Ljubljana

Ljubljana ("lee-oo-blee-AH-nuh") is the small but delightful capital of Slovenia. While the city's population had grown to 295,500 in 2020, the sights and amenities are concentrated in the charming old centre. It's full of artists, museums, and galleries, it's friendly and easy to reach, and it's a good base for exploring the rest of the country.

Understand
Ljubljana stands at the entrance to a plain in an otherwise mountainous region, the confluence of several river valleys, so it's been a focus for settlement, trade and transport since prehistory. The first known city was the Roman Colonia Iulia Aemona; in medieval times it became Laibach and this name is still used by some German-speakers (as well as modern Slovenia's most notable cultural export, the band of that name). It fell under the gravity of Austria-Hungary and was a duchy or province of the Hapsburg Empire until 1918. For much of the 20th century it was part of Yugoslavia until independence in 1991. This means that Ljubljana has simply been a regional capital, and has only been the national capital of a relatively small country for a few decades. The city landscape reflects this: it's compact and walkable, cosy and friendly, rather than grandiose. There are no vast ceremonial boulevards, bling palaces or imperial fists of fortification. It's not a place where you hop around ticking off must-see sights, like a bug with a selfie-stick for antennae. Relax, stroll and enjoy the atmosphere.

No-one really knows how its current name came about: it resembles ljubljena - "beloved" - in Slovenian, but that seems to be just a happy coincidence. It sits in the valley of the Ljubljanica river, with green hills hemming it in on either side. The river makes a right angle, with the castle and oldest parts of the city on the hill in the southeast quadrant. A 19th century street grid extends north of the river, then the modern town sprawls to the west and north. Three natural disasters shaped the city architecture. An earthquake of 1511 caused extensive re-building in Renaissance style, and in stone to curb the fires of the wooden city. Another earthquake in 1895 prompted rebuilding in Vienna Secession style. It was flooded by the river multiple times until the Gruber Canal was cut across the southeast quadrant in the 18th century, turning the castle hill into an island. Therefore the main flow bypasses the old centre, which was protected from the devastating 2010 floods of the Danube catchment region. The "Triple" and "Dragon" bridges stand intact as proud symbols of Ljubljana.

Ljubljana is a year-round destination but you need to dress for the Balkan climate. Summers are warm, with daytime highs of 30°C. There are often public events and festivals, with streets converted from traffic thoroughfares to event spaces, but afternoons can be humid with thunderstorms and downpours. Early summer and autumn enjoy more even temperatures, and there's a student buzz as the university is in session. In winter it's near-zero, often with snow, and biting winds off the hills, but as Christmas approaches the streets are decorated by thousands of lights, and food and drink kiosks pop up along the river bank. February is grey, before in spring the city blooms with flowers planted on its streets and crossroads.



Talk
The main language of the city is unsurprisingly Slovenian. Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian is also understood by most and usually spoken fluently by people over 40. Many inhabitants of Ljubljana speak English as well, especially people under the age of 30, with some of them also being able to speak German, Italian, French, Spanish and/or Russian. It's worth trying any major European language you speak.

By plane


Getting there and away:
 * By bus:
 * Arriva Bus takes 50 min to the main bus and railway station ("Ljubljana AP", Stand 28), with several stops. It runs every 30 min M-F 05:20-20:10, and Sa Su holidays 06:10–19:10. The fare is €4.10, pay the driver on boarding; cannot pay with Urbana card. (May 2023)
 * Bus route 64 (LPP) goes from Ljubljana bus station ("Ljubljana AP", Stand 28). The fare is €4.10, can pay with Urbana card or with cash to the driver.
 * Outbound from the city, alternate buses continue from the airport to Bled, so this has an hourly service taking 30 min. Morning buses that continue to Bled may fill up.
 * A bus to Kranj runs every hour or two, taking 20-40 min.


 * By shuttle – Several operators offer shuttle transfers, which are per person, more for a door-to-door private transfer. They include Goopti, Nomago, Airtrail Slovenia and TuamV.
 * By taxi – You might pay €40 for a metered taxi to the city.
 * By car – See airport website for the many car hire agencies. Driving off, follow the one-way system and go west then left onto the link road, which gets you on A2 towards Ljubljana.

Other airports nearby that but might prove convenient are Trieste, Venice Marco Polo, and Treviso (in Italy); Vienna Airport, Klagenfurt, and Graz (in Austria); and Zagreb (in Croatia).

By train


Slovenian Railways website is here

International train tickets will need to be purchased at the ticket desk in the station. Domestic tickets can be purchased from ticket machines in the station or website. Note that certain classes of trains e.g IC require supplements but these are included in the ticket price if you travel on the train you booked. Domestic tickets may be issued on a IJPP chip-card that can be reused. There are weekend tickets with a 75% discount can only be purchased with a IJPP chip-card. These cards can be obtained from ticket desks.

International Connections:
 * Trains from Munich take 6 hr 15 min, with one direct and one changing daytime service and one sleeper, via Salzburg, Villach and Lesce (for Bled), and dividing at Ljubljana for Rijeka or Zagreb. In early 2021 this route was disrupted by engineering works in the tunnel near Villach, but is now normal. From Paris and points north travel via Munich.


 * Trains from Vienna take 6 or 7 hours; most involve a change but there is one direct service via Semmering, Graz, Maribor and Zidani Most.


 * Trains from Budapest run daily, taking 7 hr 30 min via Zidani Most. Connections taking 9 hours are available hourly.


 * Trains from Zagreb run 4 or 5 times a day, taking 2 hr 30 min via Dobova (the border) and Zidani Most.


 * Trains from Rijeka run twice a day, taking 3 hours via Opatija, and being joined at Ljubljana onto the Munich train.


 * Trains from Trieste run twice a day, taking 2 hr 30 min via Villa Opicina on the border. From elsewhere in Italy change at Trieste, the direct train from Venice has been axed.

By bus


Direct international connections: Trieste (2 hours), Zagreb (2 hours), Venice (4 hours), Banja Luka (5 hours), Bihać (6 hours), Bologna (6 hours), Budapest (6 hours), Munich (7 hours), Florence (8 hours), Tuzla (8 hours), Zenica (8 hours), Belgrade (8 hours), Ulm (9 hours), Stuttgart (10 hours), Sarajevo (10 hours), Niš (12 hours), Karlsruhe (12 hours), Mannheim (13 hours), Frankfurt (14 hours), Skopje (15 hours), Tetovo (16 hours), Sofia (16 hours), Pristina (18 hours), Copenhagen (19 hours), Malmö (20 hours), Gothenburg (24 hours), Linköping (28 hours), Örebro (34 hours), Stockholm (36 hours).

Left luggage, available by asking at the ticket windows in the Bus Station for €3.50.

By car


Ljubljana is at the centre of the Slovenian road network, which means that if you're not driving towards the border, you're approaching Ljubljana. Traffic can be frustrating at rush hours, but is generally lighter than in larger European capitals. Huge jams can occur if there's an accident or road works, though, so consult the Traffic-information centre or listen to Radio Si which offers regular traffic information in several European languages.

There are several car parks throughout the city centre, and cheaper ones at the outskirts. Those offer day-long parking with return city bus ticket included in the price. Most car parks are operated by the Municipal company. Short-term street parking in blue zones is payable at parking meters scattered around (€0.70/hr in the city centre, 2 hours max; €0.40/hr further out, 3 hours max; Saturday afternoon and Sunday parking is free). Parking meters don't return change, but they also accept the Urbana card (see below).

Renting a car is also an option, especially to explore rural areas outside the city and during public holidays.

By ride sharing
The main website is Prevoz.org, (click on "mednarodni prevozi" for international rides). The website is only in Slovene, but simple enough to navigate. The columns are "from", "to", "time" (of departure) and "cost", you can sort them by clicking on top row, or use the search engine on top. You have to register to see the phone number, you can use an existing account. Most drivers would speak enough English to arrange the ride. Note however that there is no rating system in place, nor any payment system – you pay cash to the driver. Generally the price is around €5/100-120 km within Slovenia, usually a bit more abroad. If you're arriving in your own car and want to pick some passengers, you can of course also post it on the site.

By thumb
Much of the country's traffic is either heading into Ljubljana or back out. Outbound you need to know the main hitching spots:
 * Northeast to Maribor and Austria: on Dunajska cesta just west of the railway station, take Bus 6, 8 or 11 north to Smelt and the World Trade Centre, 15 min. Turn right and you'll see the entry ramp for Highway H3.
 * Southwest to Koper, Rijeka and Italy: on Dunajska cesta or Kongresni trg take Bus 6 south to the end of the line at Dolgi most. The highway is before you, with the entry ramp to A1 and A2 just left - it's A1 you want. You'll also see an entrance to the parking area of a house, stand there as vehicles are better able to pull in.
 * East to Novo Mesto and Zagreb: on Dunajska cesta take Bus 3 south to the end of the line at Rudnik. Walk on a further 200 m along Dolenjska cesta to the crossroads and entry ramp opposite the railway crossing. You want A2 eastbound.

On foot
The centre of Ljubljana is small enough to cover by foot. You can pick up a free city map at a tourist information centre or in the train station. Navigating or finding a street is easy as streets are clearly marked.

By bicycle
There is also a system called BicikeLJ (iOS, Android apps) where you can rent bikes (first hour free, second hour €1, third hour €2, each additional hour €4). It is designed for short-term hire. It has 300 bikes on 30 stations around the inner city part and you can subscribe with a credit card online. You can take another bicycle after one hour has elapsed, without any cost.

By bus
The city's transportation authority LPP operates 22 bus lines, which are clean and run frequently (every 5–10 minutes, 15–30 minutes during the weekend and summer). Most bus routes operate 05:00-22:30 (Sundays from 06:00). Night routes are: N1 (22:30-05:00), 2, 5 and 6 (03:15–00:00), N3 (21:00–05:00) and N11 (03:15–05:00). Saturdays and Sundays no service on routes 22, 24, 28 and 29. Sundays no service on routes 7L, 8, 18, 20, 21, 27.

To ride the buses, you must first either purchase an Urbana card (similar to an Oyster Card in London) or download the Urbana phone app (iOS, Android). The physical card can be bought at self-service stations ("Urbanomat") found at the larger bus stops across the city, LPP sales sites, tourist information centres and newspaper agents for €2 and need to be loaded with an amount ranging from €1 to €50. Upon entering the bus by the front door, you need to position the card next to the reader to pay for the route. The confirmation is a quiet beep and an illuminated green light, while a negative response is a louder beep and a red light. After that, you proceed to take your seat / stand. The Urbana phone app has the advantages that it can be loaded with credit using a Credit or Debit card and includes real time information.

The cost per journey is €1.30 and includes an unlimited number of free transfers within 90 minutes from the first entry to the bus.

Most lines operate at least once every 15 minutes. Timetables have departure times.

By taxi
The (supposedly) cheapest taxi companies are: These are free numbers (all numbers starting with 080 are free in Slovenia), so you can use a phone booth to make a free call. Not all taxis charge the same fare.

While taxis ordered by phone are cheap, those waiting on the street will usually charge through the roof, and you can end up paying €25 or more for a short ride! Unless you're in a hurry, always order a taxi by phone!

By boat
You can see centre of Ljubljana also with frequent boat tour, they last around 1-2 hours.

See


In 2021, seven works in Ljubljana by architect Jože Plečnik were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. These are the Trnovo Bridge, the green promenade along Vegova Street, the promenade along the embankments and bridges of the Ljubljanica River, the Roman walls in Mirje, the Church of St Michael, the Church of St. Francis of Assisi and the Garden of All Saints (Plečnik’s Žale).
 * to the west is the city's main park, with a large pond at its southwest end and the hill of Rožnik behind.
 * to the west is the city's main park, with a large pond at its southwest end and the hill of Rožnik behind.
 * to the west is the city's main park, with a large pond at its southwest end and the hill of Rožnik behind.
 * to the west is the city's main park, with a large pond at its southwest end and the hill of Rožnik behind.

Do

 * Football:
 * NK Bravo also play in PrvaLiga, at Park Šiška (capacity 2300) 1 km northwest of the railway station.
 * NK Bravo also play in PrvaLiga, at Park Šiška (capacity 2300) 1 km northwest of the railway station.

Hiking

 * Šmarna gora (662 m) is on the northern edge of the city, so it's popular, indeed crowded on fine weekends. For 30–60 minutes of easy climbing you will be rewarded by a nice views. Take Bus 8 to Tacenski most.
 * Krim (1,107 m) was a military and civilian telecoms centre; the military post has been dismantled and the area is open to the public, with great views. The climb takes 2–3 hours (beware of bears!). Get here by car, which takes 30 min as the last 4 km of road are unpaved and narrow.

Ski and snowboard
Ljubljana is close to several of Slovenia's most popular ski resorts including Krvavec at the nearby Cerklje na Gorenjskem which is around 40 minutes from the city by car.

Vogel ski center can be reached in around 1 hour 40, which is situated by the beautiful Lake Bohinj.

Kranjska Gora is another option for budget ski and snowboarding which can be reached in just over an hour from Ljubljana.

The mountains in Slovenia are called the Julian Alps and offer some great value skiing throughout the winter. While the snowfall can be unpredictable, as this relatively low altitude mountain terrain, the peak seasons of January to March can offer some great conditions.

Learn
Part of the buzz around Ljubljana is from its large student population. The University of Ljubljana has 64,000 students, with departments all over the city. Centre for Slovene within the Arts Faculty offers language courses.

Work
Quite a lot of internationals work in Ljubljana, and it continuously hosts a significant number of freelancers who like to spend some months here due to the good ratio of quality towards cost of living. Coworking options are available, one gravity centre is the former tobacco factory, for example hosting Poligon, Slovenia's biggest coworking space (it is located in the building Tobačna 5, which also hosts the public administration body, "Upravna enota" and a tech startup space called Hekovnik).

Buy
Several department stores such as Maximarket, H&M, Müller, Nama, are located in the city centre. Additionally, Čopova street and the Old town have a dense collection of small shops.



Budget




Drink
Most of Ljubljana’s bars tend to cluster on the streets running parallel to the river, radiating from Prešernov trg, which is the main square in Ljubljana. The more interesting bars tend to be on the backstreets, rather than directly facing the river. Part of the joy of this city is stumbling across these places, but these are few to start you off.

Free tap water locations
The application Tap Water Ljubljana is intended for all who wish to quench their thirst and refresh themselves during the spring and summer months with freely available water from fountains found in 17 locations throughout Ljubljana, mostly they are in city centre. Application is available on App Store.

Clubs
Ljubljana has several good nightclubs (discothèques). The clubs hold special events, they will play a certain syle of music on certain nights, etc. Some will also impose a strict dress code and age limits.



Stay safe
Ljubljana is possibly one of the safest capitals you'll ever visit. Remarkably safe during the day and night, as a tourist you should have no problems, provided you are not desperately looking for trouble.

Even the rougher parts of Ljubljana, located far from the city centre, are relatively safe, if you don't flash your valuables. These areas, not commonly frequented by tourists, include Fužine, Rakova Jelša, Štepanjsko naselje and parts of Šiška, Moste and Šentvid.

Tivoli Park is generally safe and a very popular destination for picnics or taking an afternoon stroll for an average Ljubljanian, but just as anywhere in the world it is recommended that you don't put your guard down and avoid larger groups of teenagers hanging around in the park late at night, as thefts and sexual assaults have been reported.

After a long time there were reports in 2023 of new attacks on LGBT+ people in the center of Ljubljana on the Pride day.

Connect
As of June 2021, Ljubljana has 4G from A1 and Telemach, and 5G from Telekom.

Internet
The city centre is covered with a Wi-Fi network named WiFreeLjubljana that offers free access for 60 minutes a day.

Free internet access is also available at:

Almost free internet access is available at:

Embassies

 * 🇬🇷 Greece
 * 🇷🇴 Romania
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
 * Other nations with embassies in the city include United States cheek-by-jowl with Russia and Germany by Tivoli Park, plus Turkey, India, Egypt, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, Italy, France, Sweden and Switzerland.

Go next
Ljubljana is at the hub of transport routes across this relatively small country, so you can easily reach anywhere else in Slovenia and across its borders. Here's a selection:
 * Bled is a picturesque town 1 hour away. Hire a rowboat on the lake to visit the island church, then see the castle.
 * Triglav National Park and the Julian Alps near Bled for outdoor activities: hiking, mountaineering, rafting, canyoning, paragliding, skydiving and so on.
 * Postojna has the vast Postojna Caves and Predjama Castle, an Škocjan Caves are in nearby Divača.
 * The coast is short, sandwiched between Croatia's Istrian resorts and the industry and marshes of Italy. Koper is the largest coast resort, Piran is the prettiest.
 * Kamnik is a button-cute little town 45 min north of Ljubljana, just below the Kamnik Alps. It has a perfectly preserved medieval town centre, with the ski resort of Krvavec above.
 * Zagreb in Croatia, 2 hr 30 min away, has an extensive medieval centre.
 * Trieste (1½–2 hr) is in Italy yet redolent of the last days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
 * Rijeka in Croatia (2 hr 30 min) for the Istrian peninsula, ferries to the Adriatic islands, and transport south to Zadar and Split.