Slovenia Archives - Wandering North

Balkans Trip 2023 Croatia Europe Slovenia

Ljubljana to Zagreb by Train

I took the train from Ljubljana, Slovenia to Zagreb, Croatia. It is a relatively short and easy trip that requires little planning and can be made by bus or train. There is only one correct choice in my opinion. I walked to the train station the day before my trip and bought a ticket. One way, about €25 euros. It was supposed to be about 2.5 hours but was about an hour longer.

The morning that I left my hostel, I got to the station a bit early and had an espresso before going to the platform to wait. It is not an attractive station, but it is functional, fairly small, and easy to access.

Ljubljana Train Station

*a building near the station I thought was interesting*

On the platform was a man I had seen, but not spoken to, at my hostel in Ljubljana. He was tall and sturdy looking, but what caused me to notice him in the first place was that he was old. That sounds awful, but if you are staying in a hostel and traveling with only a backpack and you are of a certain age, you are going to be noticeably old. (I am probably old to many of the hostel residents. It is all relative.). This man was probably mid-seventies to early-eighties and he told me that he was from Vancouver, a retired longshoreman, and was now traveling as much as he can – but doing it on a budget, staying in hostel dorms, taking public transport. He proudly told me he had never taken a taxi. He said all the walking isn’t as easy for him as it used to be, but that he believed it was good for him to stay active. A nice guy and something of an inspiration. I hope I too can still maneuver into a top bunk at that age.

We chatted on the train and walked the scenery pass. We shared out car with two Slovenian or Croatian ladies, probably around 70 years old themselves. I notice them because they seemed so happy; they were smiling and talking ceaselessly for the whole journey and laughing a lot. That’s a thing that I noticed about a lot of the senior aged women in Slovenia and Croatia: they seemed to be smiling and happy a lot of the time, which isn’t necessarily a thing that I have noticed at home.

We arrived at the train station in Zagreb and took the tram to our hostel – yes “our” hostel. We had coincidentally booked into the same one. The Swanky Mint Hostel. We checked in and went our separate ways. And I was on to my new destination: Zagreb.

Balkans Trip 2023 Europe Slovenia

Lake Bled Day Trip

There was no question as to whether or not I would visit Lake Bled on my trip to Ljubljana. I had seen pictures of it in books years ago and of course with Instagram, seeing pictures of it are ubiquitous if you search for anything related to Slovenia and travel. It is a picturesque, small lake surrounded by trees and mountains. In the centre of that lake is a small island. On that small island is a small church. It sounds and looks like something out of a fairy tale. It makes a perfect day trip from Ljubljana.

Getting There

You can go by train or car, but I decided to go by bus. As much as I like trains, the bus was just more efficient and cheaper. There are multiple buses per day, however in the busy season it can get quite booked up, so I think it’s a good idea to book ahead of time. I went to the bus station in Ljubljana the day before my trip to Lake Bled. The bus station is directly in front of the train station. It’s a tiny building, easy to miss except for the fact that there are numerous buses parked outside. Inside, you can buy tickets with cards or cash and the schedule is well posted. It’s best to buy a round-trip journey and then when you are finished your exploration of Lake Bled you can just hop on another bus heading back to Ljubljana. They leave about every hour or so.

The journey is beautiful. I wasn’t able to get many good photos outside of the windows, but it was lovely to see the scenery going by. It became increasingly green and there were cows, villages, and mountains.

Once you get to the bus station in Lake Bled (another small unremarkable building) you really can’t go wrong; you just follow the hill down and eventually you will see the lake I don’t know how one could get lost.

And that’s what I did. I walked to the lake and turned right and walked around the lake in the direction of the castle island. It was just a lovely walk.

The Lake

On the way there are different spots where you can access boats to go to the island. You can get you can self-hire boats from one stop that I found for, I think, it was €20 and you can row yourself to the island and back, but I continued walking until I found someone who would row me across in one of the traditional boats called a pletna, used in Lake Bled for hundreds of years. I kept walking and came to the part of the lake where there was a boatman with pletna that went across at appointed times. I paid for a ticket. It wasn’t cheap, I believe it was €20 (cash only). While I waited for the next crossing, I went over to a cafe.

The Cake

Aside from the beautiful church on the little island in the middle of the beautiful lake, Lake Bled is famous for a particular dessert: a cream cake called kremna rezina or kremšnita. It doesn’t seem like something that I would ever order in my real life but it is a famous cake from a famous town in the middle of a charming country and I had time to kill of course I was going to have it. The cake has been designated by the Slovenian government as a protected dessert 0whatever that means) and there is a festival dedicated to it. So I ordered this cream cake. It was the size of my fist. It was good, but not really my cup of tea; I was happy to have tried it though. (I did not eat the whole thing.) I went back to the boatman, and we went across to the island.

Getting to the Island

Crossing Lake Bled to go to Bled Island was my favourite part about my visit. It was just so beautiful and I could really appreciate the water and the views. It really did seem magical. On the way, I chatted with a friendly couple from Belgium who were traveling around Europe with their dog. And with the boatman who was a fit and handsome maybe 65 year old. He stood on the end of the boat, rowing it with two oars as we crossed the lake.

The island itself is… fine. All there is on the island is a café, a souvenir shop, a small museum and a small church. The cafe in the souvenir shop I skipped, but I did buy a ticket for the small church. If you are reading this and you are planning on going, let me save you €8 now: the church is not worth visiting. If someone told me that, I probably would have gone anyway because I like to see things for myself, but if you’re short on cash, skip it. There is nothing remarkable about the church.

the church on Bled Island

The price of the church entrance also gives you admission to the small museum, which is above the cafe in souvenir shop. The museum is just a couple of rooms of paintings and maps and a few artifacts from Lake Bled. It is of moderate interest, but I would have been happy to have skipped it. The island is nice enough, but I only needed a short time there. The real treat is being on the shore and looking at the island.

Bled the Town and Returning to Ljubljana

I stopped and had a tasty lunch of apples, cheese, and honey on bread and coffee, after which I walked around the town a bit and caught some nice views of the streets and the mountains in the distance.

Bled town views

I caught the bus back to Ljubljana. It is a perfect day trip. I was back in Ljubljana early enough that it was still light outside and I could enjoy the late afternoon and evening back in the capital. The next day I would take the train to Zagreb and my Slovenian adventures were over.

(Just as a postscript, I do wish that I had had one extra day in Ljubljana because I would have done a day trip to the Postojna Cave, which looks like another great day trip option. I guess I’ll just have to return.)

Balkans Trip 2023 Europe Slovenia

Ljubljana Weekend

Arrival in Slovenia

I landed in Ljubljana, Slovenia very late due to the unexpected flight change that had given me a layover in Frankfurt. It was nearly 11pm. I took a taxi from the airport and went straight to my hostel, figuring I would go right to bed.

Metelkova Mesto

I couldn’t see anything of Ljubljana as we drove onto the city. Darkness. When we arrived at the hostel, what I saw was not the picturesque scenes of Ljubljana I had seen online or in my book. The area was not quaint; it was unkempt and gritty. My kind of place.

I was staying at the Hostel Celica, which was in a former prison. (I love accommodations that used to be something else.) The rooms at the hostel included dorms and private rooms, all with shared bathrooms, and all in former cells. And it showed. The doors to the rooms were thick, heavy metal and many still had bars. My room had been refurbished, but it still had prison flavour: a simple wooden table and chair, a slit in the thick wall for a window, and a basic (and treacherously high) bunk bed near the ceiling. “Sure,” I thought, “the one time I forget to buy medical insurance I end up with a serious risk of a nocturnal fall.” (I was fine.)

The hostel was great – and cheap. For my room and breakfast, it was about $30 CDN a night. The dorms were even cheaper.

Hostel Celica

That first night, as the taxi dropped me off, I was a little confused about where to go. The driver dropped me off at the entrance to a compound and I walked in. All the buildings were covered in graffiti and murals, there was music blaring from buildings and boomboxes (a chaos of rock, klezmer, and rap) and people were congregating outside, drinking and smoking. I found my hostel and checked in…and then promptly went out again. I went into the seediest looking building and ordered a shot of whatever the bartender (a very hardened looking woman who looked like she had been working there ceaselessly for decades) recommended, which was a shot of blueberry schnapps (one of Slovenia’s main drinks), served to me in a plastic cup. I went outside and sipped on my drink and had a small cigar, while walking around the neighbourhood. It was a wild scene. It was more of a party than I am comfortable with, but I enjoyed being a fly on the wall. A couple of very inebriated guys talked to me about nonsense. I politely moved on. I took a few pictures, but I got the feeling photos were not welcome, so I put my phone away.

Metelkova Mesto by night

The area is called Metelkova Mesto and it is a former army barrack turns squatters area / outdoor art complex. It reminded me a little bit of Christiania in Copenhagen, but with less overt cannabis commerce.

Metelkova Mesto by day

It’s a rougher area but did not feel unsafe. In the morning I was able to get a better look at the art and take photos, as the place was mostly deserted, except for some people sleeping and a woman who yelled a bit at nothing and then peed on the ground in the middle of the courtyard.

A different side to Ljubljana. I really liked where I was staying though; cheap and a short walk to both the ‘pretty’ areas and the trains and bus stations. And at night there was a lot going on.

Seeing Ljubljana

The first full day, I walked to the touristy area. The part with the historic and picturesque buildings, the castle, and the river. The part you see if you google ‘Ljubljana’.

I felt a bit concerned that I would not be able to see everything I wanted to see in my short time. I was to have 2.5 days there, but one day was earmarked for Lake Bled and I lost the half day to Frankfurt. Not to worry; a day is plenty to see the sights of Ljubljana.

It is beautiful. The buildings are lovely, there is a river through the centre with greenery along it. There are statues and inviting cafes.

The Castle

I walked the streets and then took the funicular up to the castle. As far as castles go, it was only of moderate interest, but the funicular is excellent: modern and gives great views of the city.

Also, at the castle is a pretty little church and a puppet museum. I love puppets and found the puppet museum utterly charming. There were even some puppets you could manipulate, including some weird picked heads in jars. It is included with the price of the castle visit so it is worth visiting even if you are dead inside and don’t love puppets.

Museum Day

On the streets I continued my meandering. It was Sunday, 3 September 2023. I didn’t know ahead of time, but all the museums and galleries in Ljubljana are free on the first Sunday of the month. I visited the Museum of Modern Art Ljubljana, which was just excellent, if you like weird modern art (which I do).

I also visited the Natural History Museum and the National Museum (in the same building). These ones were only ok. I was happy they were free, and I breezed through.

Too much of a good thing?

By the time that first day was over, I was already feeling like I had seen Ljubljana. And I still had another afternoon and evening the next day. I spent time lingering in cafés, reading, and smoking cigars – not bad really. There was a burger and beer festival on that weekend, and I had a tasty vegan burger. At night I sat on patios and had a few cocktails and smoked cigars. Heaven.

I thought Ljubljana was pretty and romantic and I liked it, but I also was over it quickly. I loved the cafés and patios and watching the world go by through a haze of my own cigar smoke, but I got restless. Also, it was very crowded. There were tour groups and tourists everywhere. Lots of patios and restaurants were packed with no possibility of even waiting for a table. The streets were mobbed. I guess that is my fault for visiting on Labour Day weekend, but I could have done with a bit fewer people. Regardless, I think Ljubljana makes for a perfect weekend getaway.

There are fountains all over Ljubljana with drinking water. This is one of them. The water drains down faces in an alleyway.

I would re-visit Slovenia. It is so beautiful and there are more things to do – particularly, the caves, which I skipped and wish I had been able to fit them in. They look great.

More of beautiful Ljubljana

Of course, I didn’t just stay in Ljubljana. I went to Lake Bled to see the fairy tale-looking church on a tiny island in the middle of a small lake. That is for another post – this one.

After my time in Ljubljana was at an end, I took the morning train to Zagreb, Croatia.

Category: Slovenia