Ljubljana - Post Report Question and Answers
What are the particular advantages of living in this city?
Very easy access to incredible outdoor activities. Many excellent European cities are only a short drive away. Make sure to plan some road trips while you're here. - Jun 2022
Outdoor activities in Slovenia are amazing -- skiing, hiking, river rafting, etc. Ljubljana is a very easy city to live in, and relatively inexpensive. Easy drive from the mountains to the sea side. The wine is wonderful -- vineyards galore. Make sure to take some home with you. - May 2016
Slovenia is an amazing country. It has a beautiful landscape, mountains, vineyards, beach... everything is accessible within short time. Good for hiking, biking, skiing and many other sports as well. - Jul 2014
Ljubljana is a really beautiful city with plenty of outdoor activities, very close to the seaside, the Alps, 40 minutes drive to Trieste (Italy), and a bit more to Austria. The city is extremely safe, clean, lively and unique. It's packed with tourists during the summer, when bars, restaurants and other places can be open until a bit later. - Aug 2011
The beautiful countryside and great quality of life. There are few capitals in the world where one can be in the mountains in half an hour and at the sea in an hour. Ljubljana also has all the benefits of being a small city, while still having big city amenities. - Jun 2011
Things to do in the countryside (approximately 30 to 60 minutes car drive from Ljubljana; public transport is not an option):During the summer months (May to October) there is lots to do outdoors: hiking, climbing, white water rafting, visiting beaches and lakes. It's easy to drive to Austria, Italy or Croatia (max. 1 hour to somewhere worth visiting). In the winter skiing on beginner slopes is an option (often maintained through artificial snow).Weather: The autumn is very unpleasant with lots rainfall. The winter is very cold; some winters have lots of snow. The spring is cold and rainy. The summer is quite sunny and hot. Ljubljana: The town is small with a nicely-maintained picturesque town centre. The rest of the town is grey, with lots of ugly high rise housing. In residential areas it's very quiet, you don't get to know your neighbours and the streets are dark and empty in the evening. In the summer there are lots of tourists (also young visitors out drinking), the rest of the year the centre doesn't get busy. There are a few bars and some nice cafes and restaurants, but after a few months it gets quite boring, and pretty depressing, because the centre is often empty in the evenings. Money: salaries in Slovenia are generally quite low and the tax is very high. Housing is expensive (approximately 600 Euros per month for a decent small one bedroom flat in a residential area). Heating and electricity bills are exceptionally high. Food and eating out is quite expensive. Everyone I know finds it hard to make ends meet, saving money is not an option. Culture: the Slovenes are reserved people. Waiters in restaurants and staff in shops are very friendly and helpful, however apart from that it is almost impossible to get to know the locals. Since there is only a tiny expat community in Slovenia, this makes it very hard to make friends here, because the locals are simply not interested. US embassy people are very friendly, but most don't mingle with non-embassy foreigners, and most have young children. This is not a place for singles or young couples without children. - Mar 2011
The beauty. The Alps are in your lap!Venice is 2 hours away, Vienna isn't much further than that. Zagreb is an hour away and Budapest is 4 hours away. It is absolutely beautiful here. The people are very friendly. There are castles and vineyards everywhere. It is a very safe city. There are 4 distinct seasons, it's cold in the winter, hot in the summer. Spring and Fall are delicious!All of the restaurants (ALL OF THEM) have outside seating. I could go on for hours about the advantages. - Jun 2010
