When preparing for our two week adventure in Slovenia, many folks asked me, “Is Slovenia cheap”? This is a complicated question to answer. It is cheaper than traveling in many of the more visited countries in western Europe. However, the question of “Is Slovenia Cheap?” depends a lot on what you value in your travels.
Slovenia joined the Euro currency zone in 2007. Unfortunately, this means that Slovenia prices are roughly on par with the rest of Europe. Its currency subject to the prevailing exchange rate for the Euro (good or bad) with your home currency.
The good news in all of this about prices in Slovenia? While not much cheaper than the rest of Europe, the level of value that you get for your Euros here is significant.
Another silver lining about Slovenia travel costs? Slovenia accommodations and food costs are roughly on par with the rest of Europe. This being said, prices for Slovenia attractions and activities are very reasonable.
Many of the places that we spent our time exploring were free or less than 5 euros/person (and the kids were usually free). The most expensive Slovenia attraction that we visited were the Postojna Caves/Predjama Castle. This cost us more, but it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country.
Here is a breakdown of our Slovenia travel costs by category. I hope that this helps you put together a Slovenia budget for your trip.
Is Slovenia Cheap? Costs for Slovenia Accommodations:
Costs for Slovenia hotels and other accommodations are an excellent value and are usually very high quality.
We stayed in three different Slovenia accommodations. These were all tourist farms where we had an apartment that accommodate 3 adults and two kids with a kitchen. Our costs for lodging ranged between 65-85 euros/night for a nice, well appointed apartment. While this might seem high, the quality of accommodation was higher than we would have gotten for the same price in many other parts of Europe.
Many tourist farms/guest houses in Slovenia offer basic rooms including breakfast or half board (breakfast and lunch or dinner). These range around 25-30 euros per person/per night.
A basic no frills hotel room or private room in a hostel in much of Slovenia can be had for 25-55 euros/night in a small village. Basic accomodation in a larger city can be had for 55-75 euros/night.
Do keep in mind that rates will be MUCH higher in the two most popular parts of Slovenia – Ljubljana and Lake Bled. Once you get out of these cities, your Slovenia travel costs will drop dramatically.
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Costs for Slovenia Attractions / Slovenia Tours:
This is an area of our Slovenia budget that we were able to save some serious money! Many of the places that we visited/saw while we were in Slovenia were actually free!
There were whole days where we spent almost no money on attractions/admissions. Here are approximate costs for some of the activities that we did in Slovenia off of my trip budget spreadsheet:
- Pletna Boat to Lake Bled: 14/person (cheaper to rent your own if you have a family)
- Vintgar Gorge: 9 euros/adults
- Technical Museum of Slovenia: 6.50 euros/person (family ticket for 13 euros)
- Kolvrat Open Air Museum: Free
- Vrsic Pass and Soca Valley: Free
- Solcava Panoramic Road: Free
- Logar Valley / Slap Rinka: 7 euros/car
- Museum of Illusions in Ljubljana: 9.50 euros/adults (family ticket for 23.50 euros)
- Vogel Cable Car: 20 euros round trip for adults, 10 euros round trip for kids
- Piran City Walls: 2 euros/person (children under 12 free)
- Predjama Castle/Postojna Cave (this is the most expensive attraction in the country): 38.50 euros/adults, 23.10 euros ages 6-15, under six 2 euros
- Walking Around Beautiful Lake Bled: Only the cost of ice cream and cream cake 😉
- Driving around, exploring beautiful little villages and spectacular scenery: FREE
Costs for Food/dining in Slovenia:
Is Slovenia cheap for food? Again, costs for food and eating out in Slovenia were a little deceptive. Prices were close to on par with the rest of Europe for both groceries and dining out. The bright side? The quality for an average meal was quite high.
An average meal dining out outside of Ljubljana or Lake Bled cost around 8-11 euros without drinks or dessert. While this is not cheap, the quality made it worthwhile. In most restaurants in Europe or the US, a meal in this price range would get you a generic meal with pre-processed ingredients.
In Slovenia, our meal was made from scratch with fresh, usually local ingredients. Slovenia seems to have a national obsession with fresh, local ingredients. Sometimes it included homemade soup. Overall, the meals that we ate out were excellent and the portions were usually generous.
Our grocery trips to cook meals in our apartments were also on par with the rest of Europe (we almost always rent apartments to cook some of our meals and save a little money). In the summer time in Slovenia, it is easy to visit local markets and farms to access fresh, local produce direct from the farmer and keep your costs down.
Costs for Car Hire Slovenia:
Is Slovenia cheap for car rental? Costs for car hire in Slovenia are also extremely reasonable, particularly if you book ahead of time.
Costs for car rental for next summer were popping up on my internet search for 200-400 euros/week depending on the size of vehicle. The 400 euros/week was for a 9 passenger van. This was what we rented for our trip because we like more room with the kids and their car seats and is consistent with what we paid for our rental.
Is Slovenia Cheap? Ways to Save Money on your Slovenia Budget:
So, is Slovenia cheap? Maybe…but maybe not “super” cheap or as cheap as you need it to be.
Are you still looking for ways to save money in Slovenia? All of my standard money saving tips for Europe hold true in Slovenia. Rent an apartment so you can cook your own food and shop at the local market. Consider staying in a hostel or two. Eat a picnic lunch or dinner each day and book your car rental and accommodations EARLY.
Here are some tips that are specific to saving money on prices in Slovenia:
Stay out of Ljubljana and Lake Bled: Ljubljana prices and prices around Lake Bled tend to be more expensive than the rest of the country. These are the two most popular areas in Slovenia. You can save money on your Slovenia travel costs by minimizing your time spent in these areas. Pretty much anywhere in the rest of the country will be cheaper (and Slovenia has a whole lot of amazing places to discover).
Look for Accommodations with Meals included: Many guesthouses, farm stays and hotels in Slovenia offer full or half board options with breakfast and/or other options included. When we were able to take advantage of these spots it was great because the meals were homemade with fresh, local ingredients and the prices were extremely reasonable. You can save a lot of money by seeking out accommodations that include meals.
If you are looking for ways to get off the beaten path and save some money in Slovenia, this is my very favorite Slovenia guidebook!
No, it is not cheap. At least as far as our experience has shown, but you certainly get a lot for your money. We really enjoyed the national park hikes, the cuisine, the people and learning a little about the history (old and recent). It was our first country to visit of the old Yugoslavia and I think it was the easiest and best one to start with.
And we didn’t follow your advice – we stayed in Ljubljana and Bled. 🙂
Yes, all true. Lots of value for your money, but not cheap. And I don’t necessarily have anything AGAINST staying in Ljubljana or Lake Bled, we just like to stay a little further outside of town with the kids so they have more room to run around. Big cities are not my thing 🙂
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