Tivoli Park

What makes it special

The Jakopič Promenade is the park's spine, a broad avenue set with neo-classical lampposts. It is named after one of Slovenia's greatest Impressionist painters, and the architect Jože Plečnik designed it when he reshaped Tivoli between the wars. Today it doubles as an outdoor gallery, with large photographic prints on show along it.

At the far end stands Tivoli Mansion, also called Tivoli Castle, with a fountain and a staircase at its entrance. Look closely at the cast-iron dogs on the staircase: none of them has a tongue, the detail the sculptures are famous for.

In the southern part of the park lies a fish pond with a tropical greenhouse beside it. The park's rose garden holds over 160 kinds of rose, among them Prešeren, the first Slovenian cultivar.

Above the park rises wooded Rožnik, topped by a church with a view over Ljubljana. The summit is called Cankar's Peak after the writer Ivan Cankar, who lived there; his bust stands outside the hilltop restaurant.

Visiting

From the city centre, come in at the Jakopič Promenade and walk its length past the photographs to Tivoli Mansion and the dog staircase. The route to Cankar's Peak on Rožnik starts beside the mansion, on a wide macadam path into the woods.

The path rises gently but is uphill all the way. Allow about an hour for the climb to the church at an easy pace, and up to two hours for the whole walk there and back. At the top are the church, the view over the city and Cankar's bust.

Come back down the same way and head south to the fish pond, next to the Čolnarna café, then on to the greenhouse and the rose garden. With children, add Tičistan, the Birds' Home, where you can watch the birds at their nests and, in winter, at the feeders. The large playground by the pond is the other stop they will ask for.

Guided or on your own

You can walk the park on your own, in any order. If you want a guide, the city's tourist information centre runs a private two-hour walk, Private Treasures of Tivoli Park, by appointment only.

It starts at the centre on Adamič-Lundrovo nabrežje 2 and passes the opera, the National Gallery and the National Museum on the way in. In the park it visits the rose garden.

Tips

Pack nuts and seeds for the birds at Tičistan and the squirrels nearby. In winter, stick to the wide main path up Rožnik: the steeper, quieter side trails are the ones that turn slippery or icy. A wet day still works on the Jakopič Promenade, where the photographs stay up at all hours and in any weather.