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Difference between revisions of "Slovenia"

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*[[Triglav National Park]] &mdash; Home to national symbol Mt. Triglav and mythical golden chamois Zlatorog.
*[[Soča Valley]] &mdash; Soča river is with its emerald colour one of the most beautiful European Alpine rivers.
*[]The Kolpa River, a tourist destination in the far south-eastern part of Slovenia, in the region [[Bela Krajina]]. This green beauty is comprised of a 113km-long strip of land which borders the Republic of Croatia. The river is one of the warmest and intact rivers in Slovenia. A European Destination of Excelence (EDEN Destination) since 2010.
==Get in==
==Get in==

Revision as of 10:19, 29 January 2013

Quick Facts
Capital Ljubljana
Government parliamentary democratic republic
Currency € euro (EUR)
Area 20,273 sq km
Population 2,054,199 (July 2009 est.)
Language Slovenian; Italian, and Hungarian (minorities)
Religion Roman Catholic 84.3%, Eastern Orthodox 2.4%, Muslim 2.3%, Protestant 0.9%, atheist 10.1%
Electricity 230V/50Hz (European plug)
Country code 386
Internet TLD .si
Time Zone UTC +1





Slavic ancestors of Slovenians came from eastern parts of Europe and inhabited territory north of present Slovenian territory in the 6th century AD. They established a state called Caranthania (Karantanija in Slovene), which was an early example of parliamentary democracy in Europe. The ruler (knez in Slovene) was elected by popular vote. The Caranthanians were later defeated by Bavarians and Franks, who subjugated them. They were christianized, but they preserved many rituals of their pagan religion, and above all, they preserved their native language. The Slovene lands were part of the Holy Roman Empire and Austria under the Habsburg dynasty until 1918, when the Slovenes joined the Serbs and Croats in forming a new south-Slavic state ruled by Serbian Karađorđević dynasty called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians ("Kraljevina Srbov, Hrvatov in Slovencev" in Slovene), renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. In WWII, Slovenia was invaded and occupied by Germans, Italians and Hungarians, leading to a parallel civil war between pro-communist liberation forces (Partizani) and axis-sponsored anti-communist reactionary factions ("Belogardisti" and Domobranci). The victory of the Allies and consequently the Partizans resulted in a violent mass exodus of those who had fought with with the occupying forces, including most of the native German and Italian minorities. After World War II, Slovenia became a republic in the reestablished Yugoslavia, which although Communist, distanced itself from the Soviet bloc and small territorial gains were made from Italy. Dissatisfied with the exercise of power in Belgrade, the Slovenes succeeded in establishing their independence in 1991 with minimal bloodshed. In 2004, Slovenia joined the European Union and NATO. Most recently, Slovenia adopted the euro in 2007, completing a quick and efficient accession to Europe and the EU.

25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday 
Statehood Day, 25 June (1991)
Independence and Unity Day, 26 December (1990)
adopted 23 December 1991, effective 23 December 1991

Historical ties to Central Europe, a strong economy, and relatively stable democracy make Slovenia one of leading country among the new members of the EU and NATO.


Tartinijev trg/Piazza Tartini in Piran/Pirano.





Predjamski Castle in Karst


Natural hazards 
flooding and earthquakes
highest point 
Triglav 2,864 m
lowest point 
Adriatic sea 0 m


Regions, cities and other destinations in Slovenia
Coast and Karst (Piran, Postojna)
The southwestern corner of Slovenia with rolling hills, awe-inspiring caves and the country's 47 km of coastline.
Julian Alps (Bled, Triglav National Park, Kobarid, Tolmin)
The mountainous northwest with hiking, rafting, postcard pretty lakes and Mt Triglav, the symbolic heart of Slovenia.
Central Slovenia (Ljubljana, Kamnik)
The urban part with capital Ljubljana and surround region.
Southeastern Slovenia (Novo Mesto, Brežice)
The region around the Krka and lower Sava Rivers.
Pohorje-Savinjska (Celje, Velenje)
Mountains in the north and the Savinja river valley.
Eastern Slovenia (Maribor, Ptuj)
The region around the Drava and Mura Rivers, with plenty of vineyards and a Hungarian influence in the east.


  • Ljubljana - the picturesque pint-sized capital
  • Bled - impossibly romantic mountain lake complete with castle and island
  • Celje - one of Slovenia's oldest cities
  • Maribor - Slovenia's second largest city
  • Nova Gorica - the city literary on the border with Italy
  • Piran/Pirano - gorgeous Venetian port
  • Postojna - Site of the gigantic Postojna caves

Other destinations

  • [2]The Kolpa River, a tourist destination in the far south-eastern part of Slovenia, in the region Bela Krajina. This green beauty is comprised of a 113km-long strip of land which borders the Republic of Croatia. The river is one of the warmest and intact rivers in Slovenia. A European Destination of Excelence (EDEN Destination) since 2010.

Get in

Unless you're just passing through, Slovenia is not the place for bums. Stores are friendly and gas stations usually have free access to toilets, water and quick washing necessities (by the sink), but all that becomes negated by the smug commoners patronizing you throughout the day and treating you (or the public place where you're at) as their private property.

Entry requirements

Slovenia is a member of the Schengen Agreement.



Citizens of the above countries are permitted to work in Slovenia without the need to obtain a visa or any further authorisation for the period of their 90 day visa-free stay. However, this ability to work visa-free does not necessarily extend to other Schengen countries.

By bus

The Ljubljana Bus Station (Avtobusna Postaja Ljubljana) provides composite information about international and airport bus services. Phone: 090 93 42 30 (inland only), website in English: [3].

Connections between the Italian city of Trieste and nearby Koper and Piran are frequent on weekdays. There's also a daily bus between Trieste and Ljubljana. In addition, services between Gorizia (Italy) and its twin town of Nova Gorica (Slovenia) are at least hourly throughout the day although the journey is easily walkable. This offers an ideal connection between the Italian and Slovene railway networks or an alternative entry point from Trieste's Ronchi Airport or the city of Venice.

By plane

Ljubljana is Slovenia's primary international airport and the hub of national carrier Adria Airways [4], which flies to a number of European cities and offers connections to Southeast Europe. The cheapest ways into the city, though, are via easyJet's daily flight from London-Stansted.

There are a few other options worth exploring. Ryanair also runs flights from Dublin to Pula across the border in Croatia. Another convenient gateway, especially to western Slovenia, is via Italy's Trieste airport, which is but an hour's drive from Ljubljana via super highway. Klagenfurt, in Austria, is also an option. Although further away, the Italian airports in Venice and Treviso (called 'Venice Treviso) offer other entry points to Slovenia or good day trips to/from Slovenia. Note that railway connections between Slovenia and Italy are rather poor, though (see below).

By train

Slovenia is well connected to Austria, Croatia and Hungary by train. The most popular routes connect from Vienna or Villach in Austria (in good weather, this journey past the Julian Alps is spectacular), from Budapest in Hungary and from Zagreb in Croatia. All lines converge on the capital Ljubljana.

Italian Railways have slashed the only remaining cross-border service. To get around this poor connection, one can take a train to Nova Gorica (Slovenia) and then walk or take a bus to its neighboring town of Gorizia (Italy) from where there are frequent trains to Trieste, Udine, Venice and further afield. For trips to Trieste, it may be more advisable to take a train to Sežana and then take a taxi on to Trieste (about 10km, €10) or a connecting bus (3 times a day, weekdays only, €1).

English website of the Slovenian Railways company [5]. There are numbers of international routes [6] and special offers exist for some destinations, so you should consider informing yourself about that in advance. There are destinations, which have tickets on contingency basis, meaning that they could run out fast, but are usually a lot cheaper, such as Ljubljana - Prague line (cooperation between SŽ and Czech railways), €58 for a return ticket (compared to a normal price of €200). For return trips originating in Slovenia, "City Star" tickets, which are open-dated, but usually require a weekend stay, are often the cheapest choice[7]. Also, be aware that you also receive a discount with the Euro<26 youth card [8] on most international lines (of course the discount does not stack up if you already have a special deal). The same card also applies for all domestic lines, with a 30% discount.

The quality and comfort of the trains on international routes varies significantly. The unwritten rule is that everything heading up north from Ljubljana has a pretty good standard. The trains usually have restaurants on board, with clean and modern toilets. The same can not be guaranteed for the lines heading south (such as Belgrade, Sofia, Skopje or Thessaloniki), so be sure to carry a supply of food and beverages on board (water (and coffee) is available in every sleeping compartment), when heading to or from Ljubljana from the Balkans, with the train. However, the express services which run to Zagreb (usually starting in Munich, Germany) are very high quality - but the price shows this.

By car

Slovenia has an excellent highway network [9] connected to neighboring countries. Slovenia demands that all vehicles with a permissible weight of up to 3.5 tons buy a vignette (road tax) before using motorways or expressways. For passenger vehicles, the vignette costs €15.00 for a week, €30.00 for a month, or €95.00 for a year. For motorcyclists, this costs €7.50 per week, €25.00 for 6 months and €47.50 for a year.[10]. Using motorways without a vignette will result in a fine of €300+. Vignettes are actually sold at the border, and the border agents are supposed to give you a flyer advising you to buy one, but they don't always do that. There are also signs advising you to buy, but they are in Slovene only.

When entering through northern neighbor Austria, you also need a separate vignette to use the Austrian highway network.

From Austria

From Italy

By boat

  • There is a fast ferry between Venice and Izola, running with an irregular schedule mainly during the summer season (for the timetable see [11]). The journey takes 3 hours.
  • Venezialines [12] run one fast ferry per week between Venice and Piran.
  • During the summer months, there is a fast craft service operated by Trieste Lines between Trieste (Italy), Piran (Slovenia), Poreč (Croatia) and Rovinj (Croatia). The portion of the journey between Piran and Trieste lasts 30 minutes, which is pretty much the same as the same journey in a car.

Get around

Slovenia is a relatively small country and getting around is generally quick and painless. However, the explosive growth in car ownership has meant tougher times for public transport, and bus schedules in particular have been slashed, so some planning ahead is required. Services are sparse on Saturdays and very limited indeed on Sundays.

By train

Timetable decoder
D — Mon-Fri
D+ — Mon-Sat
N — Sundays
NP — Sundays and holidays
PP — Mon-Fri
SN — Sat-Sun
Šr — School days
V — Daily

Slovenia's train network, operated by Slovenske železnice (SŽ) [13] will get you to most destinations in the country, although there are some annoying gaps in the network and routes can be circuitous, so going from anywhere to anywhere usually requires a change at Ljubljana. Trains are, however, some 30% cheaper than buses and return discounts are available on weekends. Buy tickets before you board, as there's a surcharge for any tickets bought from the conductor - except if tickets are not sold at the station. A €1.20 surcharge also applies to any InterCity trains.

Quite a bit of money and effort has been put into modernizing the system and the newest trains are as nice as anything you'll find in Western Europe, and although rural stations are often quite basic, most stations are extremely well kept with flowers decorating the platforms throughout summer months. In particular, the name of the station is typically only visible on a single sign on the station building itself, so figuring out where you are means craning your neck a lot. Newer trains do have an voice announcement system that tells you to which station you are approaching. Trains are punctual (except some international ones), so check the expected arrival time and some previous station names to be sure where to get off. For figuring out your next train from a station; electronic signboards are a rarity (outside Ljubljana), but printed schedules are always available: odhod (yellow) means departures, while prihod (white) is arrivals, although this is usually indicated in both English and Slovene.

By bus

Buses fill in the gaps, and are usually a better option for some towns not directly served from Ljubljana by train (eg. Bled, Piran). Some bigger stations have handy electronic search engines for schedules and fares.

Time table in English: [14]

By car

Slovenia's roads are for the most part well maintained and well signposted, and you won't have a problem if you drive or hire a car. Having a car certainly does add a level of mobility and self direction that you won't get by train or bus.

There are a number of car rental and taxi businesses in Ljubljana. The big international companies are all represented [15], but if you are on a budget, the local companies have some nice offers if you do not mind using a car which is a few years old.









Ljubljana's Triple Bridge at night
  • Visit in Ljubljana 'NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SLOVENIA' - Presernova (Muzejska ulica 1)

National museum of Slovenia is the oldest and the largest Slovene museum. It was founded in 1821. Existent museum building on the Museum street, was built in 1888 and was the first, building, assigned solely to culture in Slovenia. Today its stores a rich collections of valuable objects. The oldest spring back to the Stone Age, but there are also the newer ones, which are still used in our everyday life. Important columns of museum activity are also rich museum library and unit for preservation and restoring

Permanent exhibitions:

  • Treasures of the NMS
  • The acient egyptian mummy
  • The lapidarium
  • Visit in Ljubljana NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SLOVENIA - Metelkova (Maistrova 1)




  • Adrenaline adventures in the Posočje area, you can stay in Ljubljana and, in a short distance away, discover the amazing North-Western area of Slovenia called Posočje and Triglav National Park -- canyoning, rafting, para-gliding and much more! *While Slovenia is a small country, you can discover it in a few days. Therefore you can visit the capital (Ljubljana), Alps, Karst region, alpine lakes and much more.
  • Visit of one many spa resorts in Slovenia.
  • Visit one of the golf courses in Slovenia.




The euro replaced the Slovenian tolar (SIT).




The flip side to the near-disappearance of Communist-style "service with a snarl" is that tips for service are not expected.


People from Slovenian northern neighbour Austria come to Slovenia just for the food, cause with Subalpine, Italian, Hungarian and Balkan mixture most people will find something to their liking - unless they're strict vegetarians. Many say that the pizza here is as good or even better as in neighboring Italy.


Generally speaking, Slovenian food is heavy, meaty and plain. A typical three-course meal starts with a soup (juha), often just beef (goveja) or chicken (piščančja) broth with egg noodles (rezanci), and then a meat dish served with potatoes (krompir) and a vinegary fresh salad (solata). Fresh bread (kruh) is often served on the side and is uniformly delicious.

Common mains include cutlets (zrezek), sausage (klobasa) and goulash (golaž), all usually prepared from pork (svinjina), lamb (jagnjetina) and game (divjačina), but there is a large choice of fish (ribe) and seafood even further away from the coast. Popular Italian imports include all sorts of pasta (testenine), pizza (pica), ravioli (ravioli) and risotto (rižota). A major event in the countryside still today is the slaughtering of a pig from which many various products are made: blood sausage (krvavica), roasts (pečenka), stuffed tripe (polnjeni vampi), smoked sausage (prekajena salama), salami (salama), ham (šunka) and bacon (slanina). Recipes for the preparation of poultry (perutnina), especially turkey (puran), goose (gos), duck (raca) and capon (kopun), have been preserved for many centuries. Chicken (piščanec) is also common. Squid is fairly common and reasonably priced.

Uniquely Slovenian dishes are available, but you won't find them on every menu, so here are some to look out for:

  • Kraški pršut - air-dried ham, similar to but not the same as Italian prosciutto
  • štruklji - dumplings which Slovenians prepare in 70 different ways stuffed with sweet fillings, meat or vegetables
  • žganci - a type of polenta (ajdovi žganci are made of buckwheat)
  • žlikrofi - potato dumplings similar to gnocchi, specialty of the Idrija region
  • jota - a type of soup made of beans, sauerkraut, potatoes, bacon, spare ribs, and the main seasoning is garlic.

Some Slovenian desserts can also be found:

  • potica - a type of nut roll for holiday occasions also prepared with the widest variety of fillings.
  • gibanica - a very heavy cakelike pastry of poppy seeds, walnuts, apples, raisins, cheese etc, topped with cream

Places to eat

A typical gostilna, Kamnik

At the top of the food chain is the restavracija (restaurant), which could be a fancy restaurant with waiters and tablecloths or just a typical Chinese restaurant. More common in the countryside are the gostilna and gostišče, rustic inns serving hearty Slovene fare. Lunch sets (dnevno kosilo) cost around €7 for three courses (soup, salad and main) and are usually good value.

Fast food, invariably cheap, greasy and (more often than not) terrible — it's best to steer clear of the local mutation of the hamburger — is served up in grills and snack bars known as okrepčevalnica, where trying to pronounce the name alone can cause indigestion. There is no real Slovenian fast food, but Slovenians have adopted greasy Balkan grills like pleskavica (a spiced-up hamburger patty) and čevapčiči (spicy meatballs) are ubiquitous, but one of the more tasty if not healthy options is the Bosnian speciality burek, a large, flaky pastry stuffed with either meat (mesni), cheese (sirni) or apple (jabolčni), often sold for as little as €2. In recent years many fast food places started making döner kebabs, and they are now among the most popular fast foods in Slovenia, and can be found virtually everywhere.

Dietary restrictions

Slovenia is not the easiest of places for a vegetarian, although even the smokiest inn can usually whip up a decent fresh salad (solata) and fried vegetables on request. Lacto-ovo vegetarians will have it easy in Slovenia, while strict vegans won't find more than a handful of vegan restaurants in the country (most of them in Ljubljana). It is wise to know that even the smallest store has its healthy food shelves with many non-animal alternatives. In the cities the Mediterranean chick-pea staple falafel and its cousin the vegiburger have made some inroads on fast-food menus. Many restaurants offer a "vegetarian plate", which includes potatoes, fresh or boiled vegetables and soya "steak".

In coastal cities, there is a paradise for pescetarians and seafood lovers. Local specialities are fish, squids, mussels, and octopus.


In proper Slovene style, all bases are covered for drinks and you can get very good Slovenian beers, wines and spirits. Tap water is generally drinkable.

Coffee and tea

In Slovenia, coffee (kava) usually means a tiny cup of strong Turkish coffee, and cafes (kavarna) are a common sight with a basic cup costing €1.00-€1.50. One can also order coffee with milk (kava z mlekom) or whipped cream (kava s smetano). Coffee culture is wide-spread in Slovenia, and one can see Slovenes with friends sitting in the same café for hours. Tea (čaj) is nowhere near as popular, and if they do drink it (mostly in the winter), Slovenes prefer all sorts of fruit-flavored and herbal teas over a basic black cup. Tea is served with honey and lemon by request.


Beer (pivo) is the most popular tipple and the main brands are Laško and Union. Adam Ravbar beer is good quality and is usually hard to find anywhere except in their small brewery (located in Domžale, a town about 10 km north of Ljubljana). A bottle or jug will cost you €2.50 in a pub (pivnica). Ask for veliko (large) for 0.5L and malo (small) for 0.3L. Also try "Union Radler Grapefruit".


Despite what you might think if you've ever sampled an exported sickly sweet Riesling, Slovenian wine (vino) can be quite good — they keep the best stuff for themselves. Generally, the Goriška brda region produces the best reds and the drier whites (in a more Italian/French style), while the Štajerska region produces the best semi-dry to sweet whites, which cater more to the German/Austrian-type of palate. Other local specialities worth sampling are Teran, a very dry red from the Kras region, and Cviček, a red so dry and light it's almost a rosé. Wine is usually priced and ordered by the decilitre (deci, pronounced "de-tsee"), with a deci around one euro and a normal glass containing about two deci.


A Slovene brandy known as žganje or (colloquially) šnops, not unlike the Hungarian palinka, can be distilled from almost any fruit. Medeno žganje also known as medica has been sweetened with honey. Vodka is, as in most of Slavic nations, also very popular, especially among the youger generation.


Slovenia has a wide variety of accommodation, ranging from five star hotels to secluded cottages in the mountains.


There are hostels in all of the tourist destinations in Slovenia. The average price for a basic bed in a dorm is €10-€20 euro. Quite a few student dormitories (dijaški dom) are converted into hostels in the summer, but these tend to be poorly located and somewhat dingy.

Mountain Huts can be found in Triglav National Park, and they are very warm, welcoming and friendly. Information about these huts can be found at tourist information offices who will also help you plan your walks around the area and phone the hostels to book them for you. The only way to get to the huts is by foot, and expect a fair bit of walking up hills, as the lowest huts are around 700m up. There are clear signs/information around stating how long it will take to travel to/between all the huts indicated in hours.

Tourist farms

Tourist farms can be found around Slovene countryside and usually they offer wide selection of traditional food, local wine, different sport activities etc. They also offer opportunities to experience real traditional countryside life.


Camping is not permitted in the national parks of Slovenia, but there are various designated camping grounds. It's advisable to take a camping mat of some sort, as nice, comfortable grass is a luxury at camp sites and you're much more likely to find pitches consisting of small stones.


Slovenia has four universities, located in Ljubljana [16], Maribor [17], Koper [18], and Nova Gorica [19] as well as several independent colleges (i.e. BSA Kranj, IEDC Bled [20]).

University in Ljubljana is the oldest, largest and most well-respected teaching institution in the country. The University of Ljubljana also contains 3 art academies: Theater and Film, Music, Fine Arts. Various recognized international charts list the University of Ljubljana in the top 3% of universities worldwide.


Citizens of the EU, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland can work without the need to apply for any visa in Slovenia.

Citizens of some non-EU countries (see the 'Get in' section above) are permitted to work in Slovenia without the need to obtain a visa or any further authorisation for the period of their 90 day visa-free stay.

It's possible for English-speaking graduates to get work in a Slovene school teaching English for around a year in a scheme similar to Japan's JET programme.

Stay safe





Stay healthy









Practical advices:





Mobile networks use the common European frequencies (900 and 1800 MHz for GSM and 2100 Mhz for 3G). Two major Slovenian mobile companies, Mobitel and Simobil, provide an excellent coverage in GSM, while 3G is mostly unavailable in mountainous regions. Roaming between European phone companies is becoming cheaper due to the EU regulation setting a maximum of 0.42€ per minute for calls made and 0.132€ for calls received, while calls to or from non-EU providers remain expensive. Slovenian pre-paid SIM cards are also available in supermarkets and gas stations.




A free wireless internet network is also being set up in some cities by volunteers (Ljubljana [21], Maribor, Nova Gorica). You can use it if you have a computer or a WiFi enabled phone.

Postal Services

The offices of Pošta Slovenije are ubiquitous. Look for french horn-like signs on dark yellow background. Delivery takes one day within Slovenia, a few days within Europe and (usually) less than two weeks worldwide. DHL is also available.






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