TRIPS AND EVENTS
Think like a local and behave like an ErasmuS, squeeze that juice out of Ljubljana by making her your own!
How? With stepping out of the box and exploring new sights with us.
PLANNING OF WELCOME WEEKS 2024 are in full swing.
APPLY at fdv.tutor@gmail.com
wildest city tours
CLASSIC TOUR
DATE : TBA
Meeting point : Prešeren Square
A proper introduction of the city which will represent your home time for at least next four months is much needed. You will hear why the dragon is the symbol of the city and how Iulia Aemona was founded 2000 yeras ago as Roman settlement. Ljubljana surely is a tiny city with rich history and
lovable relaxed vibe.
We will meet in the famous Prešeren Square, where you will learn a bit on poet's life ( not a dull one, trust us) and proceed the tour to the Congress square where a fascinating story on nowadays University main building will lighten you up. We will cross the significant bridges of Ljubljana and hear where their names derivate from. And to hold the mistery and tension not all sightseeing point will be revealed in this short description.
Apply for the tour and strut the streets of your Erasmus hometown.
Tour includes hour and a half of walking tour in english with city hall licenced guide
THE SOCIALIST LJUBLJANA – HIDDEN FACE OF AN ERA
DATE :TBA
Meeting point : Congress Square
Do you know what is the symbolic meaning of the Anchor at famous Ljubljana Congress square? Or the storzes associated with massive buildings and monuments in the Republic square? Why did Slovenia get its first parliament in the socialist period of its history? During our tour, through a lot of interesting stories you'll get familiar with socialist Yugoslavia and its political and economic system along with its position in world politics during the Cold War. You'll also be shown the achievements of socialism through a ton of absorbing buildings, monuments and memorial plaques in the center of Ljubljana. Our tour will end with the walk through Tivoli park where you will hear some cool stories connected with one of the most famous socialist sports halls in Yugoslavia, Tivoli hall. Join us for the tour and all your questions will be revealed.
Tour includes :
- 2 hours of walk
- licenced city hall guide in English
- true Yugoslavian "kid friendly" surprises
THE OTHER LJUBLJANA - alternative tour
DATE : TBA
Meeting point : Miklošič Park
Ljubljana is waiting for you to unveil the secrets of less known, misunderstood and unappreciated pearls of Ljubljana. Let us take you from a haunted Sugar plant where poets worn their souls out all the way to the political prisons of a hidden era, now well know Metelkova. Even the Mexico house standing in the middle of the city center is over looked in its beauty as it used to be a home for volunteers who fought for Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph, Prince Imperia in Mexico rebel in 1864. Are you ready to see the other side of Ljubljana?
TOUR includes :
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english guided walking tour for hour and a half
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a cityhall all licenced guide
NIGHT TOUR -Roman aemona
DATES : TBA
Meeting point : Congress Square
Dear explorer,
if you are not only a brave, but also a night time creature, a ROMAN NIGHT TOUR is a must for you as it explores hidden Roman paths of Iulia Aemona, a city established more than 2000 years ago.
Join us in the evening hours and strut pass the North Roman wall, basilica and other bits of once glorious fortress and learn the history of a once military settlement .
TOUR includes :
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hour and a half of walking tour in english
-
city hall licenced guide
TRIPS
CANOEING IN JULIAN ALPS: Bohinj - Bled -savica
DATES : TBA
King Arthur had mists of Avalon, Ireland has the Hill of Tara and we have our own magical land , the valley of eastern Julian Alps. In early cenozioc era it was covered with sea ( it is even said seashells can be found deep in the mountains!), today it is one of the most treasured natural gems of Slovenia.
At arrival ww will be divided into two groups, whereas one will stretch their legs and make an easy hike to Savica waterfall, and admire a breath-taking scenery whicheven inspired our greatest poet France Prešeren to write The Baptism on the Savica, an epic–lyric poem about the battle between Christians and pagan Slavs (our advice: while waiting for eachother by Prešeren statue in Ljubljana, take a look at a bronze relief on the right side of the pedestal which shows a motive from the poem mentioned here). While the other group will go canoeing with a sports guide. Later on, the groups will switch the activities.
Pleasantly tired from the fresh moutain air, we will continue our journey to Bled, where our tourist guide will show us some attractions and later on we will have a bite at tasting original local pastry, Bled custard cake ( try to pronounce it in Slovenian »blejska kremšnita«).
After the sweet tooth experinece, you will have plenty of free-time to catch a breath and have some rest. You will receive a list of restaurants where use of studentski boni is possible and a »birdfood« for feeding swans and ducks . As all good things must come to an end also our fairytale one-day trip will. In the late afternoon we will head back to our beloved Ljubljana
Programme :
- Departure at 9 a.m. from SEB in Gosarjeva
- Canoeing on the lake
- Easy hike to Waterfall Savica ( ticket included)
- Bled visit and cream cake tasting
- Lunch and free time
- Leaving Bled at approximately 5 p.m. and returning to Ljubljana
COAST & WINE TRIP
Štanjel- Koper - hills
DATES : TBA
A typical Karst village of Štanjel with stone houses and less than 200 residents, is highly denoted by the famous architect and urbanist, Maks Fabiani. His famous Ferrari gardens were made in the 1920’s and will sweep you off of your feet. After this relaxing visit we are heading to for winetasting at Capodistrian hills with a unique wine fountain,where you will get to try samples of wines Refosco is a native dark-skinned grape autochtonous for region of Karst. After our winery experinece we are heading to Koper, our largest seadisde town where our tour will take us from Muda Gate to Praetorian Palace. Afterwardss you will have pleanty of fre time to grab seaside lunch and to enjoy vitamine sea.
Preliminary programme :
Depature : 9.00am from SEB ( Gosarjeva street)
Štanjel village visit : 10.00am
Winetasting : 12.00pm – 1.15pm
Koper tour : 1.30pm – 2.15pm
Free time : 2.15pm – 4.45pm
Departure to Ljubljana at 4.45pm
SOČA VALLEY - Emerald River Escapade
DATE: TBA
You are splendid, limpid daughter of the heights, you are graceful in your natural beauty…”
wrote our poet Simon Gregorčič in his ode to Soča ( Isonzo) river. And genuinely this emerald
beauty and her surroundings will not leave you aloof.
Prepare for a day full of incredible nature as we will take through a valley where film making of Stories of Narnia : Princ Kaspian took place.
Our journey will start with visitning the path of peace in the valley, also known for its bloody history as it was a 1.WW frontline between Italin and Austro-Hungarian troops. The entire path of peace is 230km long, however our visit will be much shorter :). Afterwards we contiune to see the king of all watwerfalls, Grand Kozjak. Hike through the valley is equally engaging as the scenery of emerald river cannot be put into words. Our day will end with a stop in a small village called Most na Soči / Bridge on river Soča, another well kept secret of natural beauty. Here we will also have a chance to take a breath and grab some free time.
Programme :
- Departure at 9 a.m.
- Kozjak and valley hike at 12.30pm
- Departure to Ljubljana at aprox 4.30pm
Karst heritage & seaside beauty : Piran and Škocjan caves
DATE : TBA
It is said Škocjan caves represent the bosom of the classical Karst as they truly are the most significant underground phenomena in both the Karst region and Slovenia. We will discover this natural gem which entered on UNESCO’s list of natural and cultural world heritage sites in 1986 and where the Reka River disappears underground as well as the mysterious cave entrances. The Reka River sinks under a rocky wall; on the top of it lies the village of Škocjan after which the Caves are named.
Last but not least, visit and guided tour of Piran is on our bucket list. Not many people know that this area was inhabited in pre-Roman era with hunters and fishermen Ilyrian Histri ( that explains the name of Istrian peninsula). It was in only in the 177 BC when Piran was included into Roman empire. However the city's most majestic era was between 13th and 17th century when it was governed by the Republic of Venice and left a staple at city's archiecture. No better way to end a day with a late lunch or a coffee overviewing the gulf.
Prelimminary programme :
Departure 8.30 from SEB ( entrance at GOSARJEVA St.),
Visit and guided tour of UNESCO Škocjan caves from 10am – 12.00pm
Departure from UNESCO Škocjan caves and guided tour of Piran from 12.45 until 1.30pm
FREE time from 1.30pm – 4.30pm
Return to Ljubljana at aprox 6pm
CROATIAN SEASIDE - ROVINJ
A picturesque coastal town with cobblestone streets lead you to discover the beauty of untold stories which took place already during the roman Empire and later on in Venetian Republic. We'll open our ears to a local guide for discovering the past.
Date: TBA
PTUJ & Slovenian Carnival "kurentOvanje"
DATE: TBA
We will be visiting KURENTOVANJE, a traditional Slovenian carnival, however a kick off into a day will start with sweet breakfast – famous large DONUTS in Trojane.
Rising gently above a wide valley, Ptuj (p-too-ee) forms a symphony of red-tile roofs best viewed from across the Drava River. One of the oldest towns in Slovenia, Ptuj equals Ljubljana in terms of historical importance, but the compact medieval core, with its castle, museums, monasteries and churches, can easily be seen in a day.
Since 1960, Ptuj has been the stage for the annual traditional carnival called Kurentovanje, the biggest organised carnival event in Slovenia and one of the biggest in Europe. If Kurentovanje used to be a one-day ethnographical-carnival event, it has grown into an eleven-day festival of ethnographical, carnival and musical performances.
Its main figure, known as Kurent, was seen as an extravagant god of unrestrained pleasure and hedonism in early Slavic customs. In today's festival, groups of kurents or "kurenti" wear traditional sheepskin garments while holding wooden clubs with hedgehog skins attached called "ježevke", the noise of which is believed to "chase away winter". In this way, the presence of kurenti announces the end of winter and beginning of spring. Being a kurent was at first a privilege offered only to unmarried men, but today, married men, children and women are also invited to wear the outfit.
A short legend about Kurent says: "This story is about a young man with a beautiful and handsome face. He was so beautiful that every girl in Slovenia fell in love with him. Girls were molesting him all the time, so the young man had no peace. Because of all these girls around him, one day he ran into the wilderness and asked God to give him an ugly face. God heard his wish and gave him a long nose, a red tongue, hair all over his body, a chain around his waist and cow bells ..."
SLOVENIAN MOVIE NIGHTS-A SUMMER IN A SEASHELL 2
DATE: FEB 19, Monday at 7pm
A summer in a seashell 2 is sequel and a 80's classics. If you ever wondered how traffic ran through entire Prešeren square and what was the true 80's fasion and dancing styles, then is film is a must.
PLOT :
Three years after the events in Piran, Tomaz and Milena meet again in Ljubljana. Tomaz joins the same dance club as Milena, but the club is scheduled for closure and in order to save it, the members of the dance club try to stop it from closing by performing a dance show.
Venue : Oton Župančič Public library
Kersnikova St.2
- ENG subtitles
- Free of charge
- We meet at 6.45pm in front of the library in the passage
- Application button : HERE