Experience in Ljubljana, Slovenia by Katja

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What is it like to live in Ljubljana? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia. It is a vivacious place to live in, it has a long history, it is surrounded with art and culture on the streets. There are a lot of little surprises hiding in the city centre, like theme bars, gratify street Metelkova, ex factory that was turned into a concert place, where young artist are born.

What is the student lifestyle like in Ljubljana?

Perfect. In Slovenia we say that during your life as a student, you live like a king. The students dorms in Ljubljana are cheap, it is about 50 to 70 euros a month. Also you have free sport facilities and coupons for food, so you can eat in almost all restaurants (Chinese, Mexican, Turkish... ) for just 3 euros.

How much does it cost to live in Ljubljana?

It depends. If you are a student, it is cheap, but when you don't own a students status any more, you are thrown into reality. But this is the fact for Slovenians, I still think it is cheaper than Italy.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Ljubljana? Is there any advice you can give?

No. If you go there as Erasmus student, I strongly recommend you to choose a bed in one of the students dorms, especially in Rožna Dolina. Therefore you will live the real Slovenian students life, also the dorms are right next to city centre, so you don't have to worry about transport. The dorms are cheap, you meet a lot of people, and living in one of them is an experience on its own.

Also you can find a private apartments quite easily but I recommend you to start search for it earlier.

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What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

Slovenian food is good. A lot of people visit our restaurants because the taste is good and the price is low. The "must try" Slovenian food is: golaž (a meat stew), polenta (boiled corn flour), matevž (beans and potatoes), and the sweet stuff: potica (berries roll), prekumrska gibanica (apple and cottage cheese layered cake), kremšnita (custard and whipped cream cake), kobariški štrukji (sweet dumplings)... In Slovenia almost every village has its own local food, so before you start, plan a long journey.

What places would you recommend visiting in Ljubljana?

Firstly the city centre, Prešernov trg, with three bridges. Then the old part of Ljubljana, with Robov vodnjak and the castle. My favourite street is Trubarjeva ulica, which leads you past ex bicycle factory Rog to Metelkova street. Metelkova is an artistic street full of grafity, sculptures and small clubs. There is also a world famous hostel, Celica, which used to be a prison.

You must also not forgot to visit park Tivoli, very big park whit church on the hill Rožnik, and a lot of paths where you can go walking, running, or just chilling on the grass.

Is it good to eat out in Ljubljana? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

As a student, of course! To try Slovenian food its good to go to restaurant Oljka in BTC, there is also great food in Roxly, Carpe Diem, Skriti kot...

Is the nightlife good in Ljubljana? Where is good to go?

Yes! The clubs stand very near, so in one night you can appear in every one of them. Some of them have free entrance, others have usually 1 or 2 euro fee. Students usually go to KMŠ because it is the nearest option, but Companieros and Parlament are very crowded as well. Than you have big clubs like Circus or Imbox. You can hop on elevator and go to the top. Then you have small clubs, for more specific music tastes in Metelkova street, Rog, K4 and Orto bar. And there are always parties between the walls of our dorms. And wait for may, the month of students, when there are outside concerts.

What advice would you give future students heading to Ljubljana?

Just enjoy!

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