Staying at home but turning to nature

By now most of the world has been put under full or partial quarantine to prevent the further spreading of coronavirus. Countries have put restrictions in place to limit gatherings and keep people at home and municipalities are trying to do their part to make the process easier for their residents. In the city of Ljubljana public gatherings have been cancelled until further notice and most people are working from home. In these stressful and uncertain times Ljubljana Tourism is making an effort to keep people updated about all the information regarding the pandemic and tips on how to tackle it. They also provide inspiration for what people can do with their time and still comply with all the restrictions.

Staying at home is a vital part of the regulations that help us fight the virus, but it doesn’t necessarily have to mean staying inside the walls of your house or apartment. In fact, going out into the fresh air is extremely beneficial for your immune system and emotional wellbeing (unless this is explicitly prohibited in your city), according to the Slovenian National Institute of Public Health. Now that the movement of residents has been restricted to the municipality of their permanent or temporary residence Ljubljana Tourism is informing people how and where they can still go for a walk in nature.

• Currently you should only walk in nature in the municipality of your permanent or temporary residence.
• It is highly recommended to choose less frequented paths, lower hills and peaks where there are lesser risks of serious injuries and accidents.
• To promote self-distancing go for walks alone, in pairs, or in small groups of people from your household.

Slovenia is a country rich in nature and offers an abundance of walking paths and hiking trails. The Central Slovenia Region with Ljubljana, one of the greenest cities in the world, at its core is no different as hiking trails cross the entire area of the region. The network of walking and hiking trails starts spreading in the city centre and becomes more and more dense as we move outwards. The green spots of the city are the city park Tivoli and hill Rožnik overlooking the park, the hill of Šiška, hills Golovec and Rašica, and Šmarna Gora, the most popular of them all. Ljubljana Tourism selected and categorized five trails that are still available for residents of Ljubljana based on their height, length, difficulty, and the duration of the hike to help people choose wisely.

Ljubljana Tourism also put together a list of educational paths, suitable for families with young children. The five paths all lie in the vicinity of Ljubljana and engage children in various activities while guiding the whole family through plentiful natural treasures. One can go on the Trail of the Kingfisher in Grosuplje, visit the Dormouse Adventure Park in Polhov Gradec, explore the Magical Šumberk Hill in Domžale or look for Marsh Pixies in the Ljubljana Marshes. These will all be an excellent day trip for families once municipalities open up again. In the meantime, we should all do our part in fighting the pandemic and stick to walking within our municipality.