Money in Slovenia: euros, cards and cash

The euro, Slovenia’s currency since 2007

Slovenia adopted the euro on 1 January 2007, nearly three years after joining the EU, and has been in Schengen since 21 December 2007, according to the EU’s own country page. Prices are in euros everywhere, from Bled’s cream cake to the motorway vignette, so the only sum you’ll be doing is the conversion back to pounds. How the country fits into the EU and Schengen is explained in Slovenia in the EU.

Paying by card and using cash machines

The Tourist Board says Slovenia has an exceptionally high number of cash machines and that most let you withdraw money 24 hours a day with Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, Cirrus or Visa Electron. If you need to change cash, there are bureaux de change, hotel receptions, travel agencies, petrol stations and big shopping centres, and some banks close for an hour at lunchtime.

What you’ll pay for using a UK card depends on your bank, so it’s worth checking its foreign transaction fees before you fly. The EU’s Your Europe portal adds a useful point, which is that shops in the EU can’t charge you a surcharge simply for paying by card, except for schemes like American Express or Diners and company cards. My own rule is simple. Whenever a till or ATM asks whether you’d like sterling, pick euros instead and let your bank do the maths.

The buses that take no cash

This is where people get caught. Ljubljana’s city buses take no cash at all, and the Tourist Board adds that in both Ljubljana and Koper you pay only by contactless card. The alternative is the Urbana card, sold at post offices, machines, «trafika» kiosks and the bus station. I’d sort it out before boarding your first bus from the station, and you’ll find how the network works in buses in Slovenia.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Ljubljana before prices climb.

How much cash to carry

Not much. Coming from the UK, you’re entering from outside the EU, so the FCDO and the Tourist Board both say you must declare cash of €10,000 or more. For everyday spending, I’d keep a few small notes for a market stall, a boat on a lake or one of the mountain huts in Slovenia, which is where a card can be awkward.

Tourist tax and tipping

The tourist tax exists and each municipality sets it per night, but I haven’t found the amounts in an official source, so your accommodation will tell you. Tipping is up to you, with no figure laid down by law; what Slovenes do, and why it’s worth leaving it in cash, is in tipping in Slovenia. How I budget the trip without those numbers is in is Slovenia expensive.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Ljubljana and choose by the reviews.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Ljubljana before prices climb.