Slovenia's climate, from the coast to the summit of Triglav

Three climates in a small country

The Tourist Board divides it into three. Alpine in the mountains, sub-Mediterranean on the coast and continental in the north-east, with July averages above 20°C and January around 0°C. The figures back that up. In the middle, Ljubljana starts the year averaging 0.4°C and peaks in July at 21.9°C, almost a carbon copy of Maribor. Portorož, by the sea, stays at 4.7°C in January and reaches 23.6°C in July. Rateče, in the Alpine valley near Kranjska Gora, averages below freezing for three months, and Kredarica, the high-mountain station in the Triglav massif, doesn’t get above 7.4°C even in July.

How much it rains

The figure that surprises British visitors less than Spanish ones, but still surprises, is the rain. Ljubljana averages 1,383 mm a year, Postojna 1,466 mm and Rateče 1,531 mm, rising to 2,037 mm at Kredarica. The north-east is much drier, with 945 mm at Maribor and 783 mm at Murska Sobota. There’s one pattern worth planning around. Across most of the centre and west the wettest month is September, with 179 mm in Ljubljana and 182 mm at Postojna, whereas in the north-east and the Alpine valleys the peak arrives in August. If you travel in September, my favourite month, bring a waterproof, as I explain in Slovenia in September.

Winter, depending on where you are

In the inland towns winter is cold but manageable, with January averages of 0.4°C in Ljubljana and 0.2°C in Maribor. The mountains are another matter, which is why winter equipment is compulsory in cars from 15 November until 15 March, and at any time if there’s snow or ice. The coast is the mild escape, with a 5.8°C December average at Portorož. What the country is like in those months is covered in Slovenia in winter.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Portorož for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

Sea temperatures

Neither the temperature of the Adriatic off Slovenia nor the altitude of each weather station appears in the official sources I work from, which is why neither number is on this page. For swimming, what I can say is that July and August are the warmest months on land, averaging 23.6°C and 22.5°C at Portorož. Beaches and bathing spots are in Slovenia’s beaches. When it suits you to go, depending on what you want to do, is in the best time to visit Slovenia.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Portorož on GetYourGuide.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Portorož for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.