Slovenia has ranked 20th out of 133 countries in the Social Progress Index compiled by the Social Progress Imperative with the support of international consulting firm Deloitte, as stated in a new report published by the company. This puts Slovenia in the first place among the Central and Southeast European countries.

The index was prepared on the basis of 53 different indicators including the level of health care, education, access to housing, protection of rights and tolerance.

Ljubljana (photo: Luka Esenko)

The idyllic Alpine gem Bled, famous for its gorgeous lake with an enchanting island and mysterious cliff-top castle, tops the list of Europe’s 15 most breathtakingly beautiful villages, according to Thrillist.

The travel portal notes that “nothing speaks more to the notion of serenity and quaintness than rural Europe. Think Lord of the Rings-style English villages, with relics dating back to a pre-industrial age, thatched-roof cottages, windmills, and market squares. Yes, these places still do exist, and they are what give modern Europe its rustic charm. And what’s more, Europe’s rich cultural diversity provides the modern traveler with a veritable mix of locations and cultures to select from — all replete with forts, castles, and local delicacies.”

It describes Bled as follows: “You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more picturesque setting than Bled, in Northern Slovenia near the border with Austria. It’s picture perfect in every sense. The Julian Alps dominate the background, while in the foreground, a 17th-century Baroque church sits on a remote island, adrift in the middle of a glacial lake. It’s the stuff of fairytales. With waterfalls, castles, and remote caves all within the area, it makes for a vivid and character-filled landscape.”

The complete list of the 15 most picturesque villages that are worth going out of your way to visit when you’re in Europe includes:
1. Bled (Slovenia)
2. Quedlinburg (Germany)
3. Zermatt (Switzerland))
4. Aigu?ze (France)
5. Lacock (UK)
6. Reine (Norway)
7. Procida (Italy)
8. Sintra (Portugal)
9. Korčula (Croatia)
10. Bickensohl (Germany)
11. Vejer de la Frontera (Spain)
12. Hallstatt (Austria)
13. La Roque-Gageac (France)
14. Portree (Scotland)
15. Oia (Santorini)

Lake Bled (photo: Bojan Kolman)

So, how much do Europeans in different countries know about the EU? According to a new survey carried by the VoxEurop, Slovenians are the most informed when it comes to the European Union, while the British are the least informed.

A map showing how knowledgeable Europeans are about the EU

Countries ranking by the population’s knowledge of EU key facts and institutions. 100 = best knowledge

Source: voxeurop.eu

25 years ago on June 25th, the Slovenian Assembly adopted three key independence documents, on the basis of which Slovenia became an independent and sovereign country.

Image by Andrej Jakobčič / CC BY-SA 3.0

The Huffington Post has just published a ranking of the world’s most extraordinary national parks and Slovenia’s Triglav National Park was included in this exquisite company. “Located just outside of Bled, Slovenia’s only national park seems plucked from a fairy tale. With the picturesque Lake Bohinj ripe for exploration by canoe or kayak, plenty of hiking trails and quaint wooden houses lining the lake, it’s a glorious respite from the popular destination of Bled,” the Huffington Post substantiated their decision.

The other national parks included on the list are the USA’s Yellowstone National Park, Mexico’s Palenque National Park, Canada’s Pacific Rim National Park, Colombia’s Tayrona National Park, Argentina’s Parque Nacional Los Glacieres, Brazil’s Pantanal Matogrossense National Park, Japan’s Hakone National Park, Thailand’s Khao Yai National Park, Vietnam’s Cat Ba National Park, Namibia’s Etosha National Park, Kenya’s Nairobi National Park, Morocco’s Toubkal National Park, Sweden’s Sarek National Park, Spain’s Timanfaya National Park, Tasmania’s Freycinet National Park and New South Wales’s Jervis Bay National Park.

Read the Huffington Post article: 17 of the World’s Most Extraordinary National Parks

Alpine lakes, majestic mountains, green valleys, beautiful rivers, spectacular waterfalls, attractive gorges, sweeping vistas and more, the Triglav National Park has it all. Image by chensiyuan / GFDL

The tragic events of the Paris and Brussels attacks and political instability in many countries has some travelers re-evaluating their upcoming travel plans. The British Foreign Office has rated much of Europe as having a general threat from terrorism. However there are still some countries with a low terrorism threat in Europe and Slovenia is one of them. If you’d like to have peace of mind on your vacation, Slovenia is the perfect destination.

Slovenia has been listed by the British Foreign Office as a country with the lowest risk of terror attacks.

In the wake of the attacks, the British Foreign Office released a list of terror threat ratings by country, and the surprising part is that more than 10 countries in Europe are currently sitting at a threat level of ‘high’. Vacation favorites like Spain, France, Germany and the United Kingdom all have a level 4 (high) rating, putting them alongside countries like Syria, Iraq and Nigeria.

The Huffington Post has just published a ranking of 10 beautiful European cities that are often mistakenly overlooked. The coastal town of Piran was included in this exquisite company. The list includes the following cities: Belfast (Ireland), Ghent (Belgium), Helsinki (Finland), Leeds (England), Lyon (France), Malmö (Sweden), Mantua (Italy), Piran (Slovenia), Valencia (Spain), and Wroclaw (Poland).

The Huffington Post was founded in May 2005 by journalist Arianna Huffington and entrepreneur Kenneth Lerer. At first, it served as a blog to share your comments with other people, but over time it has developed into a very popular internet journal providing information on politics, business, entertainment and the environment.

Piran was influenced by the architecture of Venice. (photo: Luka Esenko)

According to the 2016 Environmental Performance Index, which ranks 180 countries on how they protect human health and ecosystems, Slovenia is the 5th most environmentally friendly country on Earth.

The annual Environmental Performance Index (EPI) is compiled by researchers from the US-based Yale University and Columbia University. The index ranks how well countries perform on high-priority environmental issues in two broad policy areas: protection of human health from environmental harm and the protection of ecosystems.

According to the report, the greenest country on Earth is Finland, followed by Iceland and Sweden. Slovenia earned a very respectable 5th position, while its neighbours Croatia, Austria, Hungary and Italy are placed on 15, 18, 28 and 29 position respectively.

World’s top 10 most environmentally friendly countries (with their scores):
1. Finland (90.68)
2. Iceland (90.51)
3. Sweden (90.43)
4. Denmark (89.21)
5. Slovenia (88.98)
6. Spain (88.91)
7. Portugal (88.63)
8. Estonia (88.59)
9. Malta (88.48)
10. France (88.20)
…
15. Croatia (86.98)
18. Austria (86.64)
28. Hungary (84.60)
29. Italy (84.48)

(photo: Peter Zajfrid)

Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana has been officially handed the status of European Green Capital by the outgoing city Bristol. Ljubljana is the first Slovenian city to be named as European Green Capital since the award was launched in 2008. The initiative rewards cities that are making efforts to improve the urban environment and create healthier and more sustainable living areas.

Speaking at the handover ceremony in Brussels Commissioner Vella said: “I congratulate Ljubljana for becoming greener, healthier and more sustainable.” Slovenia’s capital received the recognition for raising environmental awareness amongst its citizens, for its sustainability strategy, its implementation of a range of urban green measures and its developing transportation network.

Cities that have previously held the title are Stockholm in 2010, Hamburg in 2011, Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2012, Nantes in 2013, Copenhagen in 2014 and Bristol in 2015. Ljubljana will pass the title to Essen in 2017.

The electric train Urban encircles Ljubljana’s Old Town every two hours, four times a day. (photo: Andrej Tarfila, Slovenia.info)

Slovenia made it to a new foreign list: the Japanese tourist board has revealed which it thinks are the prettiest towns in Europe – and there is one Slovenian town among them. Piran, Slovenia’s loveliest coastal town, made the list of 30 most beautiful European towns and villages.

The picturesque medieval walled town with Venetian architecture, which sits on the Adriatic coast is now being promoted as a must-visit destination for Japanese tourists, after being picked as one of 30 recommended small destinations by 300 Japanese travel agents. The agents were presented with the challenge to pick the 30 best by the Japanese Association of Travel Agents (JATA), which wants to promote travel to attractive little places in Europe. “Piran, a small town at the Adriatic coast built in the Venetian style, is a fishing port with wonderful squares, churches, a maze of narrow streets and exquisite fish restaurants at the seashore,” the JATA association substantiated their decision.

Officials and locals in Piran were thrilled to hear that they had made the cut and have begun to prepare for the arrival of coach parties of Japanese tourists, who they hope will sightsee, eat and drink in the town, bringing in trade for local businesses.

Besides Piran, Rovinj (Croatia), Kotor (Montenegro), Ohrid (Macedonia), Kilkenny (Ireland), Setenil de las Bodegas (Spain), Vlkolinec (Slovakia), Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and Riquewihr (France), Sint-Martens-Latem (Belgium), Zalipie (Poland), Marianske-Lazne (the Czech Republic), Quedlinburg and Bernkastel-Kues (Germany), Golyazi (Turkey), Reine (Norway), Civita di Bagnoregio and Procida (Italy), Conwy (Wales), Lech (Austria), Hindeloopen (the Netherlands), Lefkara (Cyprus), Soglio (Switzerland), Visby (Sweden), Sopron (Hungary), Koprivščica (Bulgaria), Porvoo (Finland), Berat (Albania), Monsanto (Portugal) and Gura Humorului (Romania) are also included in the list.

Piran (photo: Piotr Skrzypiec)