Ljubljana Bike Rental

For just 1 euro you can rent a bike in Ljubljana for a whole week. For 3 euros you can rent it for one full year.

Incredible, right?

There is some small print, though, so please keep reading. I’ll tell you about the best Ljubljana bike rental system, how to register online and where to get your bike. You’ll save time and be ready to start exploring Ljubljana on a bike the moment you arrive in the city.

Riding down Ljubljana Castle Hill

Riding a bike in Ljubljana is my favorite way of cruising around our city.

It’s fun, cheap and safe, especially in the old city center which is reserved for pedestrians and cyclists.

If you’re a fan of cycling and would like to explore the city on a bicycle, there are many Ljubljana bike rental services. One rent-a-bike option stands out, though.

It’s called BicikeLJ and I warmly recommend it. (Bicikelj is a Slovenian slang word for a bicycle and “LJ” is a code for Ljubljana, so a little play on words for Ljubljana bikes).

This is how Bicikelj bike looks like. The seat can be easily adjusted and the basket is big and convenient for carrying personal items or a shopping bag.

Why is Bicikelj my first choice?

Because it’s an incredibly simple system once you’ve gone past the registration. You can hop on a bike any time you like, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and (with an annual subscription) all 365 days in a year.

There are 32 Bicikelj stations around Ljubljana (and counting) so there’ll always be one station near you when you need a bike or when you want to return it.

32 stations in Ljubljana

The bikes are easy to ride, the seat can be quickly adjusted without any tools and the front basket is very handy for carrying personal things.

And, best of all, renting a Bicikelj bike comes as close to being free of charge as possible.

But while riding a Bicikelj bike is really simple and fun, opening your account, which is required for all users, is a little bit complicated.

Many visitors who come to Ljubljana see rental bikes parked on the street and they want to ride one immediately. They go to the terminal to register but they can’t. There are no instructions there how to open a Bicikelj account and where.

So I put together a few simple step-by-step instructions and you’ll be able to register online in no time. But before you do that, it’s a good thing to know which subscription is best for you and what’s the cost of renting a BicikeLJ bike…

Which subscription?

If you are coming to Ljubljana for just a few days the weekly subscription is better. Why? Because registration is easier and faster, you don’t need a Urbana card (Ljubljana city card), and no communication with BicikeLJ call center is needed.

To get in you just need an email address and a credit card. (Only Visa and Mastercard are accepted).

The subscription expires in 7 days but you can easily renew it for another week if you wish so.

Another cool thing with the weekly option is that you can choose the date of the start of your subscription.

So you can register days or even weeks before coming to Ljubljana and your weekly subscription will start exactly on the day you arrive in Ljubljana.

32 stations in Ljubljana

Imagine you step out of Ljubljana central station and simply hop on the BicikeLJ bike parked outside the main entrance!

If you are staying in Ljubljana for a longer time or if you actually live in Ljubljana then the annual subscription is best for you.

How much does BicikeLJ cost?

It’s free if you return the bike within one hour. For the second hour you will be charged 1 euro, for the third hour 2 euros and for the fourth and every further hour 4 euros.

Bicikelj bike attached to the stand. Ride it for free…

Bicikelj bike attached to the stand. Ride it for free…
So it makes sense to return the bike before 60 minutes lapses.

A good thing is that you can hire a bike again and ride it for free for another hour. You just have to wait five minutes before reclaiming the bike. You can repeat this over and over again.

If you do this, the only cost of renting a Bicikelj bike will be the subscription fee. Which is €1 for the weekly subscription and €3 for the annual subscription. That’s it, that’s all!

Ok, so let’s now see how to register for the use of Bicikelj rental bike in Ljubljana…

Shortly you’ll receive a confirmation email with all the details in the attached pdf.

In that doc you’ll see two numbers, a 4-digit PIN code (the one you’ve chosen), and a 5-digit Subscriber number (which you were given by the Bicikelj system).

Save these two numbers as you’ll need them to get your bike.

Are you ready now to do some Ljubljana exploring on a bike? Great, go to your nearest Bicikelj station…

Here is how to get a bike…

Ok, you are now at one of Bicikelj stations, standing by the terminal. If you took a 7 day subscription, do the following:

Step 1: Enter your 5-digit Subscription number.

Step 2: Enter your 4-digit PIN number.

Step 3: You will be offered available bikes. Enter the number of the bike you want to take.

Step 4: Go to that number and press the green button on the stand to unlock the bike. (You only have 60 seconds to do this or you’ll have to do it all over again.)

Step 5: Release the bike and you’re ready to go!

Use this small keyboard to enter info

Register with Urbana card for your annual subscription

If you have an annual subscription only the first step is different. Swipe your Urbana card over the orange reader and continue with the Step 2 (PIN number).

… and how to return it.

Just before the 60 minutes ends you may want to “park” your bike to avoid the extra cost. You can return the bike at any Bicikelj station. (If there are no free stands at that station, you’ll get 15 minutes of free extra time — just swipe your Urbana card or enter your Subscriber number.)

Hook the bike to the stand and push it until it locks

When you are returning the bike, be sure to lock it to the Bicikelj rack properly. Here is what to do…

Find an empty bike stand showing no light.

Push the bike so that it locks to the stand with a click. You’ll see a green LED light appear and hear two short beeps. The beep and the light confirm that the bicycle has been properly locked.

That’s all there is to it.

In an unlikely event that the bike doesn’t lock properly — if you don’t see a green light on the stand or if you have any other difficulties, call Bicikelj’s toll free number 080 23 34 from 6am to 10pm Monday to Friday and from 7am to 8pm weekends and holidays.

Free Bicikelj App

It can happen from time to time that there are no Bicikelj bikes available on a certain station or, right the opposite, that all stands are occupied, which makes it impossible to return the bike.

This can be unpleasant, especially for returning the bike, because you have to find another station with vacant stands and you may not have a desire or time to do it.

There is an elegant solution to this — a Bicikelj App (developed by LTFE Ljubljana) which helps navigate you to the nearest Bicikelj station and, more importantly, display on your device the current number of bikes and free docs on that station. In real time.

Bicikelj app provides you with these four helpful views:

Augmented reality (camera view) to help you find the Bicikelj station quicker and easier.
List of all Bicikelj stations and distances to them (the closest ones are on the top of the list).
Google map of all Bicikelj stations near your current location and distances to them.
Google “take me there” map with the fastest way to reach the station.