Public transport in Ljubljana

1. Tips for studying abroad in Ljubljana – Study abroad in Ljubljana
2. How to get to Ljubljana – Getting to Ljubljana by plane, train, bus or car
3. Public transport in Ljubljana
4. Accommodation for students in Ljubljana & Cost of living
5. Save money in Ljubljana - Tips for living in Ljubljana on a student budget
6. Ljubljana neighbourhoods – The most important districts of Ljubljana
7. Ljubljana Nightlife – A guide to nightclubs and going out in Ljubljana’s
8. Where to eat in Ljubljana – Slovenian cuisine and gastronomy in Ljubljana
9. The best things to do in Ljubljana
10. Festivals in Ljubljana – Festivals and events in Ljubljana
11. Day trips from Ljubljana – Places to visit and Excursions around Ljubljana
12. Ljubljana in 3 days – what to see and do in 3 days

In Ljubljana you will not find many other options for public transport than the bus as it is the only public transport in a city of about 280 000 inhabitants. In the centre you can easily make everything by foot as the main attractions, bars, cafés etc. are close together. If you take the bus, be aware of the driving style of the bus drivers. They seem to like especially going deeply into bends. Also the buses do not have that many seats as other cities. This is good for people with buggies but annoying if you are tired and just want to sit down in the bus until you are home. Depending on the district you are living in, you might be able to do everything by foot.

Otherwise buying a bike or using the city bike system is very popular among students in Ljubljana as well. And as long as you lock your bike with a proper lock onto something, it will not be stolen that easily.

Urbana card

As Ljubljana inhabits 280 000 people, buses dominate the public transportation system. You cannot buy a ticket on the bus, I mean, you can and maybe the bus driver will give you a ticket but it’s not common sense to do that in Ljubljana and some bus drivers refuse to give you a ticket then. You need an Urbana card, it is a plastic card with a chip inside on which you can upload a certain amount of money. To upload money on your card, you usually need to go to a big station. When you’re in the bus you just hold the card against a little machine and it takes the amount for one drive from your card. It is valid for 90 minutes then. If you switch the bus, you have to hold the card again against the little machine but the system knows if you are still in that time of driving time so it does not take the amount for another ride again.

The card itself costs 2€ and you get it at the LPP (Ljubljana Passenger Transport) which is located at Slovenska cesta 56, in the city center. You can put as much money as you want on the card between 1€ to 50€, one bus ride is 1,20€. If you only use the card for some rides, you can take the yellow one, another option would be a monthly card which is blue. Maybe it helps to have the monthly card in the winter months but from March on you will not really need it. And if everything is in walking distance for you anyway, the yellow card is more than fine.

Bicikelj

It is also possible to use the city bike system of Ljubljana to move around Ljubljana. There are 38 stations within the whole city so you can easily get from one point to another. To use this service you also need an Urbana card. With this one you go to a bike station and activate it for the first time by choosing your own PIN. There are different rates that will be taken from your credit card, it depends on for how long you want to use the city bike system. These are the rates:

• Rate for an annual subscription card → 3,00 €
• Rate for a 7-Day ticket → 1,00 €
• Renewal of a Credit Card → 1,00 €

There is also the hourly rate of the system, the first hour does not cost you anything, until then, yes:

• First 60 minutes → 0,00 €
• Next 60 minutes → 1,00 €
• Third 60 minutes → 2,00 €
• Any further 60 minutes → 4,00 €

Bicycle

Of course you can also buy yourself a bicycle for the time you are in Ljubljana. The market is quite big and it is common for Erasmus students to get a bike when they are in Ljubljana. There are Facebook groups just for selling bikes and also a Slovenian web page. On this you might have to contact the people with your best Google translate Slovenes as mostly locals offer bikes and do not really speak English. The prices vary between 20€ to 25€ (which is really cheap) up to 70€. If you buy one from a person, make a test ride first, check, if the brakes work (very important as Slovenes drive sometimes like being totally crazy through the streets and there are not too many bike line, so you will need to bike on the road at some point), if there is a bell and also if the wheels don’t get flat immediately. About having lights on the bike when it dark … let’s say Slovenes do not really care about that. But for your own safety (so that at least you will be seen by cars) it might be good to have light, you can buy little ones to attach to the bike in every bikeshop.

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