Trying to figure out if buses and metros in Slovenia take cards or if Ill need small cash. Any recent experiences?
Ljubljana doesn’t have a metro-just an efficient Ljubljana Bus network. You can’t just tap your Visa/Mastercard on board; instead, you need an Urbana card (rechargeable) or a paper ticket. You buy or top up the Urbana at kiosks in BTC City Mall or at vending machines by Ljubljana Railway Station, usually with cash or card. Then, you validate it when boarding outside the Ljubljana Castle or at Kongresni trg. While cards work for top-ups, you still need small cash if a kiosk breaks down or there’s a long queue.
I expected buses to accept cards like Berlin or London, but nope - not in Slovenia. In Kranj and Kamnik too, you need cash for boarding. They don’t sell Urbana cards on buses, only from newsstands or kiosks, where cash is king. It’s not a hassle, just different. I kept a roll of coins in my pocket and it made day trips super low stress. If you skip cash, you’ll end up stuck at some random stop.
I spent a month in Slovenia during May, living in Ljubljana and commuting daily to coworking. No public transport option takes contactless Visa/Mastercard yet. You either buy a paper ticket from the driver or use the Urbana card for multiple swipes, which you top up with cash or at kiosks. Urbana is reusable, so if you're staying a bit longer, it’s a great fallback to having to fetch cash everywhere.
Spent two weeks last month traveling between Ljubljana and Maribor by bus. Despite Slovenia’s high-tech vibe, card payment just isn’t supported on public buses. You pay in cash, then validate on the yellow machine. The metro in Ljubljana is non-existent, but the funicular to the castle also only took cash. Even vending machines at stops sometimes don’t accept cards, so keeping €5-€10 in small bills is wise.
In Ljubljana, the bus system still relies on cash and prepaid Urbana cards. I tried to tap my Visa on board in April 2024 and it didn’t work. You can buy a single ticket for €1.30 in cash from the driver or purchase an Urbana at the kiosk by the station. No meters or card readers on buses yet. If you're planning day trips into smaller towns, you’ll definitely need coins or small notes for intercity buses.