Top tips for visiting Ljubljana, Slovenia

If you’ve been tempted by my reasons why you should visit Ljubljana – there are 13 very good ones – what else do you need to know about a trip to the Slovenian capital? Here are my top Ljubljana tips, including whether the Ljubljana card is worth it – and how not to do it!

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Visiting Ljubljana: How to get there

easyJet has direct flights to Ljubljana from Gatwick and Luton, with often properly bargain prices (although on the downside, that can mean some less enjoyable flight times). BA also flies direct from Heathrow.

If you’ve got a bit more time to kill, it’s worth remembering that Ljubljana is only around one hour from Trieste and 90 minutes from Zagreb, and less than three hours from Venice if you fancy several city breaks in one.

Ljubljana tips: How to get around

Once you get into Ljubljana itself, it’s easiest to walk – the centre is pedestrianised and if you do need a lift, small electric buggies pick people up for free. Chances are, you won’t.

There’s also a bike hire scheme similar to London and Paris or try the Watermelon bike tour (you can see my full review of our Ljubljana bike tour here).

There are also a string of companies running tours from the city into the countryside to see beautiful Lake Bled, the Postojna caves and Predjama castle (all things on my own wishlist for next time).

The airport is 27km outside the city, around a 30 minute drive. You can get a taxi (around 1 Euro to 1 Euro 50 per kilometre depending on the company), but much cheaper are transfers like Go Opti which does shared transfers, or you can also book through Welcome Pickups for private transfers.

A private transfer currently costs around £35-£40. Shared ones are less, but might involve some hanging around, and it’s still usually less (and less hassle) than a cab. There’s also a bus which runs around once an hour.

The Ljubljana card – is it worth the money?

Like most major cities, Ljubljana has its own card for entry into museums and attractions as well as travel on city buses – although honestly, you’re unlikely ever to need to travel much by bus if you’re focusing on the main attractions.

The card costs from 41 Euros if you buy online. Validity runs from the first time you use it – so 24 hours rather than one single day, while there are also 48 and 72-hour options.

It’s worth carefully pricing up what you’re planning to do. When I’ve used the cards elsewhere, it’s been great in cities like Helsinki, Amsterdam and Copenhagen, especially where I’ve used public transport a lot.

In Ljubljana, I realised that I’d save around one euro by buying one (based on the places I wanted to visit) and have to cram everything in to a single day.

If you’re doing fewer tours than I did, or planning to visit more museums, this Ljubljana tourist card could well work out better though.

You can also get free WiFi with the card (everyone can get one hour free per day in the city) which could be a bonus if you’re facing a big roaming bill otherwise.

More tips for visiting Ljubljana

Do I need to speak Slovenian? 

Everyone I met seemed to speak the kind of English which put my language abilities to shame – so you can get away with knowing nothing.

But the pleased reception to even a few words meant I’d always recommend mastering at least the basics – ‘hvala’ is thank you, ‘prosim’ is please, and ‘dober dan’ is hello.

Cheers is ‘na zdravie’ (or ‘nice driveway’ as Iva from Ljubljanayum taught us). Vowels are precious, so don’t be surprised if you find whole words of consonants.

When to visit Ljubljana

Ljubljana can be very hot in high summer – think 40C – and freezing in midwinter (with a lot of snow). Spring and autumn are great for exploring, especially if you get some incredibly blue October days like we did.

Bring your gadgets

There is WiFi pretty much everywhere in the centre – the cafes and bars on the terrace all offered it free, I picked up an hour per day free from WiFree Ljubljana by getting a code texted to me but also kept stumbling across open networks. Fantastic.

To connect to the WiFreeLjubljana network for your free 60 minutes a day, or to buy a code for longer, head to the website for more details.

Eat off the streets

On two of our three days, there was a foodie festival by the Central Market – and even when there wasn’t, the food trucks there are a great option for lunch if you’re wondering where to eat in Ljubljana. Ribica has some great fish.

Drink and be merry

Friday is the big night out, compared to Saturday. There is also lower VAT on wine than beer – although Ljubljana has a growing craft beer scene, so don’t be put off.

A glass of wine is often served in much smaller measures than in the UK, but the prices are also a lot smaller – think a couple of Euros. And every single one I tried was delicious…

There are also public drinking fountains all over the place for water.

Then head under the bridges…

Where you’ll find public toilets. Having said that, our hotel, the Vander Urbani was also right in the heart of the Old Town, so if you’re staying somewhere similar, you’re rarely that far away.

Beyond its useful location, Vander Urbani resort is also a member of the Design Hotels group, so worth checking out for a stylish city break in Ljubljana.

In fact, Ljubljana’s compact size took some getting used to – reading a map to the Roman remains scattered around, we kept accidentally wandering too far.

Grab a map

Not just the standard city maps (though they’re useful too) but the map from Use-It Travel, which comes complete with tips about life and acting like a local, as well as quirky places to discover.

We found copies to pick up in TOZD bar/cafe among others.

*First published 2015, last updated 2026*

PIN FOR LATER: ADVICE FOR LJUBLJANA – MY TIPS

Images copyright MummyTravels

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