The airports near Slovenia, and how to carry on from each

Trieste, the closest airport to Slovenia

The closest airport is at Ronchi dei Legionari, 94 km from Ljubljana and only 23.5 km from Koper. Nomago runs a direct coach to the capital. By rail, Slovenske železnice suggests going from Ljubljana to Villa Opicina and changing there to the Italian train, which calls at Trieste Centrale and reaches Trieste Airport station, right by the terminal. The airport has around 2,050 parking spaces and a 10-minute stopping area next to the terminal. The full route is in Trieste to Ljubljana.

Klagenfurt and Graz, the Austrian way in

Klagenfurt is the closest to Bled, at 98 km, and 145 km from Ljubljana. City buses run every 30 minutes to the main station, and from there you carry on by train via Villach. Graz is the option for Maribor, 70 km away, with a railway station about 300 m from the terminal and daily trains towards Maribor and Ljubljana.

Venice: more flights, more driving

Marco Polo is 230 km from Ljubljana, about two hours twenty by road, and 140 km from Nova Gorica. In return, it may have a direct flight from your local airport when Ljubljana doesn’t, so check flights to Ljubljana first. FlixBus and Nomago run direct to Ljubljana and, according to the Tourist Board, the coach leaves twice a day. By rail, you first take ACTV bus 15 or the ATVO express to Mestre station, then a train to Trieste. The whole crossing, stage by stage, is in Venice to Ljubljana.

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Zagreb, for the south-east

Franjo Tuđman airport is 153 km from Ljubljana and 52 km from Brežice, the first Slovenian town on that road. Nomago runs direct to Ljubljana. If you prefer rail, the route the Tourist Board describes goes first to Zagreb bus station, around 45 to 50 minutes by public transport, then by tram to the railway station. All the options are in Zagreb to Ljubljana.

Further out: Vienna, Budapest, Pula and Munich

These are second-tier options because of the distance, but sometimes the flight makes up for it. Vienna is 378 km from Ljubljana and Budapest 461 km; from Vienna there’s a direct FlixBus and Nomago coach, and from Budapest a FlixBus one, with more options in Budapest to Ljubljana. Pula, in Istria, is 92 km from Piran. Munich, 405 km away, has international trains to Ljubljana several times a day. The train journey from Austria is covered in Vienna to Ljubljana.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Koper and pick one that fits your day.

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