How to get to us

If you are inside the Schengen area (roughly the European Union) or do not need a visa to enter the Schengen area/EU, you do not need a visa to enter Slovenia. If you do need a visa to enter the Schengen area, see below what you need to do to get a visa.

Getting to Nova Gorica

By car

Nova Gorica is halfway from Venice to Ljubljana.
Coming from Venice, you have to exit the Venice-Trieste highway in Villese and follow the highway untill you get to Gorica. Nova Gorica is just on the other side of the border.

Coming from Ljubljana, you have to get off the Ljubljana-Trieste highway in Razdrto. There's about 10 km of normal road before you get back on the highway. Continue along the highway untill you get to Nova Gorica. You can get directions for Nova Gorica on http://maps.google.com. There's a nice map of Slovenia available at http://zemljevid.najdi.si/.



By plane

The closest airport is Trieste (Ronchi dei Legionari, with connections to Rome, Milan, Munich, London, Belgrade, Paris and some smaller airports), from where you can get to Nova Gorica by bus or by taxi (or by a combination of both).

BUS: The airport is only a 30-minute bus ride away (the bus ticket is 2.55&euro if you get it from the vending machine just outside the terminal and 3.55&euro if you pay to the driver; ask for a ticket for Gorizia; you take the bus just outside the terminal, a little to the right, ask at the information counter for the exact spot; click here for schedule). The airport is in Italy, and the bus takes you to the train station in the Italian part of the town, i.e. Gorizia. Since both Italy and Slovenia are inside the Schengen area, you don't need any documents to cross the border. Once at the train station in Gorizia, you need to get to the Slovenian part of town, i.e. Nova Gorica; you can do this by taking a taxi or the city bus. Slovenian taxi (++386 31 344 443) should be around 10&euro, Italian taxis may be more expensive. If you take the bus: the line does not have a number, it will just say Nova Gorica on the bus display (it costs 1€ it runs roughly once every hour, with some gaps, click here for schedule); you take the bus just across the street/parking lot from the entrance of the train station; the bus takes you through the center of Gorizia and then across the border into Nova Gorica (if you're going to the center of Nova Gorica, you get off at the last stop).

(In principle, of course, one can also walk from the Gorizia train station to the center of Nova Gorica: it should take about an hour, it's 4.5 km. Or one can also take line 1 of the Gorizia city bus (departures from the Gorizia train station approximately every 20 minutes, 1 euro at the vending machine outside the train station) to Piazza della Transalpina, which is just across the street from the Nova Gorica train station, and you walk from there to the center of Nova Gorica, 15 minutes/1.5 km.)

TAXI: You can also take the taxi (Italian or Slovenian) directly from the airport. Slovenian taxi (++386 31 344 443) costs around 30&euro, Italian taxis are more expensive.

WARNING: When booking your plane ticket, keep in mind that Alitalia has been on strike on and off recently and many flighs have been canceled, and they have also announced repeated strike days for the whole period from now till May. Given that it is hard to predict which flights get canceled, you might want to avoid this airline.



Also fairly close are the airports of Ljubljana and Venice. Ljubljana (Brnik, with connections to all major European airports). There's a bus every hour that will take you to the Ljubljana bus and railway station (it costs around 3€). Taxi form the airport to Ljubljana is way more expensive (unless you can share with a bunch of people). See below for the instructions on how to get from Ljubljana to Nova Gorica.
Venice has good train connections with Gorizia (the train station in the Italian part of the town) -- trains run every hour or so and the trip takes two hours.


Obviously, the easiest (but not the cheapest) way to get from any of the airports to NG is to rent a car.


Regarding your flight back: both Trieste airport and Ljubljana airport are very small, so you do not need to arrive there more than one hour ahead of the flight.


By bus (from Ljubljana) and train (from Ljubljana or Venice)

There's a bus from Ljubljana to Nova Gorica every hour or so. It costs around 10€ (It is advisable, but not necessary, to buy the ticket at the bus station, the rate is the same if you buy it on the bus). Trains between Ljubljana and Nova Gorica are less frequent and take longer (typically with one transfer), but are more confortable and slightly cheaper (the ticket is around 7€, you are supposed to buy it at the station if the cashier is open, otherwise on the train). This train drops you off at the Nova Gorica train station, from where you can walk to the town center (15 minutes/1.5 km).

Trains between Venice and Gorizia (the Italian part of the town) take around two hours and are fairly frequent. The link takes you to the Swiss railways webpage, which has the most accurate and easy to use searchable timetable. The train ticket should be bought at the train station (in Italy you also have to stamp it before boarding the train). This train drops you off at the Gorizia train station. Once at the train station in Gorizia, you need to get to the Slovenian part of town, i.e. Nova Gorica; you can do this by taking a taxi or the city bus. Slovenian taxi (++386 31 344 443) should be around 10€, Italian taxis may be more expensive. If you take the bus: the line does not have a number, it will just say Nova Gorica on the bus display (it costs 1€ and runs roughly once every hour, with some gaps, click here for schedule); you take the bus just across the street/parking lot from the entrance of the train station; the bus takes you through the center of Gorizia and then across the border into Nova Gorica (if you're going to the center of Nova Gorica, you get off at the last stop). (In principle, of course, one can also walk from the Gorizia train station to the center of Nova Gorica: it should take about an hour, it's 4.5 km. Or one can also take line 1 of the Gorizia city bus (departures from the Gorizia train station approximately every 20 minutes, 1€ at the vending machine outside the train station) to Piazza della Transalpina, which is just across the street from the Nova Gorica train station, and you walk from there to the center of Nova Gorica, 15 minutes/1.5 km.)




Once in Nova Gorica, use the map :). The bus map is available here. More info about the free city bus is available through http://www.avrigo.si. If you are afraid to get lost already in Gorizia, use this map of the two towns.


If you want to learn Slovenian before coming here, you might want to follow this link.



Visas

See if you need a visa to enter Slovenia. Slovenia is a member of the EU and of the Schengen area. If you are an EU citizen or live and study inside the Schengen area (and have a Schengen residence permit), you don't need a visa. But if you live or study in another country, please follow this link:

Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
http://www.mzz.gov.si/index.php?id=6&L=2

Visa -- general information:
http://www.mzz.gov.si/index.php?id=785&L=2#c2038

Visa -- more concrete information:
http://www.mzz.gov.si/index.php?id=786&L=2#c2086

Visa -- details on visa requirements for individual countries:
http://www.mzz.gov.si/index.php?id=502&L=2#c1153

You can apply for a number of visas, turist, privat visit, or business. The forms are available online.

Unless you will apply for a turist visa, you will also need a Letter of Guarantee. Check both versions and send us the information we need to write one for you.