Travel to Ljubljana
Flying to Ljubljana
Direct flights to Ljubljana from the UK are available with easyJet (www.easyjet.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com). Prices are steady year-round, but the cheapest seats are always those sold a few months in advance. There are no direct flights from the USA; the quickest routes involve a stop in Paris, Brussels, Warsaw or Frankfurt.
Flight times
From London - 2 hours; New York - 10 hours 20 minutes (including stopover); Los Angeles - 14 hours (including stopover); Toronto - 10 hours 30 minutes (including stopover); Sydney - 26 hours (including stopovers).
Travel 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.
The minimum driving age in Slovenia is 18. For some car hire companies, the minimum age for car hire is 21. A valid national driving licence and minimum third-party insurance are required for renting a car in Ljubljana. If you're travelling from outside the EU, you may require an International Driving Permit.
Speed limits in Slovenia are 110-130kph (68-81mph) on motorways, 90kph (56mph) on non-urban roads and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas, sometimes reduced to 30kph (19mph). You must carry a warning triangle, fire extinguisher, reflective vest, first-aid kit and replacement bulbs in your car. You must also have your headlights on day and night.
You must buy road tax vignettes to use Slovenian motorways, including the Ljubljana bypass; they're sold at petrol stations, post offices and kiosks.
The main motoring organisation in Slovenia is AMZS (tel: 1987, in Slovenia only or +386 1530 5353; www.amzs.si).
Emergency breakdown services
AMZS (tel: 1987, in Slovenia only or +386 1530 5353; www.amzs.si).
Routes
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.
Coaches
The main bus station, Trg Osvobodilne fronte 4, is centrally located by the main railway station in the centre of Ljubljana.
Services run to all major Slovenian towns and cities, run by operators such as Nomago (tel: +386 4317 700; www.nomago.si) and Arriva (090 74 11 (within Slovenia), +386 4201 3110; www.arriva.si), as well as outside the country with operators such as DRD (tel: +386 5122 4222; www.drd.si) and Cazmatrans (www.cazmatrans.hr).
Time to city
From Maribor - 1 hour 30 minutes; Zagreb - 1 hour 50 minutes; Trieste - 1 hour 15 minutes.
Travel by Rail
Services
Slovenia’s railways offer regular services between the country’s main cities and abroad. Trains depart from the centrally located Ljubljana Railway Station and Trg Osvobodilne fronte.
Operators
The national railway company in Slovenia is Slovenske Železnice (tel: +386 1291 3332; www.slo-zeleznice.si). It offers domestic services to major Slovenian towns including Maribor and Celje as well as international connections to Zagreb, Vienna, Villach (Austria) and Belgrade.
Journey times
From Maribor - 2 hours 25 minutes; Celje - 1 hour 20 minutes; Vienna - 6 hours; Villach - 1 hour 40 minutes; Zagreb - 2 hours 25 minutes; Belgrade - 9 hours.
Transfer
Ljubljana railway station is about a 10-minute walk from the river and the city centre.
