FIELD TRIPS

Let the adventure begin! 🎒

At Urban Future, we want you to experience Ljubljana beyond the conference halls. Join our small-group field trips and get up close to the city’s boldest sustainability projects.

Whether you’re paddling on a SUP, exploring by bike, or following the trail of Plečnik and other visionary architects, you’ll dive straight into the city’s vibe and meet the people shaping it.

NEW this year: Field Trips already start on Tuesday — giving you even more time to discover what makes our host city extraordinary.

Most trips run on Tuesday and Friday, with additional options on Wednesday and Thursday. You’ll find all details during registration when purchasing your ticket.

Please note: We are continually updating our Field Trip options as we get closer to the conference. Feel free to check back in for more options in the coming weeks.

WHICH ARE YOUR 2 FAVES?

Swipe through your options by clicking on the blue boxes! 🟦

Paddle the City

🏄‍♀️ SUP Ljubljana

Paddle the City

🏄‍♀️ SUP Ljubljana

Experience Ljubljana from a totally new angle, on a stand-up paddleboard. You’ll start with a quick ASI-certified intro that gets you ready for a smooth city-center paddle. Then glide down the Ljubljanica with a pro guide who keeps things playful while teaching SUP basics.

Along the way, photos capture your best moments on the water. SUP is a fun, full-body workout that suits almost everyone – the perfect blend of fitness, fresh air and sightseeing.

Ride Ljubljana's Cycling Streets with the Bicycle Mayor

🚲 Bike Streets

Ride Ljubljana's Cycling Streets with the Bicycle Mayor

🚲 Bike Streets

Ljubljana’s flat terrain is perfect for cycling, but the quality of its bike network still ranges from inviting to intimidating, especially on the city’s edges. Ride with the Bicycle Mayor of Ljubljana along Dunajska cesta, one of the city’s longest corridors, all the way to Črnuče – home of a legendary doughnut stop.

This field trip gives you a firsthand look at both great and challenging sections of the route, showing where the city is making progress on safety and connectivity and where hurdles remain. You’ll explore existing fixes, talk through persistent gaps, and consider the potential of new parallel bike streets on the return journey.

A practical, eye-opening ride for planners, policymakers, and cycling advocates working to build a more welcoming, seamless bike network.

A Factory Gets Its Groove Back

🏢 Rog Reborn

A Factory Gets Its Groove Back

🏢 Rog Reborn

Step into the story of a building that has shaped Ljubljana for more than a century. Built in the late 19th century as a leather goods factory and expanded in the 1920s, it later became home to the Rog bicycle brand.

Today, the former factory is Center Rog, a lively creative campus with 9,000 m² of studios and shared workshops. On this tour, you will walk the old factory floor, explore nine active labs and see how heritage architecture now hosts metalwork, ceramics, culinary experimentation, digital fabrication and more.

Discover how Ljubljana transformed this industrial site into a community space for makers, designers and innovators. See how the city preserved its character, opened it to the public and turned Rog into a place where ideas, skills and creative energy flow.

A Sightseeing Jog for Early Birds

🏃🏻‍♀️ City Run

A Sightseeing Jog for Early Birds

🏃🏻‍♀️ City Run

Lace up your sneakers and join our fun run! This easy 5-kilometre jog winds through the old centre and into leafy Tivoli Park, with a friendly guide highlighting the city’s coolest sights along the way. Expect a relaxed pace, lighthearted mini-stops and plenty of fresh air.

In about an hour, you’ll get a boost of exercise, stories and city charm. Isn’t this the most joyful way to wake up in Ljubljana?

Ljubljana Green Heart

🌿 Tivoli Treasures

Ljubljana Green Heart

🌿 Tivoli Treasures

Take a relaxed stroll from Ljubljana’s main square straight into Tivoli Park, the city’s biggest and most beloved green escape. Along the way, your guide will point out local gems like the opera, museums and churches before you slip under the trees.

Meet the city’s fluffiest residents at Tičistan, then wander past Cekin Mansion, Tivoli Mansion and the iconic Jakopič Promenade. Wrap up in the rose garden, home to Ljubljana’s very own rose. It’s the perfect mix of nature, stories and city charm all in one easy walk.

Where Water Challenges Spark Green Ideas

🥾 Hydro Hike

Where Water Challenges Spark Green Ideas

🥾 Hydro Hike

Come along as we dive into Ljubljana’s rivers and green infrastructure. We’ll explore how the Ljubljanica shapes the city centre, blending flood protection with lively public spaces, then follow the Gradaščica to see how the city’s connection to its rivers gradually fades. Along the way, you’ll imagine what swimming in the Ljubljanica could look like.

We’ll stop at the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering to see rain gardens that turn stormwater into a smart, sustainable feature, and finish at the Tivoli swimming pool, where a detention–infiltration field tames runoff and lets it seep naturally into the soil.

A fun, easy walk showing how Ljubljana transforms water challenges into creative, green solutions.

All Aboard the Electric Woodie

🚢 River Ride

All Aboard the Electric Woodie

🚢 River Ride

See Ljubljana from its most magical angle – the water! Hop onto the city’s only electric wooden boat, handcrafted in Slovenia, and glide down the Ljubljanica for a slow, scenic cruise.

It’s a super relaxed way to explore the old town, take in hidden details you’d never spot on foot, and enjoy the city’s charm from a whole new perspective. Just sit back, breathe in the fresh air and let the river do the rest.

Public Space Turnarounds

🤦🏻‍♂️ Planning Mistakes

Public Space Turnarounds

🤦🏻‍♂️ Planning Mistakes

Our field visit will take us through a selection of recently redesigned public spaces in the heart of Ljubljana. Many of these areas may seem to meet contemporary urban standards at first glance, yet a closer look reveals subtle shortcomings and opportunities for thoughtful improvement.

Along the way, we’ll also explore several standout examples that not only excel in their function but also showcase what truly successful public-space design can achieve.

 

Ljubljana Through Kids’ Eyes

👧🏻 City Safari

Ljubljana Through Kids’ Eyes

👧🏻 City Safari

Grab your map, choose your colour, and jump into a playful urban safari. In 90 minutes, you’ll explore Ljubljana’s historic centre through the eyes of everyone from curious toddlers to independent teens. At each stop, you get a new colour-coded Youth Persona Card that shifts your perspective and helps you notice how different age groups learn, play, hang out and move through the city.

Guided by friendly facilitators, you’ll use simple tools to capture what feels inviting, what works and where challenges pop up. You’ll wrap up by reflecting together on how cities can welcome all generations – and rediscover Ljubljana with the wonder of a child.

 

All Along the Ljubljanica River

🦋 Urban Transformations

All Along the Ljubljanica River

🦋 Urban Transformations

Take a guided walk along the Ljubljanica to see how the river corridor is transforming. Starting at Prešeren Square, you’ll move past Plečnik’s famous riverside market, continue to the renewed Rog Center, and finish in Slovenia’s largest hospital district.

Along the way, we’ll explore how architecture, mobility, and public space shape the riverfront, from celebrated designs to forgotten corners and hotly debated developments. A sharp look at how cities evolve, one stretch at a time.

Construction Site Tour

🚂 Railway Makeover

Construction Site Tour

🚂 Railway Makeover

Step inside one of Ljubljana’s biggest infrastructure upgrades: the new railway station. This 19,000 m² project is designed as a modern bridge above the existing tracks, seamlessly linking to the historic 1849 station below.

On this tour, you’ll walk the new overpass, covered platforms, extended underpass, and refreshed station spaces. You’ll also see how rainwater systems, new trees, and climate-friendly design help reduce noise, emissions, and heat.

A firsthand look at how smart engineering, heritage, and sustainability come together to shape a future-ready transport hub.

The City in a Cup

☕ Coffee Tour

The City in a Cup

☕ Coffee Tour

Join local coffee expert Lev Volodarsky for a three-hour journey through Ljubljana’s signature café spots. You’ll taste your way through Pražarna, Mala Pražarna and Črno Zrno, hearing the stories of the roasters, baristas and owners who shape the city’s coffee culture.

Between cups, wander Ljubljana’s charming streets, discovering architecture, hidden corners and great tips for sightseeing, dinner or late-night drinks. By the end, you’ll have sampled outstanding coffee – and felt the heart and soul of the city’s vibrant café scene.

Cheers to the City

🍺 Beer Experience

Cheers to the City

🍺 Beer Experience

Love beer? This tour is your happy place. Taste your way through Ljubljana with eight brews from five local makers, including a stop at the much-loved Tektonik brewery. Along the way, you’ll visit three great spots, sample six unique beers and enjoy snacks that pair perfectly.

Your guide will sprinkle in fun stories from Ljubljana’s long brewing tradition and today’s buzzing craft scene. It’s a tasty, easygoing way to get to know the city one sip at a time.

SIGN UP STARTS DEC 1
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SIGN UP STARTS DEC 1
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SIGN UP STARTS DEC 1
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SIGN UP STARTS DEC 1
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SIGN UP STARTS DEC 1
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SIGN UP STARTS DEC 1
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SIGN UP STARTS DEC 1
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SIGN UP STARTS DEC 1
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SIGN UP STARTS DEC 1
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SIGN UP STARTS DEC 1
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