Without a doubt, this is one of the most frequently asked questions about Slovenia. Slovenia is not Slovakia, the former part of Czechoslovakia. It is not Slavonia, a region in northern Croatia near the border with Serbia and Hungary. It is not somewhere in Russia. Slovenia is an European state that lies on the southern border of Austria and the eastern border of Italy. It also borders the western corners of Croatia and Hungary. If you are looking at a map printed after 1991, you'll see Slovenia, right there at the northern tip of the Adriatic Sea.
Author: Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia
How big is Slovenia?
Most Slovenians will answer this question by emphasising quality over quantity. This is a natural reaction from a country of two-million people.
Slovenia is small. There's no escaping it, and no denying it. Yet rather than seeing size as a limiting factor, most Slovenians see it as a positive thing. The population density is lower than the European Union and the birth rate is modest.
A drive from the northern border in Austria to the southern coast of the Adriatic would take about three and a half hours. Driving from the farthest northeastern point on the border with Hungary to the southwest border with Italy is about 5 hours by car. It would be much faster, but long stretches of the journey are picturesque country highways.
Author: Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia
Is it a nice place to visit?
If you like blue skies, mountains, the Mediterranean coastline, churches, green rolling hills, vineyards, trout filled streams, European villages and castles, Slovenia would probably be appealing to you. If you prefer skyscrapers and subways, you'll certainly be disappointed.
Probably the nicest thing for visitors is the ease in which one can travel from region to region, as well as the cultural and geographic diversity in a relatively small area.
The weather in the summertime and spring is good for bicycling, hiking, kayaking or just sitting at a cafe in the sun. In the fall the wine is harvested and it is still warm enough to do most outdoor sports. In the winter, most of Slovenia, a country addicted to skiing, hits the slopes. Then, it's spring again.
Author: Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia
Slovenian is a separate and distinct Slavic language. It is written with Roman characters and it is unique among Slavic languages in that it has a "dual" verb form for groups of two people or objects (one additional headache for unlucky non-native speakers).
The Holy Bible was first translated into Slovenian in 1584 by Jurij Dalmatin
Fortunately for visitors, a very large portion of Slovenians speak English, German and Italian and there are Hungarian and Italian speaking minorities.
Author: Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia
What's the best way to get there?
In brief, you can reach Slovenia almost any way possible, i.e., land, air and sea. If you are coming from somewhere other than Europe, you can fly directly into Slovenia, but many people fly into Vienna's airport and take the train from there. Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital city, is by car about four and a half hours south of Vienna, Austria, and 2,5 hours east of Venice, Italy.
Once here, you can travel around by bus (usually the most convenient), train, taxi, or you can rent a car. Bicycling is very popular and the country roads and scenery make this the most rewarding way to travel. Hitchhiking is not all that uncommon, especially for students, and is relatively safe in comparison with other countries. Still, understand that this is in no way an endorsement - hitchhike at your own risk.
Once you get here there are numerous hotels, inns (gostilna) and in the mountains, inexpensive huts for climbers.
Author: Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia
What's the weather like?
The weather in Slovenia varies a bit due to the variation in geography. The northern and northeastern regions are mountainous and generally cooler than the coastal and plains regions. The average temperature for the five largest regional cities is about 2.9 degrees Celsius (32 Fahrenheit) in January and 22 degrees Celsius in July.
It rains and it snows in the winter, but not as much in recent years. There are heavy seasonal winds in the coastal region called "burja". It is easy to be caught in dangerous rainstorms in the Alps even during the summer, so hikers usually take precautions.
In the summer time, there is a lot of sunshine, which may be one reason tourist and government organisations used the slogan "On the Sunny Side of the Alps" when promoting Slovenia.
Author: Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia
MORE DETAILS !
Political system: ...........parliamentary republic
Area: .............20,273 km2
Forest: ...........10,124 km2
Vineyards: ..........216 km2
Length of border with Austria: .........318 km
Length of border with Italy:............232 km
Length of border with Hungary:.........102 km
Length of border with Croatia: ..........670 km
Length of coast:...........46.6 km
Capital: ............Ljubljana
Population: ..............2.025.866 (31. December 2007)
Ethnic origin of population: ............Slovene(83.06%), Italian(0.11%), Hungarian
(0.32%), Others (16.51%)
Language: ..........Slovene
Religion: .............Roman Catholic (60%)
Climate: .............Alpine, Continental, Mediterranean
Time zone: .........Central European Time GMT+1
Average temperatures July: .........21°C January: -2°C
Political system: ...........multiparty parliamentary democracy
Economy: .............GDP p.c. (2005) 17.076 EUR, imports (2007) 21.5 billion EUR, exports (2007) 19.4 billion EUR
Currency: ............Euro, 1 January 2007
Education: ............Universities in Ljubljana and Maribor 90,403 students
(2005/2006)
Culture: ............38 professional and numerous amateur theatres, 2 operas, 45 permanent galleries, 121 museums, 19 professional orchestras and a symphony orchestra
Media: ............14 daily newspapers, 45 weeklies, state television, private televisions, state radio station, local radio stations
Government Communication Office
slovenia.si
This special page is intended for the presentation of Slovenia. The page contains more detailed information on Slovenia, business opportunities, data on the organisation of the country, its history, statistical data on inhabitants, the economy,...
Slovenian take-over of the Euro as of the year 2007
As of the beginning of March 2007, the old Slovenian currency (tolar) can be exchanged for euros only in the issuing bank (Bank of Slovenia).
Holidays
January 1 and 2 New Year's
February 8 Prešeren Day, Slovene cultural day
Easter Sunday and Monday
April 27 Day of Uprising against the Occupation
May 1 and 2 May Day holiday
Pentecost
June 25 Slovenia Day
August 15 Feast of the Assumption
August 17 Slovenians in Prekmurje Incorporated into the Mother Nation
September 15 Restoration of the Primorska Region to the Motherland
October 31 Reformation Day
November 1 All Saint's Day
November 23 Rudolf Maister Day
December 25 Christmas
December 26 Independence and Unity Day
School holidays in 2008–2009
25 December 2008–2 January 2009.................... New year holidays
23–27 February 2009 ................... Winter holidays for Ljubljana and Maribor with their wider areas
16–20 February 2009.................... Winter holidays for other regions
28 April 2009–2 May 2009 ..................... May Day holidays
24 June 2009–31 August 2009.................... Summer holidays
Stores
Working hours are mostly nonstop without lunch time closing.
- Weekdays: 8:00 to 19:00
- Saturdays: 8:00 to 13:00
- Sundays and holidays: On duty pharmacies, etc., and some private stores
Payment is in Euros; most stores accept credit cards: AMERICAN EXPRESS, DINERS, MASTER CARD - EUROCARD, and VISA.
Post Office
Hours of operation:
- Weekdays: 8:00 to 18:00
- Saturdays: 8:00 to 12:00
Evenings and Sundays only main Post Offices in larger centers are open; www.posta.si
International outgoing call prefix: 00
International calls to Slovenia prefix: 386
Public telephones operate on magnetic cards. Magnetic cards are sold at post offices; at newspaper kiosks and tobacco shops; www.telekom.si
Mobile telephone use
Mobile telephones in Slovenia operate in the network on the frequency bands of 900 MHz and 1800 MHz. Roaming is available in the following mobile networks: Mobitel, Simobil, Debitel, Izimobil, Mmobil, Tušmobil.
Banks
Banks will exchange foreign currency and travellers checks for Euros and vice versa. Foreign residents may open Euro and foreign currency accounts, and it is possible to send money orders and transfer payments. Changing money is also possible at exchange offices in hotels, gasoline stations, tourist agencies, supermarkets, and numerous small exchange offices.
Hours of operation:
Weekdays: 8:30-12:30 and 14:00-17:00
Saturdays: 8:30 to 11:00/12:00
Drinking Water
The water is safe and drinkable throughout the country.
Electricity
Current is 220 V, 50 Hz.
Weather
Due to the changes in climate – Mediterranean at the coast, Alpine in the Alps and Karavanke mountains, and Pannonian to the northeast of the country – the appropriate clothes for each season is recommended.
Average temperatures in July are above 21oC and in January 0oC. In the summer it can be very hot at the coast and quite cold in the mountains. We advise you to check the weather forecast before coming to Slovenia.
Weather in Slovenia
Radio Programmes
Weekend Traffic Information on RDS System after news reports on Program 2 from Friday afternoon through Sunday evening
- in English, German, and Italian
- every weekend in July and August
Holiday Weather Reports from July 1 and August 31, on both programmes at 7:1
- in English, German, and Italian
- weather in Slovenia with special reports for mountain regions and the northern Adriatic
News every day at 22:30 on Program 1
- in English and German
- news from Slovenia and international news
Frequencies:
- Program 1: AM 326.8 m (918 KHz)
- FM 88.5, 90.0, 90.9, 91.8, 92.0, 92.9, 94.1, 96.4
- Program 2: FM 87.8, 92.4, 93.5, 94.1, 95.3, 96.9, 97.6, 98.9, 99.9
www.rtvslo.si
As of August 2007 smoking is prohibited in all public places and places of employment. It is only allowed in special areas as determined by accommodation providers, in homes for senior citizens, jails, psychiatric clinics and in areas intended exclusively for smokers.
The age limit for access to tobacco products has also been increased from 15 to 18 years of age for both sales attendants and customers. As with sales of alcoholic beverages, sales attendants can demand proof of age from the customer.
Important telephone numbers
police: 113
fire: 112
emergency first aid: 112
AMZS - Automobile Association of Slovenia: 1987
by: slovenia.info
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