Ljubljana, as Slovenian capital city, has quite many taxi services, but unfortunately not all of them are worth your money. In this article I will describe some tips how to choose your taxi service in Ljubljana in order to save money and avoid difficulties.

1.)    It’s better to call taxi than to stop it on the street

You might think that this is strange, but it is cheaper in many cases to call a taxi and wait for it (I admit, it’s strange, because taxi has fewer expenses if it is already where you are). But, in Ljubljana, many taxi services have two rates (tariffs) and if you stop a taxi on the street they usually charge the higher one. So, if you have time, I suggest you call a taxi rather than stop one on the street. If you are in a hurry, take into the consideration my next piece of advice.

2.)    Always ask for the price

When you sit in the cab (if you stop a taxi on the street or if you choose one parked along the road) or when you are talking on the phone with dispatcher (if you are ordering taxi), always tell where you are and where you are going and then ask how much will that cost you. If the price seems too high, leave the cab or say goodbye to dispatcher and find another taxi. The reason for doing this is that many drivers might think you are naïve (because you are tourist) and might charge you more than they should. In order to avoid that it is necessary to determine the price in advance.

Normal price for a taxi in Ljubljana is around 1€ for the start (the static price regardless of mileage) + from 0.6€ – 1€ for every kilometer of the way. The normal price for waiting hour is about 13€. 

3.)    Require a bill  

The best and the easiest way to avoid illegal taxis is to inform the driver that you want a bill before the drive starts. There aren’t many illegal taxis in Ljubljana, but you never know (especially if you stop a taxi on the street – if you call one the chances of getting illegal one are close to zero).

4.)    Ask for the driver that knows English

That pretty much says it all. When you call to order a taxi, ask for the driver that knows English in order to avoid problem with communications. Almost every driver knows English basics, so you probably won’t have problems with that.

5.)    Tip only if you are content with the drive

Taxi drivers like tips, but they aren’t offended if you don’t give it. So, if you want to tell your taxi driver that you liked the drive, tell him that you were pleased with the service and give some tip if you want. Don’t give tips just because you think it’s polite.

The list of major taxi services in Ljubljana with phone numbers:

Taxi Metro: +386 (0)80 11 90
Taxi Zvezda: +386 (0)51 809 908
Taxi Laguna: +386 (0)80 11 17
Taxi Intertours: +386 (0)80 311 311
Taxi Društvo Ljubljana: +386 (0)1 234 9000

In this article I would like to present you the river Ljubljanica – the river flowing through Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia. Hopefully you will discover some interesting hidden spots to visit on your Slovenia holidays.

Ljubljanica rises in Močilnik (beautiful place near Vrhnika you might want to visit) and its journey ands in Podgrad, where it outfalls in the river Sava (which flows through Zagreb, Belgrade and then outflows in the river Danube). It is 41 km long.

Until now I was talking about so called “Little Ljubljanica” which is only the last part of “Big Ljubljanica”. Owing to special landscape called Karst (Kras) in western Slovenia, rivers don’t flow just on the surface, but they also flow underground. Which means that the same “river” flows one part of its journey on the surface, then disappears and later comes back on the surface. Then disappears again and later come on the surface once more. This is typical of all Karst rivers and it is also one of the reasons for so many caves in Karst. As you will be able to see in Postojna cave or other similar caves, through every cave flows a river.

River disappearing underground

Few centuries ago people didn’t know that rivers in Karst can disappear and then come back on the surface; they thought that they are seeing different rivers – so they named the same river seven times. So now each part of the river on the surface has different name, but practically we are talking about the same river. These names are: 1.) Trbuhovica (Prezidsko polje – Babno polje); 2.) Obrh (Loška dolina – Cerkniško polje); 3.) Stržen; 4.) Rak; 5.) Pivka (flows through Postojna cave); 6.) Unica; 7.) Ljubljanica.

Ljubljanica is interesting for tourist especially as river flowing through Ljubljana, because of sightseeing tours on boats. Other, more hidden parts of the river Ljubljanica might be interesting as well, especially places where the river leaves the surface and goes underground.  

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The main, most important, we could say the only public transport in Ljubljana is Ljubljana’s city bus. Ljubljana doesn’t have tram or any similar type of transport. Of course there are trains, but they only drive to and from Ljubljana, not between different parts of the city.

You will get or probably find without problem maps with timetables and routes schemes. But, because the system has changed this year, you may have difficulties with paying the rides. Until September 2009, we were paying bus rides with cash or we had monthly tickets. In September, the system has changed – bus ride can only be paid by special Urbana Card (it looks like credit card from the outside). So, your very first main concern, when you decide to use Ljubljana city bus is to get Urbana. It costs 2€ (only the card, without any cash on it).

You can buy Urbana in the Tourist information Center (located in the center, near market hall), in one of many tobacco shops, at the Central bus station or even in some supermarkets.  It is possible to pay rides for more people at the same time with one Urbana, so if you are a group and you ride together you can only buy one Urbana.

When you buy Urbana, you also have to fill it and the best thing to do is that you fill it where you bought it to avod any further problems. You can also add credit using machines called Urbanomat. They are recognizable by their green color. You can put in from 1€ to 50€. Every ride costs 0,80€ and during 90 minutes, counting from the start of the ride you can change as many buses as you want. So, you loose 0,80€/person on your Urbana and you can use any bus you want for 90 minutes. The ride is charged when you enter the bus, not when you leave!

Urbanomat

When you enter the bus, simply touch the card to one of the green card readers (usually near the driver), everything else will be done automatically.

What about safety on the buses? Of course it is possible some pickpockets will find you, but it is rather unlikely. That of course doesn’t mean you don’t need to be careful, but you don’t have to panic about that either. Use normal travel wallets (those you can carry under t-shirt) and everything will be ok.

For those who will come in Ljubljana by car and don’t want to drive in the center, there is another option. You can park at “Dolgi most P+R” parking (exit Ljubljana-West from the highway) and only pay 1€ for whole day parking. You also get two tickets for bus, but they can be used only on bus number 6 or 6B, driving from Dolgi most through center in Črnuče.

When you are planning your Slovenia holidays, you probably won’t forget to include Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia. When I go traveling in foreign cities, one of my biggest concerns is always the problem of transport – how am I going to move from one part of the city to another? But, because Ljubljana is my home town I can give you some good tips to resolve this problem. I will concentrate on “private” means of transport; public transport will be described in other article.

Driving in Ljubljana by car

If you are type of person who likes to drive in cities (so you probably hate public transport), this is a good option for you.  It is also possible to use your car in Ljubljana. Because Ljubljana is not a big city, it isn’t very likely to fall into traffic jam (especially in summer time). Rush hour is usually from 7.30 to 8.30 AM and from 3.30 to 4.30 PM. But, even if you drive during rush hour it isn’t that horrible. It will take more time, but you will get everywhere (It’s not like in major cities, where traffic isn’t moving for an hour).

You can park in the city center – there are two options. Cheaper one is to park on the streets in city center – they cost 60 eurocents per hour, but parking time is limited for 2 hours (from 8.00AM to 6.00PM, before and after parking is free and time is not limited). If you park on the street don’t worry for your car – Ljubljana isn’t like Rome – your car will probably be the same (without scratches, bumps etc.) when you come back. Second option is to park in park garages – they are more expensive (up to 2.5€/h), but time isn’t limited.

Taxi transport in Ljubljana

Taxi services are well developed in Ljubljana. I only have one important suggestion for you – do not stop taxi on the street, because they will most commonly charge you much more than if you call taxi service and then taxi picks you up. Look in tourist brochures or ask in hotels to get a specific phone number. Normal taxi prices are from 1€/km. It’s important to ask for the price before you start the ride.

Riding a bicycle or driving a scooter

It’s possible to rent a bike in Ljubljana for as little as 1€/day. Ljubljana has well organized bicycle trails network (in Ljubljana and also whole circle around Ljubljana). Attention: It’s not allowed to drive scooter on bicycle trails in Slovenia! 

Walking in Ljubljana

If your hotel is located in the center of Ljubljana, the best way to enjoy the beauty of Ljubljana is by foot. City center isn’t big; you can walk from one part of the center to another in less than half an hour (easy walk). Even if you came in the center by car, bus, taxi or however, I suggest walk through the center – it’s the best and easiest way for sightseeing in Ljubljana. The best walk is from center of Ljubljana on Castle hill (also in center of Ljubljana) – it takes around 20 minutes. But if you don’t want to walk, you can go on the Castle hill by funicular.

The capital city of Slovenia is Ljubljana. Ljubljana is not a typical capital city with high skyscrapers, heavy traffic all day long, Chinese district, people from everywhere and many troubles like polluted air and garbage on the street.

Ljubljana is a rather small city, with 300.000 citizens, many historical and also several modern buildings, with fresh air and clean streets.

Although Ljubljana is small compared to other Europe metropolis, it is the largest city in Slovenia.
Ljubljana is a place for tourists who like to enjoy modern city culture at daytime, but during the night they like peace. Because of Ljubljana’s littleness, Ljubljana is a very quiet city at night. That’s why Ljubljana is appropriate for families with little children.

But this doesn’t mean there is no night life in Ljubljana – contrary! Ljubljana offers tourists and young people many parties, concerts of celebrities and for those who like to meet new people, many other places to hang out.

Ljubljana is also one of the safest cities in the world. According to Global Peace index ranking, Slovenia is world’s ninth safest country.

Historically, Ljubljana was established in the times of Roman Empire. Roman name for Ljubljana was Emona (there are remains of roman wall in the city center). Ljubljana continued developing its culture during the middle age – therefore Ljubljana is culturally rich city. The main symbol of Ljubljana is medieval Ljubljana’s castle on castle hill of Ljubljana. When visiting Ljubljana, visit of the castle is also important because of the view it provides – the whole city can be seen from it.

Citizens of Ljubljana are friendly and hospitable. That makes city even more attractive. Ljubljana also has its own, world famous university (University of Ljubljana) that is why Ljubljana also has many libraries. With several museums, Ljubljana can satisfy even most pretentious cultural fans. Owing to Slovenian catholic tradition, Ljubljana has many cathedrals as well.

When planning Slovenia holidays, Ljubljana is a must see. Once people see Ljubljana, they don’t want to go back home. If they don’t decide to stay, they take home some very pleasant memories.