Accessible tourism

Accessible tourism includes tourism for physically and sensory impaired persons, persons with intellectual and mental impairments, those who travel with children in baby carriages, elderly persons and others who find tourism difficult due to other health reasons (diabetes, allergies, etc.).

Around Slovenia, accessibility for people with disabilities has markedly increased in recent years. It should be pointed out that in that time all public buildings and other large commercial and tourist structures have been constructed with movement-impaired people in mind.
 
A longer-term process is converting access at existing structures, but here too, considerable progress is evident.All public buildings and tourist facilities that have not yet arranged disabled access generally have at least some disabled parking spaces reserved at their entrances. These buildings also generally provide good disabled toilet facilities. Numerous Slovenian towns have made more disabled-friendly pavements. There are increasing numbers of cash machines at lower levels and those equipped with Braille for the blind and partially sighted.
 
Among those Slovenian cities and towns that have made a concerted effort to increase disabled access, mention should be made of Ljubljana, Maribor and Ajdovščina, and numerous tourist destinations.For many tours and visits, disabled persons receive discounts, and some are free.

In 2011, the Slovenian Association of Disabled Workers began awarding the charter entitled Disabled-friendly Municipality. They are aimed at encouraging municipalities to respond systematically to the special needs of the disabled and to their social inclusion, co-existence and higher quality of life.

Recipients of the “Disabled-friendly Municipality” charter

2012

Municipality of Ptuj
Municipality of Murska Sobota
Municipality of Nova Gorica

2011

Municipality of Slovenske Konjice

Ljubljana

In Slovenia’s capital city the main railway station is disabled-friendly. The proportion of city buses with low steps and audio announcements of the next station is very high.
 
One of the best visited Slovenian tourist attractions – Ljubljana Castle – is accessible by disabled-friendly funicular railway. Disabled access is also provided at the Ljubjana Zoo, and at the main post office.

Certain city museums and galleries are also disabled-friendly.

Postojna Cave

The most popular Slovenian tourist attraction, Postojna Cave, provides for those in wheelchairs. Staff help disabled persons onto the tourist train and off it, and there is easy access in the other parts of the cave.

Bled and Zbilje lakes

A wheelchair accessible footpath has been arranged around the jewel of Slovenian lakes. Similar provision has been made at Zbilje, an artificial lake on the Sava River near Ljubljana.

Health resorts

Ample provision for the disabled has also been made at Slovenia’s natural health resorts. Model facilities are at the health resorts of Thermana in Laško andTerme Dobrna, while easy access to the pool has been provided at Terme Zreče and at Rogaška Slatina. 

Triglav National Park

Those in wheelchairs can also tour some parts of the only Slovenian national park. Access is possible for instance to the Velika korita (deep channels) of the Soča, Tolminska korita and the Pocar home in Zgornja Radovna.For the blind and partially sighted the park offers two workshops.

Karst interpretive trail at Pliskovica

The creator of the Pliska Karst interpretive trail is himself disabled, so it is an ideal excursion for disabled persons.

Štanjel

Disabled persons can tour one of the loveliest towns in the Karst without any difficulty. Close by the town is the Special House (Hiša posebne sorte) tourist farm. This is model disabled-friendly accommodation and boasts a gold certificate of the same name.

“Disabled-friendly” certificate

In 2009 the first Slovenian tourist boards and other facilities received “disabled-friendly” certificates.One award winner we have not yet mentioned is the company Marche, which has a chain of restaurants at motorway service stations. The Pivka Military History Park and the five-star campsite of Šobec have also earned certificates.