Slovenia - Ljubljana - a short break with the bikes

Meeting the neighbours in the South

From Castle Hill - looking down on the old town of Ljubljana

Austria is pretty much at the centre of Europe and our village, Bad Hofgastein, is on a main North–South railway line so there are many opportunities for short breaks to neighbouring countries.  This time we opted for a short trip to the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. It’s a place we did not know much about but with Mr and Mrs T ensconced there for the summer we knew we would find a willing guide with, if nothing else, a good knowledge of the local watering holes. 

Slovenia has been independent for about 20 years having formerly been part of Yugoslavia. The population is just over 2 million. They are in the EC, use the Euro and the locals speak excellent English so it’s a pretty straightforward place to spend a few days despite the difficult name - they seem to have an aversion to vowels!

So we loaded up our bikes and headed for the train. You have to pre-book bikes over here and you are given printed labels to hang on the bars for each sector. It is worth putting all the sector labels on the bike from the start, changing trains can be a little fraught! Taking a bike costs 10 Euros per person each way. There was also an added cost because we could not take advantage of the special discounted fares that are on offer for direct trains. We were going to have to change in Villach, about an hour to the south, onto a Slovenian train.  (The return trip cost 144 Euros for us, 40 Euros for the bikes). 

Getting there on the train

 Austria trains are pretty good, we had seat reservations and they have a layout of the train on the platform so we knew where to stand for our carriage. Wrong! The train was nothing like the expected layout and our carriage was at the tail of the train. Panic! Just a minute to lift the bikes into the front guards’ compartment and then get ourselves and our panniers onto the rear is mission impossible. Luckily we found some seats near the front and were on our way towards Villach via Bad Gastein, Malnitz and Spittal.

At Villach we needed to change trains but we had about twenty minutes to spare and the train was already in the station. Wonderful, no worries here then. Wrong! We loaded the bikes on the train and I suggested that TW might like to take the last opportunity to use Austrian toilet facilities before we headed south. She disappeared downstairs but returned a few minutes later saying she needed 50 cents for the toilet. No problem, still plenty of time, I gave her a bag of change and she disappeared again. With two minutes to go to departure time I started to worry, she is going to miss it! There was no way I could get the bikes and bags off in time so they were likely to end up in Belgrade! My first thought was to get down on the tracks and stand in front of the train but quickly decided that would be overkill. I opted to grab our back-packs and hold the carriage door open and hope she wasn't locked in the lav!. She arrived back with seconds to spare. Apparently my change did not include a 50 cent piece. After feeding in 10’s and 20’s that were rejected she had gone onto the concourse, hands outstretched, looking for the elusive coin and was shunned as a beggar. Then she had attempted to get change at a couple of outlets and was told to wait in the queue. Eventually she gained access to the last Austrian loo. “I didn’t really need to go” she said on her return to the train.

Kongresni Trg.

Oh well, on our way again. Across the border and a lengthy stop at a rather depressing looking Jesinice before stops at a sprightly looking Lake Bled and our final destination of Ljubljana..

Ljubljana

Mr T met us at the station with his bike which was handy and guided us to our Apartment about 10 minutes away. Ljubljana is very bike friendly but he explained that we needed to keep our wits about us! There were Cycle lanes all the way but some paths share with the pavement which makes it interesting. Mr T, who has been in the City for a while, rode like a Slovenian. That means fast and furious! We managed to keep him in sight most of the time. At least he didn’t ride with ‘no hands’ whilst texting like some locals. Accommodation is expensive in the City but we had booked an apartment in the centre for 65 Euros a night. It didn’t look much from the outside but was OK for three nights and, importantly, its location in the old town was excellent.  Just a few moments on the bike led to a Riverside lined with bars and restaurants.  TW insisted we loaded the fridge with provisions before we could go for a 'dust-buster' so it was off to the local Mercator store. Mercator was a big player in our trip! 

Riverside Dining

Mercator seems to have a food retailing monopoly and branches of various sizes are dotted about all over town. They are handy places to buy a cheap lunch to eat ‘Al Fresco’ in the parks and gardens. We had advised our guide that we did not do museums, unless it rained, so he substituted Mercators? We certainly saw the inside of a few.

Anyway, with breakfast in the fridge it was off to the Riverside for a beer and a meal and some 'people watching.'

For the next two days we toured the town and saw the sights on our bikes, taking plenty of coffee stops and very necessary beer breaks. We were lucky with the weather, apparently it normally rains quite a bit. The riverside was like a mini Venice with bars and restaurants on either side but without the droves of tourists.

Anyway, we enjoyed our short stay, the drivers were very courteous to cyclists, waving us across at zebra crossings and giving us plenty of room. Prices were reasonable for meals, beer and coffee. Beer was either Union or Lasko. When you ask which is best you normally get a smile, the bar staff all seem to have a favourite.

A place to relax by the river

Tivoli Gardens - nice coffee stop

Presernog Trg

Heading up to the castle

Mr T taking us for a ride, this is a memorial trail around the city
following the line of a barbed wire barricade built by the Nazi's

Kongresni Trg.

Cheers - Ljubljana lubrication! - Union
this time.

Wheels on fire - even night cycling was safe

Birdie on a bike

Saw this Catalpa tree

All too soon it was time to head back North on the train. The previous evening we sat under a strange tree by the river with heart shaped leaves hanging with French beans. We did not know what kind of tree it was until we met an American student in our train compartment. It's a Catalpa! You always meet people on trains.
I did not permit TW any toilet stops this time so things went relatively smoothly! Bit of a rush at Villach to change trains and I ended up sitting in a Ladies Only compartment. I crossed my legs and sat quietly and they let me stay.


Reasons to visit Ljubljana
Most bike friendly town ever!
Attractive central pedestrianised area.
Nice parks and gardens
Mercator Supermarkets - have to include this otherwise Mr T might be upset after all his efforts..
Plenty of bars and restaurants that were not too expensive and were great for people watching. (told off for commenting on the lovely legs of the Slovenian Ladies).
We had a good guide staying there (when we could keep up anyway).
Nice ride on the train,  it took about 3.5 hours each way.
Efficient bus services in town although we did not need them..
We did not feel like tourists, seemed like mainly locals around; apart from at the castle above the city.
The locals speak very good English.
Everything very easy, nobody checked our passports and they use the Euro.


Reasons to think twice
Lot of graffiti - surprising really because otherwise the place was clean and tidy
Accommodation in the city is relatively expensive, particularly pricey hotels.
Not so great for pedestrians, scooters also use the bike lanes!.