Small Slovenia with a population of about 2 million people poses a challenge to tourists. Ask why? Yes, because it is good to learn about such a small state – the task is not easy.
In summer – sea and lakes, in autumn and spring – walks in cities and mountains and, of course, in winter – skiing in the Alps. Every day you realize that she reveals more and more of her secrets, and you will realize that she keeps a lot of them.
The ideal transport for exploring Slovenia is a car. For example, you can only get to Lendava (a thermal resort with medicinal water) or a winery by car. When booking it, a rental per day will cost from €30. But this is described in detail in our article Car rental in Slovenia .
You can easily travel between cities by train and bus.
Railways of Slovenia
Railways in Slovenia connect Ljubljana with Kozina (to the sea coast), with Kranj (north-west direction), and with Zagreb in Croatia.
Slovenia has a fairly developed network of railways – they are managed by one operator, Slovenske železnice .
So, for example, a trip to Prague will cost you only 39 €, a trip to the capital of Bavaria – 29 €, Belgrade – 29 €.
But, when planning the route, it is worth paying attention to the fact that even on the English version of the site, the names of the stations must be indicated in Slovenian. It can be associated with letters like ž, š, so find out in advance what the desired station is called and copy its name into the search form.
There are regular trains from the capital to almost all regions of the country.
Types of trains Slovenia
“Express InterCity Slovenia (ISC)” is a high-comfort train, the fastest and most comfortable train, equipped with air conditioning and a buffet, it runs five times a day between the largest cities of the country, Maribor and Ljubljana. Every day, the train follows the route Maribor — Ljubljana — Koper.
The price of a train ticket from Ljubljana to Maribor is around €11-12 in second class, and for first class you will pay around €16.
In order to save your seat, be sure to reserve a ticket on the website, this procedure is free or at the ticket offices of the stations immediately before the trip.
“Regionalni vlaki (RG)” and “Primestni vlaki (LP)” are electric trains that stop at each station.
“Mednarodni vlaki (MV)” – high-speed international trains.
“Intercity (IC)” – intercity and international express trains – they are high-speed and cover long distances quickly, usually offering catering services.
“Eurocity (EC)” – international express trains of high comfort. Connecting important destinations both in Slovenia and throughout Europe.
EuroNight (EN) — overnight international and long-distance express trains with sleeping cars.
Note to tourists : when you plan frequent trips, then it will not hurt you to know that there is a special offer on weekends: round-trip tickets for trains in Slovenia are sold with a 30% discount. The Euro-Domino system also operates in Slovenia – it is unlimited trips that you can use for three days. The asking price is 47 €, and after this period, each additional day will cost 7 – 10 €.
It is very convenient when you are planning an active trip, and you will also save a lot of money, especially since the neighboring countries (Austria, Italy, Croatia, Hungary) also use this system.
Road train
Continuing the conversation about trains, it is also worth mentioning the road train – it makes its way through the longest tunnel in Slovenia, embedded in the bowels of Mount Crna in the valley of the Soča River. In short, it connects the Bohinsk valley with the river valley. A wise decision will be to use the services of a train – it will transport not only you, but also your car without problems. In this way, you can avoid passing through the serpentines of the Soryshka Planina pass, which you have to cross during a car trip from the Bohinsk Valley (Horensk Region) to the Soča River Valley.
The Bohinj railway has gained a reputation as one of the most beautiful in Europe. Tunnels, bridges, even an emerald river make it wonderful. The construction of the road ended in 1909.
Distance and price for such a trip:
- Most na Soči-Bohinjska Bistrica (28 km) for one way (vehicle + driver) you will pay €11.20;
- Podbrdo-Bohinjska Bistrica (7 km) for a one-way trip (vehicle + driver) you will pay €7.30;
- Podbrdo-Most na Soči (21 km) – a one-way ticket costs €7.60; the price includes payment for the vehicle and the driver.
Where to buy train tickets in Slovenia: near the train conductor. Read more on the website in the section ” Train tickets – where to buy “.
Museum train _ _
An impressive trip is a trip on a separate train. The “Museum Train” runs from the city of Yesenytsia to the Canal near the Sochi River on a railway line that is over a hundred years old.
A trip by this train should be booked in advance.
Buses in Slovenia
Bus service in Slovenia is well developed. When driving on local roads, at the request of passengers, the driver makes a stop at a bus station in each settlement.
Buses in Slovenia are quite a cheap and convenient form of transport. The ticket is paid for by a token for one trip.
Where to buy a ticket:
- at the bus station;
- at the bus driver;
- in newspaper and tobacco kiosks.
You can also use the pass for an unlimited number of trips in one day or week. Buy them at the red kiosks.
Slovenians often use the Urbana travel ticket. It is a card that provides cashless payment for travel on a city or suburban bus.
You can also buy it at kiosks or at the Tourist Information Center.
When buying, you should put a certain amount of money on the card, for example, one bus trip costs €1.30. Then the card can be used not only to pay for travel, but also to pay for parking in the city center or climbing the cable car to the Ljubljana Castle .
Buses of the main routes operate from 03:00 to 00:00, the rest – from 5:00 to 22:30. Buses in Slovenia are very frequent, with connections to almost all Slovenian cities.
In the summer season, the number of flights on the routes connecting Ljubljana to the Adriatic coast increases, and in winter, the “ski-bus” will take you from the capital to the nearest ski center Krvavec, it connects Bled and Bohinj, Pokljuka and Kranjska Gora. Would you like to read more about the country’s temperature regime? Go to our article on weather in Slovenia by month .
From Ljubljana, you can get to the main tourist attractions – Lake Bled, Piran, Velika Planina, the Permanent Cave and the castle.
The journey from Ljubljana to Maribor (about 3 hours) costs about 11 €. For the end of the week, it is better to book tickets in advance.
Ticket prices are available:
- from the airport to Ljubljana – €4.10, 45 minutes;
- from Ljubljana to Kranjsk – Hora – €8.70, 2 hours;
- from Krasnsk – Gora in Yesenytsia – €3.10, 30 minutes.
More detailed prices for bus tickets .
If you are going to buy tickets from the driver, carry a small item with you, you will need it.
Let’s understand the bus routes through the cities of Slovenia:
Maribor
The city has an extensive network of bus routes – from the city center you can reach the Pokhorje mountain massif. This place is loved for walks by both locals and guests of the city. As mentioned above, you can buy a ticket from the driver at the central bus station, as well as at the Maribor Tourist Information Center.
Address: Partizanska cesta 6a, 2000 Maribor
Phone: +386 2 23 46 611, +386 31 327 775
Email: tic@maribor.si
Work time:
- October – March: Mon – Fri from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sat, Sun from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- April – September: Mon – Mon from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sat, Sun from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Krane, the capital of the Horonesky region
A town near the green river Krka Novo Mesto
“Hop on, Hop off” bus
If we talk about buses, tourists often use the “Hop on, Hop off” bus service.
You can travel and explore cities and their sights on it.
In the summer season, you can get on such a bus in the town of Bled and see all the most interesting things in the district, you can get directly to Bohinj, see Radovlytsa , Kobaryd and its surroundings, and seaside towns.
Ticket price: 8 € per day, ticket for children under 10 years old is free.
It is no less pleasant that you can also reach many European cities by bus from Slovenia. There is a bus connection even with cities located at a distance of more than a thousand kilometers – Sweden and Denmark are an example. Almost all buses stop in the capital city of Ljubljana.
More than 1,400 destinations across Europe and beyond – reliable bus carriers. Tickets on international routes start at €5, for example, to Zagreb one way. Most buses have Wi-Fi, plenty of seat spacing, toilets and mobile phone chargers.
Fix buses are popular – they connect Slovenia with other European cities. And also “Nomago”.
In recent years, the number of international lines has increased, and the Ljubljana bus station remains a central transport hub connecting Slovenia with public bus lines.
The schedule of intercity buses in Slovenia can be viewed online.
Ferries in Slovenia
Since 2004, a regular ferry has been operating in the country, connecting the Slovenian city of Piran with the Italian city of Venice. The ferry of Slovenia called “San Paul” accommodates 320 passengers, 35 seats are in the VIP salon. This ferry departs once a week, the duration of the crossing is 2 hours 30 minutes. Ferry prices depend on the month in which you intend to make your trip. For example, in October the price will be around €66, in July you will pay around €115.
Another catamaran ferry “Princess of Venice” departs from the city of Isola. Tickets for both of these ferries are sold at any travel agency on the coast, and they give the right not only to travel, but also to 12-hour use of Venetian public transport. In addition, these tickets can be used to get discounts at some galleries and restaurants.
Airports of Slovenia
The main way for tourists to enter Slovenia is through the air gates. Despite its modest size, the country has three international airports. It is worth noting that even the names of the airports have a national flavor. And they are located on the Adriatic Riviera, in the capital and near the famous ski resort of Maribor. Slovenia’s airports have an excellent infrastructure that allows the traveler to feel comfortable while waiting for departure and upon arrival.
International airports of Slovenia
Each of the presented airports has its charms. The airport in Ljubljana is the main air gate of the country, from where you can easily and conveniently reach any climatic or lake resort. The main advantage is the size. From here you can get to any resort, and most flights are bound for Ljubljana.
Portorož airport is optimally suited for guests of Slovenia who want to enjoy a beach vacation on the Adriatic Riviera. Maribor airport is the most convenient for fans of winter sports. Its location in the immediate vicinity of the famous Montenegrin ski resort plays an important role in planning winter trips. This largest thermal resort is located in the northern part of the country.
The airport of Slovenia, built 20 km north of the center of Ljubljana, is named after Jozef Pucik. Most European airlines fly here regularly, including Air France, Czech Airlines, EasyJet, Turkish Airlines, Finnair, Montenegro Airlines and others.
The national carrier Adria Airways operates the most flights, while Aeroflot delivers Russian travelers to Ljubljana. Flight time from Moscow is about three hours. In the summer, the schedule is supplemented by charter flights from other cities of the Russian Federation.
If we talk about Ukraine, it is worth mentioning Wind Rose, LOT, Lufthansa. Travel time from two hours. Ticket price from $240. Duty-free shops, a currency exchange office, car rental, taxi service, parking, restaurants and a travel agency are at the disposal of passengers at the airport in Ljubljana. Any information about the facility’s operating mode and flight schedule is available on the website.
Tourists who prefer a beach holiday in the resorts of Slovenia can easily use the Portorož POW airport, whose terminal is located just 6 km from the famous Riviera. It opens at 8:00 a.m. in summer and operates until 8:00 p.m., and closes at 4:30 p.m. in winter, accepting only scheduled domestic flights. The size of the airport is quite small, but still the following work here:
- duty-free shop
- taxi service
- a restaurant
- car rental service
There are two basic airlines – Adria Airways and Jat Airways
Administration +386 5 617 51 40
Information for passengers on the website of the airlines of Slovenia .
The Slovenian airport in Maribor – MBX, occupies an intermediate position between the two previous airports – the most convenient for those who fly to the country for the ski slopes. Serves not only international, but also domestic flights.
Maribor airport is equipped with a spacious parking lot, designed for 580 standard parking spaces, plus 10 sectors for buses. There is free parking.
Address: Letaliska Cesta 10
Base airline is Tunisair
Administration: +386 (0)2 629 17 90
Slovenia: between airports. Transport message
It will not be possible to get to Portorož without transfers – the airport accepts only charter flights from Trieste and Ljubljana. One and a half hours on the way on the capital charter — and you are already there. By the way, regular bus service has been established between Portoroz, Ljubljana, the village of Lutsia and the Bernardin hotel complex. The fare on the outskirts of Portorož, as well as in the capital, is about €1.30.
You can get to the city from the capital airport by taxi or public transport. A shuttle bus departs from the terminal about once an hour – the asking price is about 4€. A taxi will cost around €35-40.
The six kilometers from Portorož airport to the beach hotels can also be covered by taxi or chartered car. Almost all hotels in the resort offer a transfer service to their guests, the price is about 15€.