Road Tips and Info before going on a Road trip in Slovenia
Quality of Roads
Secondary roads, that is, the roads within towns/cities are great. It is evident that the roads have been recently resurfaced and the grip is great, even when raining.
Highways and Tertiary roads are good, but not excellent. Whilst driving in country side, the roads are heavily patched, leading to a bumpy ride. And highways are good, but there’s small bumps; caused by the tarmac being done on different projects, that lead to a quit a bump at high speeds.
Markings, on the roads, make the roads of Slovenia feel very strategic. Different paths lead to specific lanes that would make it possible for you to go to arrive to your destination without have to swerve amongst cars to get to the lane you want to.
Like Italy and other European countries, on every couple of Kilometres, there is an SOS phone booth for emergency calls, which is also a place where to park your car on side of the highway in case of an emergency.
Scenic roads
Slovenia is home to some excellent scenic roads. The Vrsic Pass, in Triglav National Park is a beautiful long and windy road that passes through mountains, with the highest peak being 1611m from where one can enjoy a wonderful view of the surroundings.
This is a very flat & green country when compared to the Balkans which allows you to see scores of land that seem to be infinite that only fade away on the horizon.
Whilst driving, you can either pass through highways, which is surely faster. But if you are on a Road Trip and want to enjoy the scenery, you can take alternative routes and drive in less busy roads, at a nice, cruising speed. These roads give you the benefit of driving next to rivers, passing over epic bridges, and have mountains and trees of varying colours as the backdrop of the road that’s yet to come.
Perhaps one of the most important factors that make the roads in Slovenia distinguishable are the gorgeous homes, that colour the roads with their beautiful flowers hanging from balconies and in front and back gardens.
Fuel price
The price of fuel in Slovenia is €1.205 per litre.
Gas stations are mostly of the same company therefore the price and quality tends to be same throughout the country.
Petrol stations not very frequent. It is ideal that when approaching a quarter of a tank, to re-fuel because it might take a while to find a gas station.
Traffic & Speed
Like it is with make countries, there are relatively low speed limits which tend not to make sense; unless it is raining – however other drivers tend to drive at that speed and therefore so should you.
If you happen to be driving behind a truck, or someone who is in a less of a rush then you are, then you might have a bit of an issue. Secondary roads tend to have a single lane. That, combined to windy roads, makes overtaking very hard as you cannot see on-coming traffic.
Slovenia, unlike other countries in The Balkans has highways that do not pass through the cities / towns. This is an extremely important both for traffic (there tends to be traffic in towns, but not on highways), and for speeds (you’d need to reduce your speed if driving through a town/city).
The toll system in Slovenia is very interesting. They use the ‘Vinjeta’ which is a sticker that you purchase from the first toll-station that you pass through. There are 2 options, wither for 7 days (€15), or for 30 days. Once you buy the sticker, you attach it to your windscreen, and would not need to stop at further stoll-stations. This is excellent because tolls do not traffic, and you don’t have to pay the toll each time, making a drive in a highway faster. So upon entering Slovenia, make sure that you buy a Vinjeta, because if you don’t have it, you’ll get a cool €300 fine.
Ease of driving
Driver ethics has greatly improved from previous countries we’ve been to (The Balkans).
It is common practice for drivers to use of indicator when over taking.
Everyone uses the right side of the road whilst driving, and only go on the left side when overtaking.
Drivers here are very respectful towards riders of both bicycles and motor cycles. When overtaking someone riding bike they give a lot of space.
When arriving to a landmark, there are some signs present to show you that there is something worth seeing; such as a waterfall, however these signs are very small and you will not see them whilst driving.
Resources whilst on the road
We are in the European Union, therefore food here is treated differently than in The Balkans. You cannot buy fruit from the streets, you’d have to go to town. Whilst there, you might want to invest in some delicious bread, chuck it in your car, so that you can indulge whilst on the road.
If you are on the highway and would need some quick supplies, shops alongside petrol stations will most probably have what you’d need.
Accessibility
There was no actual border between Hungary and Slovenia, we just kept on driving until at some point we realised that we were in Hungary.
Whilst driving from Triglav National Park, and going back to Ljubljana, we passed through Italy, as it was a shorter route, again no passport or identification was needed as both countries are in the EU and Schengen area.
Slovenia has borders with Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia.
