Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
daily 8:00-21:00; Oct-May Mon-Fri8:00-19:00,Sat-Sun9:00-17:00; Krekovtrg10,tel. 01/
306-4575).
At either TI, pick up a pile of free resources: the big city map, the
Tourist Guide,
the
monthly events guide, and a wide range of informative brochures. The TI also offers a free
room-finding service.
The
Ljubljana Tourist Card,
which includes access to public transportation and covers
entry to many city museums as well as the TI's walking tours and boat trips, can save busy
sightseers some money (€23/24 hours, €30/48 hours, €35/72 hours).
By Train:
Ljubljana's modern, user-friendly train station (Železniška Postaja) is at the
northern edge of the city center. Emerging from the passage up to track 1a, turn right and
walkunderthelongcanopyalongthetraintrackstofindtheyellowarrivalshall.Everything
iswell-signedinEnglish,includingthehandytrain-informationoffice(withusefulhandouts
outlining trips toseveral domestic andinternational destinations, daily 5:30-21:30),lockers,
and—near the front of the station—a big
ticket office
with clearly marked ticket windows
andan
ATM
(officeopendaily5:00-22:00).Arrivalsare
prihodi,
departuresare
odhodi,
and
track is
tir
.
The main square is an easy 10-minute
walk
from the station; you can walk to any of my
recommended hotels within about 20 minutes (often less). To reach Prešeren Square at the
city'scenter,leavethearrivalshalltotherightandwalkalongblockalongthebusyTrgOs-
vobodilne Fronte (or “Trg O.F.” for short, with the bus station in the middle). After passing
all of the bus stalls, turn left across Trg O.F. and go down Mikloši
č
eva, at the building with
the round red-brick columns. This takes you past some of Ljubljana's most appealing archi-
tecture to Prešeren Square.
Unscrupulous
taxis
crouchinfrontofthestation,waitingtospringonunsuspectingtour-
ists.Thefairmeteredratetoanyofmyrecommendedhotelsisaround€3(maybeupto€4-5
inheavytrafficorafterhours).But,becausethecityrefusestoregulatetaxitariffs,train-sta-
tion taxis uniformly charge exorbitant rates—generally around €3-5 per kilometer (plus an
extra fee of around €2-3 for bags), which is exponentially more than the €1 per kilometer
charged by legitimate outfits. Simply put, it's impossible to hail a taxi on the street in front
of the station and get anything resembling a fair fare. But all hope is not lost—to avoid giv-
ing these crooks the satisfaction, you can simply call for a taxi that charges fair rates (dial
041-731-831 or 080-1190). Taking the time to call, then waiting just a few more minutes
for your cab, could easily save you €10 or more. For more on taxis—and how to avoid rip-
offs—see “Getting Around Ljubljana—By Taxi,” later.
