We have visited Slovenia several times both with and without a car. In fact, our most rewarding and memorable trip to Slovenia was actually completely car-free. I’ll explain exactly what we did below.
There are a number of ways to plan a car-free trip to Slovenia. Travelers can access the most sought-after destinations by bus. There are direct buses that connect Ljubljana with Bled and Bohinj as well as seaside destinations along the Adriatic.
To get off the beaten path, keen walkers can sample stretches of Slovenia’s famous long distance trails on this self-guided Best of Alpe-Adria and Juliana Trail. Adventurous outdoor travelers can experience Slovenia on a self-guided trip like Mountains to Sea, which combines mountain biking, hiking, river rafting, and wine tasting.
Solo hikers, couples, and friend groups can join a guided hiking trip like Best Walks in Slovenia (day hikes only), or Discover the Slovenian Alps tour (day hikes and a 3-day hut-to-hut hike).
Alpine hikers can trek across the Slovenian Alps, following one of our recommended routes outlined in hut-to-hut hiking in Slovenia.
If you’re a hiker, I strongly believe hut-to-hut hiking, or a self-guided adventure trip with private transfers is the best way to experience the Slovenian Alps without a car.
- Main Train Station: Ljubljana railway station
- Closest Airports: Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (LJU), Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE), Trieste Airport (TRS), Treviso Airport (TSF), and Zagreb Airport (ZAG)
- Best Places to Stay: Where to Stay in Slovenia
- When to Visit Slovenia without a car: June – September, for hiking July to August
- Hiking Trails: Best Hikes in Slovenia
Bus Travel
Though you’ll likely arrive in Slovenia by train, the most efficient way to travel across Slovenia is by bus. Slovenia’s bus system is clean, safe, and traveler-friendly.
However, because there are several bus companies operating across the country, there isn’t a single platform to look up timetables. And for that reason, it can be cumbersome to plan transit journeys, especially outside of Ljubljana.
Keep in mind that certain bus lines are seasonal and only operate in the high season (late June – mid September).
If you’re flying to Ljubljana, book this airport transfer to Ljubljana’s Central Bus Station, or this airport transfer to Bled. If you’re flying to the Venice Marco Polo Airport, book this bus transfer.
If you arrive in Ljubljana by train, the bus station is located directly outside the train station. You can just walk to the bus station kiosk and purchase your bus tickets on-site.
Though we have always booked our train travel in advance, we have never pre-booked bus travel from Ljubljana. However, you can certainly check timetables and buy tickets online at ap-ljubljana.si.
Beyond Ljubljana, use arriva and nomago to look up timetables and purchase online tickets. Personally, I don’t find these websites very user-friendly. I’d rather use Rome2Rio and Google maps.
For seasonal bus lines and shuttles, tourist destination websites are more helpful. For example, if you want to take a bus from Kranjka Gora to Vršič Pass, Soča Valley, or Vrata Valley, consult kranjska-gora.si. Or, if you want to visit Soča Valley, consult soca-valley.com.
Guided Day Trips
Another way to plan a car-free trip to Slovenia is by picking 1-2 bases and booking a few guided day trips. Guided excursions can help you visit destinations like Soča Valley and attractions like Škocjan Caves that are harder to access without a car, or outside of high season.
If you’re based in Ljubljana, there’s no need to book an excursion to Lake Bled, or Lake Bohinj, as it’s painless to visit both destinations on your own using local buses. However, if you want to visit Postojna Cave & Predjama Castle, Škocjan Caves and Piran, Vipava Valley wine region, or Soča Valley, it’s far easier to do that on a guided day trip.
If you’re staying in Bled for several days, check out this Triglav National Park tour, canyoning and rafting tour and Sava River rafting trip.
Our Car-Free Trip to Slovenia
Our first trip to Slovenia was extremely adventurous, in part due to naivete. We wanted to experience the best of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and the Julian Alps without a car. And the only way to do that is by hiking hut-to-hut across both ranges. So, that’s what we did.
Kati and I traveled by train from Vienna to Ljubljana. We hopped on a bus from Ljubljana to Kamniška Bistrica with a transfer in Kamnik.
We spent the following four days hiking hut-to-hut across the Kamnik-Savinja Alps (challenging). At the end of the trek, we stayed the night in Zgornje Jezersko.
The next morning, we traveled by bus to Kranjka Gora with a transfer in Kranj.
After 2 nights in Kranjska Gora, we took a local bus to Vršič Pass to commence this 4-day Triglav National Park hut-to-hut hike (difficult).
After completing this second trek, we stayed the night around Lake Bohinj.
The next day, we traveled to Bled and onwards to Ljubljana, where we stayed for the final night.
Looking back on the experience, we’re so glad we did it. The Kamnik-Savinja trail was probably a bit reckless, given our experience at the time, but that trip cemented our love of high-alpine hiking. This is a trip for experienced alpine hikers who relish exposure and secured pathways.
For a modified version of this trip, excluding the very challenging Kamnik-Savinja trek, we recommend booking this self-guided Crossing the Julian Alps.
On another car-free trip to Slovenia, we traveled to Ljubljana by train, took a bus to Lake Bohinj, hiked Veliko Spicje Ridge, visited Lake Bled, and then returned to Ljubljana.
Guided Hiking Tours in the Julian Alps
A great way to experience the Slovenian Alps and meet like-minded travelers is on a small group hiking tour with Slotrips, our favorite locally-owned and locally-run hiking operator.
Those that prefer day hiking will love this 8-day Best Walks in Slovenia guided tour.
If you want to experience the wonders of hut-to-hut hiking, this 8-day Discover the Slovenian Alps tour combines a 3-day hut-to-hut hike with other day hikes.
This 3-day Best of the Julian Alps Hut-to-Hut is the perfect choice for those that want to do a short guided trek with the added option of hiking to the summit of Mount Triglav (extra charge).
Self-Guided Adventure Trips
Intrepid travelers who want to go mountain biking, rafting, hiking, and wine tasting, should take a close look at this 9-day Mountains to Sea self-guided tour. The beauty of booking this self-guided trip is that you can hand over all the heavy-lifting like booking transfers and renting gear to a trustworthy tour operator.
Another very cool self-guided trip to consider is this 8-day Best of Alpe-Adria and Juliana Trail, which samples sections of two famous long distance trails. This is the best way to see Triglav National Park (including Soca Valley and Pokljuka Plateau) without a car, if you want to steer clear of steep high-alpine hiking. Also check out the shorter 4-day Alpe Adria Trail Adventure.
If you’re visiting in high-season (July – August) and loathe crowds, this 4-day Trekking the Karawanks trip is a good option.
More self-guided adventures | 4-day Triglav National Park Adventure and 7-day Mountains and Lakes Hut-to-Hut
Using Transit to Get to Trailheads
A lot of readers want to know: which day hikes are accessible with transit?
Here’s what you can easily do with transit, or seasonal shuttles:
Lake Bled | Mala Osojnica Viewpoint and Vintgar Gorge
Lake Bohinj | Ride the seasonal shuttle to Pokljuka to hike Mount Triglav (2-day) and Viševnik. Ride the seasonal shuttle to Planina Blato to hike Seven Lakes Valley Day Hike, or Veliko Špičje (2-day). Ride the Vogel cable car to hike Mount Vogel.
Kranjska Gora | Read our Kranjska Gora travel guide and Julian Alps Hiking Trails.
More Car-Free Travel Guides
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