A weekend in... Ljubljana, Slovenia

With fine food, architectural delights and traffic-free promenades, this is truly a city in which to linger
The luxury hotel: Hotel Vander
The luxury hotel: Hotel Vander

I blame the stag parties. Some 15 years ago they moved in, scattering the tourists ahead of them, forcing them off on an almost-desperate search for a legend — one called “the new Prague”. Every European city with a smattering of churches and a clutch of fine architecture was touted as the Czech capital’s replacement — and Ljubljana was on the front line.

However, this was unfair. Because Ljubljana is not “the new Prague”, it has a charm that is all its own. In the heart of Slovenia, mid-way between the Alps and the Adriatic, it has long enticed those in the know with its chocolate box of architectural delights and smorgasbord of European cuisines.

My introduction was a river cruise with Barka Ljubljanica. We