Slovenia: practical guide and useful addresses

Identity card Formalities: valid passport or identity card. Telephone code: +386. Currency: the euro. Best season: May to September, to take advantage of the sunny climate, or during the winter for an event in white and the Christmas lights. Group size: ideally 50 to 60 people.

By The Editor -

Published on 15/05/2014

How to get there

ADRIA AIRWAYS resumed its service between Paris and Ljubljana in 2013. A member of Star Alliance, the Slovenian airline operates daily services between Paris CDG and Ljubljana airport using 86-seat Bombardier aircraft.

Tel.: +386 1 369 1010
Internet :www.adria.si

AIR FRANCE flies daily from Paris CDG terminal 2G to Ljubljana's Jože Pucnik airport. The flights, operated by the Brit Air subsidiary in a 72-seater Bombardier, leave Roissy every day at 12.45pm.

Tel.: 0820 320 820
Internet: www.airfrance.com

Hotels

Ljubljana

Grand hotel Union

Located opposite the colourful Cooperative Bank building, the Grand Hotel Union is one of Ljubljana's most emblematic hotels. Alongside the original part, built in 1905 at the height of the Art Nouveau wave, a modern wing brings the total number of rooms to 327. The walls are steeped in history, as in this tea room whose Viennese Secession atmosphere attracted the local intelligentsia and artists such as Kajetan Kovi, Tone Pavcek and Ciril Zlobec. The Grand Union Hall, a vast function room used as a national cinema in the second half of the 20th century, now hosts events for up to 800 people. For a long time, the Grand Hotel Union embodied avant-garde luxury, even boasting one of the first lifts in the region. It still aims to be at the cutting edge of
the local hotel industry thanks to the renovation programme completed in 2011.

Miklošičeva 1
Tel.: +386 (0)1 308 12 70
Email : hotel.union@gh-union.si
Internet: www.union-hotels.eu

Portoroz

Grand Hotel Bernardin

The Grand Hôtel Bernardin has successfully taken up the ambitious challenge of developing a state-of-the-art conference centre in a building inherited from Yugoslav architecture. Located halfway between Portoroz and Piran
- both accessible by a 15-minute walk - the 241-room establishment offers direct access to
a private beach, which it overlooks by clinging to the hillside. The entrance to the hotel and its vast lobby are based in the upper parts of this strange white building. The psychedelic variations of the multicoloured carpets give the hotel a delightfully kitsch charm that contrasts with the high-tech conference centre, built in 2004 on the twelfth and top floor of the building. The Europa room alone can accommodate up to 1,100 guests or be divided into four separate areas with independent audiovisual equipment.

St. Bernardin Resort. Obala 2
Tel.: +386 5 695 10 00
Email: booking@bernardingroup.si
Internet : www.bernardingroup.si

Bled

Grand Hotel Toplice

Among the seven establishments in the Bled region owned by the Sava Hoteli group, there is one that almost naturally stands out. Inaugurated in 1850 as Hotel Luisenbad, it was renamed Grand Hotel Toplice in 1918, following the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Since then, the most prestigious guests have made their mark on this luxurious retreat. Several European and Asian royalty have stayed in one of the 87 rooms of Bled's first hotel. Each room in the hotel tells its own story, starting with the peaceful Julijana Restaurant, which seems to float on the turquoise waters of Lake Bled. Here you can enjoy the unmissable kremšnita, the local cream cake delicately prepared by the hotel's pastry chef. The indoor swimming pool, covered in mosaics, is fed directly by the natural spring beneath the hotel, renowned for its virtues and for which the hotel is named. Today, the hotel, a member of the Small Luxury Hotels network, is proud to preserve its timeless character - protected by its status as a cultural monument - and has just begun renovating its prestigious façade.

Cankarjeva 6
Tel.: +386 4 579 16 00
Email : info@hotelibled.com
Internet : www.sava-hotels-resorts.com

Restaurants

Ljubljana

Gostilna AS

Ideally located in the heart of Ljubljana, this restaurant is one of the top three in the Slovenian capital. The restaurant's capacity means that it regularly welcomes corporate groups. In fine weather, they can enjoy the sun on the terrace. In winter, they can take refuge under the vaulted ceilings to enjoy some excellent fish.

Knafljev prehod. Copova 5a
Tel.: +386 (0)1 425 88 22

Strelec

Almost unmissable on a business trip to the Slovenian capital, the castle's top-of-the-range restaurant plays the folklore card, with a menu and waiters who look as if they've stepped straight out of the Middle Ages. As well as fish, the leitmotif of the local restaurant scene, you can sample a range of specialities, including some fantastic game dishes. And it works: events follow one another in this former archers' tower, whose dining room can accommodate up to fifty people.

Grajska planota 1
Tel.: +386 (0)8 384 31 42
Email : strelec@kaval-group.si
Internet : www.kaval-group.si

Portoroz / Izola

HiSa Torkla

Here's a restaurant you won't come across by chance, but it's well worth the diversions to Korte, in the hinterland of Portoroz. The quality of the welcome provided by the Kovacicčy couple is certainly a major factor, but how can you resist a fillet of sea bass accompanied by a spinach-wasabi cream? How can you resist the homemade gnocchi with chestnuts and a generous sprinkling of truffles? The whole experience is enhanced by a carefully selected wine list, such as this house Malvazija Hisa Torkla, served in a warm, modern setting. For the record, the small stone building now renovated housed an olive press in the 18th century. Olive oil is still one of the local specialities.

Hiša Torkla. Korte 44b. 6310 Izola.
Phone: +386 (0)5 620 96 57
Email : info@hisa-torkla.si
Internet: http://www.hisa-torkla.si/english/ohisi.htm

Conference centres

Ljubljana

Cankarjev dom

This strange building occupies a special place in the world of MICE in Slovenia. And not just because it houses the country's largest conference centre. Cankarjev dom, in addition to its predominantly underground design that earns it the nickname of iceberg, embodies Slovenian independence in its own way.
Rejected by the Yugoslav central government, the project was finally supported by the Slovenian people themselves, who did not hesitate to put their hands in their pockets to finance this vast congress centre. From the large reception hall and its proto-futuristic décor, it's impossible to miss the architectural influence of the period. However, all the venues are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, such as the immense Gallus room, which can accommodate up to 1,545 people.

Kranj

Brdo protocol domain

The Brdo estate, covering almost 500 hectares, was for a long time reserved for heads of state on official visits to Slovenia, particularly during the country's presidency of the European Union in 2008. For the past two years, the protocol estate has been open to private events of all kinds, particularly in the business segment. It is strategically located just fifteen minutes from Ljubljana airport. Businesses can take advantage of state-of-the-art facilities in a sumptuous natural setting that is meticulously maintained. The convention centre offers 9,000 m² of meeting and event space, in addition to the 66-room Hotel Kokra and its restaurant. As part of its ceremonial status, the castle displays many diplomatic gifts from visiting heads of state, and bears the imprint of its last occupant, Tito.