How to read a map of Slovenia

Borders and coast on the map

Trace the outline with a finger and you cover 1,322 km of land border. The south and east are almost all Croatia (672 km); along the top runs Austria (318 km), on the left Italy (232 km) and in the top right-hand corner Hungary (100 km). Bottom left, the sea appears, a 47 km strip with Koper, Izola, Piran and Ankaran. How it fits between its neighbours is in where is Slovenia.

The four landscapes on Slovenia’s map

The best map key I know comes from the government, which presents the country as the place where four of Europe’s great landscapes meet. The north-west belongs to the Julian Alps, with 2,864-metre Triglav and Triglav National Park; in the north sit the Karavanke, whose geopark Slovenia shares with Austria, and the Kamnik-Savinja Alps reach in towards the centre. The south-west is the Karst, the area that gave its name to karst landscapes worldwide, with Postojna and Škocjan caves, and then the coast. The north-east opens onto the Pannonian Plain, with Maribor, Ptuj and Prekmurje, while the south fills with forest towards Kočevje and the Kolpa river.

Map of regions and municipalities

An administrative map shows 212 municipalities grouped into 12 statistical regions. Don’t mistake them for counties, because they have no regional government. For travel I use those regions as the frame and the traditional areas as the guide, as I explain in the regions of Slovenia. If you want all 212 with population and area, they’re in the municipalities of Slovenia. What those 20,271 km² add up to is in how big is Slovenia.

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

Main cities and rivers

Ljubljana sits almost in the middle of the map, with roads radiating out in every direction. The government lists Maribor, Celje, Kranj, Velenje, Koper, Novo mesto, Ptuj, Nova Gorica, Murska Sobota, Jesenice and Trbovlje as the other main cities. Among rivers, the Sava leads at 221 km. On the water front, two lakes are worth pinning down, Bled and Bohinj in the north-west, plus a third that surprises people, Lake Cerknica, the largest in the country at 26 km², which is intermittent.

Using the map to plan your trip

My practical tip is to check where things fall before choosing your bases. Almost all the classics, the lakes, the Soča, the Karst caves and Piran, lie in the western half, which is why a week fits into three bases. The east, with Maribor, Ptuj and the spa towns, works better as a second leg or another trip. With the map clear, the practical planning is in the Slovenia travel guide. If you arrive from Austria, the train comes in on the Villach to Jesenice line, so the Alps are the natural first stop.

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.