BLED | CELJE | KAMNIK | KOPER | LJUBLJANA | PIRAN |
Slovenia is a country in Central Europe that lies in the eastern Alps at the northeastern end of the Adriatic Sea, with Austria to the north, Italy to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast and Croatia to the south. Despite its small size, Slovenia has a surprising variety of terrain, ranging from the beaches of the Mediterranean to the peaks of the Julian Alps, to the rolling hills of the south. Slovenia was already more economically advanced than other "East Block" nations prior to European integration and the powerhouse of Tito's Yugoslavia. Added the fact that Slovenia is also home to some of the finest scenery in the "New Europe", the transition from socialism to the european common market economy has gone well and serves as a model for other nations on the same track to follow.
For a pint-sized country Slovenes are fiercely proud of their culture. Two names you will run into over and over again are national poet France Prešeren (1800-1849), who penned (among other things) the Slovenian national anthem, and the architect Jože Plečnik (1872-1957), credited with Ljubljana's iconic Tromostovje bridges and, seemingly, half the modern buildings in the country. It was the monks of the Catholic Church that kept Slovenian alive over the centuries of relentless Germanization from the north.
As a result Slovenian survived in its unique form different than Serbo-Croatian to the south. However, as a result it borrows many idiomatic phrases from German. Much of both the countryside and city architecture shares a lot in common with neighboring Austria, including countless roadside shrines and pretty baroque steeples, giving the interior of the nation a truly alpine favor. One could easily mistake parts of mountainous Slovenia for Tyrol, Salzburg or Bavaria. In modern times, industrial band Laibach (see box) has served to put Slovenia on the map. In the decades before them, Slavko Avsenik and his Oberkrainer did the same.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - Ljubljana is Slovenia's primary international airport and the hub of national carrier Adria Airways, which flies to most major European cities and various Balkan destinations. 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.
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).
By train - Slovenia is well connected to Austria and Croatia 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.
With April 2008, the Italian Railways have slashed the only remaining daytime cross-border service, even though it still appears on many international timetables. Contact the the Slovenian Railways for current information on replacement buses. The night train to Venice will be running at least until December 2008.
By car - Slovenia has an excellent highway network connected to neighboring countries. Since 1 July 2008 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. This vignette costs 35€ for 6 months, or 55€ for a year. For motorcyclists this costs 17.5€ and 27.5€ respectively. Using motorways without a vignette will result in a fine of 300€ or more.
When entering through northern neighbor Austria one also needs a separate vignette to use the Austrian highway network.
By boat - There is a fast ferry between Venice and Izola, running with an irregular schedule mainly during the summer season. The journey takes 3 hours.
Venezialines run one fast ferry per week between Venice and Piran.
STAY SAFE
Phone Nr.: Emergency 112 Phone Nr.: Police 113
Note: Slovenia is most likely one of the safest countries to visit, but be aware of your surroundings.
Tivoli park (Ljubljana): The park is generally very safe, and a great place to take an afternoon stroll, but rapes have been reported in Tivoli park after dark, and flashers are know to hang around the Eastern side of the Park across from the student dormitories. Horse mounted police patrol the park.
Discoteques: People may get a bit aggressive in crowded bars, and it's not uncommon to be grabbed or groped.
There are no unusual health concerns in Slovenia. Hygience standards are generally high and tap water is potable.
RESPECT
Slovenians are a bit more reserved than neighboring nations but after the initial contact they are quite open and friendly. Don't hesitate to address people, those younger than 50 understand English and they will be eager to help you. You will impress when using some basic Slovene words. Slovene is rarely spoken by foreigners, so your effort will be appreciated and rewarded.
Slovenians are proud of the fact that they preserved their national identity (especially the language) in spite of the pressures from neighboring non-Slavic nations in past centuries.
Due to their economic success and historical as well as contemporary cultural bonds to the West, they don't like their country to be described as part of "Eastern Europe". Another common misconception is that Slovenia was part of the Soviet Bloc (in fact it was part of Yugoslavia that notoriously split with the Eastern bloc back in 1948). People have no problems talking about the communist period and often become nostalgic over it. They are also proud that they were the first of the federal republics to secede from Yugoslavia. Tito is considered by the vast majority as a national hero, as he also spoke Slovenian very fluently.
There are some open territorial issues with Croatia. Be careful if entering a discussion on this subject as nationalists get quite emotional when this subject is broached! Another delicate issue is the Slovenian civil war during WWII. This national tragedy is still painful for many Slovenians. Try to stay neutral if discussing it.
