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Slovenia offers tourists a wide variety of landscapes:Alpine in the northwest,Mediterranean in the southwest,Pannonian in the northeast, andDinaric in the southeast. They roughly correspond to the traditional regions of Slovenia, based on the former fourHabsburgcrown lands (Carniola,Carinthia,Styria, and theLittoral). Each offers its own natural, geographic, architectural, and cultural features. Slovenia has mountains, meadows, lakes, caves, and the sea, making it an attractive destination in Europe.[1]
The nation's capital,Ljubljana, has many importantBaroque andArt Nouveau buildings, with several important works of the native born architectJože Plečnik. Other attractions include theJulian Alps with picturesqueLake Bled and theSoča Valley, as well as the nation's highest peak,Mount Triglav. Perhaps even better known is theKarst Plateau in theSlovenian Littoral. More than 28 million visitors have visitedPostojna Cave, while a 15-minute ride from it areŠkocjan Caves, aUNESCO World Heritage Site. Several other caves are open to public, includingVilenica Cave.
Further in the same direction is the Adriatic coast, where the most important historical monument is theVenetian Gothic Mediterranean town ofPiran. The neighboring town ofPortorož is a popular modern tourist resort, offering entertainment ingambling tourism. The former fishermen town ofIzola has also been transformed into a popular tourist destination; many tourists also appreciate the old Medieval center of the port ofKoper, which is however less popular among tourists than the other two Slovenian coastal towns.
Styria is known for itswhite wine, especially theLjutomer Riesling, after the ski resortPohorje, after summer cultural festivals inMaribor, and afterpumpkin seed oil. It is also known as a hop growing area producingStyrian Goldings, a variety of the English aroma hop Fuggles.
The northeasternPrekmurje region is known for its distinctive cuisine. Among traditional dishes, the best known are a pork, turnip and millet casserole calledbujta repa and a layered pastry calledprekmurska gibanica. An importantspa town in the region isMoravske Toplice, which is attracting many German, Austrian, Italian and Russian visitors.
Rural tourism is important throughout the country, and it is especially developed in theKarst Plateau region, parts ofInner Carniola,Lower Carniola and northernIstria, and in the area aroundPodčetrtek andKozje in easternStyria. Horse-riding, cycling and hiking are among the most important tourist activities in these areas.
Triglav National Park (Slovene: Triglavski narodni park) is a national park located in Slovenia. It was named after Mount Triglav, a national symbol of Slovenia. Triglav is situated almost in the middle of the national park. From it the valleys spread out radially, supplying water to two large river systems having their sources in the Julian Alps: theSoča and theSava, flowing to the Adriatic and Black Sea, respectively.
The proposal for conservation dates back to the year 1908, and was realised in 1924. Then, on the initiative taken by the Nature Protection Section of the Slovene Museum Society together with the Slovene Mountaineering Society, a twenty-year lease was taken out on the Triglav Lakes Valley area, some 14 km². It was destined to become an Alpine Protection Park, however permanent conservation was not possible at that time. In 1961, after many years of effort, the protection was renewed (this time on a permanent basis) and somewhat enlarged, embracing around 20 km². The protected area was officially designated as Triglav National Park. Under this act, however, all objectives of a true national park were not attained and for this reason over the next two decades, new proposals for the extension and rearrangement of the protection were put forward. Finally, in 1981, a rearrangement was achieved and the park was given a new concept and enlarged to 838 km² – the area it continues to cover to this day.
TheKarawank mountain range and theKamnik Alps are also important tourist destinations, as are thePohorje mountains. Unlike the Julian Alps, however, these areas seem to attract mostly Slovene visitors and visitor from the neighboring regions of Austria, and remain largely unknown to tourists from other countries. The biggest exception is theLogar Valley, which has been promoted heavily since the 1980s.
Slovenia has a number of smaller Medieval towns, which serve as important tourist attractions. Among them, the best known arePtuj,Škofja Loka, andPiran. Fortified villages, mostly located in western Slovenia (Štanjel,Vipavski Križ,Šmartno), have become an important tourist destination, as well, especially due to the cultural events organized in their scenic environments.
Arrivals[edit]Most foreign arrivals in Slovenia by country:[2]
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Arrivals[edit]Total arrivals by Slovenian municipalities.
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Total arrivals[edit]Total arrivals by year:[4]
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