SteamboatSue

Would appreciate any advice since leaving USA in 2 weeks, April 1, 2016 for Europe.

I'll be in Slovenia-my heritage- on April 12, 2016 for the very first time for 8 days. We'll be in Ljubljana and from there visit my Grandparents towns they grew up in for a day trip: Krska Vas+Smarijta (near Novo Mesto) and Krajno Brdo. Also will be traveling to Lake Bled, Kranjska Gora and Piran.

Question #1: Seeing where I will be, do you recommend renting a car instead of using public transportation for saving time+expense? Is it easy for an American to rent a car in Slovenia?...I've read that an IDL is not required in Slovenia?

Question #2: I've also read that the seaside resort town, Piran, is pretty much a ghost town until early May. We were planning on relaxing there around April 18-20. Will restaurants be open then and will the weather be warm enough to be by the sea?

Thanks in advance for any help!

nocloset

There's no reason why you'll have any problem renting a car in Slovenia, and driving there is easy; the roads are good. And public transportation would probably be very tricky getting to some of those smaller towns.

I was in Piran in May. It was hopping. But I understand that April is really very much pre-season throughout the Adriatic beach towns, so I don't know how it would be in mid April.

kja

For the places you want to visit, and for your stated purposes in visiting them, I would think that a car would serve you well! I would, however, wait until you leave Ljubljana to pick up a car -- either that, or defer your time in Ljubljana until after you return your car, as it won't serve you well while in the city itself.

I'm not sure about the IDP, but my understanding (which could be wrong!) is that you could be asked for one in Slovenia. IME, they are really easy to get and don't cost much, so I would urge you to get one unless you have a VERY good reason for not doing so. JMO.

FWIW, I found the <i>Rough Guide</i> to Slovenia the most useful of the several guide books I used when planning my time in the area. If you haven't already done so, you might one to get one, or consult one (and other guidebooks) at your local library.

Slovenia has much to offer -- enjoy!

Whathello

IDP or IDL would stand for international driving/licence permit I guess.

I've never had one and have driven with my own european permit in the US, Mexicao (last year) Saint-Martin, Slovenia (but that's Europe), Marocco for instance without one.
We've been stopped and checked by police at one point or another by cops in Marocco, Mexico and Dominican Republic and didn't have a problem.

So I doubt that IDP is mandatory - probably more of confort.

There is a guy on TripAdvisor who is a wealth of knowledge on such things - he used to work for European parliament or something like that. He is called 'Becasse' - go on TA and post somewhere in Europe and send him a private message - I would trust his asnwer. Give him the regards of Pariswat.

Best regards.

rtt0921

Do rent a car or you will spend more time waiting for buses than anything else - the villages you want to visit are tiny and do not have frequent connections and, as others have mentioned - driving is fine and renting a car is not a problem.

I've been to Piran many times in the off-season, as long as the weather is nice, there will be people. It's a quick easy drive from Ljubljana and plenty of people go there for a quick day trip or even just for some coffee and ice cream and to enjoy in the sun by the seaside.

Furthermore, Piran is not quite like other resort towns on the Croatian islands, it's not so dependent on tourism that it would close down during the off-season, it is a living town, one of the administrative centers of the coast and while there may be less choice in terms of accommodation and some of the most touristy restaurants may be closed, things will still be open.

SteamboatSue

Thank you to every person that has helped me with your informative replies! I am going to rent a car without any doubts about it now! Thank you. My 26 yr. old daughter will appreciate you all helping me, so our trip goes smoothly. It's her very first trip to Europe...I want it to be a great experience for her.

Car Question:

Is there a budget type of rental car company in Europe that I should go with? I have also noticed that there may be tolls while I'm driving. Do I need exact coins or how does this work in Slovenia?

Piran Question:

1. Do you recommend that I have a rental car in Piran or should I simply take a train or bus to Piran from Ljubljana?

2. What's the best public transportation to get back to Venice from Piran? Train?

Thanks to any of you in advance if you can answer these questions for me!

Andrew

There are no tolls on the highways of Slovenia - instead, they use a road pass that you are required to buy called a Vignette and display it on your windshield. This is your pass to drive on the highways. (But if you drive to Croatia: yes, they have tolls on their highways.)

If you rent a car in Slovenia, it should already have a Vignette on the car and included; if you rent in some other country, you need to buy a Vignette immediately upon crossing the border, even before, at a gas station or something. Otherwise you risk a big fine.

You can try the websites EconomyCarRentals, Auto Europe, and Kemwel to get deals on local car companies in Slovenia beyond the big international companies. I used EconomyCarRentals last year for renting in Croatia, and it is a legit website. You won't find out the name of the car company until you have completed the reservation, but it is refundable - I changed my reservation a few times so I found out that is true!

Piran is a car-free town. You have to park in a lot just outside the town entrance, but it is not a long walk. (I stayed at a B&B close to this lot anyway and wound up walking into town, maybe 5-10 minutes, but it's an easy, pleasant walk.) If you check the bus schedule and find direct buses between Ljubljana and Piran that fit your schedule, and you aren't planning to go elsewhere once you arrive, the bus would work fine.

Then again: in April, what will you do in the tiny town of Piran all day? I'd want a car, so I can go out and explore. Piran is a beautiful town, but it's off season in April - it will probably be pretty slow. You would be very close to Croatian Istria; many people enjoy exploring the Isrian hill towns there, a close drive from Piran. There are also places to stop between Ljubljana and Piran like the caves, other coastal towns, the stud farm at Lipica, etc.

Driving is very easy in Slovenia. I'd still have a smart phone with data to navigate, though I didn't have one in 2011 and got along just fine even without a GPS, only with some simple maps.

SteamboatSue

Thank you, Andrew for your great advice. I'm guessing you live in Slovenia.

Still wondering if taking a train from Piran, back to Venice, Italy... is the best way to get there?

All these unknowns for a first timer...that's why Fodor's Forums are so helpful!

Thanks again to everyone for helping me.

Andrew

Ha ha - no, I live in the US! I've been to Ljubljana three times and love it. I've driven there only once (and in Croatia on two other trips).

There is no train from Piran to Venice. You can take a bus to Trieste and then a train from there to Venice. (There is an early direct bus from Piran to Trieste Mon-Sat but not Sun last I checked.) If you don't want the early bus, you might have to connect in Koper.

http://www.autostazionetrieste.it/in...&id=8&Itemid=0

You could do what I did a few years ago: return the car near Piran, stay in Piran, then back to Venice. Naturally, I had to travel on Sunday when there was no bus service to Italy. I could have taken a taxi to Trieste for about 80 Euro. My B&B owner offered to take me for 40 Euro, which is what I did.

There is also a Slovenian shuttle service called GoOpti that Slovenes seem to regard highly, though I've yet to use it. They arrange shared rides (or private shuttle which of course costs more). You go on their website and type in start and end points and a date and they give you a price. So you can see what it would cost to go to Trieste train station or even directly to Venice. You can use GoOpti to get to Ljubljana, too (as there is no easy train connection between Venice and Ljubljana, either).

Finally, there's a ferry between Piran and Venice, but it seems it doesn't start running until the last day of April:

http://www.sloveniaforyou.com/Ferry.htm

Andrew

You can read my 2011 trip report (where I did the most in Slovenia) by clicking on my name to get to my profile. I really loved Slovenia and hope to go back again.

kja

For your public transportation options, see rome2rio.com

SteamboatSue

kja...thanks for the rome2rio site...really helpful.

andrew...you must be a professional photographer! Your photos are GORGEOUS and I'm enjoying reading your informative trip report...so well done! Pretty impressive you travel solo.

I took your advice and went with GoOpti transfer service to get from Venice to Slovenia. Only costing a mere $16.50. If I would have booked earlier, it could have been around $10.50. I also booked them to travel from Piran back to Venice.

I like them over using a train since they pick me up where I am staying+drop me off at my hotel. I'll post how my experience was with them. I hopefully will learn from your trip report and possibly post one myself after my 1 month trip!

Andrew

Thanks! Yes, I am a professional photographer, actually. You might not think so if you saw all the outtakes I didn't post. ;-)

Glad GoOpti looks like it will work out for you. I love trains and will usually take them as an alternative to a bus/van unless it's ridiculously inconvenient, and unfortunately train service between Italy and Slovenia is not convenient.

I'd love to spend a month in Slovenia! Yes, please do post a report when you get back. Have fun!