Planet Earth is a breathtaking place. Every little bit of it is so very unique and special, every corner is to be cherished and loved. Life is short and we strongly believe that we should do our best to visit as many different countries and landscapes as possible. It’s only a matter of priorities, hard work and determination. But sometimes it really is impossible to just pack our bags and leave. Life comes in the way – our jobs, relatives, children, money issues etc. That is the time when we should value the tiny part of the world that we call home.
‘Happiness is not having what you want. It is wanting what you have.’ – Rabbi Hyman Schachtel
Every part of the world is precious in its own way, so is yours – no matter where you come from. You just have to take a look around and see the simple beauty in it. It’s actually quite simple – beauty can be found anywhere – in a stone, a tree, a leaf, the sky, the clouds, the rain or the sun. You just have to open your eyes and hearts.
We are proud to present you the country where we grew up, the place we call home – Slovenia.
Facts about Slovenia:
• Slovenia is a small (20,273 km2 or 7,827 sq mi) country in southern Central Europe.
• It has a population of only two million people.
• The land has been inhabited since prehistoric times, therefore it has a rich history.
• It borders Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia. It has adopted parts of their cultures and cuisines and merged them into a very special and unique blend.
• Geographically speaking, Slovenia is one of the most diverse countries in the world. It is the country where the Alps ‘kiss’ the Mediterranean. The Alps cover the Northern part of the country, while the small (approximately 46 km/28 mi) but beautiful Mediterranean coastline is located in the South-West. It also has a part of the large Pannonian plain and an amazing vast Karst region with a significant amount of caves and underground rivers. Our underground ecosystem is so extraordinary, that the term ‘Karst’ actually originated from the Slovene word ‘Kras’. Its underground waters are the home of a unique amphibian species, called the Olm or Proteus, which can only be found in the small area between Italy and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• The country has a high biological diversity – it’s home to more than 1% of all living creatures and it’s also the country of origin of Lipizzaner (Lipicanec), which is a popular, elegant and strong horse breed.
• Slovenia is one of the greenest countries in the world – more than half of its territory is covered by forest.
• Slovenia was recently declared world’s first green country by the Netherlands-based organization Green Destinations. It was voted the world’s most sustainable country due to its promotion of environmental preservation, intact nature, biodiversity and high quality of life.
• Slovenia is also one of the most water-rich countries in Europe.
• Tourists tend to love our country mostly due to our pure drinkable water, which is nowadays a really rare and valuable asset.
• The eastern part of the country is rich with relaxing thermal spas, wellness centers, and water parks.
• You may be wondering if there are some world famous Slovenes. The answer is heck yes! 🙂 There are many remarkable athletes: Goran Dragić – a successful NBA player, Anže Kopitar – a professional ice hockey player and captain of the LA Kings, Tina Maze – the most successful female alpine ski racer of all times, Peter Prevc – the record holder in ski jumping, the skillful football goalkeeper Jan Oblak, who plays for the Spanish club Atlético Madrid, Luka Dončič – a young basketball prodigy, Tim Gajser – a professional motocross racer, Davo Karničar – the first man to ski down Mount Everest and Martin Strel – the long-distance swimmer, who holds the Guinness World Record for swimming the Danube, Mississippi, Yangtze and Amazon river (he does so for world peace and love and to raise awareness about pollution). There is also the eccentric philosopher Slavoj Žižek, Yuri Bradac (Jurij Bradač) – one of the few actors/models from Slovenia, who succeeded in Hollywood, the actress Katarina Cas, the famous avant-garde music group Laibach, oddly enough even the new first lady of the United States of America – Melania Trump and many more. 🙂
• Slovenia is a wine-growing country. Countless vineyards and lots, really lots of wine make it a pretty jolly place to visit. 🙂 Maribor, which is the second largest town, is surrounded by vineyards and is the home of the world’s oldest grapevine. The grapevine is about 440 years old. Pretty cool, huh? 😉
• According to The Legatum Institute, a London-based research institute, Slovenia is number 20 of the richest, healthiest, happiest, and most advanced countries in the world!
• With a very low crime rate, Slovenia is one of the most peaceful countries in the world.
• Our capital – Ljubljana is one of the world’s greenest and most livable capitals. Due to the car traffic restriction in the city center, a new bike-sharing system, and other environmental achievements Ljubljana won the European Green Capital Award for 2016. It has lots of big, wonderful parks, botanical gardens, and other green spots. With many watercourses, remarkable architecture, cool festivals and the dragon as the city symbol Ljubljana seems magical.
• Speaking of magic – Slovenia is well known for its beautiful lakes, emerald rivers, breathtaking caves, endless vineyards, old European architecture, more than 170 castles, amazing mountain peaks, and romantic medieval coastal towns. And the fact that because of the country’s small territory you can experience all of this in one day really makes it a fairytale land.
• Slovenia is actually all about romance (and therefore it’s the perfect honeymoon destination): romantic sights, Slovene language, which is one of the very rare languages to use dual grammatical forms (ooh la la 🙂 ), the fact that the capital’s name ‘Ljubljana’ roughly translates to ‘the loved one’ and that Slovenia is the only country in the world with the word “love” in its name! How awesome is that?! 🙂
Check out how much beauty and diversity you can see in Slovenia in only one day in the video below. But to really be able to enjoy all of this (and much more), you should stay in our lovely country for at least a week.
Locations in the video:
5:20 am – Špičnik
6:25 am – Maribor
8:20 am – Unec River
9:00 am – Postojna Cave
9:50 am – Predjama Castle
11:10 am – Ljubljana
1:20 pm – Bled
2:40 pm – Jasna
3:40 pm – Down the road “Strmec na Predelu” in the Alps
4:20 pm – Virje Waterfall
5:00 pm – Soča River near Bovec
6:10 pm – Tolmin Gorges
7:40 pm – Lipica
8:30 pm – Piran
11:20 pm – Thermal Water Park Paradiso, Dobova
Well, what can we say … The grass apparently isn’t always greener on the other side. Not at all! So let’s all open our eyes and fall in love with the simple beauty of our own surroundings.
You are more than welcome to share the charms of your home country with us. 😉
And before you go – check out Slovenia’s top attractions. 😉
Hey There,
Thank you for your article about your home sweet home, Slovenia.
Actually, i have enjoyed the valuable information about Slovenia. I like the pictures too, they are wonderful. The best part i liked about your article is ” Slovenia is one of the greenest countries in the world – more than half of its territory is covered by forest.” I adore the nature, really thank you for that article.
I am thinking seriously to come to visit your country soon, i am addicted to travel around world!
You’re more than welcome. If you decide to come and have any question, do not hesitate to contact us.
Cheers!
Hello,
Must be honest and say I knew very little about your beautiful country prior to reading this article, an I am much wiser for that. It really has some amazing scenery and the Mediterranean looks beautiful. I am not very appreciative of cold weather though so I would love to see the temperatures during the different seasons. Can you help me out with that? I want to swim in that awesome looking ocean
Look fwd to hearing from you
Tks Paul
Hey, Paul!
Of course we can help you.
Temperatures of the Mediterranean sea here in Slovenia are normally suitable for swimming from late June to early September (in some years it can be from May to October (around 20 °C)). In July and August temperatures swing around 25 °C but can often reach 28 °C.
In Slovenia we have four seasons: Spring (March 21 – June 21) – T_avg = (10 – 23 °C) , Summer (June 21- September 23) – T_avg = (21 – 26 °C), Autumn (September 23 – December 21) – T_avg = (3 – 21 °C), Winter (December 21 – March 21) – T_avg = (2 – 10 °C)
We suggest early summer. 😉
Cheers!
Whilst I am not looking to go on a honeymoon, I am looking for new places to visit. I did not know anything about your country before reading your article but you do make it sound very tempting. I love the idea that it so green and that I can see so much of it in such a short space of time. Where do you suggest I stay as a base if I were to visit for a week? And when is the best time of year to visit?
Hello, Karen!
Our capital, Ljubljana is located in the center of the country which makes it a good base point. However, if you love mountains and would like to hike a bit, then you could stay lets say 3 nights in Ljubljana and 3 nights in Kranjska Gora (located in the base of Alps).
If you prefer warm and dry weather, then the best time to visit is in late spring or summer (May – early September). But winter time can be beautiful too, that is if you like cooler climate of course.
Cheers!
Wow! This is like a paradise destination! Amazing and valuable information of your home country! 🙂 I would love to visit there one day! 🙂 Those sights are gorgeous and Nature Tripping here will be one of a kind! 🙂 There should be more of these information out there to promote your beautiful country. I’m living in the US right now over at the East Coast, how long does it normally take to get there from New Jersey?
It really is beautiful, you should most definitely visit Slovenia. It depends on whether you’d catch a direct flight or not but somewhere between 10 – 13 hours should be enough. Zagreb (Croatia’s capital) usually has better international flights connections and is only 40 minute drive from Slovenian border or 1,5 hour drive to Ljubljana (Slovenian capital). In case you’ll be coming via Zagreb, make sure to stop in Brežice on your way. It is a very beautiful small town – you won’t regret it. 😉
Cheers!