1 Day in Ljubljana, Slovenia
In our stop to Slovenia, Noel and I planned to spend a day at the little city of Ljubljana. We didn't know what to expect, but it ended up being one of the places we liked the most on our mini Europe trip!
Some logistics info: lockers are available at the main bus / train station for a minimal fee. The locker room is locked after a certain time, but you can always call a number stated on the door to get the door unlocked. There are toilets available at the station as well, right next to the lockers room, but these are only opened after 8AM.
Getting around the city is super easy with Ljubljana's Bike Sharing system - BicikeLJ.
Fun fact: BicikeLJ is a combination of a word bicikel (which means bicycle) and LJ (representing Ljubljana). The bikes are almost free to use, with a very small fee required when you sign up. €1.00 for a week, €3.00 for a year, and you're free to use any of the BicikeLJ bikes for free (up to an hour each time). The bicycles are not dockless, which means you have to find specific parking spots to find and return the bicycles, but these are aplenty around the city center and we were able to easily get around quickly and for (almost) free! Bonus: It's pretty fun!
We were lucky we got in on a Friday, in time to catch the Open Kitchen Market that only runs on Fridays from mid March to October. It's a farmer's market kind of concept, with fresh produce carts and dozens of different food stalls selling a variety of foods. Entry is free, produce and food items were priced fairly reasonably!
While looking for things to do in the city, we came across this activity to do Standup Paddling-boarding on the river that spans across the city center! We booked a group tour with Bananaway, costing €78 for 2 pax. Luckily for us, we were the only two participants at that point so we got some sort of private tour!
Sitting right in the middle of the city atop a hill lies the Ljubljana Castle. If you're interested in learning about the city's history, the exhibit in the castle is apparently pretty well rated and was even recommended by a local. If not, you can still make your way up there for the view. There is a funicular that can take you up for a fee of €4, or you can just walk.
There were plenty of cuisine options for dining in the city. Initially, we wanted to head to this restaurant called Druga Violina (the second violin), but unfortunately we didn't make a booking and it was packed! Apparently the food is really good, and prices are affordable, which explains the long lines. If you're heading there, be sure to make a reservation in advance! We sought for an alternative and ended up at a burger bar by the river - Pop's Place. Burger was decent but we both thought the Fish & Chips were borderline inedible as it was overly salted. Ambience by the river was great, though.
We've been hearing about orange wine during our time in Slovenia, and were curious to try it. Orange wine is not a different type of wine per se, it is actually a type of white wine made by leaving the grape skins and seeds in contact with the juice, thus creating a deep orange-hued finished product. A local recommended that we dine at Tabar, a Slovenian Tapas & Wine Bar, to try out the tapas menu and also the range of orange wines they have.
This was a relatively upscale place, a 4 course sets you up at €26, while a 5 course meal goes for €30. With the course meals, you don't get to choose which tapas you get, though they do ask for any dietary restrictions and I believe if you had a preference you could indicate it to the wait staff. Other tapas are available ala carte as well.
Delicious food, but for us not worth the price.
The orange wine was interesting, and we wanted to get a bottle back as a souvenir. Instead of getting a bottle at Tabar (starting from €30 per bottle), Noel found a little wine store nearby that sold a wider variety of orange wines! Would recommend stopping by Wine Store Štorija located really close to Tabar. You can even just get one glass of wine and sit outside the store to people watch while sipping on your wine. We would've done that instead of dining at Tabar if we knew.
No meal is complete with ice cream!
We tried the ice cream from 3 different places across a span of a few days, when we were either coming back to Ljubljana to drop the car off, or make our way to the next stop from the central station. If we had to choose one, it would definitely be Geletaria Romantika - widest range of flavors, and I'm a sucker for Pistachio ice cream and they nailed it. Yum!
Streets of Ljubljana / Statue on the famous Dragon Bridge
Some logistics info: lockers are available at the main bus / train station for a minimal fee. The locker room is locked after a certain time, but you can always call a number stated on the door to get the door unlocked. There are toilets available at the station as well, right next to the lockers room, but these are only opened after 8AM.
Getting around the city is super easy with Ljubljana's Bike Sharing system - BicikeLJ.
Fun fact: BicikeLJ is a combination of a word bicikel (which means bicycle) and LJ (representing Ljubljana). The bikes are almost free to use, with a very small fee required when you sign up. €1.00 for a week, €3.00 for a year, and you're free to use any of the BicikeLJ bikes for free (up to an hour each time). The bicycles are not dockless, which means you have to find specific parking spots to find and return the bicycles, but these are aplenty around the city center and we were able to easily get around quickly and for (almost) free! Bonus: It's pretty fun!
We were lucky we got in on a Friday, in time to catch the Open Kitchen Market that only runs on Fridays from mid March to October. It's a farmer's market kind of concept, with fresh produce carts and dozens of different food stalls selling a variety of foods. Entry is free, produce and food items were priced fairly reasonably!
Roast Pork with coleslaw / BBQ pork ribs with fresh bread. Meal cost approx €20. Not exactly screaming Slovenia but somehow appetizing enough to convince us.
While looking for things to do in the city, we came across this activity to do Standup Paddling-boarding on the river that spans across the city center! We booked a group tour with Bananaway, costing €78 for 2 pax. Luckily for us, we were the only two participants at that point so we got some sort of private tour!
Lol I got tired so I ended up hijacking Noel's board and he paddled us back HAHA #burden
Sitting right in the middle of the city atop a hill lies the Ljubljana Castle. If you're interested in learning about the city's history, the exhibit in the castle is apparently pretty well rated and was even recommended by a local. If not, you can still make your way up there for the view. There is a funicular that can take you up for a fee of €4, or you can just walk.
There were plenty of cuisine options for dining in the city. Initially, we wanted to head to this restaurant called Druga Violina (the second violin), but unfortunately we didn't make a booking and it was packed! Apparently the food is really good, and prices are affordable, which explains the long lines. If you're heading there, be sure to make a reservation in advance! We sought for an alternative and ended up at a burger bar by the river - Pop's Place. Burger was decent but we both thought the Fish & Chips were borderline inedible as it was overly salted. Ambience by the river was great, though.
Burger and Fish & Chips by the river at Pop's Place
This was a relatively upscale place, a 4 course sets you up at €26, while a 5 course meal goes for €30. With the course meals, you don't get to choose which tapas you get, though they do ask for any dietary restrictions and I believe if you had a preference you could indicate it to the wait staff. Other tapas are available ala carte as well.
Delicious food, but for us not worth the price.
Cold tapas selection: Salad / Tuna
Warm tapas selection : Portobello mushroom / Aubergine / Rabbit / Octopus
Orange wine / Dessert Selection : Strawberry basil sorbet, strawberry chocolate cream
The orange wine was interesting, and we wanted to get a bottle back as a souvenir. Instead of getting a bottle at Tabar (starting from €30 per bottle), Noel found a little wine store nearby that sold a wider variety of orange wines! Would recommend stopping by Wine Store Štorija located really close to Tabar. You can even just get one glass of wine and sit outside the store to people watch while sipping on your wine. We would've done that instead of dining at Tabar if we knew.
No meal is complete with ice cream!
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