This will be our second visit to Ljubljana, we'll be there for 3 days, and we would really love some tips off the beaten path!
Edit: we will be spending 3 weeks overall in Slovenia, so just looking for tips about Ljubljana! We would like to really get to know the city.
Plečnik House -- the home of Ljubljana's chief architect! https://mgml.si/en/plecnik-house/
National Museum of Contemporary History -- understand Slovenia's 20th (and 21st) century history. https://www.muzej-nz.si/en/
Sts Cyril and Methodius Church -- orthodox church just outside the boundary of Tivoli Park
Tivoli park -- wander, wander, wander
US Embassy -- it's not what you would expect an embassy to look like.
Day trip to Kranj -- a place well off the American tourist path -- underground tunnels built by the Germans during WWII to protect town's population (esp factory workers), nice old town, gorge that runs through the middle of town that can be hiked/walked, Prešeren Museum (home/law office of Slovenia's national poet), Plečnik sites. There is a very interesting building at Koroška cesta 4 that has a purposefully rusted facade on one side with some shops/stores and a gleaming, modern, glass facade on the other side (that contains a library). My interpretation is that it marks the progression from the corrupt communist Yugoslav system to a bright, modern Slovenia built around knowledge. I love that building.
Highly recommend the “Communist Walking Tour” for some great history and insight into some of the monuments around Trg Republic in particular.
The Slovenian Ethnography Museum and Metelkova complex next door (just fyi photos and gawkers are looked down on here.)
The neighborhood scene around Park Spica, Eipprova Ulica (Sax Bar), and Jose Plecnik House feels a world away from the tourist center. Check out the National Library too if you haven’t yet.
With three days I think you could do a day/half-day trip too. Bled is pretty easy on your own, but check out Slovenia Explorer for other options. Cave tour would be cool, I saw Skocjan and Postonjia is next on my list.
Have you been out to the caves? I took the half-day minivan tour and enjoyed it a lot.
