How to Get Around Slovenia

Slovenia is built for a car: the tourist board's promise is that nothing is more than two or three hours from Ljubljana, and the sites of the north-west and the Karst are villages and valleys that buses reach slowly. To drive on the motorways and expressways you need a vignette, which is electronic and tied to the vehicle's plate; the annual one runs twelve months from the date you choose and the monthly one to the end of the last day of the following month. The price is set by the motorway company, whose site did not answer a scripted request, so it is not stated here; buy it before you join the motorway. Roadside assistance is on 1987.

The sites themselves publish their own terms. Bled Castle is open every day of the year, 8 am to 8 pm from April to October and to 6 pm from November to March, last entry half an hour before closing, adults 19 euros; Postojna Cave's standard tour is 34.90 euros for an adult, an hour and a half by train and on foot at a constant 10 degrees; the Škocjan caves sell out on certain summer days, so book online and be at the information desk 30 minutes before your slot. Slovenian Railways and Ljubljana's bus company both refused scripted requests, so train and city fares are not given.

Driving and the vignette

A vignette is required on motorways and expressways. The Slovenian Tourist Board's driving page describes the validity periods -- the annual vignette valid for one year from the date the customer sets, the monthly one to the end of the last day of the next month -- and the motorway company DARS sells them electronically; its site timed out, so prices are not repeated here. Roadside assistance and towing: the Automobile Association of Slovenia on 1987.

Bled

Bled Castle, on the cliff above the north shore, is open every day including Sundays and holidays: April to October 8:00 to 20:00, November to March 8:00 to 18:00, last entry half an hour before closing. Adults 19.00 euros, students 11.50, children 7.00, seniors 65+ and people with disabilities 16.00, children up to six free; holders of the Julian Alps Guest Card get 10 per cent off. Photography for personal use is allowed, professional recording needs permission, drones are prohibited, and pets are welcome outdoors on a leash but not inside. The lake is 35 kilometres from Ljubljana airport and 55 from the capital.

The caves

Postojna Cave's standard tour ("Meet the Queen of Caves") lasts an hour and a half: the cave train carries visitors two kilometres in and back, with about 1.5 kilometres on foot with a guide; adults 34.90 euros, students 16 to 25 27.80, children 6 to 15 20.70, children up to five 1.00. The temperature is a constant 10 degrees; warm coats are for hire at the entrance. The Škocjan caves, a 15-minute drive away, ask visitors to buy tickets online in advance because tours sell out on certain days and times in summer, and to be at the information desk at least 30 minutes before the booked tour.

Opening hours and the border

Banks open Monday to Friday 9:00 to 17:00, shops Monday to Saturday from 7:00 or 9:00 to 19:00 or 21:00 and close on Sundays, museums often close on Mondays, and the big service stations are open around the clock. EU and EEA citizens cross the border with an identity card or passport; third-country nationals need a valid passport and, where required, a visa; Slovenia has been in Schengen since 2007.