We may earn affiliate commissions from websites we link to, at no cost to you. Click here for details.
I get it. The names sound quite similar, but let’s unpack how Slovakia and Slovenia are different.
And hopefully, you will never confuse these two countries again.
Both countries are located in Europe and could be defined as part of Central/Eastern Europe.
Slovakia and Slovenia do not border each other. They are separated by two non-Slavic-speaking countries (Austria and Hungary).
Slovenia is near the Adriatic Sea, bordering Austria, Hungary, Italy, and Croatia.
Slovakia is landlocked in the heart of Central Europe and surrounded by Czechia, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, and Austria.
The capital of Slovakia is Bratislava. And the capital of Slovenia is Ljubljana. Both cities are relatively small compared to other European cities.
It’s great to spend a weekend in either capitals – enjoy the cobbled streets, baroque architecture, and good food.
They both have a castle, and they’re both located on a river.
There is no denying that these two countries get confused a lot. Slovakia vs Slovenia – “What’s the difference?” is a question that Alexa or Google often answers.
Some of my closest friends from other countries continue mentioning Slovenia.
I have to remind them I am from Slovakia. I have travelled across land borders in parts of the world when my passport details were written down with Slovenia as my country of origin.
I was even denied boarding a flight from Marshall Islands in the Pacific, as they said my Electronic Australian visa was not valid (the details of the passport & nationality are stored online with e-visas these days).
It took a while, but we eventually realised they entered my nationality as Slovenia instead of Slovakia.
But here are some other embarrassing mix-ups when it comes to Slovakia vs Slovenia:
It happens at sporting events, too. When Slovakia won the ice hockey game against Italy at the IIHF World Championships in 2017, the organiser played the wrong anthem – it was the anthem of Slovenia instead of the national anthem of Slovakia.
At least it wasn’t a Slovakia vs Slovenia game.
The former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi introduced the Slovenian Prime Minister as the Prime Minister of Slovakia. Let’s not forget that Italy borders Slovenia, so you would think you’d know the difference. Very awkward.
And in 1999 George Bush answered a question from a Slovak journalist: “The only thing I know about Slovakia is what I learned firsthand from your foreign minister, who came to Texas. I had a great meeting with him. It’s an exciting country”. You’ve guessed it. Of course, he was referring to a meeting with then the Prime Minister of Slovenia.
They say the former US President Donald Trump would not be challenged by Slovakia vs Slovenia debate. He’s married to Melania who is from Slovenia. And his ex-wife Ivanka was from Czechoslovakia.
Oh, and when it comes to mail, both countries swap mail sent to the wrong country all the time.
Slovakia has a population of 5.4 million. Slovenia is a much smaller nation with a population of 2.5 million. And when it comes to size, Slovakia is twice as big as Slovenia.
Slovakia used to be part of Czechoslovakia. It was a country formed as a union of two ethnicities after WW1: Czechs and Slovaks.
In January 1993, only four years after the Velvet Revolution (the fall of communism), Czechoslovakia split into two different countries: Czech Republic (or Czechia) and Slovakia.
Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia (translates to Land of South Slavs). Yugoslavia was a federation of six countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.
Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Don’t get the Balkans and Baltics mixed up.
The split of Czechoslovakia was a peaceful event. Unfortunately, the separation of Yugoslavia resulted in a war conflict which ended in 1995.
Get Connected with eSIM
Get connected easily on your travels—buy an eSIM! It works like an app: buy it, download it, and get connected in minutes! It’s easy, affordable, and convenient. Keep your original phone number, too!
Use our code: RACHEL5045 to get $3 off your first purchase!
The official language of Slovakia is Slovak, which is part of the Western Slavic languages.
The official language of Slovenia is Slovene, which is part of the Southern Slavic languages.
To clarify, Slovaks and Slovenians would not understand each other if they spoke their own language. Sure, some roots of certain words are similar, but they most likely use German or English to communicate with each other. For Slovaks, the closely related language is Czech. And for Slovenians, it would be easier to understand neighbouring Croatian.
A more detailed description of Slovic languages from Britannica can be found in this article.
Ok, I admit the flags look so similar. Both are coloured by the pan-Slavic colours: White, Blue, and Red. And both contain a coat of arms.
The national flag of Slovakia consists of three colours white, blue, and red. The Coat of Arms symbol represents three mountains (the Tatra, Fatra, and Matra) and double-cross is a link to the Christian faith of Slovakia.
The national flag of Slovenia features three equal horizontal bands of white, blue, and red. The Coat of arms of Slovenia is on the flag’s upper side, centred in the white and blue bands.
The Coat of Arms depicts the highest peak Triglav, covered with snow and three six-pointed stars taken from the armor of the family Celje. The two wavy lines at the bottom of the emblem represent the Slovenian lakes and rivers.
I know you’re expecting me to say Slovakia, but I will say both of them! You should visit Slovakia and Slovenia as they both have something to offer.
Especially if you like the unspoiled natural landscapes, mountains, caves, castles, and picturesque towns.
And they are both affordable to visit compared to Western Europe. You can get started with these 10 Best Places to visit in Slovakia.
And that’s it! Hopefully, this is the last time you have to research Slovakia vs Slovenia and what or how they are different.
Just a quick tip: Slovenia is the one with the coast to the Adriatic – so further South. Slovakia is landlocked and next to the Czech Republic (the other half of former Czechoslovakia).
You may also enjoy reading 13 things to do in Bratislava, and if you happen to stop by, you’ll need our list of the best restaurants in Bratislava.
Unsure about what to try? Read more about the 18 most popular (and delicious) Slovakian dishes here.
If you enjoy the great outdoors, read about hiking in Green Lake (Zelene Pleso) in Slovakia’s High Tatras.
Interested to read more about the 10 most popular Slovenian foods?
We have so many tips to help you travel more!
These 21 cheapest countries to visit will help you stretch your hard-earned dollars further.
Read our top 6 travel hacks to save money and the 20 best travel apps to make travel easier!
For food lovers, don’t miss our top 10 best countries for foodies. And, if history is your thing, these 30 amazing historical places worldwide will fascinate you!
We have many tips to save money for travel and consider these 20 jobs that PAY YOU to travel the world to help you travel longer.
If you become a trusted housesitter, you can also get FREE accommodation worldwide. Read more about how this works.
Check out our ultimate packing list for travellers, and remember to pack travel insurance! We recommend these two travel insurance companies for excellent coverage.
Our 12 essential tips for safe travel in any country are worth a read.
You’ll need to stay connected while travelling the world. We recommend eSIM. It’s easy, reliable and affordable. View eSIMs for individual countries, or consider a Global eSIM if you travel to multiple countries or regions. This eSIM connects you in 124 countries, offering data-only eSIM and data/call/text eSIM.
The Global eSIM has been a game-changer; we couldn’t imagine travelling without it now.
If you want to travel with like-minded travellers, consider joining a group tour.
Check our Group Tours first for any upcoming trips you may be interested to join, or view these deals on worldwide group tours with Tourradar.
Check out our best-ever travel tips compiled from more than twenty years of experience.
✈️ Flights: We use Skyscanner to book cheap flights worldwide.
🏨 Accommodation: Booking.com is our preferred platform for booking hotels and accommodation. We use Vrbo to book apartments and long-term stays.
🏥 Travel Insurance: We recommend Heymondo (Get 5% off Heymondo) & SafetyWing
🚌 Transportation: Trainline is the best website to reserve trains. We use Omio to book transport worldwide. For travel in Asia, we use 12Go.
🚘 Car Rental: We use DiscoverCars to book rental cars worldwide.
👫 Group Tours: We now offer Group Trips; view them here! Alternatively, we recommend G Adventures OR Tourradar. For Europe, Expat Explore is a good choice. *Get 5% off when you quote code VERYHUNGRYNOMADS to your Expat reservations agent. (*Valid for new clients only).
📸 Day Tours & Trips: GetYourGuide & Viator are the only two platforms you need.
📚 Lonely Planet: The Best Range of Travel Guides & Ebooks, and FREE Shipping! (use code RACHELDAVEY10 for a 10% discount)
🎒 Luggage: Osprey Farpoint 40L Backpack or Samsonite Luggage Range.
🛄 What to Pack: Don’t forget your Universal charger and a good power bank. To help you pack the essentials, here is our ULTIMATE Packing List for all Travellers.
🐶 Become a House Sitter: Join Trusted Housesitters and enjoy FREE accommodation worldwide. Use our invite to receive 25% off your new membership.
💰 Send Money Anywhere: WISE & Revolut are the best online accounts that let you send money, get paid, and spend money internationally. Both are so easy to use and way cheaper than any bank transfer.
📶 Stay Connected: Airalo eSIM allows you to get connected the moment you land at your destination, and you can avoid those expensive data roaming charges. We LOVE this product! Use code RACHEL5045 to get $3 off your first Airalo eSIM.
✅ Check out our Travel Gear and Travel Resources for more valuable tips to save you money!
15 Comments. Leave new
Thanks so much for making it very easy to understand between the two countries
thanks a lot .
Brilliant explanation; the complexities of the history and cultures of these regions dwarf my small brain! I would need a lot of immersion into the region to get a reasonable grasp of all of this!
Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the article.
Could’ve been worth mentioning that both country have shared history in Austro-Hungary, not only being parts of some other countries such as Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia.
*both countries
Great point Philipp! 🙂
I had no idea flags are so similar, they even both have 3 peaks inside their coat of arms, that’s weird coincidence.
As a Croat I know who Slovenians are and Czech are often visitors to out coast, but I’m not sure how many Slovakians are visiting Croatia….
Yes, it is a coincidence. And trust us, there are many Slovakians visiting Croatia each year. In fact, it is one of the most popular holiday destinations for them.
It means Croatia is more beautiful than Slovak?
The 3 little pointed triangles in the upper left corner of the Slovenian flag represent the highest mountain peaks of the State. In fact, the highest is called TRIGLAV. It was the tallest in all ex-YU.
I think ppl can’t always differentiate between Njya and Nsko style pronouncing like strz prst cz krk. Venia, vania even ania and onya become the same
Thank you for very enlighting article. I’ve always considered myself pretty aware of geographical nuances generally but must admit this question did confuse me as well 😀
I can only imagine the frustration caused by constant mixups in everyday communication, official matters, travelling, sports etc. Considering all that – your article mainteined very appropriate and pleasant to read without any negative energy. Thumbs up. Thanks to you, I “will never confuse these two countries again”.
The both countries confuses me a lot. I have been browsing to know well information about them
This was such a helpful comparison! I often confuse Slovakia and Slovenia, but your clear distinctions between the two countries, including their culture and geography, really helped clarify things for me. Thanks for shedding light on this topic!