Buying a SIM Card or eSIM for Travel in Slovenia

Slovenia is one of those countries that many travellers haven’t heard much about, and even fewer consider visiting. That’s a real shame as far as I’m concerned.

The capital of Ljubljana is one of my favourite European cities, with wonderful coloured buildings throughout the old town, a lively bar and restaurant scene along the river, and a restored castle towering over it all that’s visible from almost anywhere.

Elsewhere in this small country lie beautiful lakes, caves, and mountains, and even beaches along the Adriatic coast. There’s certainly plenty to see, and because distances are short, you get to spend more of your time enjoying the attractions and less time sitting in a car or train.

Wi-Fi is prevalent in bars and cafes in Ljubljana and other large towns, but having a local SIM card or travel eSIM will help you stay connected on the move. Fortunately, pricing is reasonable and coverage is excellent, at least if you pick the right company.

Here’s what you need to know.

There are three cell networks in Slovenia, plus a few resellers. The best coverage is on the Telekom Slovenije network, which covers close to 100% of the country with both LTE and 5G networks. A1 and Telemach also have good coverage, just not as extensive as Telekom Slovenije.

On my first couple of trips to the country, I opted to go with Izi, one of the resellers on the Telekom Slovenije network that no longer exists. These days, however, in Slovenia as in much of the world, I go for travel eSIMs instead.

They’re just a far more convenient option and cost the same or less then a local SIM, at least for the amount of data I use.

Nomad tends to have slightly better prices for larger data packs, while Instabridge is cheaper for smaller ones. If you’re traveling elsewhere in Europe on your trip, take a look at each company’s regional data packs as well.

They usually only cost fractionally more than the single-country ones, but include free roaming across much of the continent. Given the challenges around roaming with a local SIM that I discuss below, they’re a good option if you’re heading elsewhere in Europe or to the UK.

Other eSIM companies also offer regional packs: there are too many to list each one separately (and they change all the time), but as a starting point, these are the other Europe eSIM options from companies I’d actually consider using:

• aloSIM (34 countries)
• Airalo (39 countries)
• Nomad (30-35 countries)
• SIMOptions (29-39 countries)
• yeSIM (31 countries)

I update the prices and details for all of the eSIM companies I recommend for Slovenia each week, most recently on 15 Jun 2026.

Like most travel eSIMs, they’re data-only: you don’t get a local number. I use apps for everything from communication to transport these days, so the lack of a local number very rarely matters to me, but you might have different needs.

If you’re new to eSIMs, they offer big benefits to travelers in terms of how quickly, easily, and (often) cheaply you can get connected when you arrive in a new country. Most recent phones support them.

Going to other countries as well? Be sure to check out my quick and easy eSIM finder with real-world recommendations for every trip: it only takes a few seconds, and could save you a ton of money!

The purchase and setup process was extremely simple. I tracked down a sign with the cheerful Izi branding outside a tiny store near the main town square in Ljubljana, and the woman behind the counter spoke excellent English.

Various prepaid options were available, but in the end I chose the call, text, and data package she suggested. She was also nice enough to swap out my usual SIM and run through the setup process for me.

After sending a text to activate the SIM and entering the APN details, I was handed back my phone and SIM pack, and was out the door in less than five minutes. There was no need to show any form of identification.

Note that without Slovenian identification and proof of residence, most providers (including Izi) won’t enable EU roaming. Mobile companies are legally allowed to do this, but in other countries they generally don’t bother. In Slovenia, however, they do.

One of the few prepaid companies I’ve found that (at this stage) does enable roaming by default is Bob. If you plan to wander elsewhere around Europe with your Slovenian SIM, you might be better off buying from them instead. Alternatively, just go with one of the Europe regional eSIMs I mentioned earlier.

A Telekom Slovenije SIM card costs €2: it doesn’t come with any credit, so you’ll need to add enough to buy whichever package suits you best.

There’s a €4.99 bundle available that only includes 1GB of data, but unless you’re only in the country for a day or two, you’ll get much better value from the €9.99 version.

That one has 100GB of data and unlimited calls/texts to local and EU numbers, valid for a month. All up, you’re looking at just under €12 for more calls and data than you’re likely to use during your stay.

Topping Up

Telekom Slovenije

You can buy top-ups anywhere you see the Telekom Slovenije sign, which is approximately everywhere. If you need it, there’s a store locator here (in Slovenian, so run it through Google Translate as required).

Instabridge

Topping up with Instabridge and other eSIM companies is done by logging into the website and buying another package: it’ll just get applied to the eSIM that’s already installed on your phone.

Coverage was rock-solid in and around Ljubljana, and everywhere else I tried it in Slovenia. Given that the Telekom Slovenije network covers essentially the entire country, you shouldn’t have a problem staying connected almost anywhere.

Both Instabridge and Nomad can use any of the mobile networks in Slovenia including Telekom Slovenije, so you should have even fewer problems staying connected with an eSIM than a physical SIM card.

Slovenia is part of the European Union, so EU roaming regulations apply. These “roam like at home” rules ended roaming charges across much of Europe in 2017, letting you use a SIM card from any EU country across all the others at no extra charge.

As I mentioned earlier, though, almost all providers in Slovenia require proof of residence and a Slovenian tax ID to enable this, which makes free roaming largely inaccessible for visitors.

Double-check the details at time of purchase very carefully if you’re planning to use your Slovenian SIM elsewhere in the EU/EEA, or just use one of the regional Europe eSIMs I recommend above instead.

---