The inhabitants of Ljubljana love to be outside and lead a highly active lifestyle. This is not surprising as the city abounds in parks, playgrounds and paths, which are most appropriate for the recreation.
Koseze Pond (distance from Urban hotel 4 km, walking distance 46 minutes): situated on the edge of Ljubljana, is a small artificial lake in a former clay pit. Today it is an example of a marshy lake providing natural habitat for several rare and endangered plant and animal species.
Park Špica (walking distance from Urban hotel 10 minutes): the walk brings you to a renovated Ljubljanica river embankment landscaped as a park. The park’s name, Špica, translates as ‘pointed tip’ and refers to the embankment’s pointed shape. In the past, Špica was a town beach. Due to its pleasant green surroundings and a large area paved with wood, it still attracts numerous residents and visitors wanting to bask in the sun on fine weather days.
Rožnik hill (distance from Urban hotel 4 km, walking distance 41 minutes): is a 391-metre-high wooded hill accessible by several footpaths and recreational trails from Ljubljana’s Tivoli park. Since the first half of the 19th century, it has been a favourite spot for local walkers. Before that, it was a place where the locals sought refuge from epidemic diseases, and even further back in the past the site of a leprosarium.
Šmarna gora (distance from Urban hotel 13 km): the ascent to the Šmarna Gora hill, 664 metres above sea level, takes from half an hour to a little over an hour, depending on the route taken. The top of the hill, accessible by 15 well-maintained, waymarked and mostly relatively easy routes, offers beautiful views of the Kamnik and Julian Alps, the Ljubljana basin and the distant Dolenjska region with Mount Trdinov vrh.
Golovec (distance from Urban hotel 6 km, walking distance 54 minutes): is a hill rising above the eastern part of Ljubljana. It is criss-crossed by several well maintained recreational and cycle paths. In the past, it was mainly treeless – hence the name Golovec (The Bare One). Afforestation only began in 1890. Later, the hill was the site of a Wester family’s mansion, which no longer exists. At present, it is the location of an astronomical observatory.
Castle hill and Šance (walking distance from Urban hotel 30 minutes): the hill rising above the historical city centre of Ljubljana, often referred to as ‘the castle hill’ for being the site of Ljubljana Castle, is covered with well-maintained woods and criss-crossed by walking paths. The top of the hill is accessible by footpaths leading from all directions, the most popular being those starting from the historical city centre. It takes about 20 minutes to reach the top.
