If you enjoy exploring countries through flavours this guide is perfect for you. Below we have listed five must-visit sites and experiences that no cuisine-inspired visitor will be able to resist.

• Ljubljana’s Main Fruit and Vegetable Market

The freshest, most authentic and local/home-made ingredients are found at Ljubljana’s main fruit and vegetable market. In the summer, you can have a stroll among the stalls full of fresh vegetables, fruit and Slovenian snacks, which can be enjoyed daily between 6:00 and 18:00; in the winter, a good choice is a visit to the covered market at Pogačar Square, where you can indulge in some ready-made snacks and meals that originate from both Slovenian and other world cuisines.

• Specialist Shops

In recent years, organic food production has in Slovenia been getting a lot of interest and attention from the majority of consumers. Hence, the streets of Ljubljana boast numerous specialist shops offering food that is of Slovenian origin and produced by means of organic farming, whose taste you will remember for a long time.

• Odprta kuhna

An event that certainly adds a special touch to Ljubljana’s diverse range of culinary events is Odprta Kuhna (Open Kitchen) – an outdoor food market, which will be attracting lovers of all sorts of different flavours to Pogačar Square until October, only a few steps away from Grand Hotel Union. By walking among the many food stalls you can indulge in the flavours from all over the world and enjoy the food prepared by Ljubljana’s best restaurants in one place.

• Street Food

Another special feature of Ljubljana is its unique street food. Instead of going to multinational fast food restaurants, the locals much prefer going to one of the many small snack bars or eateries, characterised by an interplay of flavours from the Balkans and the Mediterranean. By far the most popular snack is ”burek’ (baked filled pastry), with ‘kebab’ and pizza slices or specialty sandwiches not far behind – all of them enjoyed equally by hungry locals.

• Wines

Slovenia is a wine-growing region that boasts numerous local winemakers’ success stories. Although central Slovenia is not one of Slovenia’s wine-producing regions, one of Ljubljana’s advantages is that the finest wines from all over Slovenia can be enjoyed in one of the many wineries by winemakers from Goriška Brda, Jeruzalemsko Svetinjske gorice, the Dolenjska region and Vipava.

Read about what the blogger Pierre Blake had to say about his culinary experience in Ljubljana.