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Ljubljana car rental location

Hello,
I will be visiting Slovenia for the first time in May and I have a question about where in Ljubljana to rent a car.
My first two nights will be in the city, without a car, but after that point I will be traveling to Lake Bled, the Vršič Pass, and points west and into Istria.
My plan is to rent the car in Ljubljana and then return the car there at the end of that part of my trip--which will be seven days with the car--prior to a final night in the capital and then flying home.

Are the only decent options for renting a car in Ljubljana at the airport?
I see that some companies come up as having rentals near the train station, but that seems pretty limited by number of companies, and some of them don't get great reviews (such as Avant).

So, anyone who has traveled to Slovenia in the past year or so and rented a car from Ljubljana, what do you recommend as for where to rent the car: at the airport, at the train station, some other downtown location?
And, do you have a company recommendation for who to rent from?

*I know reviews often are left by those who had especially bad experiences--and those are helpful to know, as I have had some of my own--but any positives for companies in Ljublana for a car rental will be much appreciated.

Posted by
5 posts

My husband and I visited Slovenia and Croatia in September of 2025. We flew into Ljubljana airport and took a taxi to our hotel in the Ljubljana as we didn't need a car in the city. After a few days, Lake Bled was our next destination, so we took a taxi back to the airport and picked up the rental car we had reserved from Avis. All went well. Ljubljana airport is very small and located between the city of Ljubljana and Lake Bled. We returned our rental in Croatia but if I was just touring around Slovenia, I would probably drop it off at the airport the night before my trip home. (Or if you have parking at your Ljubljana hotel perhaps you could return it before your flight, time permitting. Many hotels are in the pedestrian zone so that might not work well. ) We have had good luck with Avis rentals in Europe the past few years, but I am sure any Rick Steve's recommendations would be good too. You will be glad you rented a car. Slovenia is gorgeous and easier to see the sites with a car. Enjoy!

Posted by
2 posts

Thank you very much for this information.
I just booked with Avis from their LJU airport location.

Posted by
1197 posts

For the circuit you've described, starting out at the airport is a good idea, as you
will be partway to Bled, and you get a little bit of a break not having to drive in
city traffic first thing with a rental car.

But on the return, if you're coming back from the west, returning the car to
the train station may be bit more efficient, as you can exit the A2 and only
need a turn or two to get to the station. And you pass a gas station or two
along the way. And you don't drive back out to the airport and have to backtrack
to get back downtown.

It looks like you've already made arrangements, but I rented from Sixt at the
train station and all was perfectly fine.

Posted by
73 posts

We rented from ATET for our trip in 2024 and I highly recommend them. We had two rental periods with them during our trip (turning in the car during our stay in Ljubljana). We did a mix of picking up/dropping off at the airport or downtown, depending on what made sense for our route. We used cabs to get to and from the rental locations. You will love Slovenia!

Slovenia Trip Report (22 days)