Outside Ljubljana: Sexual Health in Slovenia

The Reality

Slovenia is a small country — roughly 2 million people, with Ljubljana as the clear centre of gravity for LGBTQ+ life and specialist healthcare. For most Slovenians, Ljubljana is reachable within 1–2 hours by road or train. The practical reality for gay and bisexual men outside Ljubljana is that Legebitra and UKC Ljubljana will be your main resources regardless of where you live.

That said, Maribor has a university hospital with an Infekcijska klinika, and every regional hospital has an Urgenca for PEP emergencies.

Maribor

The second largest city in Slovenia.

UKC Maribor — Oddelek za infekcijske bolezni in vročinska stanja Ljubljanska ulica 5, Maribor Phone: 02 321 10 00

UKC Maribor's infectious disease department can handle:

PEP (Camera de Gardă / Urgenca, 24 hours)
HIV care and monitoring
Some STI testing

For PrEP management, Maribor patients are typically managed at UKC Ljubljana or referred there for initial setup. Once established, some follow-up may be possible in Maribor — ask your prescribing team at UKC Ljubljana.

LGBTQ+ community in Maribor: Legebitra's reach extends nationally; they can advise on any local resources. Maribor has a small but active LGBTQ+ community — check Legebitra's website for current regional activities.

Celje, Kranj, Koper, and Other Cities

These cities have regional hospitals (Splošna bolnišnica) with Urgenca departments where PEP can be initiated in an emergency. For ongoing STI care and PrEP, all roads lead to Ljubljana.

PEP at any regional hospital: go to Urgenca and say "Potrebujem PEP za HIV. Minilo je manj kot 72 ur."

Cross-Border Options

For Slovenians near the borders:

Trieste (Italy) — 1.5 hours from Ljubljana; strong gay community; CheckpointLX equivalent at local health services; may offer shorter waiting times for some services
Zagreb (Croatia) — 1.5 hours from Ljubljana; KBC Zagreb and HUHIV are options, particularly for those in eastern Slovenia
Graz (Austria) — accessible from northern Slovenia; Austrian healthcare is high quality and German-speaking

Home Testing

HIV self-test kits are available at pharmacies (lekarne) in Slovenia — no prescription needed; approximately €10–20 per test. Tests for HIV only; not a substitute for a full three-swab panel.

Private lab testing (Synlab Slovenia, LabTests) has multiple locations across the country and is bookable online — no referral needed.

Emergency Numbers (All Slovenia)

Service	Number	Hours
Emergency services	112	24h
UKC Ljubljana Infekcijska klinika (PEP)	01 522 22 00	24h
UKC Maribor Infekcijske bolezni	02 321 10 00	24h
Legebitra (Ljubljana)	01 430 51 44	Office hours