If you are a tourist in Slovenia, you probably will want to bring back a small treasure to remember your trip. Souvenirs are a great way to look back on the great memories you have from your trip once you return home. It is also a great idea to bring a little thing for your friends and family to show you missed them.
There are hundreds of souvenirs you can bring back from Slovenia like postcards and magnets. But there are also more specific objects like a dragon stuffed toy named Ljubo, some salt from Piran, Slovenian honey, Bovec cheese, or even one of the many Slovene beers.
If you are not sure which souvenir is perfect for you or your loved one, do not worry. Let’s take a look at the different memories you can bring back from Slovenia, depending on where you have been and what you like.
Ljubo And Dragon Souvenirs
In Ljubljana and Slovenia in general, there are many dragons everywhere. Dragons are very important in Slovene culture. Especially if you visit the capital, you will be surrounded by these powerful creatures from the utility hole covers to the Dragon Bridge.
To recall this vital symbol of the city, you can bring back little figurines of dragons, bags, aprons, t-shirts, gloves, or backpacks with dragons on them, or even more symbolic: a Ljubo stuffed toy.
Ljubo is the official mascot of the city. Most of the time, you will find the cuddly toy with a red heart between its arms. It is an adorable souvenir for children, for example. Besides being a lovely gift and keepsake to bring back, it also the most typical sign of Ljubljana.
Salt From Piranske Soline
Salt production started in Slovenia in Piran in 804. Ever since then, salt production is essential in the country. If you ever visit Piran’s beautiful city on the Adriatic coast of Slovenia, you are almost required to bring back Piran salt as a souvenir.
The Piran flower of salt is still produced using traditional methods. You can even visit the Piran Salt Pans, including the Strunjan Salt Pans, and the Sečovlje Salt Pans. After seeing these beautiful landscapes, you will necessarily want to try Piran salt and have your friends try it.
In Piran, as well as in most Slovenian cities, you can buy the salt. If you forgot to purchase the flower of salt, get it in one of the many stores in Ljubljana, for example. There are many salt products to try out.
Slovenian Honey
Slovenia is well-known for its many delicious and traditional kinds of honey. When traveling in the country, you must try them. You can also bring a few jars back home to keep the sweetness with you at all times.
The most famous Slovenian kinds of honey are Slovenski med, Kraški med, and Kočevski Gozdni med. What makes Slovenian honey different from others is the particular type of pollen and the low use of water.
Most honey is made in the Carniolan region, but honey is a perfect souvenir no matter where you have been. You will find many dishes using honey, and it will be a pleasure to bring some back with you.
Some Of The Many Slovenian Beers
Slovenian love beer, and you will love their beers as well. Besides the two main and most common beers, Lasko and Union, you will find a great variety of excellent breweries in the country.
There are HumanFish brewery, Tektonik brewery, Pelicon brewery, Loo-blah-na brewery, Bevog brewery, or Reservoir Dogs brewery. After tasting all the cheap and delicious beers at cafes and bars while enjoying the Slovenian dolce vita, you will want to bring a few bottles back.
To buy your favorite Slovenian beer, you can visit one of the many beer and bottle shops. If you want to go home with different alcohols, you can also bring back gin or Slovenian wine.
Bovec Cheese
For cheese amateurs, Bovec cheese is the perfect souvenir. Bovec cheese is made from pure sheep milk coming from autochthonous sheep.
This cheese is a delicious and traditional cheese from Slovenia. It has been produced for over 500 years. It is also called Tolmin cheese or Caseus de Plezio. It has the official European Union label “Protected designation of origin.”
A wheel of this cheese has a round shape of a diameter between 20 and 28 cm and weighs about 3 kilos.
Idrija Lace
Idrija Laces are a perfect decoration for your house. They are a lovely souvenir you will only find in Slovenia. It is also ideal if you cannot travel with food back home.
Idrija Lace is a bobbin tape lace. There are many different patterns. You can bring multiple productions and offer different ones to your loved ones.
It is a symbol of Slovenia and the region of Idrija. Furthermore, it is now on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as “Bobbin Lacemaking in Slovenia.”
If you participated in the Idrija Lace Festival, you must bring at least one home to remember this fantastic festival organized since the 1980s.
Painted Beehive Panels
Painted Beehive Panels, also called panjske končnice, are indeed a unique and traditional Slovene specialty. This tradition is ancient. Slovenians have been decorating beehive panels for centuries, since the mid-eighteenth century.
At the origin, beehive panels were painted to help recognize your bee colony. Now, it became an art and craft.
There are more than 600 patterns we know, a perfect occasion for you to start a collection. You can also just buy one to decorate your house or apartment.
The painted beehive panels are very colorful. They can just be decorated with patterns or have actual pieces of art on them. You will find panels with a representation of Jesus, landscapes, myth, or historical events. There are also many exhibitions of beehive panels for you to visit.
Ribnica Woodenware
If you ever visit Ribnica in Lower Carniola, you will most likely want to purchase a wooden object. The city is specialized in woodenware, also called “suha roba.”
It is the oldest and largest woodcraft in Slovenia. You will find hundreds of different wooden crafts to enjoy and bring back with you.
Among the most common woodenware, you will find spoons for cooking or eating, baskets, pots for cooking, and saving food, toys, and decorations.
If you want to know more about Ribnica Woodenware before purchasing it, we advise you to visit the Museum of Ribnica or the RIbnica craft market.
Prešeren Figs
Doctor France Prešeren is Slovenia’s most famous poet. Besides giving his name to many streets and the main square in Ljubljana’s capital, the poet also gave his name to chocolate figs.
Legend says Prešeren loved figs and always carried some in his pockets. To remember his memory and add a bit of gastronomy, Prešeren figs are now covered in dark chocolate.
These sweet snacks or desserts are the perfect thing to taste while being on holiday in Slovenia and bringing back everyone to eat at home.
Rogaška Crystal
For over 350 years, Rogaška Crystal has been crafted in Slovenia. Glasses made with this technique are supposed to give your drink a better taste: a great reason to bring some back to your country!
However, it is a luxury brand, so it is a bit expensive. It is an excellent gift for you, your family, or your friends if you are looking for products made with high-quality crystal such as glasses, stemware, decanters, barware, and many others.
Orange Wine
Orange wine might seem surprising, but is an essential culinary tradition in Slovenia. Forget white wine, red wine, and rosé. Orange wine will be your new favorite drink. It is why you should bring some back as a souvenir.
Orange wine is not a wine with a completely different type of production. It is made from white grape varieties where the grape skins are not removed and stay in contact with the wine for a few days. Bring a bottle back home and have all your friends try it.
Bled Wishing Bell
If you ever visit Ljubljana, you need to come by Bled Lake. It is one of the most beautiful places in the country.
On the island on the lake, you will see a church. Legend says the church’s bells are supposed to make wishes come true if you ring them three times.
For good luck, you could bring back a small Bled wishing bell as a souvenir. These little and adorable bells will remind you of your magical trip to Bled and your wish.
A Souvenir for Everyone
Whenever you travel, coming back with souvenirs is always a lovely tradition. If you are bored with postcards, magnets, and snowballs, the souvenir ideas to bring back from Slovenia are numerous. Every region has its specialty, and all the objects have their own story.
Bring food and drinks to enjoy a bit more of Slovenia once you went home. Bring also toys and decorations to keep forever with you and never forget your wonderful trip to the beautiful country that Slovenia is.
