Anyone Been To Slovenia or Croatia?

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

My wife and I are going to Naples in September to visit some of my family over there, but we're going to take a few days to go to Venice first since we've never been there. While in Venice we were thinking about renting a car and driving over into Slovenia and Croatia for a day because they are so close, but I didn't know what the border crossings were like in those countries and if there are any kind of special visa or auto insurance requirements. Do they actually have border guards you have to speak with or can you just drive through?

I've been all over western Europe and driving from country to country is no different than crossing from state to state here in the U.S. and I've always rented a car with my American driver's license, but I know things can be a little different with those former Eastern Bloc nations.

Anyone know? Statistikhengst are you in Europe? Would you know the answer to any of this?

 

[Statistikhengst]

Dont Taz Me Bro

I can help you some with this.

In Slowenien (Slovenia), you must also have an international driver's license to go with your American license and at the border crossing, probably at a gas station very close to the border to Slovenia before you get there, you must buy what is called a "Vignette" - a sticker that essentially works like a tollpike ticket. A weekly vignette costs €15 and most gas stations will only accept Euros. The fine for failure to have a vignette if you are caught: between €300-800 !

In Slovenia, your headlights must be on at all times, night or day, regardless of weather conditions, or you will get a fat ticket, guaranteed. There is no such thing as "right on red" in Slovenia and the police love to catch foreigners who take a right on red. Slovenia is the tailgating capital of Europe. Prepare to be nerved when driving through that small yet beautiful country.

I have driven through Slovenia 3 times. Do not go off major roads at night if you can avoid it. Car jackings are very common in Slovenien.

In Kroatien (Croatia), you must also have the international driver's license to go with your American license. Or, in Croatia, an official, notarized translation of your American Driver's license will do. And in Croatia, you must also buy a "Vignette" for that land before entering it. Most gas stations starting 50 KM away from the border will start offering vignettes. A weekly vignette in Croatia costs around €8, I think. They are cheaper than their slovenien counterparts

In Croatia, do not go off a paved road at any time. There are still mines from the war that have not all been removed from side roads. This is a very serious warning for all foreigners driving through any of the war-torn parts of the former Yugoslavia. The roads that are newly paved have been cleared of bombs. Anything else is a total crapshoot.

BTW, some entities call an international driver's license an "international driver's permit" (IDP) - it means the same thing and you can get one easily through AAA in the USA. You cannot get one as an American once you are inside the EU, you must get it on your side of the big drip.

Good luck, hope that helps. Let me know when you are in Europe. And have a good journey.

 

[waltky]

Slovenia preparing for migrant backup...

Slovenia gives army more power amid migrant crisis
Wed Oct 21, 2015 - The Slovenian parliament passed legislation early on Wednesday that will give the army more power to help police guarding the state border as thousands of migrants flood into the country from Croatia after Hungary sealed off its border.

The new legislation will enable the soldiers to control the border when there are no police present. The army began helping guard the border on Monday, but so far only when police were present.

A mounted policeman leads a group of migrants near Dobova, Slovenia​

More than 20,000 migrants have arrived in Slovenia since Saturday. Slovenia, which has a population of 2 million, plans to ask the European Union later on Wednesday for police back-up and for financial assistance to help cope with the influx.

Slovenia gives army more power amid migrant crisis

 

[waltky]

Slovenia overwhelmed with refugees...

12,000 migrants arrive in Slovenia; authorities ask EU for help
Thu Oct 22, 2015 - More than 12,000 migrants have crossed into Slovenia in the last 24 hours and thousands more are expected, prompting authorities to ask the rest of the European Union for help dealing with the flood of people.

Slovenia has asked the EU for police to help regulate the flow coming from Croatia, Interior Minister Vesna Gyorkos Znidar told TV Slovenia. Some 10,300 of the migrants remain in Slovenia, an interior ministry spokesman said. Croatia also decided on Thursday to seek international help, the news agency Hina reported. The government said it will ask for blankets, winter tents, beds and containers. Since mid-September, 217,000 refugees have entered Croatia.

A young girl touches the riot shield of a police officer as she and other migrants make their way on foot after crossing the border from Croatia, in Rigonce, Slovenia​

Migrants began streaming into Slovenia last Friday, when Hungary closed its border with Croatia. Before then, they were heading for Hungary - a member of Europe's Schengen zone of visa-free travel - and then north and west to Austria and Germany. Sealing the border diverted them to Slovenia, which is also a member of the Schengen zone. With more and more bottlenecks being created across the Balkans, thousands of migrants are spending cold nights under open skies in Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. Another 9,000 are expected to enter Serbia on Thursday, the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees office in Serbia. "It is alarming, because the weather is getting cold," Seda Kuzucu, UNHCR field coordinator in Presevo told Reuters.

'WE WANT NORMAL, SIMPLE LIFE'

About 2,000 have walked through corn fields, wrapped in blankets, to reach the small town of Rigance in Slovenia from Croatia. From there they will be taken to a nearby camp and after being registered continue their way to Austria and then Germany. Anas Kaial, a 31-year old Syrian from Hama, where he ran a snooker bar, spent the night under open skies with his mother, wife and three children. "It was so cold," he said. "The only way we could distract our children from the cold and make them stop crying was by telling them that they will get all the Barbie dolls they want once we come to Germany. "It's enough. We just want to have a normal, simple life. We can't afford more bloodshed and shelling."

MORE

 

[Delta4Embassy]

My wife and I are going to Naples in September to visit some of my family over there, but we're going to take a few days to go to Venice first since we've never been there. While in Venice we were thinking about renting a car and driving over into Slovenia and Croatia for a day because they are so close, but I didn't know what the border crossings were like in those countries and if there are any kind of special visa or auto insurance requirements. Do they actually have border guards you have to speak with or can you just drive through?

I've been all over western Europe and driving from country to country is no different than crossing from state to state here in the U.S. and I've always rented a car with my American driver's license, but I know things can be a little different with those former Eastern Bloc nations.

Anyone know? Statistikhengst are you in Europe? Would you know the answer to any of this?

Am there now man. Like wow, every atom of the planet is connected to every other atom including to our own. Distance is illusion.

Is probably a State Department site with any travel adviseries and notes you can consult.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Croatia

Travel Information | Ljubljana, Slovenia - Embassy of the United States

 

[longknife]

The drive from Venice to Trieste is quite interesting and enjoyable.