This article is an overview of the flights, accommodation, travelling to the ground, things to do and places to eat and drink. This is far from an exhaustive list of options and we would recommend researching your flights and hotel before booking but we hope to provide you with an idea of the best deals and places.
Flights/Travel
Firstly you’ll need to get there. The game will be played in the Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia and so you would think that getting there should be easy. Alas, this is not the case. Despite being the capital of Slovenia there appears to be no direct flights from London Heathrow to Ljubljana.
We are assuming you will fly out on Wednesday the 27th July and travel back on Friday the 29th July with the tie being held on the 28th.
The easiest flight option comes at a price of £412. There are cheaper options by around £50 but those come with a cost of a 14-hour wait in between transfers.
This option is with Swiss Airlines and would depart from London Heathrow at 17:10 on the 27th, stops in Zurich and would arrive in Ljubljana at 22:05 local time.The return flight would depart from Slovenia at 19:00 local time and arrive back in the UK at 21:40.
If you fancy having a European road trip there is the option of driving there, which will take you approximately 15 hours!
Accommodation
There are a huge number of hotels in Ljubljana. I’ve narrowed down the options to three hotels. The closest to the stadium, the cheapest and the best rated. Let’s start with closest to the stadium. This won’t actually be in Domzale due to a stadium switch to Stadion Stozice. The closest hotel to the ground is Hostel 24/7, a basic hotel however with very cheap prices of £16 per night. It is just a four-minute walk to the ground and could probably see it from your room.
The next is the cheapest hotel. There are a number of hostels dotted around the city which offer prices from £8 a night upwards. The cheapest official hotel is Hotel Trojane, a three and a half star rated hotel with prices from £30 a night.
The next option you could consider is the best-rated hotel on Tripadvisor. It is called Hotel Cubo and is a 5-star hotel and has stellar reviews all over the internet. Of course, this comes at a price however with its simplest room costing £131 per night. However, if you want luxury for West ham’s first European trip of the season then this is the place to stay.
Travelling to the ground
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There are only a few ways of getting to the ground and these include taking the bus, getting a taxi or walking. Ljubljana is fairly small for a capital city and from the central train station it is a 30-minute walk to the stadium. With the stadium right on the outskirts it unlikely that you will ever be more than an hour’s walk away. It is a seven-minute drive from the centre and there are many bus stations located throughout the town. How you get to the ground may depend on where you stay and what you do during the day.
Things to do
Ljubljana is rich with culture and amongst the top rated things to do is to take this in, be it visiting the Old Town and Preseren Square or taking a tour around Ljubljana Castle which picturesquely overlooks the Ljubljanica River and of course there are a number of river cruises available which also allows you to take in much of the city.
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Alternatively, there are a number of ‘fun’ things to do such as the Mind Maze, the Cat café and the indoor Paintballing centre.
Places to Eat and drink
The most important factor for any travelling West Ham fan is the places to eat and drink before and after the big match. The closest restaurant to the stadium is called Taqueria El Patron, a 5 star rated restaurant serving Mexican cuisine. An even greater advantage is that the average prices for each dish are £5-£7. It is only a five-minute walk from the stadium.
In terms of pre-match drinks, the stadium is very remote and on the outskirts of the city and therefore bars and pubs are rare here. It is a good idea to have a drink in the city where there are many pubs and bars and then travel out to the ground by bus or taxi.
Ljubljana has a decent nightlife just like any city and therefore celebrating or consoling a win/loss will be easy afterwards, all you need to do is travel back into the bustling centre.
