Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Otočec is just an hour's drive from the lively Slovenian capital, which is also a popular tourist destination. See Ljubljana's main sights, go shopping, or grab a bite to eat in one of its great restaurants. In summer, you can also sit in one of the many bars along the Ljubljanica river, and in winter, when the city lights up with countless lights, you can feel the festive vibe of the city.
Tromostovje
Tromostovje
Tromostovje, or the Three Bridges in English, is a unique set of three bridges connecting the picturesque Prešeren Square with Old Ljubljana and is the work of the famous Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik. He supplemented the central stone bridge, dating from the mid-19th century before the Second World War, with two pedestrian bridges on each side. The renovated Tromostovje, now closed to traffic, together with Prešeren Square, dominated by the statue of the greatest Slovenian poet, France Prešeren, and the Franciscan Church, is a popular venue for various events and even everyday meetings.
The Old Town of Ljubljana
The Old Town of Ljubljana
You can feel the real pulse of Ljubljana in the Old Town, which you can also walk to via the Tromostovje bridge. Centuries-old houses with beautiful Baroque and even older medieval facades are sandwiched between the Ljubljanica river and Castle Hill. The famous Baroque Robba Fountain of the Three Rivers of Carniola in front of the Town Hall is a landmark of the entire Town Square. In Old Ljubljana, you can relax in one of the many bars, have lunch in one of the long-established restaurants or go shopping in the boutique shops.
Plečnik's market
Plečnik's market
Ljubljana's Central Market is more than just a vibrant, colourful city market, it is also one of Plečnik's most famous architectural creations. It was built in 1942. The covered market by the river, with its semicircular windows on the river side and a series of characteristic columns on the street side, is divided in two by the modern Butcher's pedestrian bridge (Mesarski most), built in 2010, which connects the market and the Petkovšek Embankment, as already planned by Plečnik. The market stretches from the Tromostovje bridges to the Dragon Bridge (Zmajski most), built in 1901, with its impressive dragon statues, one of Ljubljana's most photographed attractions.
Ljubljana Castle
Ljubljana Castle
Visit Ljubljana Castle, a mighty medieval fortress that has stood proudly over the city for more than five centuries. The lookout tower offers visitors a magnificent view of the city below, while also inviting visitors with various exhibitions and events, plus there are several cafes and restaurants to enjoy a bite to eat at. You can climb Ljubljana Castle on foot, by funicular or go by little tourist train. At the castle, you will be both in the present and far in the past.
Galleries and museums
Galleries and museums
Ljubljana is also a great place for lovers of art and history. The National Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art, just a few metres from each other, offer artworks from Gothic to Impressionism and works by 20th-century Slovenian artists. Not far away, in Tivoli Park, is the International Centre of Graphic Arts, while contemporary art awaits you at the Metelkova Museum of Contemporary Art. At the City Museum, you can see, among other things, a world speciality – the oldest wooden wheel with an axle found in the Ljubljana Marshes, at the Natural History Museum you can see the skeleton of a mammoth, and at the National Museum you can see an Egyptian mummy.
Ljubljana Zoo
Ljubljana Zoo
The modern zoo, which has been home in the Rožnik district of Ljubljana since 1951, strives to provide its inhabitants with as natural a habitat as possible on its nearly 20 hectares. The 500 animals are dominated by mammals and birds, and include the Indian python, the Californian sea lion, the Siberian tiger, the Indian elephant, the zebra, the giraffe and the indigenous endangered brown bear.