Just would like some info, I hear or read rather, its confusing as hell and no street view.....as of yet. Any cool places to go/see.....whatever. I realize this is a pretty general question but I would just like to get a sense of what the countryside/ city/ riding is like in that country. Thanks
There is one big four lane highway that goes from the Italian border in the west to the Hungarian border in the east. Everything else is a twisty, winding two lane mountain road. In the northwest corner of the country is the Triglav National Park; in the park you will find the Vrič Pass, which is worth a ride. Caution advised: it gets busy in the summer. A little north-west of the Slovene border you can cross the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, the highest mountain pass in the Austrian Alps, and just a bit west of that is the famous Stelvio Pass in the Italian Alps. In the northeast part of the country, where I live, are the foothills of the Alps. There are lots of roads through wine country. You can stop every two minutes at a vineyard. Not far from here is a mountain valley called Logarska Dolina, one of the most scenic roads I've ridden. I'll post some photos later.
We've ridden Slovenia twice and loved every minute of it. Beautiful country, helpful people, good food, great riding. They have VERY stiff speeding fines and reasonable fees for the vignette if you wish to use the big highways. The big highways are good for saving time and they're very good roads when in a bit of hurry or when just trying to avoid summer traffic which can be unbearable, especially close to the Italian border.
Run up the Mangart too if you are in the NW area and it is a clear day. One of the best views in the Alps, and a fun ride up. Slovenia is also relatively inexpensive too. I know a guy that spent a week just kicking around and loved it.
Read...and gawk at endless pics, maybe? 2009 we spend a few days in the north...and the neighbouring Friuli in Italy. Check into this http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2645&highlight=mangart&page=12 Post #58 gets you straight across the border from Austria, after that it's 4 days in northern SLO, followed by the Friuli and Dolomites. Hope you'll enjoy
Spent a month riding in the Balkans this June/July, including Slovenia. Very easy, very pretty, very civilized. Essentially zero break-in time for a westerner. Go and enjoy. Mid July is the start date for the tourist season, so May or June to early July would be preferable.
The Mangart (as has been mentioned), the Vrsic and Predil Passes, Lake Bled, stunning scenery. I found the deserted border crossing at the Predil Pass interesting. The old "Iron Curtain" seems to have rusted away - not a soul to be seen. I almost expected to see tumbleweeds.
I would like to add the winegrowin region around JERUZALEM: curvy roads and delicious wine. The area at the coast at Portoro and Piran is very touristy, but worth a stop. MOTOBAER
Actually Slovenia entered the EU a few years ago, thus border crossings disappeared. Heck many of the Swiss crossings are now abandon. Last year I was riding the far Western boarder between Switzerland and France, we crossed in and out 4 or 5 times in one day, none were manned.
I just got back from a trip that included Slovenia a little over a month ago. It's an amazing place to ride a motorcycle. Really good twisty roads everywhere, stunning scenery, and great people. I was very impressed with the country.
Last time I went through a manned checkpoint, my Pillion offered him a flower, he smiled a little, though trying to be stoic. The story behind the flower is this, I was riding a woman pillion and she would pick flowers off the rock walls on the fly. When ever I saw some growing out of the walls, I would get as close as I could so she could reach out and pluck them on the move.
Cool gesture that was, and I bet that the smile on the border patrol men's face was there for some time after you passed the checkpoint
Lots of nice places and roads to ride in Slovenia. Nice country, nice peoples and from my point of view still little bit cheaper then others EU countries. Here are some pice from last ride in Slovenia in September: (Kranjska Gora, Bovec, Vrsic pass, Predil Pass, Mangart...)
Actually its not so much a question of EU but of the Schengen agreement. The UK and Ireland are part of the EU, but not Schengen, so they have passport controls (its easy, they are islands with limited entry points). Switzerland/Liechtenstein, Norway (and Iceland) are not part of the EU but part of the Schengen agreement, so you can cross borders freely. Yet as they are not part of the EU trade zone, you can get controlled for goods, even several miles after the border. To topic : I went twice to Slovenia, but could only do the NW alpine region which is stunning ! Be prepared for smaller roads without tar and some unplanned river crossings (no problem if you rent a KTM).
Enjoyable riding, I'd go back again. Just forget that the autobahn type road is there and stick with the little country roads. Good place to wander around without a plan. Lots of good scenery Never did find out what this was all about. .............shu
