From kids for kids: the best places to visit in Ljubljana
Travel tips are usually written by adults, even the ones intended for kids. But wouldn’t it be great if there were tips on what to visit from the actual kids? Well, if you are looking for those, we've got you covered for Ljubljana. I've asked my two girls aged 7 and 5 to list their favourite nooks and crannies of their home town.
Here are their suggestions:
Best Museum in Ljubljana?
The new one. The one I visited with Dad – the Museum of Illusions.
The museum is located on the Kongresni square. As my daughter learned in school and is always eager to explain the square has another name as well – Star square. Why? From the middle of the square there are pathways that resemble the five points of a star.
Best Ice cream?
Well, the one in the centre is nice (meaning the one on Prešern square called Cacao), but I like the one where I can choose all my toppings. I have to help out with the name – Grefino.
It’s easy to find, as it is right next to the Nama department store, at the beginning of the Cankarjeva street. While kids love creating their own ice cream, you’ll enjoy the coffee or the waffles.
Favourite playground?
That's easy, at my school.
OK, but is it really the best?
After some careful deliberation, she exclaims: “The one with the zip line!”
The perfect reason to visit the lovely Tivoli park is a visit to this great playground. And yes, it has a small zip line along with many slides. Right next to it, is a lovely pond and a coffee place with an indoor play corner.
Best Restaurant?
Our Chinese place, where my favourite meal is fried noodles with curry and veggies. And Open Kitchen.
Our Chinese is in our opinion the best Chinese restaurant in the city. It’s called Kitajski vrt and you can find it on Vodnikova 240.
Open Kitchen – every Friday during the Spring and Summer a square in downtown Ljubljana turns into a busy market filled with stalls of delicious food. My kids always go for the Egyptian.
Best food to try in Ljubljana?
The pies at the market.
Let me provide some clarification. The pies look more like pizzas. You can’t miss them, there’s always a queue to buy them at the stall standing at the beginning of the main market.
Visiting the market is also our favourite way to spend our Saturdays in Ljubljana – strolling around the stalls, buying food and then having coffee on the banks of the river Ljubljanica.
Best thing to do in Ljubljana?
Rožnik. And flancat and the playground.
From Tivoli park you can easily walk over to the 391-metre-high hill called Rožnik. The walk is suitable for kids of any age and there’s one paved pathway, which means you can get to the top with a stroller.
There is a church on the top but also a nice restaurant where you can enjoy some delicious Slovenian dishes or try flancat – fried dough similar to a donut. Our kids run to the top when we promise this treat at the top.
Best thing to see in Ljubljana?
Easy. The castle.
You can’t miss Ljubljana Castle perched on the hill and overlooking the whole city. It offers a great view.
Best bridge?
Cobbler's bridge. Because it’s the prettiest.
It was built by the architect Jože Plečnik, to replace a wooden bridge that connected the Mestni trg and Novi trg squares, two major parts of medieval Ljubljana. The name comes from the fact that the bridge provided space for cobblers' workshops.
Best time to visit Ljubljana?
Summer when the days are long and you can see more. And it's warm.
Best thing to do in the Summer?
Go on the boat.
Take one of the boat tours on river Ljubljanica. It’s a great way to see Ljubljana from a different perspective, learn something new and rest while still exploring.
But what should you do in Ljubljana in the winter?
You need winter clothes and if there's snow go sledding in the Tivoli park or ice skating at the Ljubljana's Bajer.
And there you have it from kids for kids the best of Ljubljana. Have fun.
