UNESCO Globetrotter Blog

How to get there?

2015 was our year of visiting some of the most curious countries in the world. After two weeks in North Korea in September 2015 we decided for the year-end to visit Turkmenistan. Continue reading and get our best adventures and travel travel tips for the surreal Turmenistan.

The adventure started already before we arrived in Turkmenistan. First, we have learned that it is not allowed to explore the country by yourself by car in case you do not only want to have a transit visa for three to five days. Therefore, we were looking for a rental car with a driver. Second, the process applying for a visa. Luckily, Turkmenistan has an embassy in Frankfurt. Therefore, we called them to ask for the procedure to apply for a visa. This was one of the shortest telephone call ever since without any „Hello“ etc. they told us that we shall look in the internet and hang up.

This is what we did and completed the respective forms and brought them to the mailbox of the embassy together with our passports. After only 10 days we had the passports back in our mailboxes with the respective visa included. Afterwards we have read and also heart from other travelers that we were lucky received a visa since there are only a few granted each year with a minority for tourists.

We have decided to take a flight via Istanbul instead of a direct flight from Frankfurt to Ashgabat. The main reason were the reports about the domestic airline. In Istanbul our flight was departing directly besides the gate where the flights to Kabul departed. Seeing people sitting at the gate in handcuffs was a strange feeling. Chaotic situation also at the Ashgabat airport where it was already hard to get to the luggage strap since it was very crowded with people and suitcases as well as parcels.

Our route through the country

We have determined our route together with Ayan Travel. They have also booked all hotels for us and organized our English speaking driver Dmitri. He has picked us up at the airport and drove us the main attraction during our seven days in Turkmenistan. In the cities we were allowed to walk around on our ones. In general our driver has even not stayed in the same hotel as we did.

Before getting back from our trips through Turkmenistan to Ashgabat we always had to stop at a car wash since it is not allowed to have a dirty car in Ashgabat.

Ultimate travel tips in Turkmenistan

Ashgabat

We arrived at the airport in Ashgabat very early in the morning. After a short rest in the hotel lobby since the hotel was not really open, we started our exploration of Ashgabat. Ashgabat is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records due to the highest concentration of white marble buildings in the world. The reason is that the president loves the white color.

This is also reflected in the color of the cars. We have never seen so many cleaning crews who clean the sculptures, fountains and the ground (!) of the parks throughout the day. The following picture shows an underground passageway to cross the streets – incredible clean.

Government buildings

Since our hotel Grand Turkmen is located in the city center close to the government area, we explored the area by walking. Unfortunately, we cannot show you many pictures of these impressive government buildings since it is forbidden to take photos of them. In addition, we were asked twice by police men to delete all pictures on our camera. They didn’t let us go without checking our camera by their own. Even stopping and starring at the buildings is forbidden. If you do it anyway, you are very clearly told to move on.

Turkmen architecture

Ashgabat as the white city has a curious architecture. Since we were driving through Ashgabat on 1st of January, the streets were quite empty. Throughout the city statues and pictures from the president are present everywhere.

Arch of Neutrality

The Arch of Neutrality is the highest building in Ashgabat with 95 meters and was relocated in 2011 from the independence place to a site at the South of the city. The monument stands on three feet; on its top is a golden statue of the former Turkmen president. Form the top viewing platform we enjoyed a great view over the area.

Independence Monument Ashgabat

The design of the Independence Monument was inspired by traditional Turkmen tents (yurts). Based on the year of independence 1991 the tower is 91 meter high with a golden steel construction on top. The building is surrounded by green landscaping that encompass 27 heroic statues of Turkmen leaders and a fountain with a statue of Turkmenbashi. The park includes a gigantic replica of the main book Ruhnama that stands there in bright pink and green that could have been opened.

Wedding Palace

The first five floors of the Wedding Palace are in the shape of a rotating Turkmen star. The remaining five floors are in the shape of a sphere resting on this Turkmen star and surrounded by it are five other Turkmen stars. On both surfaces of the glass sphere are remarkable titanium maps of Turkmenistan.

In addition to the halls for weddings and marriage ceremonies, the building also includes several other units such as a hotel, a shopping center, grooms‘ rooms, waiting rooms, cafeterias and foyer rooms.

Turkmenbashi Mosque (outside of Ashgabat)

Turkmenbashi Mosque is approx. 20 minutes outside of the city and is the largest mosque in Turkmenistan. The magnificent building made of the finest marble and granite with an imposing gilded dome was built at the site where Turkmenbashi’s mother and two brothers died in a severe earthquake. The four minarets with the height of 91 meters represent the year of independence of 1991 and are decorated with sayings from Ruhnama (Turkmenibashi’s main book).

Anau Mosque

12 km outside from Ashgabat in the direction to Mary lies the Anau mosque. This mosque was built around 1455 on the ruins of a fortress. The former powerful outlines of the mosque were visible from a great distance. Still today you can see the colorful mosaic decorations. The mosque was destroyed by the 1948 earthquake. Nevertheless, the mausoleum of a sheikh located nearby the mosque serves as a pilgrimage site.

Nisa fortress (UNESCO World Heritage)

Parthian Fortresses of Nisa was founded in the third century BC and was the most important city of the Arshakid Dynasty. Many temples and palaces, treasuries, reservoirs, warehouses and houses were built in Old Nisa. The powerful fortress walls, nine meters thick, were fortified with forty-three tall towers.

Erbent Desert Village

On our way to Darvaza we stopped en-route at a traditional desert village (Erbent Desert Village) to see the everyday life if Turkmens living in the desert. The people are living the traditional way in a clay house with a yurt next to it. The village is famous for felt products in particularly high quality. Honestly, we felt unwell walking through this small village since we do not believe that they are used to tourists and we didn’t want to bother them in their daily life.

Darvaza (gateway to hell)

The reason for this crater is not sure but the most probable cause is that during drilling for natural gas the stone collapsed. There were fears that toxic gas would leak out, endangering nearby settlements. To avoid this, it was decided to set it on fire. Against the assumption that it will turn off after a couple of days, it is burning for decades already. Another possibility is that the crater was formed naturally, possibly by a lightning strike.

The crater with its diameter of 70 meters is not easy to find since no signs are available. But our driver Dmitri was used to drive tourists to this hot spot so it was no problem for him to find the way.

We spent the night nearby the crater in a traditional yurt so that we had the possibility to walk in the night to the crater. This was also the reason why we stopped on our way to the crater to collect some wood. Dmitri prepared on the fire a dinner with traditional salads for us inside of the yurt. Since it was end of December it was pretty cold so that the fire inside the yurt had to burn the whole night.

Kunya Urgench (UNESCO World Heritage)

After that quite short, freezing night in the yurt we spent the next morning with Dmitri in the car. Our target for the day was Kunya-Urgench located in the north-western part of Turkmenistan. The ride of  around 300 km went quick by as the roads were pretty good and without much traffic. Kunya-Urgench as part of the Turkmenistan UNESCO world heritage sites was an ancient regional capital as part of the Achaemenid Empire and saw its golden times between the 11th and 16th century.

The site contains a series of well-preserved monuments like the 60-m high minaret, a mosque, mausoleums and remainings of a caravansary. Especially Paul who is a big fan of Islamic architecture went absolutely crazy. He was jumping from one monument to the next, taking tones of pictures and it was difficult to get him back to the car.

Dashoguz

Izmukshir and Shassenem fortress

On our way back to Ashgabat we stopped at Izmukshir and Shassenem fortresses what is part of the tentative UNESCO World Heritage for the silk road in Turkmenistan. The fortresses just lies 25 km to the south-west of Dashoguz in the desert.

Only ruins of ancient the fortress city are visible that are mainly covered with sands. The fortress ruins are located in the territory of the historical and cultural reserve Kunya-Urgench. The ruins show how huge the fortresses must have been in the past.

Mary

Abiverd medieval fortress

Before arriving in Mary we stopped at Abiverd medieval fortress. Abiverd was once an important trading town and a key link on the Silk Road between Nisa and Merv. Abiverd in its heyday had a sophisticated system of water supply, produced highly regarded pottery and minted its own coins. The present-day site offers only a hint of these past glories but the many splits on the ground give an impression of the richness of the town.

Impressions from the drive to Mary

The pictures in the middle shows a truck with the main export product of this area – cotton – and world’s largest yurt.

Mary

Mary formerly known as Merv is the central city for cotton and natural gas production. The ruins of the ancient city Merv are located nearby. The ancient city of Merv was an oasis city on the Silk Road that was destroyed in the 12th century by the Mongols and again in the 19th century. In Mary we have visited the Gurbanguly Hajji Mosque and made a walk through the city. Of course, we also discovered some examples of the cult of personality of Turkmenibashi.

Merv (UNESCO World Heritage)

In the morning we continued our journey to Merv which is another UNESCO World Heritage site with the official name State Historical and Cultural Park “Ancient Merv”. The site is one of the oldest and best preserved cities in the oasis along the historical Silk Road in Central Asia. During the 12th century, Merv became one of the largest cities in the world with a population of around 500,000. After the invasions by Mongol hordes in the 13th century, the city started loosing its importance and by the 1800s was completely deserted.

During our half-day trip, we had a chance to visit one of the oldest parts of the complex which is the citadel fort called Erk Gala, built in the 7th century BC.

We also visited the Sultan Sanjar mausoleum which is one of the best preserved structures and built around the 12th century. However, most impressive are the so called Great ant Little Kyz Qala with its huge mud brick walls of more than 10m. The former probably served as the semi-fortified home of an important official, perhaps even the governor of Merv. Walking along these ancient buildings gave us the feeling traveling back in history.

Our recommendations for Turkmenistan

Travel guide

For our Turkmenistan travel tips we relied again to our favorite travel guide Stefan Loose. It includes for Turkmenistan the main sites that are possible to visit.

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Welcome to our travel guide for globetrotters & UNESCO enthusiasts and discover top tips for your next travel to Malaysia – the country with the various cultures and ethics: Malay culture, a Chinese culture, an Indian culture, a Eurasian culture, along with the cultures of the indigenous groups of the peninsula.

Content

Tips for planning your journey

Our route through Malaysia (by bus and rental car)

Our highlights in Malaysia

Melaka (UNESCO World Heritage)
Kuala Lumpur
Cameron Highlands
Lenggong Tal (UNESCO World Heritage)
Ipoh
Penang (UNESCO World Heritage)
Kota Bharu
Kuala Terengganu

Unsere Empfehlungen

Our favorite dishes in Malaysis
Our recommendations about travel guides, cooking books and further literature

We spent two weeks in the western part of Malaysia (Peninsula Malaysia) in January 2020, starting in Singapore, crossing major cities and places like Melaka, Kuala Lumpur, Batu Caves, Cameron Highlands, Penang, Kota Bharu and Kuala Terengganu. Above all, we have also visited all UNESCO world heritage sites of the island including Melaka and George Town (Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca) and the Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley.

This Malaysia travel guide will help you plan your dream trip by giving you all the tips, tricks, and travel hacks you need.

How to get from Singapore to Malaysia

You can reach Kuala Lumpur the capital of Malaysia from almost of European capitals with a non-stop direct flight. But it also possible to have a stopover in Dubai, Muscat, Doha or Bangkok etc.

Entering Malaysia from Singapore

We have entered Malaysia by foot from Singapore via the woodlands Immigration and arrived in Johar Baroh where we have rented a car. From Singapore there are regular buses starting at the central bus station (close to little India) going to the immigration. The tickets cost around 3 Singapore dollar and you can even pay with the MRT card. Since we started our trip on a Saturday morning the immigration was quite busy what means we were standing for around 1 hour in the queue.

Our route through Malaysia

Our experience of self driving in Malaysia

Car rental companies

All well-known car rental company are available in each big city in Malaysia. We decided to rent a car at Europcar that is just in a walking-distance from the immigration center in Johar Bahu in a hotel.

Costs for a rental car in Malaysia

Since we like to explore the countries by ourselves we decided to rent a car. Compared to other countries we already visited, renting a car in Malaysia is quite cheap. With approx. 25 Euro per day incl. insurance and two drivers, we got a typical Malaysian car: a proton. Proton stands for Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional which means translated national automotive company. Proton was founded in 1983 by the prime minister as a joint venture of the heavy industry in Malaysia and Mitsubishi. Now the chines car manufacturer Geely is also invested.

The streets are in a very good condition, especially when you take the toll roads. To pass the toll gates a so-called Touch & Go card is required. The card can be bought in shell gas stations and needs to be charged with money. For our round trip we required around 120 MYR (approx. 30 Euro). Malaysians are careful drivers, almost no soundings of horns. Waiting at red lights means being patient since red lights can take up to more than 100 seconds. Never experienced so long red-light phases. Hence, we understand why everybody is using the AC in their cars.

Ultimate travel tips for Malaysia

Melaka / Melakka

Our first stop was Melaka / Melakka – a UNESCO world heritage site. We spent one day to explore the colonial sites in the city center. The main attractions are within a walking distance. The different cultures and especially the influence form the Dutch, Portuguese and the English are visible in the city. Our favorites sites in the city center are:

1. Walk along the Melaka River, especially in the night when the trees around are illuminated.

2. The red place contains the main colonial sights. All buildings around the place are painted in red since the beginning of 20th century. The oldest Dutch building in Southeast Asia is the Stadthuys that was built based on the city hall in the hometown of the sailors. Together with the Christ Church and the clock tower in the middle of the place show the outstanding architecture. The place is very crowded but it is worth taking the time to walk around and also climb up the hill to St. Paul to enjoy the view from above. However, the only annoying thing are the colorful and trashy rickshaws with earsplitting sounds.

3. Walk through the Jonker Street and Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Look for the beautiful houses. Preferable is a morning walk before the market at Jonker Street starts to have a view to the colonial houses. The houses are built in the typical Malaysian style with two levels where the second level overstates the first to have a shadowed and dry walk-way. Certainly, you should not miss Chee’s House (Chee Mansion) in the honor of the first chairman of the Overseas Chinese Banking Cooperation (OCBC).

Travel tips for Kuala Lumpur (KL)

Our next stop was the capital and the biggest city of Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur (KL). KL offers so many sights. However, since we only spent two days in KL we have only visited the following sights.

Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur

The most impressive of KL for us was the ancient city around the Dataran Merdeka Square where the independence has been declared. With all the surrounding beautiful buildings like the Sultan Abdul Samad Building and the clock tower it feels like a transformation to former years.

Petronas Towers

KL’s well-known sign are the Petronas Towers – still world’s tallest twin towers with 88 levels. The towers are connected via a sky bridge at level 41 and 42. visits are possible up to level 86. The Petronas Towers were in 1996 with a height of 451,9 meters the highest buildings in the world. In the evenings there shall be a light show between 8 and 9 pm however, the evening we were visiting the Petronas Towers there was none.

Botanical Garden

Unfortunately, at the time of our visit in January 2020, the Hibiscus and Orchid Gardens inside the botanical garden were closed for renovation. We heard that the gardens will be closed at least until September 2020. However, the deer garden is open but with only a few deers currently living in the garden.

Batu Caves

Just around 12 km in the North of KL near the highway, lies a must-see. The Batu Caves with its impressive around 42 meters high golden statue of god Murugan – son of Shiva and Parvati. 272 colorful steps lead to temples inside the limestone caves. During the walking up, please take care of your water bottles due to the monkeys all around. We have even seen that one monkey was steeling one shoe from a woman just wanted to relax on the stairs.

Cameron Highlands

From Batu caves we continued our trip to a cooler area: Cameron Highlands. Impressive to see such large tea estates with an incredible number of different green colors. Also, seeing and learning about the way tea is produced is very interesting. Certainly, for us this was one of the highlights on our trip. We first visited BOH Tea Estate.

On the next day we were walking around the central city Tanah Rata of Cameron Highlands and started with another tea tasting at Cameron Valley Tea Estate. But unbelievable how bad the touristic centers of the Cameron Highlands are with it’s huge hotels…

Finally, we bought a lot of tea on both factories and will think of this vacation with every cup of tea enjoying back home.

Cameron Highlands has with about 7.000 Land Rovers the highest concentration of these legendary off-road vehicles in the world. They can be easily repaired and have been left by the British. Some examples we have seen already look like antique cars.

Lenggong Valley

After saying good by to the Cameron Highlands, we were heading to our next UNESCO world heritage site, officially called the Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley. Probably not one of our UNESCO highlights, the site consists of some caves and the archaeological museum in the village of Kota Tampan. Its highlight is the prehistoric skeleton of the Perak Man who was found in 1990 in the cave site in Gua Gunung Runtuh. The Perak Man lived 11,000 years ago and his ancestors had settled in the Lenggong Valley after they migrated from Africa, crossing Middle East and finally arriving in South Asia.

Also, we learned that you can access the caves after arranging an appointment with the museum. However, not being the biggest fans of prehistoric sites, we enjoyed a quick picnic at the museum’s parking before finally navigating to our next travel destination.

Ipoh

Leaving the Lenggong Valley, we recommend stopping for a day on Ipoh. It is a good impression of what you will see in Penang / Georgetown but not so crowded. It still looks very authentic and we recommend the following heritage walk:

1. Jalan Bijeh Timah

First of all, start at Jalan Bijeh Timah with the Han Chin Pet Soo that was founded as a miner’s club in 1929. Even before is was used by the hakka-Chinese miner’s for gambling and smoking.

2. Panglima Lane

Afterwards, continue through the Panglima Lane better known as Concurbine Lane. The name is based on the story that due to a fire in 1892 three new streets were built for the wives of a rich tin baron. Today there a several souvenir shops and art galleries that are worth visiting.

3. Jalan Sultan Yussuf

In the Jalan Sultan Yussuf (Belfield Street) several historic bank buildings are located and further beautiful buildings around the park Ipoh Pedang. The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation first opened an office in 1910 in a modest wooden building provided by the government. The FMS building is said to be the oldest restaurant in Malaysia which begin operating on its current site in 1923.

4. High Court & Railway Station

The area around the central station show the richness the colonial area with its High Court and the clock tower that was built in 1909. The railway station is a perfect example of colonial architecture and was built as a hotel and looks similar to the railway station in Kuala Lumpur. On the fore court is planted an Ipoh tree that has given the name to the city. It looks like a rubber plant at the first sight however the poisonous sub used for darts was obtained by the trees.

5. Jalan Dato Maharajalela

Finally, following the Jalan Dato Maharajalela (Station Road), we passed the impressive Standard Charted Building form 1924. At that time Standard Chartered Bank was the leading bank for the tin industry and the major bank for the Straits Trading Company, a big tin-ore exporter, whose former office lies directly across the street. This building is now occupied by OCBC Bank.

Georgetown / Penang

Next on our route was the UNESCO World Heritage city Georgetown. Georgetown is a living museum where we walked around a full day and could continue for more days to explore all the colonial buildings. You should not miss to visit the houses of the Clans called Kongsi. The houses were established by rich Chinese people with the same family name. Some of the houses are more than 250 years old. The Khoo Kongis we have visited in the street Lebuh Armenian has an impressive museum telling the story of the Chinese immigrants and the roof of the house is with all its colorful decoration awesome.

The major sights are all in a walking distance but in the inner center a free tourist bus is available.

At the riverside old clan houses are located with a beautiful view on to the first Penang bridge with a length of 13.5 km.

In the so-called Street of Harmony (Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling) it is visible what makes Malaysia a unique country – buildings from all religions are standing side-by-side: St. George’s church, Chinese goddess of Mercy temple, Hindu Sri Mahamariamman temple, Kapitan Keling mosque and Teochew Chinese Han Jiang temple.

Eastern peninsula Malaysia

Finally, we left the western part of Malaysia. Crossing peninsula Malaysia from West to East the appearance of Malaysia has changed to a dominated Muslim country with even being the street signs also in Arabic. The area Kelantan in North East of Malaysia was until 1909 under Siamese control.

Kota Bharu

We stayed one night in Kota Bharu – the center of Malaysian culture. Beautiful pictures can be taken especially in the market of Pasar Besar. In the lower level, fruits and vegetables are sold and from the 1st floor you have certainly a good view on the market activities.

Around the central place of independence representative buildings like the Muhammadi mosque of 1922 can be found. Go up the prominent tower at the river side to have a perfect overview of the city.

Kuala Terengganu

On our way back to Johor Bahru along the East coast we stopped at Kuala Terengganu. A very beautiful city with colorful shop houses in the street of Chinatown.

Kuala Terengganu has extraordinary mosques where two of them can be found outside of the city. The Crystal mosque made of steel and tinted glass is located on one of the islands. When the river has a high tide, the mosque located on pillars in the river looks like it is floating.

Traditional dishes in Malaysia

Eating in Malaysia is a very spicy experience!! However, it is really worth and an incredible taste. The variety of Malaysia is also visible in the food.

Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak is a typical Malaysian breakfast. The white rice is cooked in a thin coconut milk and served with a spicy curry and meat. Additionally, a half egg, salty dried fish, cucumber and roasted peanuts complete the Malaysian breakfast. It is a really delicious dish however, we had it as lunch and not as a spicy and fishy breakfast.

Laksa

Laksa is a famous dish in Singapore and Malaysia. In general, it is a Nyonya noodle soup with different ingredients. Assam Laksa with a fish stock, Penang Laksa with spicy fish paste including coconut milk and Singapore Laksa as a „mild“ alternative with fish cake, cucumber, bean sprouts and fried onions.

Indian food in Malaysia

Restaurants serving Indian food can be found everywhere – but be especially careful about the spiciness.

Steamboat

Fondue exists all over the world with lo cal specialties. We are fans of the Japanese Shabu-Shabu and Chinese Hot Pot so, of course, we wanted to try the Malaysian version: Steamboat with a lot of raw fish.

Our recommendations for Malaysia

Travel guide / Travel book

To identify all these lovely places and Malaysia travel tips we read the following Lonely Planet Travel Book for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei:

In addition there are two nice books to read about Malaysia, a love story set against the turmoil of mid-twentieth century Malaysia and a compelling story on the captivatingly exotic world of myth and magic:

 

Book for food lovers

Unfortunately, some of the dishes were too spicy to enjoy them completely, we bought a new cooking book to prepare them at home. We can recommend the following:

Explore further countries:

Continue reading in the most popular blogs:

• Our travel packing list
• Slovenia and Austria travel tips
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Slowenien liegt so nahe an unserem Heimatland Deutschland, aber wir haben Slowenien erst im April 2019 besucht. Da Paul und ich auf Geschäftsreisen in München waren, haben wir in München ein Auto gemietet und sind für ein langes Wochenende nach Slowenien gereist. Auf dem Rückweg nach München nutzten wir die Gelegenheit, innerhalb eines Tages die UNESCO-Weltkulturerbestädte Graz, Hallstatt und Salzburg zu besuchen – inspiriert vom Europa-Marathon asiatischer Touristen. Lies weiter und entdecke die Top-Reisetipps für Slowenien und Österreich mit dem Auto.

Unsere Reiseroute durch Slowenien und Österreich

Wir haben Mitte April 2019 insgesamt vier Tage in Slowenien und einen Tag in Österreich verbracht. Ehrlich gesagt müssen wir zugeben, dass wir in unserem ersten Ziel am Bleder See gefragt haben, ob wir in Euro bezahlen können… Peinlich, weil Slowenien den Euro schon Anfang 2007 eingeführt hat. Du siehst, wir wussten nicht viel über Slowenien. Ehrlich gesagt, es ist so ein schönes Land und so nah an unserem Zuhause, dass es wirklich schade ist, dass wir nicht schon früher hier waren.

Unsere Erfahrungen mit dem Selbstfahren in Slowenien

Autofahren ist in Slowenien überhaupt kein Thema, da die Straßen in sehr gutem Zustand sind. Erwähnenswert und wichtig ist nur die Maut für Österreich und Slowenien. Besonders die Maut für Slowenien sollte schon in Deutschland oder Österreich gekauft werden.

Unsere ultimativen Reisetipps für Slowenien und Österreich

Bled

Von München aus haben wir den Vrsic-Pass nach Bled genommen. Als wir in Bled ankamen, waren wir direkt vom Panorama beeindruckt: ein farbenfroher See mit einer Kirche auf einer Insel in der Mitte und einer Burg im Hintergrund. Das sah wirklich wie eine sehr schöne Ansichtskarte aus. Am frühen nächsten Morgen machten wir einen Spaziergang um den See mit mehreren atemberaubenden Ausblicken (ca. 6 km hauptsächlich asphaltierter Weg). Auf diesem Weg haben wir Titos Sommerresidenz (Villa Bled) passiert. Schilder informierten uns, dass Fidel Castro, Muammar al-Gaddafi, Indira Gandhi und Willy Brandt Gäste in diesem Haus waren. Natürlich ist der Blick auf die Insel im See vom Garten der Villa aus der beste, den wir auf unserem Rundgang gesehen haben.

Ljubljana

Ljubljana ist eine der schönsten und entspanntesten Hauptstädte, die wir bisher besucht haben. Besonders in den Straßen mit den Häusern im Barock- und Jugendstil haben wir uns wohl gefühlt. Außerdem sind Autos in der Innenstadt nicht erlaubt, so dass man entspannt am Flussufer entlang spazieren kann. Die Dichte der Cafés und Bars in Ljubljana ist ziemlich hoch und es ist schwierig, nicht an jedem Ort anzuhalten und einen Kaffee, ein Eis oder eines der empfohlenen lokalen Biere zu genießen.

Alle Sehenswürdigkeiten in Ljubljana sind leicht zu Fuß erreichbar. Unseren Spaziergang haben wir in der Presernov trg begonnen, dem zentralen Platz in Ljubljana. Er führt an beiden Seiten des Flussufers entlang. In nördlicher Richtung haben wir die Nikolaus-Kirche passiert. Wenn ihr als zweites wieder im Stadtzentrum bist, solltet ihr den Platz mit den drei Brücken in Mestni trg nicht verpassen. Als Drittes folgt ihr dem Weg bis zur Burg, die von Stadt aus von vielen Punkten gesehen werden kann. Wenn ihr wollt, könnt ihr auch mit dem bequemeren Zug zum Schloss hinauf fahren.

Idrija (UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe des Quecksilberabbaus)

Die Stadt Idrija ist berühmt für den Abbau des Quecksilbers, das erstmals um 1490 in Idrija gefunden wurde. Die Stätte gehört zusammen mit Almadén in Spanien zum UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe. Idrija ist aber auch berühmt für die Tradition der Spitzenherstellung. Die Ausstellung auf dem Quecksilberabbaugelände kann nur zusammen mit einem Führer besichtigt werden, aber es lohnt sich wirklich, da wir in der ehemaligen Fabrik sehr viel herumlaufen konnten. Darüber hinaus gab uns der Führer viele Informationen und Geschichten über die Fabrik.

Skocjan Höhlen (UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe)

Wir mussten uns an diesem Tag beeilen, um eine zweite UNESCO-Weltkulturerbestätte zu besuchen. Die Skocjan-Höhlen liegen nur etwa 55 km von Idrija entfernt. Die Dimensionen der Höhlen sind unglaublich: Die Kalksteinhöhlen bestehen aus bis zu 6 km langen unterirdischen Gängen mit einer Gesamttiefe von mehr als 200 Metern, vielen Wasserfällen und einer der größten bisher bekannten unterirdischen Kammern. Leider können wir keine Bilder von innen zeigen, da es für unsere beschädigte Kamera zu dunkel war und sämtliche Bilder verwackelt waren.

Piran

Piran ist Sloweniens touristischster Ort mit seiner Lage auf einer Halbinsel, weit ins Meer vorgelagert. Der venezianische Einfluss ist im Stadtzentrum noch sichtbar. Auch Piran ist ein autofreies Gebiet, so dass wir unser Auto auf einem riesigen Parkplatz direkt über der Stadt parken und unser Gepäck hinunter (und am nächsten Tag wieder hinauf) schleppen mussten. Wir hätten Stunden damit verbringen können, alles auf dem zentralen Platz (Tartini) mit seinen hellen Steinen zu erkunden: viele kleine Cafés, das Rathaus und wunderschön dekorierte Häuser, die von reichen venezianischen Händlern gebaut wurden.

Neben diesem wunderschönen Platz ist der Weg zur Georgs-Kathedrale vor allem bei Sonnenuntergang ein sehr beliebter Ort. In Piran lag unser Gästehaus (eher Gästezimmer) sehr zentral – nur wenige Meter vom zentralen Tartini-Platz entfernt. Es war wirklich ein sehr kleines Zimmer, direkt an der Straße, einschließlich eines kleinen Badezimmers ohne Decke, d.h. oben offen im Zimmer integriert… Beängstigend und überhaupt nicht billig. Seid also bitte vorsichtig, wenn ihr ein Hotel in Piran bucht 😉

Predjama

Am nächsten Morgen gingen wir durch das Gebiet der Höhlenburg Predjama. Die Höhle rund um die Burg ist unglaublich groß. Neben dem Museum im Schloss könnt ihr auch das Höhlensystem hinter dem Schloss besuchen. Die vielen geheimen Wege waren der Grund, warum sich die Burg in einem guten Zustand befindet. Auch hier ist das Panorama wirklich sehr schön und etwas Außergewöhnliches.

Ptuj

Wir hielten in Ptuj nur zum Mittagessen an und besuchten die Burg auf einem Hügel an der Drau mit Blick auf die Stadt.

Maribor

Maribor ist mit 112.000 Einwohnern die zweitgrößte Stadt Sloweniens und liegt nur 12 Kilometer von der österreichischen Grenze (Region der unteren Steiermark) entfernt. Wie andere slowenische Städte, die wir besucht haben, ist das Stadtzentrum eine verkehrsberuhigte Zone und es ist sehr bequem herumzuspazieren. Ihr dürft das Flussufer im ehemaligen Hafengebiet nicht verpassen, wo ihr die älteste Rebsorte nach dem Guinnessbuch der Weltrekorde besichtigen könnt. Wenn ihr dem Fluss nach Osten folgt, gelangt ihr zu einem alten Wasserturm.

Rückweg nach München über Österreich

Obwohl wir einige Monate in Wien gearbeitet haben, waren wir bisher nicht noch nicht wirklich viel in Österreich unterwegs. Dies ist der Grund, warum wir nach Slowenien 1,5 Tage in einigen beliebten Städten Österreichs verbrachten, die sich auf dem Nach-Hause-Weg befanden. Natürlich sind alle drei Städte, die wir besucht haben, als UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe eingetragen. Dies war sicherlich eines der Kriterien für die Auswahl der Zwischenstopps.

Graz (UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe)

Das historische Zentrum von Graz und das Schloss Eggenberg sind Beispiele für die von den Habsburgern geschaffene Kultur. Vom Glockenturm aus hatten wir einen unglaublichen Blick auf die Innenstadt.

Hallstatt (UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe)

Hallstatt ist ein herausragendes Beispiel für ein traditionelles Dorf. Wenn ihr den Fluss entlang geht, könnt ihr die Häuser mit den mit Blumen geschmückten Holzbalkonen sehen. Der Name der Stadt stammt vom nahe gelegenen Salzbergwerk, der offizielle UNESCO-Name der Stätte lautet Hallstatt-Dachstein / Salzkammergut Kulturlandschaft.

Salzburg (UNESCO-Weltkulturerbe)

Das historische Zentrum von Salzburg ist als Geburtsort von Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart berühmt. Mozart spiegelt sich in Attraktionen wie dem Museum in seinem Familienhaus und dem Geburtshaus wider, aber auch in den Melodien, die täglich auf dem Glockenspiel erklingen. Wir starteten mit einem Frühstück in den Mirabell Gärten und genossen anschließend einen Spaziergang durch die historische Innenstadt. Leider hatten wir keine Zeit, die Festung Hohensalzburg zu besuchen, die nur 20 Minuten den Hügel hinauf vom Stadtzentrum entfernt ist.

Unsere Hotel-Tipps

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Unsere Buchempfehlungen

Aufgrund des kurzen Aufenthalts haben wir dieses Mal nur eine Empfehlung für Slowenien. Aus diesem Grund haben wir gerade einen kleinen, aber leichten Reiseführer mit ausreichenden Informationen aus unserer Sicht gekauft, um die wichtigsten Reisetipps für Slowenien und Österreich abzudecken.

Vielleicht bist du auch an einem Roman interessiert, in dem eine Amerikanerin ihre Eindrücke vom Leben in Slowenien beschreibt.

Erkunde weitere Länder:

Weiterlesen in den beliebtesten Blogs:

• Unsere Packliste
• Neuseeland
• Georgien
• Neuseeland
• Nordkorea (DPRK)