Lovely Ljubblyjana is just a half hour drive or so from the Lodge, but we like nothing better than parking up at our local Postojna train station and taking the train into the Big Smoke instead, for a car free day in one of the cutest capital cities in Europe..

This is also a popular route for our guests travelling to the Lodge or wanting to do exactly the same day out we will now describe below, without a car.. Logical, Green & Simple..

From Tivoli station you can be here in about 10 mins flat for the iconic river vista..

But whenever we tell our friends or locals here we do this train trip and leave the car at Postojna station, they are absolutely horrified, cos pretty much nobody uses the train here!

That is such a shame, cos Green Slovenia does have a really cute little modern train network and you can get great green value for your pocket too, by selecting the train journeys here that make sense. Otherwise it is the bus..

The local stations are really cool, looking like venues for Spaghetti Western shoot outs..

For example, there should be, but there is not a direct train route from the airport to Ljubblyjana or Bled to Ljubblyjana.. It is the bus or changing trains for these two relatively short distances..

But Postojna to the Capital really makes sense, so grab your headphones and bottle of water and come on a bit of a train ride with us..

You get to see so much local behind the scenes stuff from the train..

We deliberately located Lipizzaner Lodge in the very best location between the mountains & the sea for guests to whizz around the best bits by foot, bike and car, (hopefully more & more in E Cars, but let's see) and train or bus.. 

It was also very important for us to be just 20 mins from Lipica, the home of the Lipizzaner horse AND to be close to a important logistical town with a bus and train station.. we chose to be 10 mins over on the sunnier side of Postojna..

Sounds simple and it really was!

Hugging the local road..

So Postojna is just a 10 min drive from the Lodge and we are absolutely delighted when Guests rock up by train or bus and avoid using a car..

We try to pick up guests in line with supermarket trips and stuff like that to minimise our impact on the environment and we are also very happy to drop guests off at the station for their special day out in Ljubljana.

View over the unpronounceabubble town of Vhrnika.. we cycled up to that church on the hill over there in the summer..

The journey takes about an hour as the main line that went by Vhrnika, near to Ljubljana, was destroyed by the Partisans during WW2 and never repaired..

But the slightly longer rail journey compensates you massively with relaxing views and no need to mess about with parking when you arrive..

A typical traditional Hay Rack to be seen all over Green Slovenia..

That also works in our favour as tourists, cos the train takes a very nice side step, away from the motorway to loop around the back of the hills just south of Ljubljana through a very pretty side valley with cute little villages and church spires to look at.

Sadly the car is still king here for locals, but for us visitors, the modern grafitti covered trains are like little tourist trains, offering glimpses of Green Slovenian nature, life and culture that you just cannot see any other way.

A station on the edge of Ljubljana..

So there are plenty of things to look out for on the train from Postojna to Ljubljana, with views out over the Planina Disappearing lake, long vistas over to the highest Slovenian Alps, (Julian) and then that pretty little valley we mentioned just before as you glide into the city..

But of course the Eye candy doesn't stop there as for us visitors, the real thrill of sitting by a big, wide train window is to see all the Green stuff, the little forest huts, allotments, cute train stations in the middle of nowhere and it feels like a free tour! OK, it does cost something, but not much in the scheme of things!

Winter is a great time to be here for spectacular views as no leaves on half the trees..

Inside the trains are warm, modern and comfy, but also usually completely empty compared to your overcrowded trains at home! There might be a few pensioners or students in your carriage.

Whenever we take a new adventure into Ljubljana, we often jump off the train one station early at Ljubljana Tivoli, which is next to a huge Victorian style green park almost as big as the tiny city centre itself..

You can walk from Tivoli station (which is just a platform by the way) in a straight line directly into the city centre and in about 10 mins you can be standing next to the river!  

Great idea to hop off at Tivoli station and walk into the city from here, 10 mins..

We are not gonna tell you what to get up to in the city centre, cos there is enuff jibber jabber out there on the tinternet for you to read up on for weeks before, but safe to say, this is a magical little city centre that will keep you occupied for the day..

The middle bit of the city next to the river is also free of cars, which is very nice indeed, but you do need to be careful not to get mown down by the cyclists and those nutters on the E scooters.

Hugging the river is always a very pleasant way to explore and even in the high summer when this beautiful river frontage is packed, you just need to go one or two streets off the riverside walkways and you will be totally shocked how empty & quiet the rest of the city is!

Bang in the city centre here, just one block off the river.. By the way there is a huge underground car park directly under here too..

So have a coffee, go embassy spotting, visit a museum, take a photo of the Dragon Bridge, have a bite to eat by the river and weave your way through the city to end up at the main station for your journey home.. What a day!

Unless you are from outside Europe and this is your only chance to get to know a cute European capital city, then a day in Ljubljana really is quite enough for the rest of us, especially if you only knew how Green and beautiful the rest of the country is!

For us, we could not imagine losing out on exploring one of the numerous waterfalls, gorges, rivers, mountains, seaside, disappearing lakes, castles and all the rest of this Green paradise instead of an extra day in Ljubljana..

the 3 Bridges in the centre of Ljubblyjana on a Friday morning in Jan.. empty baby!

DESPITE what all that jibber jabber on the tinternet will tell you about Ljubljana, mainly written by visitors who sadly, just haven't seen or been to all those other amazing Secret Places to Visit that are NOT in Ljubljana!

Anyone can read how hyped up Ljubljana is, which makes it difficult for visitors to know in advance of coming to Green Slovenia, that a day is probably enough in the capital..

But we also respect it's charm and beauty and absolutely love our day out in the city now and again and are lucky we can pick and choose when to hop onto that train and go explore..

The photos on this blog are all from a recent daytrip in January and just look how good (and empty) Ljubblyjana looks then!

End Jan, We are the only customers here in a fab cafe next to the 3 Bridges, bang in the centre!

A few Extra Train Tips..

Here is a link to the TRAIN TIMETABLE we use to check train times and there is a train there and back usually every hour.

There is plenty of free parking outside Postojna station with great views over the town towards Nanos mountain (1,313m) and the Green Paradise where the Lodge is located..

When you select your train, particularly from Postojna to Ljubljana, double check there is not a BUS motif included in your train trip, as it means there is a bus service included in the journey, usually from Brezovica to Ljub, so better to avoid that particular train!

Can just read Borovnica station sign here and it means.. Blueberry!

It is not a disaster if you do end up on that train / bus service and locals will not leave you sitting there on your own without telling you where to go to jump on the bus, but it just isn't so much fun being on the road in a stuffy bus for the final 15 mins into the city as opposed to being on the train.. 

If the ticket office is closed, then maybe there is a machine selling a ticket, but do not over worry about jumping on the train and paying the conductor.. Who is usually a smart, friendly man with a cap, but do have some cash available in case cards are not accepted!

If you walk down the river from the city centre and turn LEFT here at Dragon Bridge, then keep going straight and you will reach the central train station..

The main Ljubblyjana train station is less than a 15 min walk directly from the city centre in a straight line..

Coming back from Ljubljana, the central station is quite large considering how few trains you will actually see there and your train home to Postojna will probably leave from one of the further out platforms..

So be prepared for a longer than expected walk ducking down the steps to the subway under the paltforms to your train, than your timekeeping may have allowed for!

Walking to our train home.. actually we were running, cos we were late..

You have to pay a couple of Euro surcharge for taking an "intercity" train, (which is a bit of a joke in Slovenia as there is only one town big enough to be a city), but anyway, we are not sure what the difference really is between the trains, but if the conductor asks you for some extra dosh, this will be why, do not be surprised and it isn't so much!

Finally, it is very easy to doze off on the train coming home and there are announcements for the station stops, so make sure to be ready to hop off again at Postojna, especially if it is dark.

Leaving the city on the intercity.. surcharge of a few Euros payable when the conductor comes..

Oh yes and last thing, Slovenian trains are very good leaving on time, but seem to get progressively late the further they go, so you do need to keep your wits about you to get off at your correct stop and not over trust the timings..

That said, we absolutely love travelling by train here.. Maybe Trains will be the next page in our blossoming DAYTRIPS section!

There is an even more beautiful route from Postojna down towards Koper and the Slovenian Riviera with spectacular views and even cuter little stations and another fantastic branch line that takes you via Sezana and Dutovlje into the Red Karst...

the main Train station entrance is over there to the left for tickets, but you can get to the platforms over here on the right..

We have huge respect for visitors who travel without a car around Green Slovenia, especially if they are doing it for planetary reasons, but we will end with a word of caution that not all the routes make sense by bus or train and you can lose valuable time trying to do the right thing.. so also think about car sharing, E Cars and using shuttle services like the wonderful Go Opti too! (Go Opti even have a stop off at the Lodge!)

We also totally understand that guests also like to pop into Ljubljana by car, cos it is so close and it is very easy to park there, so do also look at a few of these photos below where we show some other secret parking spots we like in Ljubljana when we or our guests drive in..

We took this photo to show you the end of Cesta v Rozno Dolino Street, which is another brilliant side road to park near the city, pay at the meter then walk in through Tivoli Park..

And non Europeans in particular, should be politely reminded that whenever you try to go cross border in this beautiful Europe "without borders", especially by train, then it can get a lot more tricky than it should be or you might expect, so research carefully.

Whichever way you travel, have a great trip and enjoy the sensational views of the Greenest country in Europe..