Located near the Triple Bridge, the part open-air, part covered Tržnice Central Market in Ljubljana is another of architect Jože Plečnik’s designs. A sign of his forward-thinking, the market needed no renovations since it first opened in 1939. It includes a winding column-lined portico (Plečnik loved columns and sometimes stuck them places where they didn’t support anything, just because he liked them) and separate areas for butchers (one the ground level) and fishmongers (the lower level, nearer the river where they once disposed of organic leftovers). 

The fruit and vegetables are sold in open stalls—be sure to stop by the sauerkraut stall run by Marjetka Zabjek, a local legend whose family sells an indigenous cabbage that makes the best sauerkraut. You can also get sour turnip (which sounds kind of dreadful but is delicious, sauerkraut made with turnip instead of cabbage)—a perfect side served with sausage and dressed in cracklings, to warm you up on an alpine evening. 

A vending machine run by a family dairy farm sells unpasteurized, fresh raw milk, yogurt, and cheese 24/7. You can also take home a souvenir jewel-colored candle—just be aware that while they may look like lovely decorative objects for the home, they’re designed to adorn the graves of your loved ones. Tomb candles or grave candles are often used in celebration of All Souls' Day in Slovenia. 

An indoor part of the market beneath a Jesuit seminary houses stalls selling bread, cheese, cured meats, baked goods, and more. Every Friday outside of wintertime one square of the market hosts a popup food stand festival called Odprta Kuhna (Open Kitchen), founded by Israeli expat Lior Kochavy. It is hugely popular, with dozens of street food options and as many as 20,000 people converging for a Friday meal or two. This is a great place to feel Ljubljana at its most vibrant, to meet locals, people watch and taste your way through the best of the capital.