Tivoli Park

Tivoli Park is the largest green space in Ljubljana, Slovenia, spreading across the northwest edge of the centre from Cesta v Tivoli toward the wooded slopes of Rožnik Hill. The park was laid out in the 19th century and reshaped by Jože Plečnik in the 1920s, who added the Jakopič Promenade, a broad tree-lined walkway that begins near Cankarjeva cesta and cuts through the park toward Tivoli Castle. The promenade is lined with an open-air photography exhibition that changes regularly, making it an outdoor gallery. Visitors see formal avenues of chestnuts and lime trees, flower beds, a rose garden, ponds, playgrounds, sports courts and an ice rink, and the Tivoli Mansion (Cekinov grad), which houses the International Centre of Graphic Arts. Paths climb through the forest to Rožnik Hill, where a pilgrimage church and the Ivan Cankar memorial are reached in roughly 30-40 minutes. The park also adjoins the National Gallery and the Museum of Modern Art, so it works well in a museum day. A typical visit takes one to two hours, longer with a hike up the hill. Photographers favour the promenade for symmetry, the rose garden in summer and the autumn colours in October. Tivoli is open 24 hours and entry is free. It is calmest on weekday mornings and busiest on sunny weekend afternoons, when families, runners and cyclists fill the paths, and during summer events and festivals. Spring brings blossom and autumn brings a golden canopy, making these seasons the most scenic. The park is a ten-minute walk from Prešeren Square, so it is easy to reach on foot from the Old Town, and cafés and kiosks near the mansion and the playgrounds provide refreshments.