Due to its natural passage through the Ljubljana basin, the Slovenian capital has always had a linking role between South East and Central Europe. The city is compact, picturesque, attractive and friendly to delegates attending conferences, corporate events or incentive programmes. Due to its accessibility and the well-developed and diversified meeting infrastructure, Ljubljana is Slovenia’s major congress destination, having the highest share of (international) meetings.
Ljubljana has many attributes of a big city while creating the impression of a smaller and friendly town, which makes it so relaxing. All the hotels and venues can be easily accessed on foot for Ljubljana has a compact layout that allows scenic and comfortable walks from one point of interest to another. Most of the venues are just a short walk away from any of the modern hypes and pleasures that are available in the old town and its vicinity, while at the same time located in the heart of Ljubljana’s historical buildings and sights that make Slovenian capital so uncomparably endearing.
The city’s layout blinds together inspirational forces from the past in the aspects of culture as well as of the congress spirit that the meetings industry has been following today. Ljubljana’s picturesque character is based on its river embankments full of colorful and romantic houses stretching alongside historic monuments, numerous bars, top-notch restaurants, eateries, central market, endless lines of trees and benches on the shore’s renovated spots for sitting and watching the modern life vivaciously passing by. Moreover, one can hop on one of the boats that offer rides for even more scenic views. Visitors of all age get, on one hand, blown away by the omnipresent monumentality, and on the other by the modern charm of the creative urban character signed with cosmopolitan diversity. New urban cultural centers mix with historical atmosphere in the very midst of the city’s urban hustle and bustle.
As one of the smallest European capitals by size and by number of residents, Ljubljana offers a boutique experience for it takes only 20 minutes of a leisurely walk to get from the famous Triple Bridge set in the very heart of the city to most of the spots, be it either towards the bountiful of architectural heritage and diamonds, or to the very middle of a natural setting in Ljubljana’s main and most beautiful Tivoli Park. Not just “boutique”, but also “green” is the word that crosses everyone’s mind once in Slovenian capital which has 542 square meters of public green spaces per resident, while featuring 80 hectares of well-maintained green spaces. Wherever a delegate walks, the best of both worlds can be enjoyed – the nub of the city’s modern heartbeat or the meditative picnic with squirrels under century-old trees and next to a water lily pond.
In addition, walking around this small in size, but big in character, Central European city, adds to the city’s sustainable mobility solutions for the core of the city center has been closed for motorized vehicles. The city’s sustainable traffic policy is just one in the line of Ljubljana’s sustainable policies that made it one of the most sustainably-oriented cities in the region. Ljubljana, for example, has been the European capital with the highest share of separated waste collected (63%) and the ‘zero waste’ city which has already exceeded the EU’s recycling targets for 2020 by 10%. The process of transforming Ljubljana into a role-model city in terms of sustainable development has been crowned by many awards so far, including the title of European Green Capital 2016 and this year’s title of the »Best Destination of Europe« in recognition for best sustainable practice examples of destination management worldwide.
Ljubljana’s unique mixture of beauty, compactness, green character and sustainable policies is furtherly strengthened by its cultural and artsy soul. Culture, for example, is embedded in its everyday life and is not considered a privilege. The year-round agenda features a multitude of international festivals and other events, encompassing a wide range of musical and artistic genres, where traditional lives side by side with the alternative. Next, to exquisite cultural monuments, there are 14 museums and 56 art galleries on hand for its 275,000 residents.
Lifestyle in Ljubljana is a mixture of green, sustainable, cultural, creative, artistic and monumental soul. This is what Ljubljana is in itself. Therefore, when in Ljubljana, the conference delegates get immersed in this specific way of living. Ljubljana’s spirit is not pre-made for visitors, but rather the opposite, its authentic and real vibe is what visitors go for and join the flow. It’s a special experience that only such a compact, small in size, but big in character, the city can offer.
