An emerald river winds around the city giving it the curvaceous characteristics of a mature woman while the cobbled streets lead you to intricate passages, hidden alleys, medieval fortifications, roman churches, and, also, the remaining of the fallen Yugoslavia. In the city center, a hill holds a strong standing castle from where you can overlook the entire city and appreciate in the near distance the beautiful Alpine peaks.

Ljubljana –pronounced loo-blee-ah-nah–, is normally not the first choice for European visitors, but this beautiful capital has a lot to offer. Most of the tourist attractions, restaurants, bars, and places to see, are located in the city center, which makes it easy to explore in one or two days.

Most of the tourism that comes to Slovenia goes directly to the mountains for Alpine trekking, or to the lakes and the coastal towns during the summer. Being such a small country, the best way to explore Slovenia is by car. This is so common that the infrastructure is set for visitors to rent and explore the country’s most remote locations. There are also plenty of train and bus options to take you anywhere if you decide to have a slower pace. By car, the longest drive within the country is about three hours and nearby international cities are also easily reachable, like Zagreb – two-hour drive–, Vienna – four-hour drive–, or Budapest –four-hour drive–.

Ljubljana also earned the recognition of European Green Capital of 2016, which is given to cities that comply with a set of infrastructure, policies, and programs that help promote a sustainable lifestyle. Some hotels have even implemented regulations to reduce the consumption of water or appropriately manage waste, like the hotel where I stayed at, Park Plaza, which became the first green hotel in the country, even producing their own honey and eventually having their own rooftop garden.

To easily explore Ljubljana, you can obtain the Ljubljana Card that grants you access to all the museums, galleries, and city attractions. You can also get a city tour to learn more about the history, a boat ride which I certainly took, access to the bike program and city buses, a ride in the funicular to go up to the Castle, and last but not least, free wifi access throughout the city.

Although it’s hard to miss the highlights of Ljubljana, here are some suggestions to try on one night visit:

Boat ride along the Ljubljanica river

Photo © Joanna Riquett

This ride comes included in the Ljubljana card if you get it. It's a pretty simple ride, nothing too exciting, but it's a different way to see the city. You normally walk everywhere, which is awesome, but this makes you unaware of the life that happens along the river as well. The ride lasts about 20 minutes and it shows you the places where the locals like to jog, sit and relax, walk and talk, or simply decompress.

Visit the subculture epicenter: Metelkova

Photo © Joanna Riquett

As soon as I landed, I noticed the splash of graffiti everywhere in the city. You can see the tags and conversations between the writers (graffiti artists), but to understand what they are saying, it’s best to book one of the free graffiti tours that run throughout the week. More on in this article I wrote about the Rise of the Slovenian Subculture on Hayo.

Walk up the Ljubljana Castle

Photo © Joanna Riquett

This is easily one of the main attractions in the city, not only because this castle has been standing for 900 years and it offers a glimpse into the life and history of the Slovenian culture, but because its switchback paths covered by canopy trees make for great photo opportunities and it’s one of the most Instagrammed parts of the city. I’d suggest going up during in the afternoon and catching a sunset either from the top of the tower or from the stairs winding down. Either angle during golden hour offers a magnificent appreciation for the city and the old edifications with their red and burgundy roofs really pop up.

Find the dragons throughout the city

Photo © Joanna Riquett

Ljubljana’s symbol is the dragon, how cool is that? You can find them in bridges, aka Dragon Bridge, in their city coat of arms, and in decorative items across the city’s public or private buildings. There are also a few myths about the dragons, it is said, for example, that a visitor can not leave the city without taking a picture of each of the four dragons in the Dragon Bridge who are said to wave their wings when a virgin passes by. I couldn’t personally verify that information, unfortunately.

Have an afternoon tea (or coffee)

Photo © Joanna Riquett

At three o’clock in the afternoon (maybe they are a bit flexible with these times), bars and restaurants offer you their traditional Lenček cream cake or their Torta Ljubljana with a choice of tea. The tea and coffee culture is strong in Ljubljana and there are plenty of bars with outdoor patios where you can sit and enjoy this afternoon treat.

Random acts of spontaneity

Photo © Joanna Riquett

The train station is just a short walk away from the city center, which makes it easy to get in and out of the city by bus or train. Go to the station and check out all the departure times. For as cheap as €19 you can end up in another country in a matter of hours. I went to the station to get a train ticket to Vienna and ended up randomly booking a bus to Zagreb for the next day. Crossing the border was an easy process and the bus even had wifi so I could look up what to do in Zagreb while I was heading there. I wrote this article about 4 awesome things you can do in Zagreb in two days.

I’d suggest visiting Ljubljana during summer or winter, which is when most of the attractions are open. I went in October and many things were closed after the summer and not open yet for the winter, so my options were limited in that in between period. Nonetheless, I had a great time in Ljubljana and used it as my city base to go in and out to Zagreb and Vienna, which worked perfectly. If you have more suggestions on things to try, leave them in the comments below. Thank you to Ljubljana Tourizem for taking care of me during the visit!