In Ljubljana, temperatures can drop below 0 degrees in winter. And if you are lucky, you can even see some snow during your visit! So bring your warm clothes and some gloves, because the capital of Slovenia is charming at any time of year and in any weather. Here are some ideas of what to do in Ljubljana in the colder months.

TAKE A WALK AROUND LJUBLJANA’S OLD CITY CENTRE
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At any temperature, a stroll through the old town should be a must for anyone visiting the capital of Slovenia! Take a walk between the medieval streets and squares, pass the Triple Bridge and the Dragon Bridge and end with a hot drink in one of the bars Ljubljanica River.
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GO ICE SKATING

​If you feel more, put on your ice skates and get active! There’s an ice hall at Park Tivoli where you can ice skate. And since it is located inside, it is an activity that is suitable for any weather. For pricelist and opening hours click HERE to visit their official website.

SEE LJUBLJANA FROM ABOVE

​You can visit the castle of Ljubljana, where you have a beautiful view of the city. To get there, you can take a short walk up the hill or take a funicular. If you want to enjoy a drink with a view, we recommend a visit to the Caffe Skyscraper or the bar at the top of InterContinental Hotel. Both offer a fantastic view of the city from above.

GO SHOPPING

​Ljubljana has a wide range of shops to buy gifts, souvenirs or simply something new from abroad. For those who prefer to lose themselves in large shopping centres, BTC City is the right destination. For the lovers of boutique shopping you don’t have to travel far, the old town of Ljubljana is full of small, unique shops for every taste and need.

VISIT A GALLERY OR MUSEUM

​If you are not a shopper but rather a gallery hopper, we recommend that you visit one of our many galleries and museums where you can escape the cold. National Gallery of Slovenia is a must with its large art collection dating from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century. On the first Sunday of the month, some of them offer free entry, as well as on special holidays such as 3rd December and 8th February.

HAVE A GAME NIGHT

​If you are coming in pair or with a group, you can challenge them to an Escape room. This can be a nice bonding activity as well as having some workout for your mind. There are plenty of choices and it’s up to you which one you prefer. HERE are some of the choices you can find in Ljubljana. If you don’t want to be put under time pressure, a more relaxing option can be to have fun playing board games. Visit Dobra Poteza where you can choose between different types of board games that you can rent. And don’t worry if you don’t know the game! Their staff will be there to help you and explain the rules at the beginning of the game.

LJUBLJANA IN DECEMBER

If you are coming to Ljubljana in December, you can admire the Christmas lights in the city. You can get into a festive mood by visiting the Christmas markets. At the stands, you can choose between various hot drinks and sweets, but you must try roasted almonds and mulled wine. Ljubljana hosts many different concerts and shows during the Christmas season in different places in the city, so don’t miss them.


Don’t miss our weekly Blog posts, to keep up with new tips and week courses!
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See you in Ljubljana,
love Primera Group

Do you have a free afternoon to spend in Ljubljana?
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Here are 5 of our favourite places and ideas how you can spend it.

1. Summer festivals
​Thanks to Summer in Ljubljana Old Town festival afternoons and evenings are reserved for rich programme of concert, opera and ballet events throughout Ljubljana. The festival begins in June and finishes the last days of August with a magical event Nights in old Ljubljana town.

During this festival the picturesque old squares and streets become a stage for many different concerts. Most of them are admission free. If you’re planning a visit of Ljubljana here is a programme of the events: https://imagosloveniae.net/en/events-calendar/all-events/
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You can find other summer festivals here: https://www.visitljubljana.com/en/visitors/things-to-do/art-and-culture/article/summer-festivals-in-ljubljana/

2. Chill on Ljubljanica river
​Ljubljana can get hot during the day, sometimes up to 38°C. That is why it makes sense to take a bit of time off and just enjoy yourselves. An easy and interesting way of chilling and exploring Ljubljana is by taking a boat ride on Ljubljanica river.
There are many different providers of a boat tours so the prices and duration may vary. However all of them are registered at the Ljubljana tourism office. That is why you can feel safe embarking all of them.

To find more information about the boat rides, prices and schedules click here: https://www.visitljubljana.com/en/visitors/tours-and-trips/the-boat-ljubljanica/

​3. Open kitchen market
​Each (sunny) Friday from mid-March to October a part of the central market (Pogačarjev trg) becomes the go to location for all the hungry and curious locals and visitors of Ljubljana. From 10 AM to 9 PM there are stands from many different Slovenian restaurants providing you with local and international dishes.
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The event happens only in good weather, so we recommend checking their FB page before going. If it’s cancelled they publish it there: https://www.facebook.com/OdprtaKuhna/

4. Castle of Ljubljana
​Find a different perspective of Ljubljana and imagine how it was like to stroll along this medieval castle.  The castle provides two restaurants and a cafe, a permanent exhibition and events throughout the year. There are many routs that you can chose to walk to the castle, but the easiest way to the top is by funicular. It’s located on Krekov square just next to the Ljubljana puppet theather.

In the summer (June, July, August and September) the funicular operates from 9:00 to 23:00. It runs every 10 minutes, so need for a long wait. Price for a return ride is 4€/adult, but we challenge you to take a walk at least back down to the centre of the city. It’s not very difficult and provides more beautiful views of Ljubljana.

More information about the castle and all the possibilities: 
​https://www.ljubljanskigrad.si/en/the-ljubljana-castle/

5. Tivoli park
​In the year 2016 Ljubljana was named the European Green Capital. We are proud to have many small parks and playgrounds all over the city. The biggest one is Tivoli park. It provides so many options for your afternoon, that you can’t possibly get bored.

From the Prešern square simply follow Čopova street. It will lead you straight to the beginning of the park where you will find the Modern Gallery, with it’s contemporary exhibitions. From there follow the Jakopič promenade into Tivoli. At the end of the promenade there is Tivoli Mansion,  which currently hosts the International centre of graphic arts.

By now you need some refreshment that you can get in boat house Tivoli. Or get yourself some cold drinks and a sandwich in the supermarket before and enjoy your simple picnic surrounded by green views. Tivoli is filled with secret paths, ponds and fountains so even the locals still get surprised by wandering around it.
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If you’re up for a little hike you can even climb the nearest hill called Rožnik.

You can’t wait to get to Ljubljana now do you? In August we have 5 already 100% confirmed courses that you can attend.

Check this blog post and chose yours!​
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See you in Ljubljana,
love Primera Group

Success does not just happen. It is planned for. And it is the same with Erasmus+ mobility projects. Preparation of participants is one such key to success. In the application process your task is to convince evaluators that you will take care for your participants and not just leave things to go with the flow. By this post we aim to provide few ideas for a systematic preparation that you can offer to your participants. Preparation covers several areas and is task-related, intercultural, linguistic, and risk-prevention.

Task-related preparation refers to activities of mobilites. Ask your course provider to send you in advance any material related to the course content and any guidelines what the participants need to do in order to follow the course appropriately. Course providers might send you some questionnaires in advance, articles about the topic, have an interview with participants. On your side prepare one or several meetings with the participants in which you present all the activities they will have to do in the project, i.e. Erasmus+ rules, documentation, evaluation, certification etc.

Intercultural preparation. Since the in-service trainings are intercultural, the course provider will most likely ask the participants to prepare a presentation about their country, organisation and about their work. Empower your participant to do the presentation in a high-quality manner so that other participants will be able to learn about your organisation and country. Participants may bring to the course some typical food or promotion material to show specifics of your country. Share some relevant information about the culture of your host country. If you send more participants to the same country, you might want to organize cultural workshop with a trainer specialised for intercultural topics. The trainer can offer you an experiential workshop about cultural topics such as national values, typical customs, specific ways of behaviours, and habit.

Linguistic preparation. Participants will have to use another language. Ensure that all of them are capable of following. If some of them have only basic skill of communicating in another language, plan the mobilities in such a way that you mix participants with good language skills with others so that they will get a proper support. For additional ideas also read our blog “Does low level of foreign language skills prevent your colleagues from participating in mobility projects? Think again!” Since linguistic preparation is very important, also Erasmus+ offers free language courses. Check Online Linguistic Support platform in which you will find assessment and courses for 12 European languages. Participant can improve their English. However, it never hurts to speak some basics of national language of the host country. The platform is perfect for that.

Safety of participants is becoming more and more important. Learning should be assured in a safe environment which respects and protects the rights of all persons. Plan your safety measures in advance. Provide a suitable insurance for participants, i.e. travel and health insurance. If applicable, it is strongly recommended that participants get a European Health Insurance Card. Consider to prepare a short safety handbook for your participants. In the safety handbook you can write all the relevant information about the country, partner, contacts and links in case of emergency, and risk-prevention guidelines.
Careful preparation is important for both, already experienced and new participants in mobility projects. It is better to plan in advance than be in panic later when something goes wrong.
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Wish you many inspiring ideas in writing your KA1 application.

Yes, it is our beloved Ljubljana and we are proud, because this is not just another title but everyday experience for people who live in Ljubljana. Drinkable tap water, many square metres of public green space, and clean air are just some of the evidences. So, why not visit European Green Capital as your Erasmus+ mobility and join together practicing your skills and exploring Ljubljana?

Find some details on Green Capital on special website devoted to the green side of Ljubljana: www.greenljubljana.com

​Here are some of the reasons why Ljubljana got this prestigious title:

• 542 square metres of public green space per resident
• 63% of separated waste collected
• Public drinking fountains
• Ecological zone with more space and safety for pedestrians and cyclist
• Economic and environmental friendly public lighting

You probably noticed that we organize our Erasmus+ trainings in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Now think a bit about your first associations. Did you ask yourself: Ljubljana? Where is that? How do I pronounce the name of that city? Is there anything to see? Is there anything good to eat? Is it expensive? Maybe this short post will answer some of your questions.

Let’s start with the basics. Ljubljana is located in Central Europe and it lies in the centre of Slovenia. It has 280.000 inhabitants, more than 60.000 students and above 1.000.000 overnight stays in 2014. So this numbers probably explain why is Ljubljana so dynamic and vibrant city, but still authentic and not overcrowded with tourists.

The best part of Ljubljana is its size. It’s extremely compact capital. Main attractions are located very close to the city centre, so you can explore it by foot or with bike. Ljubljana has one of the best preserved Baroque quarters in Central Europe. It’s modern appeal is characterized by Jože Plečnik, Slovenian architect that designed many iconic buildings like Ljubljana open market buildings and Triple bridge. Above them all is the most famous attraction: iconic Ljubljana castle, nestled on a hill above Old Town.

What impresses visitors the most is Ljubljana’s young and open-minded spirit. More than 10.000 cultural events are displayed annually. During the warmer months you can visit one of free-of-charge events in the downtown area or make reservation in renowned Ljubljana Festival. Ljubljana is also regional centre of alternative culture. If you are fan of alternative art and music, you must not miss Metelkova neighbourhood or more urban Šiška Cultural Quarter.

Ljubljana is also environmentally ultra-friendly city. Its city centre is fully clsed for traffic. There are bike rental spaces on every turn. It has many green spaces and is actually completely surrounded by the green ring of Ljubljana. Oh, in the case you didn’t know: Ljubljana has won has won the European Green Capital Award for 2016.

There are many hotels and hostels in the city centre. Over the last decade, the bed & breakfast, short-stay apartments and authentic youth hostels have really boomed in Ljubljana. Hostel Celica (which is located near Metelkova) was proclaimed by Lonely Planet as the hippest hostel in a world a few years ago. If you are looking for more authentic accommodation, you can always rent one of 250 apartments on Airbnb site.

While being abroad, one must always think about safety. Numerous international travel sites claim that Ljubljana is among the safest capitals ion Europe. Here’s the citation from Wikitravel:
“Ljubljana is possibly one of the safest capitals you’ll ever visit. Remarkably safe during the day and night, as a tourist you should have no problems, provided you are not desperately looking for trouble.”

If you get lost or need further help you can always count on natives. Tourists say we are friendly and very skilled in foreign languages. As a small country that borders on four diverse countries we have to be multi-cultural and multi-lingual. Almost all young people speak English, and many people speak German and Italian as well.

When speaking about multi-cultural influence, we must not forget our food. Slovenia is melting point of Austrian meat, Italian pastas, Hungarian flavours and Balkan dishes. Maybe you heard for excellent Carniolan sausage or rich Prekmurska gibanica. If not, you’ll try it in Slovenia. We’re also proud on our wines. Some parts of three distinct wine regions are counted as among the best in the world. In the case you didn’t know: almost 70% of Slovenian wines fulfil the criteria for quality and premium wines.

OK, let’s assume you’re convinced and you want to visit us 🙂 Majority of participants fly to Ljubljana. International “Jože Pučnik Airport” (also known as “Brnik airpoirt”) is just 25 km highway ride from the city centre. If you are lucky with the weather, you will have beautiful view over the Alps when your plane lands. Maybe you will notice some cheap flight connections with Ljubljana’s neighbouring cities. Trieste, Zagreb, Venice and Vienna are not far away. The best option to reach Ljubljana from some of those cities can be shuttle GoOpti. If you can wait one or two hours you will reach Ljubljana from Venice for apx. 25 €.

We’re here, so what are you waiting for?