As we entered Slovenia from Hungary the terrain immediately changed and so did our mood. The mountains rose all around us immediately drawing us in, enveloping us in a hug. It didn’t take us long to fall in love with this luscious land. The Slovenians certainly take great care of their surroundings, clearly demonstrated in the well cared for properties and gardens in their villages. The capital is officially Europe’s greenest city embracing recycling in a way us Brits can only aspire to – there’s nothing like money to focus the mind though and the people there have to pay for any non recyclable rubbish  they throw away. We thought this was a great idea. The water here is all drinkable, in fact they discourage people from buying bottled water as the tap water is so clean. The lakes are so clear you can see right to the bottom and so are perfect for swimming in. With only 2 million occupants the country certainly doesn’t feel in any way overcrowded, even with the throngs of tourists that flock here during the peak season, but they certainly recognise the importance of tourism to their economy with brown info signs dotted all the way along the major routes, informing visitors of what there is to see.

Roads & Vignette (Toll)

The major trunk roads and motorways are in very good condition especially compared to other eastern European countries we’ve visited. A Vignette is required for the motorways,  the cost for is €15 for a week and 30€ for a month. This time we bought ours at a petrol station as it had to be displayed in the windscreen.The standard of driving was generally good.

Currency

As well as being a full member of the EU Slovenia has also adopted the Euro. ATM’s are widely available and money can be changed in both banks and money exchanges although both make charges. Everywhere seems to take both cash or card payments.

Fuel and Gas

Some fuel stations also sell LPG. Fuel round€ 1.17 a litre and 0.79 cents for LPG

Supermarkets & Shopping

There are some large chains in Slovenia as with other Eastern European countries Lidl has lots of stores here which we tended to use. Food seemed more expensive here, but that was compared with the rest of Eastern Europe, compared with the UK it was still a lot cheaper.

Campsites and Wild Camping

As we were here in peak season (August) we mainly stayed on campsites or camperstops. Slovenia caters really well for the motorhome visitor and offers a mixture of types of parking, from restaurants that allow you to park overnight for free, to inexpensive camperstops that have full services but no shower block or washing machines, then full blown campsites. Rates varied from free to 31€ at lake Bahinj for one night.  We also wild camped without problems. One of the 1st camperstops we stayed on was owned by a Slovenian couple who also owned a motorhome and willingly told us its fine to free park in Slovenia as long as there are no signs preventing it.

 

Water and Waste

With so many camperstops and sites filling and emptying was no problem at all here and as Slovenia tries to discourage people from drinking bottled water there are also plenty of taps around.

Language

The language has a lot of similarities to Bulgarian so we felt like we’d got a bit of a head start having learnt quite a few words and phrases whilst there. English is spoken very widely though so we didn’t need to use it quite as much here.

Eating out

We had some gorgeous food when in Slovenia, and just happened to time our visit to the capital when its weekly outdoor kitchen sets up (Friday)! The prices were very reasonable especially for the standard of food we enjoyed.

 

Rubbish disposal

There are plenty of big bins around which seem to be emptied regularly. Embrace the countries green status and recycle where possible as there is plenty of opportunity to do so.

Wifi

Wifi is widely available in bars, restaurants and campsites. As with anywhere 3G signal can also be hit and miss in more rural or mountainous  areas so if you’re reliant on wifi then you should aim for larger towns and villages.

People

We found the Slovenians so warm and friendly. The welcome we have received across Eastern Europe has been astounding.

Slovenia is very near the top of our list of best countries visited so far, we will definitely be back.

Andi x