Car Rentals

When the car manufacturers finally start making E Cars that will do a decent mileage at an affordable price, we look forward to having our own E Car available to rent by the day at the Lodge!

We have already installed 2 Elec overnight E CAR rechargers here and guests are now arriving with their own E Cars, using 100% Slovenian sunshine to power their day trip adventures!

We did a blog about a Belgian family who drove here in their E Car and recorder their recharging and trips made to give you an idea of how easy it is to use an E Car here!

Here is the BLOG about USING AN E CAR AT THE LODGE

NOT ONCE did they need to super charge Out & About on their daytrips as the overnight charge was more than enough AND everything & everywhere worth visiting is so close to the Lodge!

home sweet home..
home sweet home..

 

We do have plenty of E Bikes available at the Lodge to have an even Greener day out with and you can find out more about renting one on our E BIKE page..

There are places here in Green Slovenia where you can rent E Cars, the best option for the moment is to join the AVANT car club, with a huge network of E Cars to Drop in and Drop off!

There are also some E Cars available with the regular Car rental firms, but it is first come first served, so better get a move on with those!

 

Here is a little more INFO about GETTING AROUND in Green Slovenia!

 

Airport Car Rental Firms..

If you rent a car in Slovenia, the E Vignette will be included, if you rent a car outside Slovenia and drive here like many guests do, then PLEASE read our E VIGNETTE section below and make sure you are covered!

We did some research into car rental firms here and noticed they operate in different ways at different times. For example, some will charge higher prices in peak Summer time, some are better value for longer periods of rental, but worse for shorter periods. Most charge you extra, (on top of the internet price), about 2 Euros a day for the E Vignette, (a vignette costs €110 per year... You do the maths!)

The one thing never to forget though is Slovenia is a tiny little country, so there are really not a lot of rental cars to go around and the "market monopoly" does not work the same as in your country, so always better to book as early as possible.

But in general, the car rental firms in Slovenia are good value and professional, so our advice is to SHOP AROUND and check out several companies for the best deal for you.

For the moment we recommend Budget car hire at Ljubljana airport, they have always provided us with a clean and cost effective car. Here is their link for booking www.budget.si

Also something to think about is that it might not be the best idea to use the car hire provider recommended by your airline, as you might be at the back of a long queue when you get off the plane! At Ljubljana airport and Trieste, there are at lots of car hire companies.

 

Transit Services..

There is a really great Slovenian minibus company called Go Opti that principally picks up from all the local airports and stations and transports you into & around Slovenia.

They will likely be a little bit rough & ready for your consumer tastes, unless you are a student and the more flexible your travel plans, the cheaper the price.

Check out their website, we haven't heard a bad word about them from our guests, so highly recommend them.. Go Opti 

And remember if you arrive at Postojna train or bus station we can pick you up for free, as long as you ask us in advance!

We also use an excellent local mini bus and pick up company in the Vipava Valley called Tuam. Marko, Darko and the team can also do tours.. find their website at TUAM..

 

E Vignette..

To drive on the Slovenian motorways you MUST HAVE an E VIGNETTE. You can buy them for periods of one week (€15)one month (€30) and one year (€110).

The fines can be large and you WILL be spotted by the overhead cameras.. so best to buy one online.. Here is the E Vignette website. We think this is an absolute bargain for driving on Slovenia's excellent motorway network.

You can also buy an E Vignette in person just before the border for Slovenia, or when entering the country at a motorway service station or petrol station. Just make sure you tell the cashier your correct car registraion number!

 

Radio SI..

We listen to Radio SI, (Slovenia International) all the time. They play at least one Sting record every day, so listen out for it.. there are also cool 80's classics & the latest hits.

But more importantly, they very kindly give you regular news bulletins and traffic news in English and German, groovy when you are on the road! You can catch Radio SI on 107.7 here is their website Radio SI

We also love our local station for Postojna, called Radio 94 and we found a great new kid on the block recently, called Radio Robin.

the motorways are excellent in Slovenia, this one whisks Lodge guests down to the coast in just 30 mins..
the motorways are excellent in Slovenia, this one whisks Lodge guests down to the coast in just 30 mins..

 

Motorway Driving..

The best way to describe Slovenian driving habits on local roads is maybe to take a look at the 70's cartoon "Wacky Races" with Dick Dasterdly and Mutley the dog! 

But the motorways are modern and really easy to drive on.. one tip we would draw your attention to is the exit slip roads are shorter than in many countries, so please take care when leaving the motorway.

Also when you are passing the excellent motorway services/petrol stations or junctions, the vehicles joining the motorway don't have much space and time to get on, so please take care and move out if possible!

Look out for the overhead info signs, which are in English too and give you a really good indication of the slight "wackiness" of the Slovenian character.. You will see.. there are some really great messages to read!

The overhead motorway cameras are JUST checking you have an E Vignette sticker and the borders to Croatia are also now open with Schengen, so it should be a real breeze getting around!

One trend we have noticed recently is that the Motorways are getting fuller on Friday afternoons in particular, so think about going off road on the local roads, which are far more beautiful and quieter anyway!

We have great tip for a shortcut between Ljubljana to the Lodge at the UNEC exit.. CUT the CORNER and if you look at a map, you could come off the motorway one junction sooner at LOGATEC for a lovely green drive to the Lodge! 

 

Parking Tips..

You can usually park for free with minimum effort in Slovenia, but parking charges are cheap in any case. It is worth knowing the difference between white and blue parking boxes.

White ones are completely free. For the blue ones you get free parking (for usually an hour), but you must go to the parking meter and press "free ticket" then "print ticket" (they're usually in English and German) and display the ticket in your car. If you don't display you might get a fine.. 50 cents will usually buy you at least an hour in any case!

For the more popular tourist destinations, the authorities are starting to cotton on to the parking charges goldmine and you have to pay lots of Euros for between 1hr - full day at Lake Bled, for example, which is a bit naughty, as pretty much everyone stays longer than an hour at Bled and you can't buy a ticket for say just 3 hours.

Worry not.. you just have to park another 50 metres further down in another car park and the cost is less for the day! More good news is that the vast majority of the places you visit in Slovenia will have free parking.

There are more Park & Ride car parks appearing here which is very good news indeed!

For example there is a new car park just as you leave TOLMIN, where you can park up for free and EITHER catch a bus to the sensational Tolmin Gorge OR HIKE there along a new km long path!

Email: info@lipizzanerlodge.com

Address: Landol 17, Postojna 6230, Slovenia

Phone: +386 5620 3443
Mobile: +386 40 47 0239 or +386 40 37 8037

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