Predjama Castle, Slovenia by Gilad Rom via Flickr Creative Commons

Language

Slovenian is the official language of Slovenia and is spoken by the vast majority of the population. Italian and Hungarian are spoken by minorities, with the coastal regions having Italian as a second official language. English and German are taught in schools, and the proportion of Slovenes who can speak English is higher than the average in most of Europe. In the tourist industry, it is common for people to know multiple tongues and employees can often can speak some form of English, as well as German or Italian.

Currency

Like many European Union nations, the euro (€) is the official currency of Slovenia. It is a decimal currency, with €1 divided into 100 cents. Other currencies are not normally accepted in shops and businesses, although foreign currency and travelers’ checks can be exchanged at banks and bureaux de change. Banks are open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays, although many close for an hour at noon. ATMs are common in major cities and towns, and credit cards are widely accepted.

Time

Slovenia is on Central European Time, which is one hour ahead of GMT (GMT +1).

Electricity

Slovenia uses electricity at 220V/50Hz with European two-pin plug sockets. Visitors using appliances that use a different voltage will need a transformer and appliances with different plugs will need an adapter.

Communications

The international dialing code for Slovenia is +386. To dial overseas, press 00 followed by the country code. Slovenia uses area codes: 1 for Ljubljana, 2 for Maribor, 4 for Bled, and 5 for Piran. There are two main mobile operators in Slovenia: Mobitel and Simobil. Public telephones in Slovenia are operated by Telekom Slovenije. Travelers need to pick up a magnetic calling card which can be purchased from post offices and newsstands. Internet cafés are common in Ljubljana, large towns, and tourist areas.

Duty-free

International passengers can purchase products such as cosmetics, cigarettes, and alcohol at airport duty-free shops in Slovenia. Visitors who are over 17 years of age and are from non-EU countries such as the US are allowed to bring in up to 200 cigarettes or 250g tobacco and one liter of spirits over 22 percent, two liters of wine, or 16 liters of beer without paying duty, along with 50 ml of perfume.

Tourist Office

Slovenia has 90 tourist information centers dotted across the country. The main one is: STIC - Slovenian Tourist Information Centre at Krekov Trg 10, Ljubljana. The phone number is +386-1-306-45-75. For a full list of tourist information centers and online tourist information, see: http://www.slovenia.info/en/.

Consulates in Slovenia

American Embassy, Ljubljana: +386-1-200-5500 Australian Consulate, Ljubljana: +386-1-234-8675 British Embassy, Ljubljana: +386 1 200 3910 Consulate of Canada, Ljubljana: +386-1-252-4444 Embassy of France, Ljubljana: +386-1-479-0400 German Embassy, Ljubljana: +386-1-479-0300 New Zealand Consulate, Ljubljana: +386-1-580-3055

Emergency

Emergency services: 112 National police: 113

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