Just recently I spent the most amazing seven days in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, and fell in love with the country! Surprisingly, not many people have discovered this unique travel destination, but I hope this will change soon. That is why I have prepared a list of 20 random (yet awesome) facts about Ljubljana that may just make you want to go there.

1. Some bicycle alleys have sidewalks. Some don’t.

Cycling seems to be the official means of transportation in Ljubljana, which is perhaps why air is so clean over there. And since cycling is so popular, there are bicycle alleys everywhere. Walking, on the other side, doesn’t seem so famous amongst locals, so certain sidewalks consist solely of bicycle alleys.

2. Guys are incredibly good looking. So are girls, but we simply couldn’t stop staring at men!

Seriously, if you are a single lady reading this, please pack your bags and head off to Ljubljana! I will not be exaggerating if I say that I have never seen so many handsome men in one place. The best part about it – they’re also gentlemen! God bless Slovenia!

3. You cannot buy alcohol at gas stations between 21 and 7 o’clock.

I just used the sentence that all Slovenians use. Do not be fooled by the part that says “at gas stations” because they don’t have supermarkets opened 24/7. Conclusion: you can’t buy alcohol between 21 and 7. You can, however, go to a bar, but except for the Sarajevo ’84 restaurant, I don’t think anything else works at night.

4. There’s fog every morning, and that’s a good thing.

I don’t really know if this applies to all season, but it is definitely true during fall. Every morning when we woke up there was fog outside, but then until about 11 a.m. it cleared out and we enjoyed beautiful sunny days. Locals told us that when we see a foggy day we should actually be happy; if the day starts with rain, however, chances are it will also end with rain.

5. Nearly everyone speaks English in Ljubljana!

I loved this about Slovenia. Everyone we ever spoke to responded in good English and nearly no accent whatsoever. According to locals, the past several generations have been learning English from the second half of elementary school so now everyone is fluent in it.

6. People from Ljubljana are early birds.

This I have no explanation for, but it’s a fact. People in Ljubljana go to bed early and wake up early, which might explain the overall healthy looking population with fresh, clean skin.

7. There are more people practicing sports than sitting in McDonald’s.

It was such a pleasure to look at people practicing sports everywhere around Ljubljana while the fast food chains were literally empty! Slovenians are an inspiration!

8. Everyone is polite, and that’s not a pose.

This is almost unbelievable, I know! Nevertheless, it’s true. People in Ljubljana are polite simply because this is how they’ve been raised. They are indeed the best representatives of the Slavic ethnicity that I have ever seen: warm, yet not noisy and very, very nice!

9. Ljubljana is safe.

You can walk around the city at 4 a.m. and worry about nothing! There are no stray dogs and the biggest vandals we encountered during our stay were the trees that were “throwing” their leaves on us.

10. The biggest pollution in Ljubljana is from the trees during fall.

It is so nice to walk around and see clean streets, parks, building – everything. But most of all – it was a true pleasure to see people, who actually care enough about the place they live in not to throw their garbage on the streets. Almost unbelievable, but true!

11. People aren’t simply tall; they’re long!

I am 1,74cm and in Bulgaria that’s relatively tall. For Cyprus and London (the other two places I’ve lived in) it is quite tall. In Ljubljana, I was a midget and I loved it! But as I mentioned above, people there aren’t just tall – they have these long, beautiful muscles that make them look insanely good!

12. Transportation around Ljubljana can be free!

Pay one euro for one week and ride a bike anywhere in Ljubljana literally for free! I am not kidding – check this post for more info!

13. Hotels usually have one electricity plug per room, 2 at the most.

That was puzzling and quite surprising. During our week in Ljubljana, we stayed in 4 different places and everything was perfect, except for the fact we had a hard time charging all our devices.

14. Grass remains green until winter starts.

Remember that fog I mentioned above? I admit it may not be the nicest thing to wake up in a foggy city every day, but this is the reason the grass remains really green throughout the entire autumn. So, fog: you’re forgiven!

15. Everything is spacious. Streets are wide, and so are sidewalks, apartments, restaurants, etc.

Have you been to the old town of Plovdiv in Bulgaria or to any of the cafes and restaurants in London? If yes, then I promise you’ll appreciate how spacious everything in Ljubljana is!

16. Slovenians (in Ljubljana) are not xenophobic.

A breath of fresh air! I love these people – we were warmly welcome everywhere we went!

17. Everyone rides bicycles. It seems to be the official means of transportation.

Another one of my favorite things about Ljubljana. You see (very handsome) guys with suits, (beautiful) ladies in office attire, young boys, girls, pensioners in sports clothing – all of them riding bicycles around town and minding their own business! I feel incredibly inspired by these people!

18. Except for (some) petrol stations nothing else is 24/7.

This came as a surprise to me at first, but I grew to appreciate it over time because good rest makes happy people and nobody really can rest in noisy cities where everything is constantly open. Nevertheless, you can buy ice at any time of the day from an automated store in Ljubljana 🙂 Thumbs up, Slovenia!

19. Recycling is a national sport.

For the 7 days, I spent in Ljubljana, I could not stop comparing it to Sofia and London. Having garbage bins everywhere was so awesome! It may sound silly to you but in Sofia finding a bin is a challenge and downtown London – impossible. What was even more shocking yet amazing was the fact that nearly every garbage bin was separated into 3 sections: paper, plastic and general garbage. This is how one knows the place is good – when everyone cares about the environment.

20. Ljubljana combines the best of all worlds.

Slavic people are the best. I am not kidding – we are warm and nice human beings with large hearts and always ready to have fun. Meanwhile, we’re also hard working, talented and quite capable. Sadly, most of the countries with Slavic population have had quite an unfortunate history and nowadays you can see the results of the Ottoman Empire ruling and the enforced communist regime in most people. Slovenians are however untouched by this evil. They seem to represent everything that the word Slavic means, combined with the discipline of the Germans. In all honesty, I really wanted to call myself a Slovenian while there – as a Slavic person myself I am proud of them and will point them as an example of the finest human beings every chance I get!