Любляна. Travel digest

Tirana ranks 74th in Europe with 59.9 points in the 2026 Safety Index published by Numbeo, the world's largest crowd-sourced database for cost of living, property prices, and quality of life statistics, placing the Albanian capital at a moderate level of safety among 115 cities surveyed.

Regionally, Belgrade (62.2 points) and Sofia (61.4 points) rank slightly higher, while Tirana scores

From 29 March until the end of October, Ljubljana Airport will operate flights to 30 destinations, marking what the operator Fraport Slovenija expects to be one of the strongest summer seasons in recent years.

The programme adds extra frequencies on many existing routes, introduces a broad range of charter services to popular holiday spots, and includes two completely new connections.

Flydubai has revised its April flight programme because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The carrier will temporarily suspend all services to Ljubljana for the rest of March and the whole of April, with a planned restart on 1 May, although further changes for the summer season are possible.

In addition, the airline will cut the number of flights to Belgrade to three

Turkish low‑cost carrier Pegasus Airlines has introduced a new direct connection between Ljubljana Airport in Slovenia and Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport, the secondary hub of the Turkish capital.

The route will be operated three times a week – on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays – with one‑way tickets starting at €49.

Ljubljana is already served by Turkish

In 2025 Slovenia reached new highs in both the number of visitors and the total nights spent, a development largely driven by an increase in foreign tourists.

The most frequented destinations continued to be the capital Ljubljana, the lakeside resort Bled and the Adriatic coast, according to reports from The Slovenia Times.

Overall visitor figures surpassed those

The rural municipality of Velike Lašče, located about 30 km south of Ljubljana, is repurposing unused kindergarten space to create a day‑care facility for elderly residents. This initiative aims to address two simultaneous challenges: declining birth rates that leave school rooms empty, and a growing demand for senior services.

The Karlovica branch school, which previously hosted

The existing Ljubljana‑Istanbul connection operated by Turkish Airlines will be complemented by an extra service next year.

The new flights will be provided by Pegasus Airlines, the Turkish low‑cost carrier, CE Report cites the Slovenian Tourist Board (STA).

This expansion is expected to be welcomed by passengers, as Istanbul already stands as the busiest destination

Spanish low‑cost airline Vueling has introduced a new scheduled service that connects Ljubljana and Barcelona. The route starts with two weekly flights, and a third will be added during the holiday period.

This is the third winter‑season destination added to Ljubljana Airport’s schedule after Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Manchester. The inaugural flight took place on 16 November.

Ljubljana Airport marked the launch of EasyJet’s inaugural flight to Manchester with a short ceremony. The British low‑cost carrier has added a regular service from Manchester, complementing its existing route from London Gatwick.

EasyJet also plans to introduce scheduled flights between Ljubljana and Edinburgh in the upcoming spring season, according to The Slovenia Times.

Slovenia has introduced its winter flight timetable.

From now until 28 March 2026, scheduled services from Ljubljana Airport will cover 21 destinations.

Three of these routes are new: Las Palmas (Spain), Manchester (United Kingdom) and Barcelona (Spain).

The expanded schedule offers passengers a broader choice of European and extra‑European

British low‑cost carrier EasyJet will add a third connection to Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, by introducing flights from Edinburgh. The development was confirmed by airport operator Fraport Slovenia.

The Edinburgh‑Ljubljana service is scheduled to commence on 4 April and will operate twice a week – on Wednesdays and Saturdays – using a 186‑seat Airbus A320.

This

Just half a year after the start of its Düsseldorf‑Ljubljana connection, Eurowings has decided to discontinue the flight.

The information comes from the aviation portal Ex‑Yu‑Aviation, as cited by CE Report on behalf of STA.

The German low‑cost carrier does not intend to restore the route in the upcoming year.

Consequently, the city of Ljubljana

Ljubljana has been placed 39th worldwide in the Global Destination Sustainability Movement’s list of sustainable destinations.

Among medium‑sized cities, the Slovenian capital secured the seventh position.

Mayor Zoran Janković welcomed the result as a notable achievement, emphasizing that it reflects the city’s commitment to sustainable development.

Ljubljana, Piran and Bled continue to attract the largest share of foreign guests, yet the latest statistics reveal a growing interest in Slovenia’s lesser‑known destinations, suggesting a possible relief from overtourism pressures.

In 2024 the country recorded a historic high in tourist arrivals, reaching 6.6 million visitors – an increase of over 6 % compared with the previous

Effective immediately, Slovene citizens can travel to South Africa without a visa for stays of up to 90 days, provided the visit is for tourism or similar short‑term purposes.

The exemption does not cover trips made for study, employment, long‑term business, family reunification, medical treatment, or other specific purposes, as stated by the Slovenian Foreign Ministry on 16 September.

Spanish low-cost carrier Vueling is planning to launch flights between Barcelona and Ljubljana in November.

According to a report by the Exyuaviation portal, the airline has filed a tentative schedule for the new route, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

According to the preliminary timetable, flights will be operated Airbus A320 twice per week, on Thursdays and Sundays, starting

Ljubljana ranks among the top ten peaceful city breaks in Europe according to a survey by the Bounce Luggage Storage. It placed fourth, behind Utrecht, Vilnius and Vienna.

The survey takes into account a number of factors including noise and light pollution, cleanliness, green areas and population density, CE Report quotes STA.

The Slovenian capital performed best in the category

Eurowings, the low-cost airline affiliated with the German Lufthansa Group, has launched scheduled flights between Ljubljana and Düsseldorf. Passengers will be able to fly between the cities three times a week as well as benefit from Eurowings' connecting flights.

Ljubljana airport welcomed the arrival of the first Eurowings flight from Düsseldorf with a ceremony which heard that the new

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has launched daily flights between Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport and Amsterdam's Schiphol, initially for the summer but with plans to make it a year-round service.

The service is codeshared with Air France and Delta. The majority of the flights will be operated by a 100-seat Embraer E190 aircraft, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

"We are very happy