Important Things to Know About Slovenia Before Visiting

The weather

The climate of Slovenia is heavily influenced by the Alps and the Mediterranean, thus in the northeastern part the climate is mostly continental. The average temperature in the summer is around 70F and in the winter slightly over 32F. The four seasons used to be more obvious in the past but today we often skip spring and autumn or these two periods last a bit shorter.

Snow covered trees in the Slovenian Alps. Unsplash/Davide Scridel. 

When you come to Slovenia during the  colder part of the year bring warm clothes and waterproof shoes. And on the other hand, if you choose a warm season to visit don’t bring only light summer clothes because in the evenings it might get a little chilly. And don’t forget the hat and sunscreen to protect the exposed parts of the body.

Currency

Euro is the currency of Slovenia. Unsplash/Hans Ripa. 

The Slovenian currency is Euro, the majority of the stores accept international credit and other payment cards. You can find ATMs all over the country to easily withdraw cash.

Tourist information

At the Slovenian Tourist Information Centre at Krekov trg 10 in Ljubljana you can get useful information about the country. During the summer months, every Wednesday, the Centre welcomes foreigners wanting to learn Slovenian as a foreign language.

Opening hours:

1 October - 31 May: Monday to Friday 8:00 - 19.00, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 9.00 - 17.00

1 June - 30 September: every day 8.00 - 21.00

There are tourist information centres in all the cities in Slovenia as well, just search “TIC” and the name of the city.

The language

Considering the number of speakers, the Slovenian language has relatively many dialects and subdialects, around 48, which are divided into eight dialect groups. Such a language variety is the result of geographical, political, historical and social factors and other reasons.

Slovenian is one of the rare Indo-European languages to have retained the dual.

When reading Slovenian words on maps, in magazines or in books, you will find special characters for ch (ch like in cherry), sh (sh like in mushroom), and zh (zh like in measure). They are written with c, s and z with a caron, a little “v” above them, like č, š and ž.

A large part of the population speaks English fluently, especially the younger generations. 

Drinking water

In Slovenia, everybody can enjoy clean and fresh tap water every day. It is a custom in Slovenia to be served a glass of water when ordering coffee, wine or even food in the restaurants and bars. There are also numerous public drinking fountains with natural drinking water available in many Slovenian towns. Don’t forget to drink tap water while in Slovenia. It’s tasty, healthy and it’s cheap.

Important telephone numbers

International phone calls to Slovenia: 00 + 386 (country code for Slovenia) +   1 (area code for Ljubljana) + telephone number

International phone calls from Slovenia: 00 + country code + area code + telephone number

113 Police

080 1200 Police - reporting offenders, anonymous phone line

112 Emergency call centre: firefighters, ambulance service

080 1900 Tourist telephone - tourists and tourism workers can report their comments, complaints, criticism and suggestions to this toll-free number 24 hours a day

1188 Information on telephone subscribers in Slovenia

1180 Information on international telephone subscribers

1987 Roadside assistance and towing - AMZS

195 Exact time

198 10 Alarm call service

Postal service

For simpler handlings, the Post of Slovenia has created an app for smartphones and tablets that provides information about post office branches. The app gives users details of branch business hours, phone numbers and addresses, and information about the services that the branches can provide.

The self service 24/7 post office is located on Slovenska 32 in Ljubljana.

Radio Si

Radio Si - Radio Slovenia International is the first and only foreign language radio station in Slovenia. The essential elements of the programme are weather, traffic, cultural and sports information and also events taking place in Slovenia. There are many frequencies you can listen to Radio Si and it can be heard all over the country.

Public toilets

Public toilets at the Ljubljana Railway station and in the city centre can be used for free. You can find them under most of the bridges on the Ljubljanica river and in a few other locations. Most of the toilets have disabled access.

Information for wheelchair users in Ljubljana

The city of Ljubljana has recently launched an application, covering the needs of wheelchair user tourists, Ljubljana by wheelchair. The app is easy to use and enables a simple search of relevant touristic information about the city for wheelchair users.