Slovenia Travel Guide

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Cuisine

Slovenia's national cuisine consists of simple fresh produce and has a mostly Austro-German influence. Dishes such as sauerkraut, grilled sausage and apple strudel are found on most menus, while family meals typically include soups, sausages, cheese, potato dumplings and bread.

National specialties:
Slovenian cheeses are not known for their pungency, but there are quite a few tasty varieties and are guaranteed to be farm produced. There are many cheese makers across the country, many open to visitors.

A well known Slovene specialty is potica, a circular loaf/cake with a wide variety of fillings, namely, nuts, honey, cream, raisins and cinnamon.

The best-known Slovene foods are the breads made for special occasions, which appear in the form of braided loaves or wreathes: the struklji stuffed with sweet fillings, meat or vegetables.

Seafood is a specialty in Primorska region.

Goulash is popular in the Hungarian influenced eastern Prekmurje region.

National drinks:

Brandy made from fruit, known as žganje, is a popular drink to have in bars. Blueberry brandy is the current favorite.

Slovenian wine is of a very high standard with outstanding whites, such as Laski and Renski Rizling, to iron rich reds like Teran from the Kras plateau region. Don't pass up an opportunity to taste test Slovenia's best kept secret.

Slovenian beer is also excellent: the most popular brewers are Union in Ljubljana and Lasko in the eponymous town.

Legal drinking age: 18.

Tipping: 10% is generally expected in restaurants, though not obligatory.

Nightlife

Larger towns have their fair share of nightclubs and cinemas, however, Ljubljana is the cultural capital. It has an opera house and the symphony orchestra plays regularly in the Big Hall of the Cultural and Congress Center. As Ljubljana has a large student population, the bar and club scene is decent with a cosmopolitan feel. Music and fashion are on par with larger European cities and parties can carry on well into the morning. Maribor is Slovenia's second university city and it too has a good nightlife, while the main action on the coast is in the resort of Portoroz.