Ljubljana

Stay: After years when the only interesting lodging in town was the (admittedly rather cool) hostel converted from a former prison, Ljubljana finally has a decent hotel in the historic center. Rooms at the quirky boutique Antiq Hotel vary from Asian chic to Scandinavian modern with floating staircases and floral wall-to-wall carpeting (think: spare bedroom at your Slovenian auntie’s, who has posh, but slightly questionable tastes). Penny-pinchers can cut their costs in half by accepting a smaller room with private bath down the hall, from $121.

Eat: Spajza has made is reputation on a romantic but relaxed candlelit ambience and excellent preparations of Mediterranean cuisine that range from Karst prsut (the prosciutto of Slovenia) and its signature horsemeat (try the truffled filet of horse) to fresh seafood from the Adriatic.

Do: Make a tour of the modern architectural masterworks of prodigious local talent Jože PleCnik, who took the Secessionists Art Nouveau style he learned in Vienna back home (via Prague) to remake his native city along his own, idiosyncratic lines. Like Gaudí in Barcelona, PleCnik designed his buildings right down to the smallest fittings, like the Pegasus door handles on the entrance to the National and University Library, which has a magnificent stage set of a staircase inside. PleCnik designed a bit of everything around town, from the central market to the two flanking spans of Ljubljana’s iconic Triple Bridge, to the café-lined embankments of the Ljubljanica River (PleCnik planted alternating rounded willows and pointy poplars to emulate the domes and spires of Prague). Learn more and get a full list of PleCnik sights at the city’s official tourism site.

Affordable Travel Tip: The daily market on Vodnikovtrg offers great picnic pickings, and the long, low building along the riverbank side (designed, naturally, by Jože PleCnik) is packed with a string of inexpensive spots to get a sandwich; for something different, try the garlic-heavy medvedova, or bear salami.