Slovenia

July 5, 2011 · 6 comments

This is a guest post from Renee White

Slovenia? It’s more like sLOVEnia.

I have never been to a country in Europe where a €30 – €60 a day budget was actually realistically possible. You must be thinking that there must be a bad reason why Slovenia is so cheap. Well, I’m not an economist but Slovenia is a third of the price than neighbouring Italy and Austria and has ALWAYS been cheaper than Hungary and Croatia. Sounds like backpacker’s dream to me….And it certainly is. For tips, I looked at My Destination Slovenia. It prepared me with everything I needed to know.

Maribor Slovenia

Maribor

Ljubljana, almost meaning “beloved” in Slovene, is a petite red-roofed capital bursting with culture, excitement and gorgeous sights. As we wandered the streets, I marvelled at how the city came to life everyday as tables extended into the narrow streets and the hospitality of the people dumbfounded me. Areas of a ‘snobbier’ Europe should learn from the Slovenians, everyone is more than happy to help you find your way and they won’t hesitate to speak any one of the few languages they know apart from their native tongue. Not to mention a nice chunk of the population are students attending Ljubljana University so there’s always something fun going on. And not only that, there’s so much to see; The Ljubljana Castle on the top of the hill, Trail of Remembrance down the Ljubljanica River and the National Gallery. After all this you will need to get a real taste of Slav food – near the university and along the river is where to eat in Slovenia.

Slovenia castle

Castle in Slovenia

Don’t be afraid to venture outside of the capital, but just be careful you’re not falling into a tourist trap. Bled, one of Slovenia’s most popular tourist destinations is truly a remarkable place. With its cliff-top medieval castle and breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, there’s no question why it’s so popular. But with tourism comes the prices. We really wanted to do a gondola ride as we saw other people taking the tour, but once we found out the price was well above our daily budget, we settled for renting a row boat. I must say we probably had more fun than the gondola riders, racing each other in the lake. When we needed our historical fix, we crept up next to a gondola ride which some weren’t too happy about. While tourist traps can be kind of annoying, you can certainly make the most of it. It certainly shouldn’t stop you enjoying holidays in Slovenia.

No trip to Slovenia is complete without going into the Škocjan Caves in Karst. Now this place was really cool! It was surreal that such a place exists. You have no other choice but to take the guided tours, but it is worth every cent. Personally, I get slightly claustrophobic so my friends didn’t stop with attempting to scare me…but the remarkable beauty and wonder of the caves was enough to distract me from their tactics.

Author Bio: Renee White
Renee is an eager American traveler writer with a passion for understanding new cultures. She loves not taking the beaten path and sharing her experiences with others.

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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

Bluegreen Kirk July 5, 2011 at 12:59 PM

Slovenia or sLOVEnia as you put it seems like a wonderful and fairly inexpensive place to vacation. I never hear much talk about it but its great to hear about your travels there. Maribor looks great!

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Si @ thedepartureboard July 5, 2011 at 8:47 PM

Hi Renee, I have to agree with your post, Slovenia is a wonderful destination. A country of contrast with Venetian coastal towns, stunning walking, ski-ing at Kranjska Gora and so much more. I loved my visit. Still not really a popular destination. Great Post

Regards, Si @thedepartureboard

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AdventureRob July 7, 2011 at 1:20 PM

The lack of popularity is reason enough to go, often destinations lose their charm somewhat when they become popular, not just because of fellow tourists, but the locals change to cater for them too.

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Natalie LoveYouPlanet July 6, 2011 at 8:46 AM

Yes, Slovenia is really charming and very atmospheric country)

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Tuscany Villas July 8, 2011 at 7:37 AM

Slovenia has an amazing wealth of attractions and features. The choice is so wide that sometimes it is hard to decide what to visit. But from your article, it is clear that you can spend quality time with even a small budget. Thank you for sharing,

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Villa Umbria August 26, 2011 at 4:51 AM

It’s clear from your post that we can visit such a nice place in just a small budget.Slovenia is not very popular but your post made it popular.Really very nice post.

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