Slovenia

travel guide

Slovenia is situated in Central and Southeast Europe and was once part of Yugoslavia for most of the 20th century until its independence in 1991. This small country is home to 2.1 million people and a variety of landscapes and is most famous for its mountains, ski resorts, and lakes. Slovenia is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast and the Adriatic Sea to the south.

Practical Information

Language: Slovenia has historically been a crossroad of Slavic, Germanic, and Romance languages and cultures. Slovenians speak at least three official languages including traditional Slovenian, Italian and Hungarian. Due to the country’s close borders with other countries, Slovenians can also speak or at least understand German, Siberian, Croatian and Bosnian even though the opposite is not true. Most Slovenians speak English to a very good standard.

Visa: UK citizens are exempt from a visa for a stay of up to 90 days per 180 days and must hold a passport issued less than 10 years before the date they enter the country and valid for at least 3 months after the day they plan to leave.

Transport:

Slovenia has good road and rail connections, along with daily flights from many European cities. Being a coastal country, you may travel by boat as well. But the best way to travel within and around the country is by bus or car. Buses also link Slovenia to many European cities such as Zagreb and Venice. You can buy all local and international bus tickets from Ljubljana’s main station.

Currency : The Slovenian currency is the Euro (€). The majority of shops accept international credit and payment cards. There is also a wide network of ATMs where you can withdraw cash.

Climate: Slovenia has a continental climate in the North-East and a Mediterranean climate on the coast. Summer is typically warm with consistent sunshine and winters are cool and fresh. In the North West mountainous region, an Alpine climate dominates, bringing cold winters and snowfall. Summer is very pleasant in Slovenia and the best time to travel around the country. There is a wide range of summer activities to do such as hiking, rafting, kayaking or just chilling on the beach. In Winter you can ski, snowboard and visit Lake Bled which looks like a winter fairytale place in the snow.

Food : Despite its small size, Slovenia has a rich and diverse cuisine which is influenced by the country’s history and neighbouring countries particularly Italy, Austria and Hungary. Veal and buckwheat dumplings is the most common dish but Slovenia’s dishes represent 24 regions, and they are all unique and different to suit all palettes.

Voltage: Slovenia uses F type power plugs and sockets. The standard voltage is 230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.

Fun facts about Slovenia

Forests cover 60% of the country’s surface, making it the third most forested country in Europe, after Sweden and Finland.
There are several hundred brown bears lurking in some of those forests. Don’t panic though! they mostly reside in the forests of karst plateaus of Notranjska and Dolenjska, a region of arid limestone plateaus so your chances of meeting a brown bear in the Alps are very slim.
Slovenia has over 12.000 underground caves including the 24 km long Postojna Cave, the largest Slovenian cave and show cave in Europe.
Slovenia ranked among the top ten most peaceful countries in the world, according the Institute for Economy and Peace. Its capital city, Ljubljana, also regularly ranks among the safest capitals in the world.
It also ranked fifth on the list of the most environmentally friendly countries by the Center for Environmental Law and Policy of Yale University.
Slovenia was recognised in the fourth-annual Sustainable Destinations Top 100 list in 2018 for its outstanding achievements in responsible tourism.
Slovenians are in tenth place on the list of the tallest in the world.