you, although its English translation is a little shaky at times. Enter the start point and the destination to get the timetable, but remember that it is a good idea to check the times with the local tourist information office or on the timetable displayed at all bus stops. For trains use www.slo-zeleznice.si, which has an English version, but again, check before you travel. Generally, in Slovenia it is cheaper to take the train than the bus.
In most cases you will fly to the international airport at Brnik; buses run every hour from here to the main bus and train station in Ljubljana. Onward buses leave from outside the train station. If you are taking a train, note that it is a good five-minute walk from the ticket office to most of the platforms.
Addresses
In towns, the streets have names (ulica and cesta for street and road), with the number following the street name (for example, Prešernova ulica 23), but in villages the houses tend to be identified simply with the name of the village and a number.
Accommodation
The large towns of Slovenia have the full range of accommodation, from five-star hotels to cheap hostels, and prices are generally reasonable compared to other European countries. A small tourist tax is payable for each night, and proprietors of all types of accommodation will need to see your passport. Information and booking can be found in the tourist information office or on the town’s website.
Dom na Zelenici (Walk 16)
Mountain huts are called dom or koča in Slovene – a dom is usually larger but otherwise there is no difference in the type of facilities available. Mountain huts are ubiquitous in Slovenia and are part of the country’s culture. They are divided into categories depending on their proximity to the nearest road, and the prices of both meals and accommodation are fixed by this. Sleeping accommodation is in dormitories or rooms, with rooms being more expensive. Bedding, including blankets, sheets and pillowcases, is provided, so there is no need to carry a sleeping bag. Prices are cheaper if you are a member of the Slovene Alpine Club PZS (Planinska zveza Slovenije), and there are reciprocal agreements with the alpine clubs of some other countries. The lower huts usually have running water and often showers, but the higher huts have no water except rainwater, which means limited washing facilities. The high huts may be busy in good weather in July and August, and it is a good idea to book in advance. However, you will never be turned away in bad weather, even if you have to sleep on the floor.
Staying in Slovene mountain huts can be a delight or a necessary evil, depending on when you go, where you are, and luck. Also one person’s delight can be another’s nightmare: whether you are a party animal and it is very quiet, or you are shattered and looking forward to a peaceful early night and a large group arrive wanting to party. On a sunny evening, after a good day on the hill, it is a joy to sit outside with a beer and watch the sun set.
Hut opening times can be checked on the Slovene Alpine Club’s website: www.pzs.si – this is in Slovene only, but from the homepage click the tab Planinske koče and then Karavanke; this leads to a full and up-to-date list of all the huts and their phone numbers. The Delovni čas column shows whether or not the hut is open at the moment; thus, the high-level huts are shown as being closed in the winter-time. Odprt/Odprta/Odprto is open, zaprt/zaprta/zaprto is closed, OS means it is permanently open, and OSNP means it is open on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Razen means ‘except’. Take care to look for the full name of the hut, for example Koča na Golici, not Golica koča.
Huts serve basic, reasonably priced meals even if you are not staying the night there. There is no problem with eating food you have brought with you in the huts (for example, sandwiches), but there are no facilities for self-catering. The food in the huts is filling and nutritious, but somewhat repetitive. Vegetarians will manage (with even more repetition), but vegans will struggle.
Cattle graze the high Karavanke pastures
Water, in this primarily limestone environment, can be a major problem. The higher level huts do not have running water, which means not only no showers, but no washing at all, and every drop of drinking water must be bought and not cheaply, as the huts are often supplied by helicopter. Make use of any springs for drinking that you find en route – some of them are mentioned in the text and marked on the local maps.
In villages accommodation can be found in ‘private rooms’ (sobe) – the equivalent of bed and breakfast, or in a penzion or gostilna/gostišče, eating places which also offer accommodation, like a small guest house or inn. Tourist farms (turistična kmetija) offer comfortable rooms and excellent home-cooked and home-produced food.
Food and drink
Food
Large towns and villages will have a variety of eating places, called gostilna, which provide excellent home-cooked food. Prices are reasonable and portions large – there seems to be an almost pathological fear that you might go home hungry! Many hotels and pensions also have restaurants which are open to non-residents.
Mountain hut food is filling and cheap, so sausages (klobasa) and thick soups and stews with hunks of bread prevail. Typical dishes include:
jota – stew with sauerkraut, served with or without meat (meso)
ričet – barley stew, again served with or without meat
golaž – goulash, not normally spicy in Slovenia
vampi – tripe
žganci – hard boiled corn mush (much tastier than it sounds!)
špageti, njoki – pasta (spaghetti and gnocchi)
Some huts, especially lower ones frequented by locals, will serve local specialities.
Sweets include palačinke (pancakes), štruklji (dumplings, often with cream cheese), and zavitek (strudel).
Drinks
Slovenia produces several beers (pivo), of which the most popular are Union and Laško. Laško’s Zlatorog is a lager-type beer, which holds up its head, as it were, with the best beers in Europe. Slovenia’s climate also provides the raw materials for some excellent wines – the white wines are particularly good. Radler, a shandy of lager and lemon or grapefruit is very thirst-quenching.
All bars, and mountain huts, serve not only alcoholic drinks but also tea, coffee and hot chocolate. If you ask for čaj (tea) you will get a fruit tea without milk – for tea UK-style ask for angleški or črni (black) tea with milk (z mlekom), but not all places stock it, and mountain huts usually do not – there, you can ask for hot water (vroča voda) and bring your own teabags. Coffee (kava) is usually served black unless you ask for milk (z mlekom) – bela kava is coffee made with milk. Hot chocolate is kakav.
Money and shopping
The currency in Slovenia is the euro. All large towns and many tourist centres have banks and ATMs are common; depending on your card, you may be able to draw money directly from your bank account. Banks are usually open 8am–12 noon and 2–5pm on weekdays only.
Be aware that mountain huts take cash only, so take plenty of cash with you. Allow around €50 per person per day for accommodation, food and drink in the huts (more if you like
