GENERAL
Official name of the state
Republic of Slovenia.
Capital
Ljubljana.
Geography
According to a2zgov, Slovenia is a small country with transit roads crisscrossed from north to south and east to west. Slovenia borders Italy in the west, Austria in the north, Hungary in the northeast and Croatia in the south. Mountains, lush forests and rivers determine the varied landscape. The most important port on the 47 km long Adriatic coast is Koper. The north of the country is characterized by hills and mountain landscapes, the highest point is the Triglav (2864 m).
Government
Parliamentary democracy. Republic since 1991. Constitution of 1991, last amendment in 2000. Bicameral Parliament: National Assembly with 90 members, 40 of whom are directly elected and the National Council with 40 seats. In 1991, the declaration of independence announced in June came into force. In 1992 the Republic of Slovenia was officially recognized by the then EC countries. Slovenia is a member of the EU.
Head of state
Borut Pahor, since December 2012.
Head of government
Miro Cerar, since August 2014.
Electricity
230 V, 50 Hz.
Time zone
Central European Time: CET +2 (CET +3 from March 26 to October 29, 2017)
TRAVEL WARNING
Current information
Due to the refugee situation, border controls will continue to be carried out on the Slovenian-Austrian border and on the Slovenian-Hungarian border. Border controls are increasingly being carried out at the Slovenian-Croatian border.
It is necessary for all travelers (including children from the day of their birth) to carry with them an identity document (identity card or passport) that is valid for entry.
Travelers are advised to find out about the current traffic situation before starting their journey. Traffic information in English is available at: External link, opens in a new windowTraffic-conditions
Information on the situation at the borders is available at the following websites: External link, opens in a new window Situation-at-the-borders, external link, opens in a new window ADAC.de.
Country-specific safety instructions
There is currently no country-specific safety notice for Slovenia.
For traffic reports in English: External link, opens in a new windowTraffic-conditions.
LANGUAGE
Overview
The official language is Slovenian. Serbocratic (4.5%) and other minority languages are also spoken. German, Hungarian, Italian and English are common as a foreign language.
Idioms
- Eight = Osem
- Eighty = Osemdesiatka
- Goodbye = Dovidenia
- Exit = Východ
- Beer = pivo
- Please = Prosím
- Thank you = Ďakujem
- Tuesday = Utorok
- Doctor = doctor
- Thursday = štvrtok
- Three = tri
- Thirty = Tridsatka
- Input = Vchod
- One hundred = sto
- One = everyone
- One thousand = Tisíc
- Friday = Piatok
- Five = Päť
- Fifty = päťdesiatka
- Danger = Nebezpečenstvo
- Closed = Uzavretý
- Hello = Nazdar
- Today = Dnes
- Hotel = hotel
- I feel sick = Cítim sa zle.
- I don’t understand = Nerozumiem
- Yes = Áno
- My name is?? =?? Moje meno je
- I’m fine. = Yes robím veľmi dobre
- Wednesday = Streda
- Monday = pondelok
- Tomorrow = Zajtra
- No = never
- Nine = Devať
- Ninety = Devadesiatka
- Open = Otvorený
- Restaurant = Reštaurácia
- Saturday = Sobota
- Six = šest
- Sixty = šesťdesiatka
- Seven = sedeme
- Seventy = Sedemdesiatka
- Sunday = Nedeľa
- Menu = menu
- Do you speak German / English? = Hovorí nemecky / Hovoríš anglicky?
- Toilets = Záchody
- Four = štyri
- Forty = štyridsatka
- Wine = Víno
- How are you? = Ako sa máš?
- How much is it? = Koľko to stojí?
- Where is??? = Kde ever?
- Ten = Desiatka
- Twenty = Dvadsiatka
- Two = Dva
CULTURE
Religion
Predominantly Roman Catholic (57.8%); Muslim (2.4%), Greek Orthodox (2.3%) and other Christian minorities.
Social rules of conduct
General: Slovenes are extremely hospitable people and very proud of their independence. Many Slovenes are happy to use the Slovenian place names.
Manners: Shake hands to greet you. The usual manners should be observed. Women are addressed with gospa and men with gospod and their surname. The salutation gospodična (Miss) is considered out of date. The address with gospa or gospod and the first name is a little less formal. You always appear punctually at the agreed time for an invitation. Uneven numbers of flowers, chocolates or a good bottle of wine are suitable gifts. Criticism is rather expressed indirectly in order not to expose oneself or one’s counterpart.
Clothing: Casual, neat clothing is acceptable in most cases. Value is placed on branded clothing. You should appear in a suit for a business meeting.
Smoking: Smoking is strictly forbidden in all public closed rooms and on public transport, as well as in cinemas, theaters, bars, restaurants, offices and waiting rooms. Some restaurants offer separate smoking rooms, in which, however, no food or drinks are allowed. Smoking bans should be observed, otherwise high fines may be imposed.
Tipping: There is no obligation to tip. However, service providers are happy if the customer rounds up the invoice amount a little. In the restaurant, a tip of 5-10% is customary depending on the invoice amount.
Security: Slovenia is generally a safe country, but you should also be careful of your valuables here. Cars should always be parked locked in illuminated parking lots. Larger sums of cash and other valuables are safe in the hotel safe. You should always copy important documents such as flight tickets, identification papers or booking confirmations.
CLIMATE
Best travel time
Continental climate with hot summers and cold winters in the east and south-east, in the north-west alpine climate, in the coastal area Mediterranean climate. The best travel time for bathers on the Adriatic coast begins in June and ends in September. The central parts of the country and the north are best traveled from May to September. Winter sports enthusiasts usually find the best conditions in the Alps from December to April.