famous Triple Bridge.
This three-part bridge, like many of the other 20th-century architectural gems in the city, is the work of Jože Plecnik. A sort of Gaudi for Ljubljana, his fingerprints are all over the place. His urban planning created the bridges and embankments that transformed the Ljubljanica River into the living heart of the city; his renovations brought back to life historic buildings like the 18th century Križanke Summer Theatre, where there are still regular performances and concerts; and his new buildings – most notably the huge National and University Library – gave Ljubljana its own signature art nouveau-meets-neoclassical style.
Apart from the odd modern touch – don’t miss the gorgeous art nouveau facade of department store Galerija Emporium in the main Preseren Square – the centre of Ljubljana looks beautifully and uniformly baroque. It’s tiny, just a few streets on either side of the river, so clients should take an hour or two and hop from bar to cafe to shop. Recommend Fetiche, right on the riverbank, for ice-cream, and Cafe Zvezda for devilishly indulgent patisserie.
CITY STAYS
There’s no need to stay out of the centre – Ljubljana has a host of hotels right in the thick of things.
Vander Urbani Resort is one of the newest, comprising four historic houses right by the river converted by the architect owner into a design-led 16-room boutique hotel. Baroque on the outside, it’s super-modern inside – all gleaming silver-greys and low lighting. A trip to the rooftop reveals a plunge pool and sun terrace, which at night becomes one of the city’s coolest bars. Location and atmosphere make this hotel best suited to those who want to embrace the nightlife, rather than find a secluded retreat.
For the latter, suggest the 17-room Antiq Palace Hotel & Spa. So recherché, its white facade, large door and small plaque make it almost unidentifiable as a hotel from the street, while inside all is zen calm and 16th century-meets-modern decor. Guests relax in the courtyard garden to the ethereal strains of classical music drifting from the conservatoire. Watch out for confusion with the similarly-named Antiq Hotel, a charming but less luxurious option.
Kirker Holidays offers five-night packages at both Vander and Antiq Palace, from £787 and £799 respectively, including breakfast, flights and transfers.
The 26-room Hotel Cubo is another design hotel, less avant-garde and a little more grown up than the Vander. Everything is perfectly pitched, from the unusual furnishings to the smooth-as silk service. Breakfasts really are special, with a buffet choice of local specialities and cooked to order options.
If clients prefer larger properties, the Grand Hotel Union is right on Preseren Square and has a stunning art nouveau facade and public areas. However, clients booked into the adjacent but less resplendent Grand Hotel Union Business will enjoy far more comfortable rooms, while still being able to slip next door to have coffee in the Viennese-style Grand Union Cafe.
Five nights with breakfast, flights and transfers starts from £675 at Hotel Cubo, and from £545 at Grand Union Hotel Business, with Anatolian Sky.
OUTSIDE THE CITY
The sights in Slovenia that hold the most attraction for UK visitors are to Ljubljana’s west, within a couple of hours’ drive.
Bled and the Julian Alps are just an hour to the northwest, a strikingly beautiful region of mountains and lakes where taking in the view is just as popular as hiking and biking.
An hour to the southwest lies Slovenia’s number-one visitor attraction, Postojna Caves. This 14-mile network of limestone caverns with towering stalactites and stalagmites looks like something from Lord of the Rings. Tours run regularly with groups split by language, but if a client’s budget can stretch, recommend booking a private guide – you go ahead of the groups and feel as if you have the caves all to yourself.
Back on the surface, recommend Restaurant Proteus in the town centre for lunch, before a visit to nearby Predjama Castle.On the way from Postojna to the coast, the Lipica stud farm sits in an idyllic landscape of rolling green hills. Here, the Lippizan white horses are bred and taught to ‘dance’, and you can visit the stables, ride in a horse-drawn carriage or even ride a horse. Visit in the late afternoon to see the horses canter in from the fields – a sea of white manes and tails.
Piran is pretty coastal town at the south of Slovenia’s small stretch of coast – drive much further, and you hit Croatia. The caramel-coloured walls and terracotta roofs have the look of a baby-Dubrovnik and it’s a good spot to stay for a night or two.
LJUBLJANA RESTAURANTS
Ljubljana residents Matej Knific and Mattej Valencic of Imperial Luxury Travel Solutions pick their top three restaurants. Agents can book direct with the company and earn commission, or through Cox & Kings.
JB Restaurant: Delicate dishes and surprising tastes mean this sophisticated but friendly fine-dining choice deserves its place on the San Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurants list.
Strelec Restaurant: Perched high in Ljubljana Castle’s Archer’s Tower, the menu puts a modern spin on historic dishes.
Vander Restaurant: Modern and stylish – the description fits both the look and the cuisine at this intimate ground floor restaurant (pictured) of the Vander Urbani Resort.
