Ljubljana

Ljubljana rewards a slow first look. Its old town sits in a bend of the Ljubljanica river, wedged between a wooded castle hill and a maze of cobbled, car-free streets where café terraces spill toward the water for most of the year. Much of what you see today was reshaped in the early twentieth century by local architect Jože Plečnik, who redrew bridges, markets and riverbanks into one of Europe's most coherent — and most underrated — urban designs.

A free walking tour is the fastest way to make sense of it all: cross the Triple Bridge into Prešeren Square, spot the four bronze dragons guarding the Art Nouveau Dragon Bridge, and browse the stalls of the riverside Central Market before a funicular hauls you up to Ljubljana Castle for a rooftop view over the whole valley. Come hungry and add the food tour, which trades landmarks for tastings of Slovenian specialties like pumpkin seed oil and Carniolan sausage.