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Cool Escapes from the Hot Zone

Dungeons and Dragons: Dawdling in Ljubljana

Story and Photos by Jennifer Hyman

It is fairly safe to say that Ljubljana is not the first city to roll off most travelers’ tongues when they start searching for a relaxing and beautiful European getaway. But part of what makes the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana [pronounced lyoo-BLYAH-nah] so special is that it remains one of Europe’s few remaining hidden gems; a city with charm, unique history and comfortable amenities, yet unfettered by the crime, large tour groups and other annoyances plaguing other European capitals.

I was already in the region to visit and report on a handful of the thousands of community-led development projects my organization, CHF International, had been running in the Balkans for over a decade, including the first reproductive health center in northern Montenegro.

As enjoyable as my work travels were, I was eager to steal a weekend with an old friend living in Belgium. Our only criterion was that the destination be relatively affordable, mutually convenient and new to us both. And as we chose Slovenia at the last minute and with little advance research, we honestly had no preconceived notions of what to expect before we arrived. But, as the plane began making its descent through the rocky, snow-covered Alps, and the gorgeous landscape began to unfold, it quickly became clear we were in for an unexpected treat.

Slovenia is the wealthiest state in the former Yugoslavia, and it is strongly influenced by the mélange of Venetian, Croatian, Hungarian and Viennese cultures that surround it. But in many ways it felt more reminiscent of small towns in Romania’s Transylvanian Alps such as Sibiu and Sighisoara than it did of other countries I have visited in the Balkans.

My friend and I took one of the buses running each hour from the airport (about 15 Euros) and began catching up during the 30-minute ride to the bus station on Trg Osvobodilne Fronte, in the newer part of town. From there, it was an easy walk to find our accommodations at the City Hotel, a newly built establishment with clean, modern rooms centrally located on Dalmatinova Street. We were able to cross into the old city, known as Stare Miasto, by walking across the intricately designed Triple Bridge (Tromostovje), one of the many small footbridges spanning across the winding Ljubljanica River, which bisects the new and older parts of the city. Walking in the cool mountain air, our noses were frequently assailed by the wafting aroma of roasting chestnuts for sale, as we strolled around central Preseren Square and began exploring the streets that radiated across the old city.

Ljubljana is an ideal place to be if you’re in no hurry, and are just looking for a place to reinvigorate your senses. A quiet, clean and pedestrian-friendly city located in the center of the country, with a population of only 280,000 people, one of Ljubljana’s highlights is simply ambling along the river and the winding cobblestoned streets to marvel at the spectacularly diverse architecture, browse the city’s numerous art galleries and boutiques, or simply people-watch while sipping a cappuccino or glass of wine at one of its many cafés. On our second day, we found the riverside had been transformed into an impromptu exhibition space for local artists, as well as a variety of vendors and street musicians.

Impossible to miss when walking around the city is the imposing structure of Ljubljana Castle (Ljubljanski Grad), a former prison dating back to 1144 that was recently transformed into a cultural center, which is perched atop the city’s tallest hill. Although we were exhausted by the time we hiked the hill and climbed to the top of the castle’s many-storied spiral staircase, we were rewarded by breathtaking panoramas of the city.

Ljubljana’s buildings reflect a unique mix of both Baroque and modern styles. Unexpected frescos, sculptures and bas reliefs appear on the sides of many buildings, such as the spectacular 13th century St. Nicholas’s Cathedral (Stolnica) or the pink 17th century Franciscan Church, while the intricately colored painted designs adorning the brick facades of some art-nouveau buildings evince a nuanced sense of modern design.

While walking in the direction of one of the city’s many open-air fruit, vegetable and flower markets, we came across the fantastical Dragon Bridge, which is flanked on all four corners by large protective winged dragon statues. Local legend claims the city was established after Jason and the Argonauts succeeded at slaying the ferocious dragon of Ljubljana. Consequently, dragons are of enormous local significance, and their motifs can be found all over the city in the most unexpected places, such as on outdoor porticos, sconces and in church frescos.

In the new city, most of the eateries serve Balkan fast food such as the ubiquitous Pljeskavica (an enormous burger made of beef or lamb). However, there are a number of lovely and surprisingly chic restaurants in the old city, the majority of which serve grilled meats and northern Italian fare. Although the nightlife in Ljubljana is somewhat limited, the old city has a number of high-end wine bars, and most of the restaurants along the waterfront have outdoor seating areas that double as bars in the evening.

Despite my short visit in Ljubljana, by the end of the weekend I felt completely refreshed and ready to return to reality.

How to Get There

All commercial flights into Slovenia arrive at Ljubljana Airport. If you are already in the Balkans, you will likely need to fly through Belgrade to catch a connecting flight on Adria Airways, the national carrier of Slovenia. It is also fairly easy to catch a quick direct flight on major international airlines from European cities including Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, Vienna and Munich. My friend and I each respectively paid about $300 roundtrip for our tickets to Slovenia from Brussels and Belgrade, although it looks like prices have recently seen a slight increase. If you’re traveling to Slovenia from outside of Europe, you will obviously have to factor in the cost of getting to a major neighboring European city first, as Ljubljana is not a major travel hub.

Where to Stay

Hostel Celica: If you’re more interested in dungeons than dragons, consider staying at this former prison turned youth hostel, which was awarded the title of “Hippest Hostel in the World” by Lonely Planet. Visitors can choose to stay in any of the 20 different cells in this artistically transformed former prison, which features bars on the windows and doors. Pictures of the cells are available for viewing online.

City Hotel: As my friend and I were looking for something significantly more relaxing and private, we chose to stay at this bright, spotless and modern hotel on the edge of the old city. The three-star City Hotel provides a fairly lavish buffet breakfast and free Internet in the lobby to its guests.

Hotel Park: A three-star, 200-room hotel, with a youth hostel on the top floor, Hotel Park offers a wide range of clean and comfortable rooms for a wide variety of visitors. Located a few minutes’ walk from the old city, the entire hotel was renovated in 2007 and offers its guests free Internet and breakfast.

Other

Although Ljubljana’s many ATM machines all have Visa and MasterCard stickers and look like they should be able to read any debit card, it is one of the only cities where I’ve been completely unable to find a machine that would let me withdraw cash (although it worked fine, did as a credit card at our hotel and in restaurants). My Belgian friend, however, was able to get hers to work for withdrawing cash without issue.

If your card is associated with a bank located outside the European Union, consider bringing extra Euros (or U.S. dollars you can change) with you in advance. Traveler’s checks are also widely accepted.

Jennifer Hyman was formerly a Beijing-based journalist for the South China Morning Post and managing editor of the Global Health Council‘s magazine Global AIDSLink. She is currently the communications advisor for the international development and humanitarian relief organization CHF International.