A Comprehensive Guide on Moving to Slovenia

Relocating to Slovenia

The Land and Its People

Slovenia is a major Central European country with a diverse geography, population, and climate. Although Slovenia is one of the European countries with the lowest population density, with a population of two million over 20,273 square kilometers, it does have residents from all across Europe. In the 2002 census, 83% of residents identified as Slovene, whilst nearly 13% of people were born outside the country. This diverse population means that expatriates should have no difficultly settling in after moving to Slovenia.

Due to its location within Europe and the variety of countries that border it, the population of Slovenia speaks a range of different languages. Whilst Slovene is the official language, many residents also speak Italian, Hungarian, and English.

Slovenia is ranked in the top percentile of European countries in terms of foreign language skills, with English, Italian, German, French, and Spanish the most common. This means that if you are an expatriate from an Anglo or European country, then communication in other languages should not be an issue.

The Climate in Slovenia

Slovenia has an agreeable, temperate climate, and its proximity to the Alps and location near their slipstream means that it is one of the least windy places in all of Europe. Like much of Central Europe, Slovenia’s climate is temperate, but there are significant differences between different regions.

In the Northeast, for example, the climate is more continental with a more noticeable difference between the seasons, especially summer and winter, whereas the coastal regions have a warmer, sub Mediterranean climate. Although the amount and frequency of precipitation does vary considerably across the country, most areas are guaranteed snow during the winter months, whereas the rainfall can vary between 80 and 350 centimeter for the year depending on location.

Getting to Slovenia

Getting to Slovenia is relatively simple for those moving to the country. Although air transport was at one time an issue for Slovenia, the last twenty years have seen the development of a number of new airports and a restructuring of the air transport system. The busiest airport is Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport, which is located near the capital city and is connected to many major European and international destinations.

Many flights to the country are serviced by the state owned airline, Adria Airways, which is the largest airline in the country. However, some low cost airlines have since started to fly to the country, which will make moving to Slovenia easier than it once was. If you are shipping your furniture and heavier belongings, you can do so to the port of Koper, the major commercial and industrial port in the country.