In Ljubljana, I am shape shifting between being a well-dressed undercover agent (of the glamorous ilk) and an alternative 1960s student in a black roll neck and black “slacks”, distracted in both guises by the castle on the hill watching over me.
Go to Ljubljana if you:
fancy a city break (rather than, perhaps, a week away in a city);
appreciate a fairly contained old town;
can’t face the crowds of Prague but would otherwise want to go there;
want a lively, pretty, wintery city to spend new year’s eve;
are planning a very Christmassy Christmas/new year break;
appreciate seeing snowy mountains/Alps in the distance;
want a base from which to visit other central European countries as well as Slovenian towns/caves/mountains/lakes/forests and countryside;
love the excitement of crossing borders into other countries;
enjoy scenic bus and train journeys when travelling around;
love trying new wines that you generally can’t buy outside Slovenia;
enjoy food market shopping;
appreciate largely traffic-free (old town) city centres;
would be disappointed not to see a bit of Brutalist concrete architecture;
enjoy good quality ingredients, fresh seasonal produce and excellent meals;
fancy a few days of wandering around on foot, with shops, parks, history and a river to explore;
have an interest in architecture (Jože Plečnik left his mark in Ljubljana even more than in Prague);
have a dragon obsession;
enjoy good coffee and a good choice of cafes ;
love Italian food but want to go somewhere outside Italy;
fancy a pretty bus ride (c1hr 30) for a day trip to less touristy/less Italian-as-you-think-of-it Italy (Trieste);
appreciate independent shops;
want to stay in a safe (and safe-feeling) city;
find cheap flights to Salzburg and would appreciate a stunning train journey through the Alps and ski resorts to get to Ljubljana (c4 hrs 30);
want to go somewhere English is widely spoken, very well;
enjoy outdoor dining and drinking, in both summer and winter;
appreciate plenty of free sightseeing;
enjoy live music, art exhibitions, museums and other cultural activities.
Don’t go to Ljubljana if you:
assume it will be REALLY quiet compared to, say, Prague;
if you expect it to be beautiful (pretty, yes);
don’t enjoy the challenge of trying to live cheaply due to limited holiday budget;
expect it to be cheap;
hate or struggle with walking on cobbled streets;
assume the old town won’t be rundown in places;
prefer to stay in the centre of a traffic-free old town and expect it to be quiet;
plan to do all your shopping and eating on a Sunday (A LOT is closed);
dislike not getting into restaurants without booking;
are hoping for stodge at every meal;
expect hotels to be cheap even outside the historic centre;
assume the new town will be pretty;
are hoping for a cheap euro-currency holiday;
are not expecting cold weather in winter, snow/frost/ice/fog, or hot weather in summer;
enjoy buying cheap souvenirs (not just the tacky plastic type);
expect it to be old and old-fashioned;
are hoping to avoid big groups of tourists and hen/stag weekenders.
(Based on a five-night stay, 30th December 2019 – 4th January 2020)