Hotels Restaurants Shops Nightlife Sightseeing Events Maps “In Your Pocket: A cheeky, well- LJUBLJANA written series of guidebooks.” The New York Times December 2009 - January 2010 Ski & Spa Our annual winter guide is back and better than ever Best of New Year’s Eve The best and the rest as chosen by readers Highlights of the Coast An hour’s drive is a world away Enjoy your COMPLIMENTARY COPY of Ljubljana In Your Pocket N°9 - € 2.90 N°5 - 6Lt www.inyourpocket.com www.inyourpocket.com CONTENTS www. pocket.com Download a free city guide at Europe’s leading www.inyourpocket.compublisher of locally produced city guides ESSENT IA L CI TY GUID ES Contents Arriving in Ljubljana 8 Getting around 9 Basics 14 Language, history and numbers Quick Picks 18 The best of the best Culture & Events 16 Music, festivals and exhibitions 16 Somehow not as scary covered in snow Best of New Year’s Eve 19 Cultural centres and venues 23 What to see 60 Bridges, museums and the castle Conferences & Fairs 26 Where to shop 66 Sports 31 The best of what and where to buy Where to stay 32 Bovec 74 Business suites to hostel bunks A year-round sports paradise Dining & Nightlife 37 Ski & Spa 77 Where to eat 37 From extreme slopes to relaxing saunas Everything from A to V(egetarian) Cafés 47 Highlights of the Coast 80 Enjoy one of Ljubljana’s favourite pastimes The Mediterranean is only an hour away Nightlife 49 Wine Tasting 82 Dance and drink the night away East to West we have Slovenian wineries covered Mail & Phones 85 Keep in touch by post, phone and internet Directory 86 Lifestyle 86 Business 88 Maps & Index Street Register 93 In Your Pocket guides and mini-guides are published in 50 cities across the continent. City centre map 94 Europe’s leading publisher of locally produced city guides City map 96 Country map 97 Index 98 The view from our editor’s roof circa 5am ESSENT IA L CI TY GUID ES ljubljana.inyourpocket.com December 2009 - January 2010 FOREWORD FOREWORD Come Christmas time in Ljubljana it’s nearly impossible for even the surliest of curmudgeons not to get caught Europe In Your Pocket Press Box up in the spirit of the holiday season (present company included). Despite the drop in temperature and seemingly Unique books from omnipresent fog, every December the city centre comes alive with a panoply of sights, sounds, smells and activities as winter takes hold and one year becomes another. Slow- “In Your Pocket: a cheeky, well-written series of roasted chestnut sellers kick things off by setting up their guidebooks.” smoky wares at strategic points along the main pedestrian New York Times streets, and shortly thereafter a massive tree is erected in Ireland the centre of Prešernov Trg (p 61) and the entire old town (and 21 other prizes) is blanketed with thousands of tiny lights. But perhaps best of all are the small wooden stalls that eventually line “Tops for Central and Eastern Europe. Back in 1991 the Ljubljanica and various squares, selling all manner of during a long night of drinking, four guys living in Vilnius crafts and home-made goods, including copious amounts came up with the idea to create an online city guide for the Lithuanian capital, which at the time had no of mulled wine and warmed schnapps - enticing crowds of telephone directory. The result? This online collection people from their warm cosy homes. of locally written, frank, lively and informative guides Complete our latest readership Content-wise we’ve been busier than ever this issue, to more than 50 cities across the region, from Derry survey at inyourpocket.com/survey putting together all kinds of special features to keep you to Tartu. For most cities, content runs deep: there are active over the next couple months. There should be more than 30 restaurants and 11 clubs listed under and we’ll enter you in our prize draw: something for everyone in our updated Ski & Spa section Brasov, for example. Plus, news, maps and blogs. the winner gets something priceless (p 77). Ever wanted to spend the night in an igloo? Now’s You can even tune into a local radio station. Browse and unique from every country your chance! For those adverse to the snow, the winter is around the site for interesting finds, such as a Prague a great time to visit the Slovenian coast (p 80), with it’s hotel that was formerly a theater and still retains currentlyy In Your Pocket. mild Mediterranean climate and close proximity of things original features, including a full size stage and balcony boxes.” to see and do. And for wine-lovers we’ve compiled our Hotels Restaurants Cafés Nightlife Sightseeing Events Maps Hotels Restaurants Cafés Nightlife Sightseeing Events Maps Forbes.com largest-ever guide to Slovenia’s vineyards and wineries VILNIUS WARSAW August - September 2009 (p 82). Of course we haven’t forgotten about New Year’s It has been another great year for In Your Pocket. AAugustAuugustugusuggustgugususuststst -- SSepSeSeptemSepteSeptSeptemberepptptette emberb r 2 2020090000099 Užupis Eve. In fact we ran a month-long poll to find out the best We now publish a record 57 guides and mini-guides A brief sojourn inside Vilnius’ distinctly eccentric independent republic places in Slovenia to spend the waning hours of 2009 (p across 22 European countries. We print more than “Death of the guide book? Pah! They’re just diversi- Vingio Parkas From Tolstoy to rollerblades, the city’s favourite park is 19). As always we welcome any and all feedback, be it on four million In Your Pockets annually. This year we fying. Print off your own PDFs…” pulled apart and examined Facebook, Twitter or even old-fashioned email. launched new guides in Maribor, Bled, Portoroz, The Times, April 18, 2008 Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Brasov, Lviv and Odesa. (In naming In Your Pocket as one of 10 guide book After the Battle publishers to trust, in the wake of the Lonely Planet Warsaw Uprising 70 Next year you can expect to see Venice, Vienna and years on Cover story scandal). The Mouth of Old Town Warsaw‘s Barbican Glasgow - amongst others - Pocketed. N°52 3RODQG]á(w tym 7% VAT) UK - £5 N°95 - 6Lt EU (excl. Poland & UK) - €3 www.inyourpocket.com warsaw.inyourpocket.com Although it may not look like it, we swear We welcome enquiries from anyone who would ISSN 1641-5264 that this photo of a rather remote-look- like to take part in our Pocket Revolution, starting ing field blanketed in snow was actually up an IYP. Send us an email to publisher@inyour- “In Your Pocket guides are a godsend. They are taken in Ljubljana - and during the spring pocket.com. We also want to find out how we can impressively up to date and clearly written by people Hotels Restaurants Cafés Nightlife Sightseeing Events Maps Hotels Restaurants Cafés Nightlife Sightseeing Events Maps BELFAST PRAGUE no less. Robert Logie snapped it on make our guides better, so please take five minutes who live in the city. Invaluable” Avšičeva Cesta in the Savlje neighbour- The Sun Herald (Australia) YOUR COMPLIMENTARY COPY Aug - Sep 2007 December 2008 - January 2009 hood of the city’s northern outskirts to complete our online survey at inyourpocket. com/survey. Better by back in March of 2006. design Stunning souvenirs, stylish shopping and local crafts on display The Great Outdoors Feel the burn, catch the “Inyourpocket.com was the first online travel guide to waves, take a hike Gastro Tourism Northern Ireland on a Editorial Copyright notice come up with the idea of offering free downloadable plate Editor Yuri Barron Text and photos copyright IQBATOR d.o.o. city guides in printable (PDF) format.” The Guardian Christmas Maps copyright cartographer. All rights Including Writers Yuri Barron, Will Dunn Markets NORTHERN Gifts galore ESSENT IA L CI TY GUID ES reserved. No part of this publication IRELAND HIGHLIGHTS & Winter Chill Out Research Irena Jamnikar N°48 - 100 Kþ Massage and more HIDDEN GEMS may be reproduced in any form, except www.inyourpocket.com N°13 Layout & Design Vaida Gudynaitė Complimentary copy brief extracts for the purpose of review, www.inyourpocket.com Ljubljana In Your Pocket Consulting Craig Turp without written permission from the Drenikova 33, 1000 Ljubljana Photos Yuri Barron, Ljubljana Tourist publisher and copyright owner. The “The secret of the In Your Pocket guides is that, Slovenia Office, Klub Top brand name In Your Pocket is used under unlike many expensive travel guides, they are written Tel. +386 30 316 602 Cover photo Robert Logie license from UAB In Your Pocket (Vokiečių by native English speakers living in the city they are inyourpocket.com/survey [email protected] 10-15, Vilnius, Lithuania tel. +370-5 212 writing about. That can lend itself to frank, matter-of- www.inyourpocket.com 29 76). Sales & Circulation fact advice about your destination rather than jaded impressions from world-weary professional travel Editor’s note ISSN 1855-3486 Director Niko Slavnic M.Sc. writers.” ©IQBATOR d.o.o. [email protected] The editorial content of In Your Pocket The Irish Times Sales & Operations Management guides is independent from paid-for Printed Schwarz d.o.o., Ljubljana Irena Jamnikar +386 30 316 602 advertising. Sponsored listings are clearly marked as such. We welcome all Published 20,000 on average Karmen Hribar +386 31 203 560 readers‘ comments and suggestions. Maps Monolit d.o.o. Barbara Žlender +386 30 316 601 We have made every effort to ensure “Practical and honest.