Money, cards and ATMs in Slovenia

The currency

• Slovenia uses the euro and has since 2007 - the first of the 2004 accession countries to adopt it.
• Cards work nearly everywhere and contactless is standard.

Prices

• Slovenia is not a cheap Balkan country. Prices are closer to Austria than to Serbia, particularly in Ljubljana, Bled and on the coast.
• Bled in particular is priced for its visitors.
• Eating where locals eat cuts the bill sharply - look for a gostilna rather than a restaurant on a lakefront.

ATMs

• Always refuse the machine's offer to charge you in your own currency. Dynamic currency conversion at an ATM or a card terminal costs several per cent, every time, and the offer is worded to sound helpful. Choose the local currency and let your own bank convert.
• Use bank ATMs rather than the independent machines in tourist areas, which add their own fee on top.

Tipping

• Rounding up is normal, 10 per cent for good restaurant service.
• Service is not usually added.