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Ljubljana - Ljubljanica River Boat Cruise

Charming Ljubljana with her River and Bridges

March 24, 2017 By Jan Robinson 27 Comments

This post may contain compensated links. We may earn a small percentage if you book through a compensated link, but it won’t cost you any more by doing so. You can read our full disclaimer here.


Ljubljana, Slovenia, is one of the smallest capital cities in Europe, but what it lacks in size, is made up for by an abundance of Charm. Stately baroque buildings, an ancient hilltop Castle, leafy green Tivoli City Park and gorgeous spring weather provide a winning combination.

Charming is a word that describes an awful lot about this liveable city of 300,000 people, but none more than her River and bridges.

[pinit]

Charming Ljubljana Slovenia

Ljubljana - Ljubljanica River Boat Cruise

With a whopping 64,000 students, cycling is a popular way to get around, but the compact size of the old town and a matching chunk of the new, makes walking a breeze.

Ljubljana Bicycles

However you decide to navigate by day, there is no better way to enjoy a typical Spring Slovene evening in [lyoo-BLYAH-nah] than wandering along the river, finding a cute bar and sipping a well-earned drink.

Take in the view from a riverside bar.

Ljubljana Riverside Houses

It’s true that there are 45 minute river boat tours (8 Euro), but a great way to get close and personal with the river is by using it’s bridges – multiple times – every day. We grew to love this abundant supply of bridges – no matter how disorganised we were a quick bridge dash remedied the situation. Anyway, who doesn’t like pausing mid-bridge to take more than a few photographs – let’s not get Marty started on that subject!

The Ljubljanica River and bridges.

Boat on Ljubljanica River in Ljubljana Slovenia

 

Triple Bridge (Tromostovje most) Footbridge.

I’ve started with Triple Bridge because like a triple heart by-pass, it keeps the (city’s) blood flowing. It connects the festivals, protests, tourists, locals and buskers of Preseren Square on the western side with the medieval Old Town and hilltop Castle on the eastern. Streets fan out from the square collecting people and directing them toward the bridge. If you need a place to people watch while eating a gelato, do I have the spot for you.

The original 1842 (Giovanni Picco) stone arched bridge is the middle of three, the other two foot bridges were added in 1932. The name of the architect who designed these extensions is Jože Plečnik. His name will become very familiar in this post so from now on we’re on a first name basis only. This piece of town planning genius stops a bottleneck developing as everyone converges on the bridge. I’ve not seen a set of bridges like this before – the outer two run off at a different angle.

Angles of Triple Bridge in Ljubljana Slovenia

After crossing the river, turn right to Cobblers Bridge or left to the Colonnades, Central Market, Butcher’s Bridge, Dragon Bridge and the Sluice Gates. The Castle can be reached on foot from behind Central Market.

Triple Bridge Ljubljana Slovenia

Lights of Triple Bridge and Prešeren Square.

Ljubljana Triple Bridge

Ljubljana - River Views to Preseren Square

Cobblers Bridge (Čevljarski most or Šuštarski most) Footbridge

Cobblers Bridge comes in handy when you need to get from Mestni trg to Novi trg on opposite sides of the river. The first bridge to serve this purpose was a covered timber bridge that housed cobblers’ stalls. The current artificial stone bridge was built by Jože between 1931 and 1932. This design differs to his others by it’s striking array of different sized pillars supporting lights and balls. A lone pottery sale display was set up centre bridge on this day.

Ljubljana Cobblers Bridge

The bridge can be seen here peeking through the trees.

Ljubljana Riverside Cobblers Bridge

Butcher’s Bridge (Mesarski most) Footbridge

A Colonnade runs on the eastern bank from Triple Bridge to Butcher’s Bridge. Opened in 2010, Butcher’s connects Central Market with the northern side of the river. Jože planned a bridge here in 1930 but it wasn’t built until 2009 having being designed by Jurij Kobe and expenditure finally approved by Council. The balustrade wires of course are full of love locks, with two interesting glass sections underfoot and decorative sculptures by Jakov Brdar. Of Bosnian heritage, Jakov graduated from Ljubljana’s Academy of Fine Arts and Design.

Friday afternoons on the bridge are standing room only as it caters for the overflow from the Open Kitchen food market held at Central Market. I don’t know the origins of the bridge’s name but I’d bet it has something to do with the butchers of Central Market.

Slovenia embraces the weird when it comes to sculpture. This is only one of the many pre-historic creatures squatting along the wide balustrade tops.

Ljubljana Butchers Bridge Frog

Adam and Eve. Shamed and banned from the Garden of Eden. 

Ljubljana Adam and Eve Statue

Prometheus. Mythology has him running and disemboweled, in punishment for having given knowledge (of fire) to mankind.

Ljubljana Prometheus Statue at Butchers Bridge

You can see Satyr (startled by serpent), the third of his statues from Butcher’s Bridge here.

Ljubljana Love Locks Butchers Bridge

 

Dragon Bridge (Zmajski most, historically also Zmajev most) road bridge.

Built in 1901, this bridge with it’s four Dragon sentinels was designed by Zaninović, a classmate of our friend Jože. He designed the concrete slabs in which the reinforced concrete structure is clad, the balustrades, and the sheet-copper dragon statues, which incidentally were originally meant to be winged lions. In a confusing twist this replaced a previous timber bridge called Butchers’ Bridge!

Ljubljanica River Boat Ljubljana Slovenia

The dragon symbolises power, courage and greatness. It’s likeness can be found at the hilltop castle, on the City’s Coat of Arms and here on Dragon Bridge.

Ljubljana Dragon

 

They say if you haven’t posed with a Dragon you have visited Ljubljana!

Ljubljanica Sluice Gates

Situated between an abandoned sugar factory and Vraz Square this gate was designed by Jože in 1939 but completed in 1943 by builder Matko Curk. It was designed to double as a Triumphal Arch, farewelling the river as it leaves the city centre. Nice one Joše.

Sluice Gates.

Ljubljana Sluice Gate

The origins of the name Ljubljana are inconclusive, but there is general consensus that it has something to do with the Croatian word ljubljena meaning beloved.

Thanks for reading and commenting – we really appreciate it. If you have a blog, please add a travel post to the link below for Nancie’s Travel Photo Thursday which we co-host with Ruth from Tanama Tales and Rachel from Rachel’s Ruminations. This week we’ve also linked to Contented Traveller for some Weekend Travel Inspiration.

An InLinkz Link-up


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Filed Under: Destination, Self Guided Walking Tours, Slovenia, Ten Weeks in Europe 2015

About Jan Robinson

Jan Robinson writes about travel on her Budget Travel Talk blog. A solo traveller in her teens, for the last 40 years Jan has travelled through Australia, Asia, Europe, Turkey and New Zealand with her husband. They specialise in road trips, caravanning and Independent travel without spending a fortune. Her favourite destination is Turkey and she is currently dreaming of Myanmar and Mexico.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jackie Smith

    March 24, 2017 at 2:03 pm

    Oh what a wonderful tour; I felt like I was strolling over each of those bridges and gazing at all there was to be seen. This is another place that has been on our list for some time and we need to get there – you’ve succeeded in again reminding me of that fact!

    Reply
  2. Krista Bjorn

    March 24, 2017 at 4:30 pm

    What happy memories you brought back for me today. 🙂 I loved seeing these streets and bridges again. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Sharon Wagner

    March 24, 2017 at 11:43 pm

    The locks are so organized here. I’d love to slide one on and take a stroll.

    Reply
    • Jan

      March 25, 2017 at 6:14 am

      I believe some locks are attached to the prehistoric creatures, although not when we were there.

      Reply
  4. Ruth

    March 25, 2017 at 2:43 am

    What a cool way to walk around the city! I really enjoy when a river passes thru the heart of the city (or Old Town). I experienced that in Budapest and I felt like crossing every bridge. In Ljubljana, I knew about the Dragon Bridge but it is nice to know there are other bridges to walk by! #TPThursday

    Reply
  5. Nancie

    March 25, 2017 at 7:52 am

    Hi, Jan! This is a city I could fall in love with. I always stop and take photos mid-bridge. 🙂 There is no better place! Thanks for co-hosting this week. #TPThursday

    Reply
  6. Kathy Marris

    March 25, 2017 at 12:18 pm

    Charming is an understatement. It is absolutely adorable. I love the last photo of the sluice gates. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Jim ~ Reflections Enroute

    March 26, 2017 at 1:32 am

    I loved Ljubljana (although i can’t spell it!). It is such a pretty city, but one of my favorite things there was the milk machine in the car park near the funicular. Ice cold, fresh milk. Yumm! Thanks for the inspiration; see you next week! #wkendtravelinspiration

    Reply
    • Jan

      March 26, 2017 at 4:36 pm

      There was one of those machines near our Airbnb place in Zagreb. So Good.

      Reply
  8. Rachel@safari254

    March 26, 2017 at 2:33 am

    Your photos are so on point, they bring out the charm of the city.

    Reply
  9. Lolo

    March 26, 2017 at 7:07 am

    I love Ljubljana! I wish we could have explored more, but we did enjoy walking around the town center and all the bridges! #Wkendtravelinspiration

    Reply
  10. David

    March 27, 2017 at 2:12 am

    Ljulbjana really is a charming, yet underrated, city. I really enjoyed walking along the riverfront at night and the old town is easy to navigate too. Nice photos, you’ve captured the city’s essence well. #wkndtravelinspiration

    Reply
  11. Trekking with Becky

    March 27, 2017 at 5:16 am

    Wow, it really is charming. I wonder if Bratislava is similar. 🙂

    Reply
  12. Tomas

    March 27, 2017 at 7:23 am

    Wau that’s absolutely awesome. I haven’t known about the beauty of Ljubljana. Thanks to this post I will write it to our bucket list.

    Reply
  13. Lyn aka The Travelling Lindfields

    March 27, 2017 at 8:00 pm

    You have captured the elegance of Ljubjiana’s bridges beautifully. It takes me back to our wonderful few days there.

    Reply
  14. Michele {Malaysian Meanders}

    March 31, 2017 at 5:03 am

    It must be wonderful to have one of those apartments that look out over the water. I like all these bridges in your photos, but the one with the dragons is my favorite. Thank you so much for showing the pronunciation of Ljubljana. It turns out that I my guess was mostly correct.

    Reply
    • Jan

      March 31, 2017 at 5:54 am

      Well Done Michele! I agree an apartment on the river would be lovely.

      Reply
  15. Mary {The World Is A Book}

    April 8, 2017 at 1:06 pm

    Loved this virtual tour of such a charming and beautiful city! I have heard such great things about Ljubljana and would love to visit soon. We always enjoy cities along rivers where we start off with a cruise as an orientation. We’d love to walk along those streets and bridges. Beautiful photos as always.

    Reply
    • Jan

      April 9, 2017 at 10:21 am

      I agree Mary, River trips are awesome.

      Reply
  16. Mike

    April 12, 2017 at 9:37 pm

    There are some amazing status in Ljubljana that give a great overall medieval look to the city. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Jan

      April 13, 2017 at 6:56 am

      Thanks Mike. Checked out your blog, it’s great. Tweeted your changing gears for dummies post lol. I need all the help I can get. 🙂

      Reply
      • Mike

        April 14, 2017 at 6:16 pm

        Haha, awesome! Thanks for the tweet Jan!

        Reply
        • Jan

          April 16, 2017 at 2:43 pm

          My pleasure Mike.

          Reply
  17. George

    April 14, 2017 at 11:21 am

    Hey Jan,

    Thanks for this post on Ljubljana. I flew into this place, still don’t know how to pronounce it, a couple years ago bound for Austria. Unfortunately I was in and out for a business trip. Being such a small city I imagine it feels like some parts of the countryside. It’s beautiful and a huge change for me to see the photos as I’m now based in Asia. Time to go back to Europe and discover this city.

    Cheers,

    Reply
  18. Celine

    June 18, 2017 at 10:03 pm

    I loved reading your blog. It’s very informative and it does help me to get an idea on the best way to arrange for my trip. I’m quite petite and I am afraid I of the cold. My plan to the charming river bridges is probably end of September or beginning of October. Do you think I could catch the aurora?

    Reply
    • Jan

      June 25, 2017 at 11:32 am

      Thanks for commenting. When you say aurora, do you mean the northern lights?

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Five Great Churches in cool Ljubljana Locations says:
    April 28, 2017 at 12:01 am

    […] Cool Location. St. Peters is just around the corner from gates that control the flow of the Ljubljanica River. I’ve written about them before here. […]

    Reply

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