Ga?per Meden, journalist at Marketing Magazin in Slovenia, walks us through one of Europe¡¯s most charming (and underrated) capitals.
The most creative museum or gallery
I will go with a museum and a gallery here. My first pick is the National Gallery (Pre?ernova cesta 24) since I pass it every day when I bike to work and therefore see the original of the Baroque Robba fountain through the glass windows. Built in 1896 and renovated in 2016, the museum¡¯s collections date back to 1200. The building stands near the Tivoli Park, and I guarantee you won¡¯t complain about taking a walk there.
For the museum, my favourite would be Slovene Ethnographic Museum, (Metelkova ulica 2) which brands itself as ¡°museum about people, for people¡±. Four floors, each floor is a different exhibition (for example, there were exhibitions about shamans and beekeeping). The building itself is impressive. I have to admit I¡¯m more frequent visitor of SEM¡¯s caf¨¦ than its exhibitions, but I guess that¡¯s part of its heritage as well. And it¡¯s a good one!
The caf¨¦ where you go to read, write or be inspired
The Petkov?ek and Premier pubs, located at the Petkov?ek Embankment by the Ljubljanica river, are my picks year-round. They can get a bit busy on warm days, but at least you put your phone down and refocus as you check for a free seat. Literally a minute¡¯s walk over the bridge nearby, you can¡¯t miss Magda (Poga?arjev trg 1). Great place for a beer and you might meet a Slovenian creative there.
A restaurant with a difference
I find Slovenska hi?a (there are actually two, but I prefer this one at Cankarjevo nabre?je 13) an ideal combination of a chilled environment and good food at reasonable prices. Many traditional Slovenian dishes, if you¡¯d like to try some local tastes.
The most creative neighbourhood
Since Ljubljana is the size of a neighbourhood or two in bigger cities, it¡¯s probably better to talk about ¡°areas¡±. You can can¡¯t miss with the Old Town, however it¡¯s biggest minus is that it gets super crowded in the summer. On the other hand, Trnovo is a bit trendier and more chilled neighbourhood minus the large crowds. You will spot a big difference after just a couple of minutes of walking between the two. You might even get stuck somewhere in between (near Kri?evni?ka Street maybe?). There are many pubs worth a visit accompanied by green scenery and a summer festival.
(Photo: Irina Tarabanova)
The store you can¡¯t walk past without going in
I was really tempted to list my local gym here (and technically I could as it has a small shop inside), but let¡¯s go back to the city centre, to the Gallus Embankment to be exact. There¡¯s a record store that makes my head turn and wonder: wait, was that¡? (Enter the name of an artist/group you¡¯ve almost forgotten but were really into at the time.) It¡¯s called SpinVinyl (Gallusovo nabre?je 13) has a lot of both new and second hand vinyl, cassettes and CDs featuring rock, punk and metal.
