Ljubljana, European Green Capital 2016

Ljubljana panorama; Photo: Janez Kotar; Source: Ljubljana Tourism

This small city is huge in terms of hospitality and quality of life.

In the past decade, Ljubljana has turned into a lively and exciting city for both visitors and residents and it’s featured in the Global Top100 Sustainable Destinations this year at ITB.

As a part of its development vision, the city centre was closed for traffic and pedestrian areas were visibly enlarged, transforming the city centre into a spacious and comfortable urban space that functions as a cozy living room.

This area is filled with cafes, restaurants and green surfaces where visitors can meet locals and enjoy the vibe of the city. Its best benefit is the fact that just everything  is within walking distance.

Ljubljana is a city that will surprise you and exceed your expectations. It is unique – small by surface area, but huge in terms of hospitality and quality of life. Numerous changes have happened in a short period, which is one of the reasons Ljubljana has become European Green Capital 2016. The residents love to ride their bikes to the green areas in and around the city, visitors are encouraged to join locals in this new green endeavour. A popular bike-sharing scheme, BicikeLJ, is a handy way to do so around the vast pedestrian area.

  Photo: Nea Culpa, Source: Ljubljana Tourism

The restaurants and cafes located on the streets previously open to traffic now have outdoor seating where meals can be enjoyed in the romantic atmosphere of the city centre’s heart.

Ljubljana, with its green spaces, embankments on the river Ljubljanica, public drinking fountains, bicycle-sharing system, and other environmental gains, offers an opportunity for healthy and pleasurable living for residents and visitors alike.

The lifestyle in Ljubljana is refreshingly relaxed and the city life is always vibrant due to a large number of cultural events and excellent culinary offerings, which have, over recent years, become increasingly popular with travellers from around the world.

To feel the pulse of the city, it is perhaps best to go to the Central Market, which sells all kinds of Slovenian specialties, or visit the Open Kitchen, a Friday street food market where delicious food is freshly prepared by Slovenian chefs right in front of their customers.

Photo: B. Jakše and S. Jerši-, Source: Ljubljana Tourism

Ljubljana is known to be a city with a high cultural profile with a number of international festivals and over a thousand free open-air events in the city centre every year.

But despite its vibrancy, Ljubljana is never crowded, which makes it a great place for visitors to relax and rest from the hustle of daily life – just like the locals do on a regular basis.

Along the Ljubljanica riverbanks one can also find quieter, romantic spots, under the shade of weeping willows from where a view unfolds on the passing boats, canoes and trendy stand up paddlers.

Boat trip on Ljubljanica river; Photo: Nea Culpa, Source: Ljubljana Tourism

The city owes a great deal of its architectural appeal to the famous Ljubljana-born architect Jo-¾e Ple-nik, whose soul and vision are imprinted on Ljubljana just like Gaudí’s are on Barcelona. The best way to explore the sights of Ljubljana is to get the Ljubljana Tourist Card.

In order to offer visitors truly exceptional city experiences, Ljubljana Tourism has created a wide and diverse range of guided city tours and experience tours, where visitors can explore the uniqueness of the city.

In 2016, a number of new, eco-friendly tours of the European Green Capital 2016 were added to the range of guided tours already available. They range from walking and cycling tours to stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, and segway trips and include even a super sweet guided walk along the Ljubljana Beekeeping Trail. For more information and booking, visit http://www.visitljubljana.com/en/tours-and-excursions

A perfect base for exploring Slovenia…

Ljubljana lies at the centre of Slovenia, a scenic and diverse country where distances are short and major attractions easily accessible. In the morning you can visit the stunningly beautiful Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj or So-a Valley in the high mountainous region of the Alps, and in the evening enjoy the sunset in one of the charming little towns on the Adriatic coast. The world famous Postojna Caves are only about 50 kilometres from Ljubljana and it only takes minutes to reach the peaceful and unspoiled countryside of the city’s green surrounding areas, which offer endless opportunities for hiking, cycling, fishing, and horse riding.

You can choose from a vast range of attractively priced organised day-trips from Ljubljana offering you an opportunity to visit the country’s major attractions and explore the distinctive features of its amazingly diverse regions and the region of Central Slovenia in particular.