# Slovenia-any tips



## franco (Dec 14, 2005)

Hi thinking of maybe touring north italy and slovenia in september. Wondered what Slovenia is like for motorhomes.
How easy is it to wildcamp or is this illegal? Are we better off staying on sites. 
How accessible are the towns/cities?
Would quite like a chill out time by the sea.How practical is this given quite a small coastline.
Any views would be most welcome
Cheers
Franco


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Slovenia is a lovely friendly country and a pleasure to visit with a motorhome.

There are lots of campsites, ranging from the big city ones to the smaller privately-owned sites but all that we used were clean and well run. There are some aires and several places where we felt it would be possible to wild camp ( with permission) though we did not.

The coast, as you say, is not a big one and there is not a lot of sand. The two resorts we visited- ( in autumn 2007) were Portoroz ( Autocamp Lucija) and Camping Adria near Ankaran. Most of "beach" life was on grass or rocks and very crowded. We could not get a sea view pitch on either site and in summer I'm sure you'd have to book.
Piran, near Portoroz is lovely - a real little bit of Venice. For a beach holiday I'd go on into Croatia- Camping Skoja near Pula is great and if you ask for a pitch on the headland you can spend your day watching the dolphins, fishermen and the Adriatic in general and it is very relaxing.

There are plenty of excellent markets and very good supermarkets in Slovenia and eating out was a pleasure.

Public transport from campsites outside the cities was very good and cheap so we used it an did not take the van into towns. Llubljana is a lovely relaxed capital city with a very good campsite ( Camping Resort Llubljana) on the outskirts with a regular bus service.

There's lots to see and do in Slovenia and, if you're into outdoor sports, then you'll be in your element. Most small towns have firms who offer all the equipment, transport and training you will need to do all sorts of sports.

We loved it and will go back.

One small snag now; you must buy a vignette to use the roads and it is quite expensive. I feel this is very fair. The road system in Slovenia served a largely pastoral people very well but now a steady stream of visitors from the north pass through en route to Croatia and they are rebuilding and extending.

Go for it- you will not regret visiting such a beautiful and relaxed country.

G


----------



## franco (Dec 14, 2005)

Thanks Grizzly this is really helpful.Certainly wets the appetite
Cheers
Franco


----------



## DocHoliday (Jul 18, 2008)

I'm there right now, Franco - got there yesterday. Grizzly covered it very well, I think, but if you have any specific queries ...

I just popped into the local tourist office at Koper and they provided me with a town map, country map of good quality, and detailed listings of campsites, all in English, for free. I shall be enjoying the town's WiFi later, free for an hour. I also have an unlocked dongle and have got internet access through that (if anyone wants details PM me).

Wildcamping is not generally illegal (unlike Croatia), although the campsite listing booklet says that it may be against some local byelaws. It seems such a relaxed country, though, so I'm not anticipating any major problems as long as I behave responsibly.

Having just done the length of the crowded coastline in no time at all, I think the suggestion of going into Croatia for the beaches is a good one. I tried to stay at Camping Skoja but they were closed until yesterday. Great location, but it ain't cheap! Most beaches in Croatia seem to be a mix of pebbles and sand, not what we're used to in the UK.

The motorway vignette for Slovenia is €95 for a year, €30 for a month, and I think €15 for a week.


----------



## cilkad (Jan 4, 2007)

Grizzly - you've covered it all but Franco if you have any more question, I'll happy to answer them. 
Lots of information here: 
http://www.slovenia.info/en/Home.htm?home=0&lng=2

Campsites are opening now, it's getting warmer ...
Doc, I hope you're enjoying it here. Are you coming to Bled as well?
Regards,
Cilka


----------



## DocHoliday (Jul 18, 2008)

Hi Cilka, yes enjoying it a lot, so far. I'll be going to Bled, in about ten days' time, I think.

One thing I'd like to know is: are launderettes common in Slovenia?


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

DocHoliday said:


> One thing I'd like to know is: are launderettes common in Slovenia?


If you're going to Camping Resort Llubljana then there is a hotel there and the hotel laundry will do a pile of washing for you. Leave it with the ladies before you go out for the day and it will be ready, washed, ironed, folded and wrapped, for you when you return.

Franco: some places we found special;

The Skokjanske caves- these are a World Heritage site and quite stunning. There's a lot of walking , much of it with overhangs and narrow paths but, as a confirmed vertigo-sufferer, even I'd have not missed it. There is a big car park there and, though we did not ask, I'd have been surprised if you could not spend the night tucked into a corner. If you prefer the more commercialised ( and much more expensive ) caves then you can go round the Postojna caves on a little train. There is an aire at Postojna and vast amounts of parking, including a MH area. We stayed at Camping Pivka Jama.

Nearby, at Lipice, is the stud for the Lipizaner horses used by the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. They do tours but are not open every day.

The National Technical Museum at Bistra - housed in an old Carthusian monastery.

The town, European Museum of the Year winning museum and walking trail of Koberid. We stayed at Camping Koren. The hotel in town (Hotel Hvala) is famous for fish dishes as far as Italy.

Bovec: for the scenery . We stayed at Camping Polovnik (ACSI rate) but there is an aire at the base station for the cable car.

Many of the campsites above are in MHF database and the rest all have their websites.

G


----------



## franco (Dec 14, 2005)

Thanks to all for such tremendous info. We havent decided exactly what we will be doing yet but this certainly makes me very interested.
Thanks again
Franco


----------



## DocHoliday (Jul 18, 2008)

I'm now by the Kolpa river in the south east of the country - very lovely.

I was just politely hassled by the Police. The river forms the border with Croatia and they are a bit touchy (and no doubt bored because there's nothing happening here at this time of year). My documents were very thoroughly checked. They told me that I have to 'check in' with the Police within 3 days of entering the country. I don't know why I wasn't told that when I entered from Croatia at an official border post. And I have to check out again when I leave. I am surprised that an EU country requires this.

They asked me where I planned to stay. They weren't keen on me wildcamping by the road, but I told them "All the campsites are shut around here - what can I do?" They gave me directions to a nearby village where there is a 'car park' ... which is just a patch of gravel by the side of the road ... pretty similar to where I was before, actually. Hmmm.

EDIT: This FCO page is worth a read. It confirms the need to register within 3 days. It also says:
"If you are driving to Slovenia during the winter period, you should be aware that winter equipment is mandatory from 15 November until 15 March. This means that your car must be equipped with either winter tyres, or have snow chains and radial tyres with at least 4mm tread depth. You can be fined 125 Euros for not having this equipment, or 417 Euros if you cause a delay on the road for the same reason."


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

DocHoliday said:


> I am surprised that an EU country requires this.


I think you'll find that a lot of them do - inc. France.

It's usually done without you knowing it when you check in at your first campsite or hotel.

G


----------



## DocHoliday (Jul 18, 2008)

Grizzly said:


> DocHoliday said:
> 
> 
> > I am surprised that an EU country requires this.
> ...


France? Are you sure? There's no mention of it on the FCO advice page for France. 14 million Brits go there every year - I'm sure it would be stated if it were a requirement.


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

Just checked..it's now 3 months. It used to be on arrival at a campsite or hotel.

G


----------



## DocHoliday (Jul 18, 2008)

So, I went to the Police station yesterday to register, and they say it's not required unless you are staying in one location for more than three days; if you're moving on every day or two, it's not necessary.

Last night I stayed at the campsite owned and operated by the president (I think) of the Slovenian Camping Union. He said that the legality of wildcamping in any area depends on the policy of the local authority. It doesn't seem easy to establish where it's legal.

So, overall, as clear as mud!


----------



## Lesleykh (Apr 13, 2009)

Really useful post folks. I shall be saving it for when we pass through that area - probably around September time.

Thanks,

Lesley


----------



## cilkad (Jan 4, 2007)

You are right, as clear as mud -
as for registering with the police I think it's really strange that they required that - I did not know that either. Probabyl because of the vicinity of border which is now the Schengen border. Do not worry about that too much, it's very unlikely to be asked to go to the police.

Bojan (President of our Camping and Caravaning Club) was right about wild camping - depends on the municipality. Usually it's not accepted in places where there are more tourists while in other parts it's OK. 
Regards,
Cilka


----------

