Ljubljana

Ljubljana Basics

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A Word From Our Mayor

'For me, Ljubljana is the most beautiful city in the world - a capital unique for its special position in the heart of Slovenia. As a city with rich history and cultural heritage, it attracts more visitors every year from near and far. The most important ambassadors for Ljubljana are undoubtedly our residents, who immerse themselves in the mix of cultures and always ensure a touch of comfort and warmth with their openness, kindness and hospitality. Welcome to Ljubljana!' - Zoran Janković - Mayor

Basic Data

Population
Slovenia - 2,066,161 (2017 estimate)
Ljubljana - 278,853 (2015 estimate)

Area
20,273 square kilometres

Ethnic Composition
Slovenian 83%, Former Yugoslav minorities 5.3%, Hungarian, Albanian, Roma, Italian and others 11.7%

Official Languages
Slovenian, Italian, Hungarian

Local Time
Central European (GMT +1)

Longest River
Sava (221km in Slovenia)

Highest Mountain
Triglav - 2,864m

Borders
Austria 318km, Italy 280km, Hungary 102km, Croatia 670km

Crime & Safety

Ljubljana is one of the safest capitals in the world. We're aware that everywhere claims this, but the only prevalent crime here is bicycle theft (which we cleverly avoided by adorning our bike with flowers) which is unlikely to affect short term visitors to the city. Nowhere in the city is unsafe to walk at any hour, although if you're by yourself it's probably best to avoid certain parts of Tivoli Park in the middle of the night. The only real threat to safety in the city comes from out-of-control cyclists and negligent drivers not paying attention to pedestrians. Perhaps a secondary menace are slow-to-react automatic doors that seem to be installed in shops across Ljubljana - causing hurried consumers much grief, the rare minor injury and major embarrassment.

If Things Go Wrong

In the unlikely event that something goes wrong during your time in Ljubljana, the emergency number is 112 for fire, rescue, and ambulance and 113 for police. If possible, find someone who speaks Slovene to help you make the call since there is no guarantee of finding an English speaker on the other end. The nearest Casualty Unit (Emergency Room) to the city centre can be found at the University Medical Center, at Zaloška cesta 2, and emergency treatment is free for members of EU, EEA, and Switzerland. We also list local pharmacies, dentists, and other services in the directory. You can find it here. If you find yourself in trouble with the police, call your embassy immediately. The numbers for all embassies can be found here under Foreign Representation in the directory. Useful Emergency Words:

NA POMOČ! (NAH POH-MOCH) – HELP!
gasilci (GAH-SEELT-SEE) – firemen
policija (POH-LEET-SEE-AH) – police
bolnišnica (BOW-NEESH-NEET-SA) - hospital

Alcohol & Cigarettes

Drinking

Alcohol is only sold to people over 18, and sadly after 21:00 it cannot be bought in stores. The bars of the city stay open long enough so this isn't an issue. When inebriated on the streets late at night, do remember to stay respectful to the city you are a guest in.

Smoking

Cigarettes can't be sold to people under 18. Slovenia has also banned smoking from public indoor spaces except in special smoking areas in offices, hotels and bars. Don't leave your butts on the floor either, there are plenty of bins around for them.

Money

Saying goodbye to the tolar in 2007, Slovenia adopted the euro in January of that year. Euro coins come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, 1 and 2 euros, while banknotes come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros. The Slovenian side of the euro coins are decorated with among other things storks, Mount Triglav, Lippizaner horses, a man sowing stars and a Jože Plečnik design.

Toilets

Clean and pleasant (as far as toilets go) public toilets can be found at Butcher's Bridge, Kongresni Trg and in the Plečnik Passageway west of Zvezda Park (07:00 - 23:00), at Triple Bridge (07:00 - 24:00), Dragon Bridge (07:00 - 15:00, closed Sun), the northern Bežigrad exit of the passage way under the main railway station and in Tivoli Park near the children's playground (open 24 hours). The use of the toilets if free, and the ones in the Plečnik Passageway and under Butcher's Bridge also seem to come with 90's club lighting, which is a plus in our book. Most toilets are managed by the municipal works company Snaga.

Tipping

Tipping still isn't much of a thing in Ljubljana, to the extent that if you pay for a €1.30 espresso with €1.50 the waiter will not only dutifully return the €0.20 balance, but may very well chase you down to let you know that you've forgot your change if you try to leave it on the table. That said, both the habit of leaving gratuity as well as the average level of service have been incrementally increasing in recent years, and we tend to round up the bill if the service is okay, leave 10 per cent if its good, and tip like an American (ie 20 per cent or more) when waiters have made the dining experience a truly enjoyable one. Salaries in the hospitality sector in Slovenia tend to be quite modest, so even if it's not the local norm tips will of course always be appreciated.


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