Travel Guide Slovenia - inspiration for your travels

With its stunning mountain views, traditional thermal spas, sun-baked Mediterranean beaches and dozens of vibrant towns and cities unvisited by most modern travellers, Slovenia remains one of Europe's best-kept secrets. Embracing the Alps between Italy, Austria and Croatia, it is a country to be explored at leisure, with time on your hands, and definitely with your own transport. With a car hire in Slovenia you can drive freely through some of the most absorbing countryside imaginable, stopping off occasionally to visit picture-book alpine villages, admire cliff-side castles, take photos of emerald lakes and immerse yourself in some of the most verdant forests in the world.

One of the most idyllic spots is the beautiful city of Bled with its pristine glacial lake set against the backdrop of an imposing mountain range where lunch is served with humour and genuine kindness along its wooded shoreline. Ljubljana, the country's charming capital, is a must for visitors looking to soak up the culture of one of Europe's greenest cities. One of the highlights is its urban design, which was conceived by architect Jože Plecnik (1872–1957) in the years between the two world wars. Nominated as one of the seven new wonders of the world, Triglav National Park (located in the north-western corner of the country) provides good access to the Julian Alps, a must for road-trippers planning an exhilarating journey through one of the most picturesques parts of the country.

Established in 1954, Auto Europe is a market-leading car hire company with almost 70 years of experience in the heart of the global travel industry. We take great pride in offering a detailed travel guide to Slovenia as well as the most convenient pick-up and drop-off locations in Slovenia and around 180 other popular travel destinations. By working with all the world’s most prestigious car rental suppliers, we are able to offer the widest range of vehicles at the lowest prices, which you can book in a few clicks using our state-of-the-art search engine at the top of this page.

For more information and help with your travel plans in Ljubljana and elsewhere around the country, whether it’s a few days' city sightseeing or an extensive road-trip to the alpine resort of Kranjska Gora or a leisurely drive around the Julian Alps, please get in touch with our award-winning rental specialists for tips on getting around with a cheap car rental in Slovenia. For further peace of mind, take a look at the supplier ratings and comments posted by previous Auto Europe customers in the country on our Slovenia car hire reviews page.

Look over the Slovenia travel guide topics listed below and take a look at each page for information on a specific aspect of travelling in Slovenia.

• Slovenia Car Hire Guide - This guide offers you a full overview of everything you need to know about hiring a car in Slovenia.
• Slovenia Driving Information - Learn helpful information about driving in Slovenia. From tips and driving laws to speed limits, parking and more.
• Slovenia Fleet Guide Options - Information about our car hire options for your trip to Slovenia.

Road trips with my car hire in Slovenia

Nestling in the heart of Europe, this scenic country is a road-trip dream come true with some of the most striking landscapes and picturesque towns and villages available to travellers who rent a car in Slovenia and spend time on its roads and motorways. Besides visiting the coastal cities of Koper and Portoroz, the most popular options include a drive through the mountains and some time spent in the capital, Ljubljana.

Being one of the smallest countries in the EU, Slovenia is also one of the best to visit for a road trip, which can include visits to mountain resorts, UNESCO World Heritage Sies and days soaking up the sun on a long sandy Adriatic beach. Due to its location in the very heart of Europe, this scenic country is a road-trip dream come true with some of the most striking landscapes and picturesque towns and villages available to travellers who rent a car in Slovenia and spend time on its roads and motorways. Besides visiting the coastal cities of Koper and Portoroz, the most popular options include a drive through the mountains and some time spent in the capital, Ljubljana. One of the best itineraries is from the Alps to the Adriatic, one of the best tailor-made journeys for travellers looking to experience the best of the country's incredible seaside and mountain combination. Beginning and ending in the country's magnificent capital, the road stretches northwards to Kranjska Gora, the northern terminus of the breathtaking 50-kilometre Vrsic Pass, a high-altitude mountain road that's open from the middle of spring to late autumn. Detours include Predjama Castle, an amzing Gothic-style fortress built directly into a huge cliff with a vast network of caves and passages.

Following the River Sava is another of Slovenia's great road-trip adventures and a journey that takes travellers from the north-west to the south-east beside one of Europe’s most important waterways. The route starts at the river's source near Kranjska Gora, passing many iconic attractions en route, including Lake Bled. Continuing south to Ljubljana, you'll have the opportunity to appreciate everything this wonderful city has to offer, such as the many open-air markets, lively cafes and superb restaurants before carrying on to the prretty eastern town of Brežice in the heart of the verdant Posavje region where many of the country's top vineyards are situated.

This country of diversity also has a long wine-making tradition, which can be easily explored and savoured with a low-cost car hire in Slovenia. Today, Slovenia produces a wide range of wines, the majority of which are represented by small, family-owned boutique wineries located in the three major Slovenian regions of Podravska (in the Drava Valley), Primorska (on the Adriatic Coast) and Posavska (in the Sava Valley). There are more than fifty different grape varieties cultivated in Slovenia in an area totalling over 16,000 hectares of vineyards, out of which three-quarters are white grape varieties. With 2.1-kilometre-long underground passages, Podravska has the largest and oldest classical wine cellars in Europe, while Posavska is popular for its tasty Cviček wine, made from a blend of red and white wines and characterised by its low alcohol content.

What to do in Slovenia

With its abundance of exquisite architecture, fine cuisine and outstanding museums, Slovania is a very pleasant surprise for first-time visitors, many of whom flock to the capital to marvel at its historic centre. From the golden sands of the country's Adriatic beaches to the ski resorts of the Julian Alps, there's much to see and do when taking to the road with your car rental in Slovenia.

• Ljubljana: Enchanting, incurably romantic and one of the greenest capitals in Europe, Slovenia's gracious capital has a long history dating back to Roman times, with many vestiges still remaining from that era. First built 900 years ago, its iconic castle sits atop a hill almost 400 metres high and can be reached by a 70m-long funicular from the city's enchanting Old Town. Other must-visit attractions include Ljubljana Cathedral (one of the city's landmarks), Prešeren Square (Ljubljana's impressive centrepoint), the Town Hall (built in a Gothic style in 1484), Triple Bridge (a group of three exquisite bridges crossing the River Ljubljanica) and Shoemakers' Bridge (which dates back to at least the 13th century).


• Maribor: Provincial and charming, Slovenia's second-largest city is worth visiting for its lovely old historic centre known as Lent which has many interesting attractions, most notably the oldest vine in the world (about 450 years old) which can be seen growing outside the front of the Old Vine House. Built in 14th century, Maribor Synagogue (Sinagoga Maribor) is the second- oldest in Europe and serves as a centre for many cultural activities, including exhibitions, concerts and literary evenings. Other highlights include Maribor castle (built by Emperor Frederick III in the 15th century) and the city's cathedral founded in the 12th century.


• Bled: One of the most glittering jewels in the country's tourism crown, breathtaking Bled is a town on Lake Bled in the Upper Carniolan region of north-western Slovenia. Its glacier-formed, crystal blue lake is famed for its castle and panoramic views which people from all over the world come to admire. Near Bled lies Babji Zob (Hag's Tooth), a 300-metre cave system featuring many rare helictites (calcium deposits) and a tooth-shaped pillar atop a 1128-metre-high peak. The town is also a good access point for Triglav National Park, a vast natural area which offers numerous sightseeing and outdoor adventure opportunities.


• Triglav National Park: Nominated as one of the seven new wonders of the world, Triglav National Park is widely consdiered to be the oldest and most beautiful park in Europe. Offering picturesque views and outdoor activities available all year round, it stretches right across north-east Slovenia, encompassing large swathes of the Eastern Julian Alps. You can explore Mount Triglav with your car hire in Slovenia before visiting some of the other attractions inside its perimeter, such as the Pokljuka Plateau (an area of forests and idyllic mountain pastures) and Vintgar Gorge, a wild natural monument located in the heart of the Julian Alps.


• Škocjan Caves: One of Slovenia's top tourist attractions, this extensive system of limestone caves comprises more than 6 kilometres of underground passageways and reaches a depth of more than 200 metres. many waterfalls and one of the largest known underground chambers. Located in the Kras (meaning Karst) region, the site is one of the most famous in the world for the study of karstic phenomena. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, visitors can see waterfalls, rapids and the enormous Martel Chamber, one of the largest underground chambers in the world.

A bit of history

The earliest record of human habitation in Slovenia was two stone tools unearthed in Hells Cave, which is located in the Loza Woods near the town of Orehek. The fact that they are estimated to be around 250,000 years old means that the first inhabitants of Slovenia were Neanderthals. SIt was later settled by Illyrian and Celtic tribes in the Bronze age and became part of the Roman Empire in 1 BC. The specific Slovene ethnic identity dates from the 16th century and around this time the preacher Primoz Trubar wrote and published the first-ever books in the Slovene language. Slovenia declared itself an independent nation after World War I shortly before it joined forces with Montenegro, Serbia and Croatia to form a new nation known as the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes on December 4 1918, later changing its name to Yugoslavia less than ten years later but Germany invaded and occupied Yugoslavia during World War II. In 1992, the EU recognised Slovenia as an independent nation and the country gained membership of NATO and the EU in 2004.

Frequently Asked Questions about travelling in Slovenia

Now that we’ve given you some inspiration and ideas for a fascinating road-trip in Slovenia, you might still have a couple of questions about travelling around this small but incredible country. In the section below, you will find a selection of our most frequently asked questions regarding car rental in Slovenia, as well as a few phrases that might prove useful during your travels. You'll find plenty of advice on which vehicles will be best suited to your forthcoming journey, whether or not you will require a visa and what power supply is most common in Slovenia, plus a whole lot more. Should you require personal assistance from one of our staff, please do not hesitate to contact us for assistance. You'll also find plenty of advice and other car hire-related information in our popular travel tips section where we cover a wide variety of topics ranging from coverage options to all the rules and regulations regarding minimum and maximum age requirements and any driving restrictions that might apply in Slovenia, etc.

Useful Links

Slovenia Airport Information

Official Tourism Website of Slovenia

Gov.uk Slovenia Travel Advice