Ljubljana has been amazing!  It’s a place I knew almost nothing about but as it was on the way to Budapest from Austria we decided to make it a stop and I am so glad we did.  It’s one of those magical places that perhaps in part because I had no preconceived ideas of what to expect it has been a really memorable part of our trip.

We booked into Hostel Celica which many travellers we have me told us was great.  Set in a former prison, this colourful, art-inspired hostel is an 8-minute walk from Ljubljana train station.

Designed by local and international artists, the quirky rooms are individually decorated former prison cells, very cool.  There’s an Oriental-style cafe with wall mosaics, a rustic Slovenian bar, and a hip garden terrace with hammocks.  A really unique hostel for those travelling on a budget.

Since arriving we have done a day trip to Lake Bled which I’ve done a separate blog about:  Cycling around Lake Bled, wandered around the city, seen Ljubljana castle and taken a trip to the famous limestone caves: Škocjan Caves

Touring the huge, spectacular subterranean chambers of the 6km-long Škocjan Caves was amazing. This remarkable cave system was carved out by the Reka River, which enters a gorge below the village of Škocjan and eventually flows into the Dead Lake, a sump at the end of the cave where it disappears. It surfaces again as the Timavo River at Duino in Italy, 34km northwest, before emptying into the Gulf of Trieste.

We took a guided tour through the caves (the most popular option for visitors, called Through the Underground Canyon).

We walked 600m down a gravel path to the main entrance in the Globočak Valley. Through a 116m-long tunnel built in 1933, we reached the head of the so-called Silent Cave, a dry branch of the underground canyon that stretches for 500m.

The first section, called Paradise, is filled with beautiful stalactites, stalagmites and flowstones that look like snowdrifts; the second part (called Calvary) was once the riverbed.

The Silent Cave ends at the Great Hall, 120m wide and 30m high. It is a jungle of exotic dripstones and deposits, and above are the mighty stalagmites called the Giants and the Pipe Organ.

I recommend dressing warmly as it is freezing down there and wear good walking shoes.

For Bookings at Hotel Celica visit: http://www.hostelcelica.com/en