In the winter – maybe my favorite time to go to – Ljubljana’s fairytale nature actually comes into its personal. Every yr on the Friday earlier than the starting of Advent (27 November 2026), the Christmas lights are switched on throughout the metropolis, and the Christmas market takes over the outdated city. Book a walking tour to discover the architectural highlights of Prešeren Square, St. Nicholas Church, Jože Plečnik’s Triple Bridge and the Central Market (or Plečnik’s Covered Market).
No journey to the capital is full with out visiting Ljubljana Castle, perched excessive above the metropolis on a forested hill and reached by way of a scenic footpath or a funicular railway. At the prime, you are rewarded with sweeping views of terracotta rooftops, the glistening river and the distant Alps. The fort was initially a medieval fortress and is estimated to have been constructed in the eleventh century. Spend a while strolling its historic partitions and watchtower.
For lunch, head to Julija for recent seafood and do-it-yourself pasta, washed down with some native Slovenian wine (I like Rebula, a crisp white not too dissimilar to a Pinot Grigio). Save your self for dessert and head to considered one of the pastry and cake outlets – slaščičarnas – in the outdated city, the place you may discover loads of potica (a conventional, thinly-rolled pastry usually stuffed with walnuts) and scorching chocolate (vroča čokolada).
Just a 75-minute, gloriously scenic bus journey from Ljubljana – by rolling fields, clusters of red-roofed villages and stretches of Alpine forest – is arguably the nation’s most well-known city of Bled, and its eponymous emerald lake. Start your go to by strolling or biking round the lake’s 6-kilometre path earlier than taking a conventional pletna boat journey to Bled Island, the place you’ll be able to discover the stunning baroque church – the Church of the Mother of God on the Lake – and make a want by ringing the well-known “wishing bell” from 1534. In the summer season, there are many water actions on the lake, and Bled Castle is a must-visit, too. Don’t bypass the cafés that line the lake – a Blejska kremšnita (a Bled cream cake) is a should.