Ljubljana Travel Guide

Getting There By Air

Jožeta Pučnika Airport(LJU)
Tel: (04) 206 1981.
Website: www.lju-airport.si

The airport is located 23km (14 miles) northwest of Ljubljana. Facilities in arrivals include car hire, a currency exchange office, bar, telephones and shops but no ATMs. In departures there is car hire, a currency exchange office, bar, telephones, shops and an ATM. A business class lounge is also located in departures. Regular public buses run to the city as well as a private minibus service with Markun (tel: (041) 792 865; website: www.prevozi-markun.com). Metered taxis are also available outside the terminal.

Getting There By Road

Ljubljana has an efficient and modern road network. Increasingly the city is also connected to other destinations within Slovenia by a rapidly expanding network of modern motorways with the new route south via Postojna dramatically cutting journey times down to the country's Adriatic coastline. Traffic drives on the right and the minimum driving age is 18. In built-up areas the speed limit is generally 50kph (30mph), outside built-up areas 90kph (56mph), 110kph (68mph) on expressways and 130kph (80mph) on motorways. An international driving license and minimum third-party insurance are required for renting a car in Ljubljana. The Automobile Association of Slovenia (AMZS) (tel: (01) 530 5100; www.amzs.si) can provide assistance.

Emergency breakdown services
AMZS (tel: 1987).

Routes to the city
The A1 handily cuts into Ljubljana from both the southwest and the northeast, while the A2 comes into Ljubljana from the north and also the southeast. Ljubljana is well connected by motorway to other European cities. The E70 serves Zagreb in Croatia, the E57/E59 goes to Graz in Austria and the E61/E71 runs to Trieste in Italy.

Driving times to the city
From Maribor - 2 hours; Kotor - 3 hours; Zagreb - 3 hours; Trieste - 4 hours.

Coach services
The main bus station, Trg Osvobodilne fronte 4, is centrally located by the main railway station in the center of Ljubljana. Services run to all major Slovenian towns and cities, run by operators such as Izletnik (tel: (03) 425 3400; www.izletnik.si) and Kamnik Bus (tel: (01) 830 9415; www.kam-bus.si), as well as outside the country to Austria, Croatia, Hungary, France, Germany, Belgium and Italy with operators such as DRD (tel: (01) 729 2406; www.drd.si) and Cazmatrans (tel: (01) 234 4600; www.cazmatrans.hr).

Getting There By Rail

Slovenia's long neglected railways have improved in recent years, with better services between the country's main cities and abroad.

Rail Services
Trains depart from the centrally located Ljubljana Railway Station, Železniska Postaja, Trg Osvobodilne fronte.

Rail Operators
The national railway company in Slovenia is Slovenske Železnice (tel: (01) 291 3332; www.slo-zeleznice.si), who have recently revamped much of their rolling stock. They offer domestic services to major Slovenian towns including Maribor and Celje as well as international connections to Venice, Zagreb, Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg and Belgrade.

Connections
From Maribor - 2 hours; Celje - 1 hour; Vienna - 6 hours; Venice - 6 hours.

Getting Around in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Public Transport

City buses are run by Ljubljanski Potniški Promet (LPP) (tel: (01) 582 2460; www.jhl.si/lpp). It operates a fleet of single-decker buses on 21 routes that crisscross Ljubljana's city center and also cover the suburbs. Passengers can pay when boarding though it is cheaper to buy tickets in the form of žetoni (tokens, available at newspaper stands) beforehand. There are also both daily and weekly passes, as well as discounts for children (children under four years old travel free).

Taxis

Taxis can be hailed on the street or at ranks at the railway/bus station. Pre-booked taxis can be ordered from one of three taxi companies by calling 9700, 9701 or 9702.

Driving in the City

Driving in Ljubljana is pretty straightforward, though there are a number of one-way systems. Parking is either at a meter on the street or at one of the city's numerous car parks.

Car Hire

Car hire companies have offices at the airport and at the city center. Reliable companies include Avis (tel: (04) 236 5000; www.avis.si), Budget (tel: (04) 201 4300; www.budget.si) and Sixt (tel: (04) 234 4666; www.sixt.com).

Bicycle Hire

Cycling is very popular in Ljubljana. During the warmer months, the tourist office (tel: (01) 306 1215; www.visitljubljana.si) organizes bike tours of varying lengths and also rents out bikes. The City Hotel offers free bikes to guests, while the Celica Hostel rents bikes out.