in particular, can be a little tricky in the way the information is presented on their websites. You may choose to leave the bike at home, which shouldn’t be a problem as all of the main trail areas have good bike-hire available.
Taking the train
If you’re heading to Slovenia from one of the outer edges of Europe, catching the train is a relatively quick way of getting there without the hassle of airports and baggage limits. The simplest route from the UK is to take the Eurostar to Paris and from there to Strasbourg. From Strasbourg, there is an overnight train to Vienna and from there it’s just a short trip to Jesenice in Slovenia and the heart of the mountains. The whole trip is less than two days. Other options from other parts of Europe are also possible but entry into the north at Jesenice or into Brežice from Zagreb are the easiest by far.
Always check the provision for bicycle carriage with the train companies before travelling as it can vary widely between countries – and even within them, depending on the type of service.
Driving
If you have the time, driving to Slovenia might be the best option if you have a lot to carry or you’re heading there from a country not too far away.
The roads across most of Europe are excellent and Slovenia is well serviced with border entries along highways. You can enter from Italy at Gorizia or Trieste, from Austria at Villach, Wolfsberg or Graz, from Hungary into Lendava and from Croatia at a number of points. Of course, as Slovenia is in the Schengen zone, none of these crossings requires a passport. If cost or time is an issue, you can sleep in your vehicle at many of the motorway service stations along the way; this is commonly done on the continent and many of the stops have shower facilities.
Getting around
Assuming you haven’t driven there, once you’re in Slovenia it is perfectly possible to get about by public transport. However, it can be inconvenient for a mountain biker, particularly in rural areas. The buses don’t always go exactly where you need them to and, in any case, can’t carry a bike. The trains are good in Slovenia but there aren’t many rail lines and they don’t often go near the areas that we require, except for major towns such as Jesenice, Bled, Postojna or Maribor. The best option, therefore, is probably to hire a car.
It’s best to book a car before you leave home as great savings can be made by shopping around on online price comparison sites. Cars can be rented from all of the major cities in Slovenia (and some of the minor ones) as well as at airports and some train stations. If you’re flying in to Italy or Austria and then planning to drive into Slovenia, do check in the rental terms and conditions that cross-border travel is allowed. Check also the cost of renting extra items such as bike racks, as this won’t be included in the main agreement.
Information about trains within Slovenia can be found at www.slo-zeleznice.si/en and buses on the Slovenia tourist information site at www.slovenia.info/en. A good car rental comparison site is www.holidayautos.com.
When to go
Slovenia is an extremely beautiful country at any time of the year but there are better times than others for mountain biking. The country is at its absolute best during spring and autumn (from the end of April until June and from September until the end of October). These also happen to be the cheapest times to visit. Summer will find many more services open, especially up in the mountains, but it can get pretty hot at times: 30 degrees is usual. Winter is likely to be too cold for all but the lowest rides. Even then, there is a good chance of standing snow in January and February.
Autumn can throw up some surprise conditions at this altitude (Route 8)
Accommodation
Tourism is one of Slovenia’s main industries and most of the rather functional hotels of the Socialist days are now gone or refurbished. As a consequence, there is a great deal of excellent accommodation available, from well-equipped campsites to five star hotels and everything in between. Again, price comparison sites are the best place to find deals on hotels, B&Bs and pensions (guest houses), but if you’re looking for a hostel or a campsite, then the official tourist site, www.slovenia.info, has a lot of good information – including a section on accommodation specialising in cyclists (kolesarski). These specialist hotels and B&Bs are denoted by a system of cycle symbols: the more there are, the better the facilities. Another option that many people are trying nowadays is Airbnb (www.airbnb.com), where local people rent out their spare rooms or holiday homes. Some great bargains are available.
These places are a good starting point for searching for accommodation, but there will also be some of my own personal recommendations in each of the region sections. For additional information, see Appendix B.
A friendly welcome at a traditional Slovenian hotel
Food and drink
If you have any concerns about the quality of the food in a former Socialist country, then please don’t. You’ll find a selection of excellent restaurants in most towns. There won’t be a wide variety of cuisines available (for example, outside of Ljubljana, you’re unlikely to find a curry) – a quirk of the relative lack of racial diversity in the country. However, you will find Italian, Hungarian and Serbian dishes, and the local cuisine tends to be hearty (if not always healthy) alpine food. There are usually good vegetarian options too.
New twists on old classics in Slovenian cuisine
Lunch is usually the main meal of the day for Slovenes, and a great option for a filling meal is kosilo. Often offered at restaurants and hotels, kosilo is a set menu with a soup to start, a help-yourself salad bar and a filling main course. They represent great value.
The water from the taps in Slovenia is good to drink and there is also an excellent locally-based mineral water company, Radenska. The mountains are predominantly limestone, so it is sometimes difficult to find water en route. It can be expensive to buy bottled water in the mountains, so do fill up before heading off.
A brief water break by the River Nadiža (Route 10)
Of course, after the ride, there is also great beer and wine. For beer (pivo), the locals mostly drink either Laško or Union; however, many microbreweries have sprung up in recent years offering excellent alternatives. Wine (vino) has been a part of Slovenian culture since the Roman times and they make excellent demi-sec whites and fresh, interesting reds.
Language
The language of Slovenia is, not surprisingly, Slovene. It’s a very close relative of Serbo-Croat, the old language of Yugoslavia, and English-speaking visitors are unlikely to find anything familiar in it. Not to fear, however; not only is there a handy glossary at the back of this book (see Appendix A) but, in almost all parts of Slovenia, English is spoken very well by the locals. You really shouldn’t have a problem, but you may feel that a pocket guide to the language would be a useful addition to your luggage.
Money
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