Socialism and the City of Ljubljana Small Group Walking Tour

Long live the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia! Enter our government-sponsored time machine and embark on a journey that will take you around the most iconic historic spots in the city as you learn about local life under the socialist regime.

Together we will view socialist-style buildings, check out statues of glorified Yugoslav politicians, visit one or two bars that seem frozen in time, have a snack at the Central Market, and finish up in Metelkova city, former barracks turned into an alternative neighborhood of museums, wild art, booming nightlife, and a popular hostel inside a former Yugoslav prison.

Your Ljubljana tour will start in the newer part of downtown, where you will get a chance to spot some typical socialist-era skyscrapers, dotted between the elegant architecture of Art Nouveau and Baroque. We’ll walk toward the Galley of Modern Art, which is housed in a massive block of grey concrete — socialist and stylish at the same time, you might say! We’ll get a quick look at the Tivoli city park, and mark down the Museum of Modern History for a later visit.

We will stroll down a tree-lined street to see some important buildings like the United States embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We will make a short stop by the statue of Kidrič (the first president of the Slovenian parliament), where you’ll pick up a few interesting facts about Slovenian history after World War II. This will lead us to the Parliament building, right across the spacious Republic Square, where Slovenian independence was proclaimed in 1991.

Our path will lead us to the beautiful Star Park, nestled in the famous Congress Square, where you can enjoy a nice view of the castle, and see sites like the Slovenian Philharmonic, and the University of Ljubljana. You will have plenty of opportunities to take photos in this car-free area of the city.

We’ll then stop into one of the nostalgic bars by the river, where you can have a beer or glass of wine, and reminiscence about the old times. Rested, we’ll then walk through the central marketplace, where we can enjoy a tasty snack on the go, see the famous Dragon Bridge, and continue on to artsy Trubarjeva Street, where we’ll end up in an old bicycle factory that is now a popular urban spot for locals.

We’ll finish our journey with the best discovery: an old Yugoslav military base that has been converted into one of the most famous alternative neighborhoods in Europe, called Metelkova. Check out a former prison that’s now turned into a trendy hostel, and have another beer in one of the graffiti-covered buildings full of art, good vibes, and history.