Venice to Ljubljana, three ways across the border

Venice to Ljubljana by coach

For Ljubljana, it’s what I’d do. The Tourist Board lists direct FlixBus and Nomago services between Ljubljana and Venice airport, and Ljubljana’s tourist board includes both Venice Mestre and Marco Polo among the direct international destinations from its bus station. From the airport, the Tourist Board says, the coach runs twice a day and you can book a seat online. It drops you at the capital’s bus station, currently on its temporary site next to the railway station. Times and fares vary by operator, so check their websites. If you’re still choosing an airport, compare them first in airports near Slovenia.

By train at weekends, via Nova Gorica

Since 2025, the year Nova Gorica and Gorizia shared the title of European Capital of Culture, Slovenske železnice and Trenitalia have kept two pairs of direct trains between Venezia Mestre, Gorizia Centrale and Nova Gorica on Saturdays, Sundays and Italian public holidays, and they carried over into the new timetable that began on 14 December 2025. An adult Nova Gorica-Venezia Mestre ticket costs €16.10 and a child’s (6 to 12) €8.10. From Nova Gorica, the Soča Valley lies to the north and the Brda wine hills just to the west. Trenitalia publishes the times; check them before you go, because engineering works can change them. More trains from Italy are in trains to Slovenia.

By train on any day, via Trieste

The rest of the week, the train goes via Trieste. There are plenty of trains from Mestre to Trieste, and from there Slovenske železnice suggests two daily departures towards Ljubljana, at 9.03am and 6.57pm, changing at Villa Opicina and arriving at 12.05pm and 10.18pm. The Trieste Centrale-Ljubljana ticket costs €11.60. If you land at Venice airport, first get to Mestre station on ACTV bus 15 or the ATVO express. All the details of that last stretch are in Trieste to Ljubljana. If the plan is a three-country trip, it’s in my Slovenia and Italy itinerary.

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

By car or transfer

By car, the Tourist Board gives 230 km to Ljubljana, 175 km to Koper and 140 km to Nova Gorica from Marco Polo airport. GoOpti runs shared or private transfers from the neighbouring airports. If you’re driving, remember you need the e-vignette as soon as you join a Slovenian motorway; it’s sold on the DARS website and linked to your number plate. How and where is in the Slovenian vignette. And if the car is an Italian hire, check with the company that you’re allowed to take it across the border.

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

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