Slovenia Travel Guide

Adria Airways, the country’s national carrier, British Airways, and a host of low-cost airlines including Wizzair, Easyjet and Ryanair all have various services from the UK to Ljubljana.

Many visitors to Slovenia also fly into Graz in Austria for Eastern Slovenia, Maribor) or to Klagunfurt in Austria for Bled, Bohinj and Kranjska Gora or Pula in Croatia or Trieste in Italy for the coast..

If the direct services to Slovenia from the UK don’t work for you then with a little research into the geography of the region and you may find some useful alternatives.

I would recommend hiring a car in Slovenia as driving is easy, the roads are not that busy once you are out of Ljubljana and once behind the wheel, you will have the freedom to visit off-the-beaten-path places which ultimately will save you money.

The easiest place to hire a car is at Ljubljana airport. Here you will find all the major companies, like Avis, Hertz, Europcar, Enterprise or Sixt. The rent a -car building, where all the car rental offices are, is across the street from the arrivals terminal.

You can also rent a car in Ljubljana or other smaller cities, like Bled, if that’s the start journey of your trip. Some companies do prove a pickup and collection service some at cost.

You need to be at least 18 and have a driving license for at least 2 years and have a credit card with you. You will be asked for your passport as well when you pick up the car, and it needs to match your driving license.

Hiring a sat nav will cost you another £8-10 per day. Do you need it – well I didn’t however if you are travelling alone it is probably a good idea as looking at a map while driving is not recommended!

If you are driving up into the mountains and perhaps doing my recommended road trip along the Sava river to the Vrsic Pass then I would get an automatic as the mountain bends are tiring.

The most popular ferry in Slovenia is the one used by locals and hordes of tourists from Piran to Venice for a day trip. The Venezia line ship takes about 310 passengers with the crossing 3 hours and costs about 70-75 euros per adult and 50% reduction for children.

There is the option of a VIP ticket which provides the VIP Salon – an exclusive area on the top deck of the boat seating maximum of 30 people. It has leather seats and lounge-style seating plus a higher view from the elevated position. Guests travelling in the VIP Salon will depart the boat first plus are offered a free welcome drink.

Taxis are a good way of getting around although I much prefer my own car. A word of warning though in the major tourist areas such as Bled or Ljubljana it is always best to get an upfront price. A journey from Ljubljana airport should cost approximately 40 Euros to Bled.

In the more remote mountainous or smaller towns taxis are limited and can be expensive. My advice is to plan ahead so you don’t need one or have your own car.

I really love Ljubljana railway station and seem to have spent quite a lot of time there over the years. It is a short ten-minute walk from there into Ljubljana centre. The capital has direct train services to all the major neighbouring European cities and a few more besides. Here is a little guide as to what is available. I took the train to Budapest a few years back and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

You may want to consider an Interrail Slovenia Rail pass or an Interrail Global pass with access to 33 countries – it just depends on how much you plan to use them.