Ljubljana, Slovenia on a Sunday

You've posted this in the Italy section, fwiw.

Ooops! Thanks! As we begin and end in Italy, I was concentrating on that section and just jumped my little mind across the sea!

if it's a one day excursion you can manage it yourself - there are buses from koper directly to LJU, and it's a 2 min walk from the main bus station to the old town in LJU. it's a very small old town area maybe takes about 3-4 hrs max. remember the distance between the 2 cities are not short, so it'll take you 3 hrs or so 1 way. or you can take another bus from koper to piran (much less time) similar stuff as koper but more stuff to see for your money/time investment.

My husband and I were in Ljubljana on a Sunday in 2008, and yes, the rumors were true, it was very quiet. As I recall, there was some sort of market going on (looked like a flea market where people clean out their closets and try to sell their stuff) and a few restaurants/cafes were open. One of the only sights we found open was to ride the funicular up to some sort of fortress-like area (I'm going off memory and don't remember all the particulars, but I can find it in my notes if you are interested), and we felt it was both a waste of time and money. The views weren't all that great. So the downside is that unless things have changed, you won't find a lot to "do." The upside we found, however, was that not many people were around and we were able to get some great photos of the 3-legged bridge and Old Town area.

Wow, maybe Debbie Downer can find a new moniker in 'Angela Antipatica.' (Just a nod to the Italy forum.) Ljubljana is so anglo-friendly, and quaintly pedestrian accessible. I truly long to go back.

"Wow, maybe Debbie Downer can find a new moniker in 'Angela Antipatica.' (Just a nod to the Italy forum.)" Bill, I'm not exactly sure of what you are getting at with that comment. I simply shared an experience of being in Ljubljana on a Sunday, as the OP seems to be weighing options of whether or not to make the trip. It was true during our visit that most things were closed and there weren't many people around. This was a positive and negative for us. If you have other experiences of Ljubljana on a Sunday, do share. But your first line above has an unpleasant tone and isn't necessary.

Thanks for your input Angela. I appreciate your frank answer...it was what I was looking for. I think we will wait on Ljubljana when we can visit during the week and fully experience it and maybe Lake Bled and the Alps. This trip we will poke around Koper and maybe take a bus up to Trieste.

Sorry for sounding mean. I was just trying to give a little dressing down for describing the view from the castle tower as "a waste of time." There's a fragrant, forested path, making for a pleasantly strenuous 'hike' up to the grounds of the castle. We got to the tower for sunset and thought the Julian Alpenglow was spectacular. Also, all through the pedestrian area, along the little river filled with swans and rowboats, there were cafes selling good stuff at really good prices. Please accept my apology. Because truth be told, I could become a Negative Nancy when comparing bustling, grimy Trieste to delightfully tidy Ljubljana. The latter is a MUCH better day trip.

Oh sure! Now you have me second guessing...thanks alot! haha I had thought the bus trip would be a way of getting an overview of the country, so maybe that is the thing to do. We aren't doing any other shore excursions, so maybe we will do this one then. I'll leave it up to my husband, then if it's a bust, it will be his fault! Sounds like a plan!!

I enjoyed Trieste, but I went there almost solely to visit Miramare castle- I've long been interested in Emperor Maximilian of Mexico. It's a couple miles north of the city, reachable by local bus- worth a visit IMO.

I will say we took a funicular in Trieste and it was fun! And the lunch in Opicina,... delicioso!! Then (just around sunset again) we took the public bus toward the airport, which went past Miramare on the way. That was a sublime coastal drive... no doubt!

Just to let you guys know (if you see this), we did do this one shore excursion thru the ship and took the bus tour to Ljubljana. It was a wonderful way to spend the day. Our guide, Matj was great and the city was captivating...in fact, it was the one place on our entire trip that we could picture ourselves moving to. As it was Sunday, there weren't many places open and the time allotted in the city was too short, but it was so very pleasant, it made you want to return. It is certainly not touristy and I was hard pressed to find even a magnet w/Slovenia on it. The bus trip also gave us the opportunity to see some of the country side which was just beautiful. A day and $$ well spent!