Ljubljana is filled with bike lanes from the old town and city center, and even out to the surrounding towns and villages miles and miles away. Slovenians generally love the outdoors and often choose a bike for their main mode of transportation for longer distances. In fact, the bike lanes are often still packed even when it's rainy or cold. Many people simply put on more layers of clothing or wear rain ponchos to stay dry on their commute. The city government has also installed a bike sharing system where there are bike kiosks throughout Ljubljana. You simply sign up online and pay a small fee, something around the equivalent of three U.S. dollars, and then you're able to rent a bike anywhere and drop it off anywhere as well. This has helped me especially as I wasn't able to bring my bike with me, so I did not have to go out and buy a new one to use here.
Finally, public transportation is also a very popular mode of transportation for Slovenians. There aren't any subway systems in Ljubljana, so the main form of public transportation are the city buses. There are many different buses and bus routes, which is a bit overwhelming at first, but they are a very efficient way to get from one place to another quickly and stay shielded from the elements. Personally, I walk or bike around the city center and old town in my free time as I live near the city center. However, my research lab is in the biology department at the University of Ljubljana, which is a few miles outside of town. So, my daily commute to work involes a ten minute walk, a ten minute bus ride, followed by another five minute walk. I can usually get from my apartment to my office in 25-30 minutes or so.
How do you get to school each day?
