Best Tour to Ljubljana, Slovenia from Trieste, Italy

First off, the City of Trieste is not in Slovenia. It is part of Italy, located on the Gulf of Trieste off the Adriatic Sea. At the end of WWI, it was awarded to the Italians who this time were on the right side of the war.

Nevertheless, it is the perfect port on the Adriatic Sea to begin a tour of Slovenia. You can reach Trieste either by boat or plane. So, it really is the ideal place to start a trip into Slovenia or even into the Istria region of Croatia (see at the bottom of this post for more details about Istria).

Our Visits to Slovenia

However, that is not how we toured Slovenia. We visited twice, once in 2022 and a second visit in 2024. The first trip we toured the western part of Slovenia and entered from Italy (Venice not Trieste).

The second time we took a train from Zagreb, Croatia to Ljubljana, and toured the central part of the country including the famous Lake Bled. However, It was one of the worse train rides of Cos’s life. Not only was the train ride torturous (no A/C and hot, for example), but the Ljubljana train station is also poorly designed (no elevator from the train platform to the station and no English directions to the terminal- try lugging two big luggage bags up the stairs, not knowing which way to go).

So, we now recommend entering from Italy and preferably from Trieste. Trieste to Ljubljana is only a one or two hour trip depending on how you do it. We suggest you plan your trip with plenty of leisure time. Don’t just plan for a day trip. There is plenty to do in Slovenia. In fact, plan on extra days, we suggest a 7-night holiday.

Getting There

There are several options for public transport from Trieste to Ljubljana:

1. Bus: FlixBus operates buses from Trieste to Ljubljana bus station every 2 hours, with tickets costing $10–15. 
2. Train: Trenitalia runs trains from Trieste Centrale to Ljubljana Tivoli twice daily, with tickets priced at $10–18. The train journey takes approximately 2 hours and 37 minutes.
3. Rideshare: If you prefer ridesharing, you can find options through platforms like BlaBlaCar. Uber does not operate in Slovenia.
4. Driving: The distance between Trieste and Ljubljana is approximately 58 miles (93 km), and takes around a one hour drive. However, there are a number of fine details to be aware of when crossing the Slovenian border from Italy into Slovenia. The rental car company needs to approve cross-border travel, and you need to make sure you have paid the road tax for travel in Slovenia.

Some Facts About Trieste, Italy

Trieste has a rich history as it belonged to the Habsburg monarchy from 1382 until 1918. In the 19th century, the monarchy was one of the Great Powers of Europe and Trieste was its most important seaport. As one of Europe’s great coastal towns it was a free port and was known as the free territory of Trieste. As a prosperous trading hub in the Mediterranean region, Trieste grew to become the fourth largest city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (after Vienna, Budapest, and Prague).

In 1918 Trieste became one of the Italian cities. In fact, other than Venice, the most important city in Northeastern Italy. As a deep-water port, it continues as a maritime gateway for northern Italy, Germany, Austria and Central Europe. It is considered the end point of the maritime Silk Road, with its connections to the Suez Canal and Turkey.

James Joyce is one of Trieste’s most famous residents. He also made a name for himself in Ljubljana. Apparently, he got off the train by mistake and spent the night there instead of back home in Trieste. This just supports the notion of visiting Slovenia by starting in Trieste.

Trieste is one of a number of resort towns in the Northeast Adriatic Coast Area.  Slovenia’s main coastal town with great coastal views is Piran. Another resort town in the area that we loved is Rovinj in Croatia.

First Visit-2022: Western Slovenia

Western Slovenia is right across the border from Trieste. During our first visit to Southeastern Europe, our final visit was the country of Slovenia. Given our limited time, we were only able to visit the western part of the country. The Soca River, shown below, is an example of the absolutely beautiful natural wonders of the region.

During our visit, we stayed overnight in Kobarid at the Hisa Franko resort and restaurant in the Soca Valley. Hisa Franko is a two-star Michelin restaurant and is considered one of the top 50 chefs in the world. The chef, Ana Ros, is self-taught and is incredibly creative. See our favorite restaurant post for more information.

Second Visit-2024: Ljubljana, Lake Bled and Other Major Attractions

Since we only visited the western part of Slovenia on our first visit, it seemed necessary to return and tour the central part of the country including Ljubljana and Lake Bled.

Getting to Ljubljana

Our second visit to Slovenia in 2024 started with a train ride from Zagreb, Croatia to Ljubljana, Slovenia. At the time, this seemed to be the best way to travel between the two capitals. However, we were wrong as the train was clearly from a relic from older days, (no A/C) stopped frequently, and was very crowded with no place to store baggage. Including the tight cabin for six and the lady who insisted on having her bag on one of the seats, it was anything but a wonderful, comfortable trip.

The only problem is that the alternatives are no better. Flights between the two cities first go through Belgrade in Serbia and take longer. And, driving a rental car is a problem if you want to rent in one country and drop-off in another. We actually couldn’t find a company that let us do that. So, I hate to hate to say it, but the train may be the best alternative. We will continue to search for other means of transport. We’ve heard the bus may be a better choice.

Visiting Ljubljana

Ljubljana is the capital city of Slovenia. It is surrounded by astounding natural beauty and contains stunning architecture. It is a wonderful place to use as a base to tour the central part of the country or simply take a leisurely walk around the beautiful city. We did the walking tour on our own without a guide and took a little train tour around the city. To be honest, I wouldn’t recommend the train tour, and it might be a good idea to get a guide for the walking tour. Maybe next time.

Anyway, Ljubljana certainly has some picturesque places:

There are some some wonderful places to visit nearby all within an hour’s drive.

Visiting Lake Bled

Lake Bled is the best place to visit if you are looking for natural beauty. We took a day trip from Ljubljana and arrived early in the morning before the crowds. After a short walk around the lake, we jumped on a Plenta Boat to visit the Island. Plenta Boats is an important symbol of the lake. They date back to a tradition from the 17th century when Maria Theresa, the Habsburg Empress granted them permission to ferry visitors to the island. The boats are flat-bottomed without a keel, so weight balance in the boat is critical and the oarsmen need to be strong and very talented.

The Island is capped by a super-cute church and stands as the cornerstone of the lake’s quaintness (please see picture up top). The other church in the city of Bled is also an example of stunning architecture

Visiting Lake Bohinj

Lake Bohinj is a pristine lake, 16 miles southwest of Lake Bled. Unlike Lake Bled, which is a well developed tourist location, Lake Bohinj is a real back-to-nature experience. Robin is pointing out the fish that are easy to spot in the very clean lake.

Visiting Predjama Castle

Visiting Postojna Cave

We skipped Postojna Cave due to time limitations on our trip out to Predjama Castle. However, we recommend you plan for extra time and visit both. It is easy to do both in the same trip. The Postojna Cave is considered one of the best caves in the world and the largest in Slovenia. It has more than 12 miles of explored caves. The tour there covers three of the caves. It is Slovenia’s single most popular tourist attraction.

Visiting Piran

Piran is the main stop on Slovenia’s Adriatic Coast. It is only a few miles from Trieste, so it certainly is worth a stop if you decide to come to Slovenia via Trieste. Piran is one of the most pleasant and user-friendly towns on the Adriatic, much more so than the crowded Croatian towns. The city center and old town with its narrow streets is a wonderful place to wander around.

Final Stop: Lake Zbilje Near The Airport

Istria, Croatia

Istria is one of five provinces in Croatia and is the closest to Trieste and Slovenia. It, along with the western region of Slovenia, is a great area to enjoy some excellent wine tasting. The local wine is excellent. Please visit our Croatia Post to learn more about Istria.