Trieste to Ljubljana, and Trieste to the Slovenian coast

Trieste to Ljubljana by coach

The Tourist Board lists Ljubljana-Trieste among the regular routes with Italy, and Ljubljana’s tourist board includes Trieste among the direct destinations from its bus station. Of the operators, FlixBus has the most connections from Ljubljana, according to the Tourist Board, and Nomago runs direct to Trieste airport. In Trieste, the bus and railway stations are separated only by a road, so switching between them is easy. Times and fares are on each operator’s website.

By train, changing at Villa Opicina

In its timetable from 7 April 2026, Slovenske železnice lists just a pair of daily services in each direction, both changing trains at Villa Opicina, the Italian station on the plateau just above Trieste. The morning one leaves Trieste Centrale at 9.03am and gets into Ljubljana at 12.05pm; the evening one leaves at 6.57pm and arrives at 10.18pm. Both run via Sežana, Divača and Postojna, so the train also works for the caves. You can board the evening one earlier at the airport station, at 6.28pm. For the full journey in second class you pay €11.60, and just to Villa Opicina, €8. Towards Italy, trains leave Ljubljana at 5.23am and 6.30pm, the latter with a bus between Ljubljana and Logatec until 12 December 2026 because of engineering works. All the lines with Italy are in trains to Slovenia.

Trieste to the Slovenian coast

If you’re heading for Koper, Izola or Piran, there’s no need to go via Ljubljana. According to the Tourist Board, Arriva Slovenija links Trieste and Koper with several buses a day, every day except Sunday. Driving, there’s a new advantage. Since 1 January 2026 DARS has taken both sections of the old coastal expressway out of the vignette system, from the Škofije border to Koper and from Koper to Jagodje, near Izola, a stopgap that will last until the new road from Koper to Dragonja opens. It’s explained in detail in the Slovenian vignette.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Koper before prices climb.

By car, with or without a vignette

The route leaves Trieste on the E61 and E70, according to Ljubljana’s tourist board, and joins the A1 motorway, which does require the e-vignette. It’s about 96 km and just over an hour without traffic, with Postojna halfway, handy for a stop at the caves. With an Italian hire car, the first thing to know is whether the contract lets you cross the border; more in car hire in Slovenia. To link Slovenia with northern Italy and Austria in one trip, see my Slovenia and Italy itinerary.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Koper and choose by the reviews.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Koper before prices climb.