Getting Around in Slovenia
If you’re coming to Ljubljana for more than a few days, you might find these notes on how to get to, around, and out of the city useful.
Getting to the Ljubljana from the airport
Before our arrival, our host in Ljubljana sent us a pointer to Airport-Ljubljana shuttles that you can pre-book. However, these required specifying a specific time and made it seem like they were off-site, so that it was unclear what happens if the plane is delayed. Since I’ve read that (at least for three people) taxies or Uber are about the same price, we decided to stay flexible and not book anything.
Turns out that 1) Uber doesn’t exist here and 2) shuttle tickets can be bought on the spot from multiple vendors - easy peasy; perhaps it wasn’t a particularly busy day (a summer Friday afternoon), and on weekends it may be a good idea to prebook.
Getting Around the capital
Citymapper app was incredibly useful in London and Paris but unfortunately doesn’t work in Ljubljana. Neither is there a metro system - I think it’s the first European capital I’ve seen without one!
Nonetheless, metro Ljubjana is very easy to get around.
The bus system is excellent, especially with the Urbana app that tracks buses in real time. A ride is just €1.30 with free transfers or round trips.
There is a system of stations of app-rentable bikes (BickeLJ) extending outside the city that is essentially free. Although these are not high end by any means, they will get you from a to b, since Ljubjana is mostly flat. Just as important, the city (and much of the country) is extremely bike friendly! There’s dedicated bike lanes or wide sidewalks intended for bikes. Unlike, say, Italian cities, where the numerous bike riders dart around cars, you will feel like a king of the road in Slovenia.
© 2023 City Municipality of Ljubljana
Within city center there is a system of electric bike rentals (Nextbike - €5 for 3 days or €2 per hour) - though in our five weeks here, we never ended up using them. While I used the regular bikes many times (even to go to a bar in the evening and back), it definitely loses its attraction in daytime heat.
Also based in city center but extending pretty far in some directions, there is electric scooter coverage with Bolt. Many times when I would miss a bus from downtown (or on a Sunday) I could make the same trip on Bolt almost as fast for half the price of a taxi.
Within the pedestrian area of the city center, there’s also Zeleni kavalir - free rides on glorified golf carts - which you can actually order up by phone - or just catch when they pass you. Though you can walk across their whole coverage zone in 15 minutes, it can be a pleasant ride on a hot day.
While uber doesn’t seem to function here despite seeing it mentioned on tripadvisor, there are several taxi apps that are indispensable. Taxi metro seems to work better at the moment with reasonable prices. In fact, I’ve been told that as recently as ten years ago, taxis were so expensive only the rich would use them; but now you can go from one side of the city to the other (about 15 minutes) for €10.
Leaving the Capital
As I mentioned in an earlier post, leaving the country by train or plane is trickier than expected. You can look for train schedules on the Trainline app, but Southeastern Europe is not a place you want to spend a lot of time on trains.
Ultimately, we left for Innsbruck, 400 km away by train, and that did not go well . Although we never got a clear answer, our adventure was rooted in a very common problem with Slovenian trains — delays. They are so endemic, locals will nonchalantly recommend that you take the 20-minute-late trains on one line vs. the 40 minute late trains on another. If you have to switch trains on your journey, plan generous buffers (an hour or more).
On the other hand, there’s a healthy bus system to major attractions like Bled, Postojna Caves, and Piran. For example, it takes about an hour to get to Bled for just a few Euro. We went on a Sunday afternoon, and it was incredibly smooth - from central station to Bled Union in about 50m. But we’ve heard that in the mornings it can be hard to get on the bus even if you buy a ticket ahead of time, so it can help to show up 10-20m early. Same for the return bus.
For the most trips though, we’ve opted for the flexibility of a rental car.
Rental Cars
Rental cars are surprisingly expensive in the summer here (though so much cheaper than Italy!!). If possible, it’s best to book 3+ months in advance for better cars and rates. For longer trips (3+ weeks) consider short term leasing for much better rates (again, must be booked 3+ months in advance). But even if you don’t have the luxury of months of forewarning, there are still options.
As you might guess, there is also a system of app-rentable electric cars. If you are not going far (say within 40 km) or will have a charging station at you destination (use a map like this to check), one of these systems like avant2go may work well. Though be ready to scrunch up as the cars in this system are 'European.'
Otherwise, there are the usual international chains like Sixt, but we ended up using two of the local companies Atet and Renty. Atet usually had somewhat higher prices and a much larger deposit, so while our experience with them was fine, we mostly used Renty.
A small chain with just three locations (Ljubljana center, airport and Maribor), they are friendly and flexible, and offer weekly and monthly discounted rates. On the other hand, they are surprisingly “green” in certain aspects, pardon the pun. Aspects like electric cars…
I hope this guide allows you to feel as comfortable moving around Slovenia on day one as we did after spending a month there! If it helps or we missed something, drop us a line!
