A Comprehensive Guide about Living in Ljubljana

Life in Ljubljana

Culture and Leisure

As well as the capital city, Ljubljana is also the cultural center of Slovenia. Over 1,000 cultural events take place in the city each year, ranging from theater and dance, to music and art. The Ljubljana Festival is the second oldest cultural festival in the former Yugoslavian republic, and celebrates the art, culture and heritage of the city and Slovenia in general. Ljubljana is also home to many museums and art galleries, most notably the Ljubljana City Art Gallery, the Slovenian Museum of Natural History, and the Slovene Ethnographic Museum, all of which celebrate the cultural and social history of Slovenia.

There is a burgeoning youth culture in Ljubljana, centered around the art galleries, studios, and clubs in the Metelkova and Rog areas of the city. Ljubljana is a sporting city, and is home to NK Olimpija Ljubljana, the local football team that play in the top tier of Slovenian football. Ice hockey, basketball, and handball are also popular sports.

Education in Ljubljana

The public education system in Slovenia is ranked the 12th best in the world and the fourth best in the European Union, according to the Program for International Student Assessment. The public school system is free for residents, and offers compulsory education up until the age of 16. However, as lessons are taught in Slovenian, many expatriates instead choose to send their children to an international school, where they can be taught in English and receive the qualifications of their home country.

There are three international schools in Ljubljana: the British International School of Ljubljana, Danila Kumar International School, and the QSI International School of Ljubljana. Ljubljana is home to the prestigious University of Ljubljana, which has 23 departments across the city and over 60,000 students enrolled in its courses. The University of Ljubljana is ranked in the top 500 universities of the world, and excels in applied sciences and philosophy.

Transportation in Ljubljana

As a capital city, Ljubljana is known to have fairly heavy traffic. If you do wish to drive whilst living in Ljubljana, you may use the license from your home country for up to six months after obtaining a residency permit, at which time you must exchange it for a Slovenian license. In terms of public transportation, Ljubljana has an extensive bus network run by the Ljubljana Passenger Transport company, which is the most widely used means of public transport in Slovenia. Cycling is also encouraged, and the government provides free bicycle hire for an hour per day to each citizen.

Ljubljana is at the center of the Pan-European railway corridors V, X, and E, and all international passenger trains on those lines stop in its main station, the Ljubljana Rail Hub. There are also smaller trains that travel between six stops around the city, run by Slovenian Railways.