Mid-late Oct in Slovenia?

Old Aug 22nd, 2017, 08:41 AM
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Mid-late Oct in Slovenia?

Hi Fodorites, I keep hearing that the smaller locations in Slovenia may be virtually closed in mid-late Oct. I will be coming after a business trip so the dates are set. I won't arrive until Oct 14 and would like to spend two weeks in the area (including some Croatia and maybe Austria). I will be renting a car in Slovenia and returning it there. Please take a look at my proposed itinerary and let me know if I should re-think my plan. Thank you in advance:

Oct 14-28L

Ljubliana
Lake Bled/Lake Bohinj
Drive through Julian Alps/Triglav
Skocjan and Postojna Caves
Predjama Castle
Piran (and surrounding area, Koper)
Rovinj and Pula Croatia on the way to Plitivice
Zagreb
Drive back to Ljubljana from Zagreb
Should I consider adding Graz?
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Old Aug 22nd, 2017, 09:58 AM
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BTW: I have been to Croatia before and been to most other highlights that is why I'm focusing on Plitivice. I would be open to any other suggestions too. Thanks.
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Old Aug 22nd, 2017, 11:40 AM
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Do not fret - nothing major will be closed in Slovenia mid to late October, it's not a beach destination. Activities that are dependent on warm weather will not be available or will be curtailed, so if you go hiking, many mountain huts in the high mountains will be closed, swimming won't be possible in the sea or lakes, etc. but overall, you should be able to visit all the places that you have listed without a problem.

What I would suggest with regards to your timeframe is to have some wiggle room in your itinerary and not plan everything too precisely. You will almost certainly encounter a few rainy days, which will impact your visits to natural sights, such as the lakes (Bled, Bohinj, Plitvice) and especially the drive through the Julian Alps - you don't want the one day you have time to drive over Vrsic Pass be a rainy one with low clouds. On the other hand, many places are just as enjoyable whether it's cloudy or sunny, such as cultural sights or the caves. Visits to wineries or other food-related activities are also not dependent on weather. The easiest way to be flexible is to have a few bases instead of moving from one town to the next.

I think your selection of places is good and I wouldn't add anything more, you have enough for 14 days. I would perhaps just choose one cave instead of both Postojna and Skocjan or if I were to pick two caves, I would probably pick Postojna or Skocjan AND Krizna Cave, although the latter requires a bit of pre-planning and is not suitable for people with mobility issues.
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Old Aug 22nd, 2017, 12:38 PM
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Thank you so much rtt0921. I really appreciate the info. I plan to stay overnight in a hotel in the Plitivic National Park, but otherwise, I haven't planned my lodgings yet. If you have any suggestions of where I should use base, I would love your opinion. Thank you!
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Old Aug 22nd, 2017, 12:58 PM
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I have not been to Slovenia, but in October I would look into what kind of truffle fairs and the like might be occurring in Istria.
I stayed in the Hotel Plitvice, and it was fine (liked the bathtub and the big breakfast), but we did not have a car. With one, I would seek out something more charming unless you just really want the convenience of stepping right into the park. I believe I have read of some nice places in the vicinity on reports here.
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Old Aug 22nd, 2017, 01:02 PM
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Thank you so much. That is super helpful. I will take a look at locations outside the park.
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Old Aug 22nd, 2017, 01:47 PM
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I would base in Ljubljana and Istria, followed by a night in Plitvice and two nights or so in Zagreb, depending on your interests. You could also do an additional base in Bled, although I am of the opinion that the natural setting of Bled is much nicer than the town itself and Ljubljana is a more "happening" town to return to at the end of the day.

Doing a drive through the Julian Alps from Ljubljana takes a bit longer as a day trip than if starting from Bled, but not excessively so, perhaps an extra hour of driving altogether at most. You could also spend the night somewhere in the Soca Valley to break up the drive. The good thing about travelling in October is that you do not have to book in advance and can decide once there.

The second base would then be in Istria. As waiting times at border crossings are not an issue in October, you can easily stay in Croatia and visit places in Slovenia or vice versa. I would ideally stay somewhere in the northern or central parts of Istria to be more centrally located. Farmstays (tourist farms, agriturismos) are a great accommodation option in the countryside, the interaction with locals and home cooked meals add a special touch that you do not get with hotels.

Overall, I'd try to cover the Alpine areas of Slovenia first and then descend into Istria, before going to Zagreb via Plitvice.
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Old Aug 22nd, 2017, 02:25 PM
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I would like to do a stay in the Soca Valley. I have been reading about Kobrid or Bovec or Nova Gorica for a night. I definitely want to do the mountain drive over Vršič Pass.

See if you think this will work for flexibility:

2 days in Ljubljana,
Pick up a car--2 days in Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj and the surrounding area
Early start with a drive over Vršič Pass and stay in Soca Valley
Drive through Soca Valley and Skocjan and maybe Predjama Castle
Drive through Piran and into Istria. Stay in Istria 2 days
2 days in Plitivice
Drive hrough Zagreb and Eastern Slovenia back to Ljubljana (2-3 days)
Fly back to Paris to catch my fight back to SFO
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Old Aug 22nd, 2017, 02:34 PM
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That could work well, too. You could also do Predjama Castle or the caves as a half day from Ljubljana, although they work well on the way from the Soca Valley to Istria.

I would do 3 days in Istria and one in Plitvice - arrive in the evening from Istria, spend the night, see the park the next day and then continue to Zagreb in the late afternoon/early evening.
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Old Aug 22nd, 2017, 04:14 PM
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I really appreciate all of your info rtt0921. This has been so helpful. Thank you for taking the time to help me.
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Old Aug 22nd, 2017, 06:55 PM
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I think you’ve planned out a very nice route that gives you some latitude to deal with weather – kudos!

In general, I agree with rtt’s recommendation to stay only 1 night in the Plitvice Lakes area. One night is all you need: plan on a single loop of 6 or 7 hours in the park. My only cautionary note would be about the weather, as it would be a shame if you planned your hike on a day when the weather didn’t suit. You might consider options for cancellations or shifting plans at the last minute, or even – if the Plitvice Lakes are a sufficient priority (and they are magnificent!) – you could consider paying for two nights even if you stay only one. That’s a radical solution, I know, but I throw it out there just in case it helps.

Personally, I’d add the “freed” night to either Ljubljana or Zagreb (rather than Istria), but it really depends on what YOU want to see and experience.

BTW, there’s a place near the Plitvice Lakes that rialtogrl highly recommends – maybe the Miric? – you might search this board for her recommendation. I found the accommodations at the Mukinja fine, if rather basic; the dinner was superb. ☺

For Istria, you might want to consider a visit to Poreč, too – I thought it pleasantly lively, and the Euphrasian Basilica is, IMO, well deserving of its UNESCO World Heritage Site inscription.

When I was there, parking in Ljubljana was hard to find – be sure you know what you’ll do with a car once you pick it up! Or consider relocating to Bled or ….

Hope that helps ... should be a great trip!
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Old Aug 23rd, 2017, 05:17 AM
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Thanks kja! I say other posts by you and was so hoping you would weigh in

I have two days booked in Plitivice and I can cancel one as needed or I can travel there late and stay after my hike. I was hoping to have dinner in BiH too one night if it works.

So in Istria, would you include Pula, Rovinj, Porec? Anything else you would recommend? I did want to visit Piran and that area too.

With a few days at the end, would you try to see Ptuj or Celje or those areas? I'm wanted some options for stops on my drive between Zagreb and Ljubljana.

Thanks again!
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Old Aug 23rd, 2017, 05:14 PM
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For Istria, I think yorkshire gave you some great advice about looking for truffle fairs. One of the things that I, and others, enjoy about Istria is driving around to see some of the hilltop villages, but I must admit that I haven’t been in Istria in October, and so don’t know what you can expect. And I didn’t go to Pula, either, although I’m sure I would have enjoyed it. Some of my favorite stops were Beram (for the Church of St. Mary on Škriljinah), Gračišće (well off the beaten trail when I was there), and Motovun (lovely views from the walls).

And – sorry – I can’t help you with Ptuj or Celje either.

Sounds like you are interested in the scenery? The 12-mile long lungomare from Lovran to (I think) Preluka might be worth considering. It’s on the Istrian peninsula, but technically in the Kvarner Gulf, not Istria per se.

Enjoy!
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Old Aug 23rd, 2017, 07:33 PM
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I did day trips to Ptuj and Celje. Both nice towns, especially Ptuj, the oldest town in Slovenia, I think. I was unlucky enough to visit both on a weekend, and both towns were pretty dead. Slovenia is a Catholic country, and in most towns, things close Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday, except some restaurants. Well - museums were open, but stores were mostly closed, so they seemed like ghost towns. Ljubljana is a little livelier on a weekend, FYI.

The views from the castles in both Ptuj and Celje are spectacular. I visited Celje castle itself but not the one in Ptuj. Celje's castle is easy to get to by car, but I was on foot so I had to take a taxi up. Ptuj's castle is right in town and easy to walk up to.

I think both Ptuj and Celje are detours north on a driving trip between Ljubljana and Zagreb, though. If you want to stop in a cute town near Zagreb, consider Samobor.

If you want a more "off-road" park experience in BiH compared to the touristy (but lovely) Plitvice, consider a detour over to Una National Park. Very different from the highly developed, highly structured Plitvice. Una is a fairly new park and there isn't a lot of infrastructure yet - or at leas there wasn't in 2015. I had to drive several kilometers over narrow, unpaved roads to get to the big waterfall, Štrbački buk. There are actually some visitor facilities - boardwalks, etc. - at the waterfall once you get out there. Štrbački buk is a huge, magnificent waterfall.

On the way you might drive through the town of Bihać, which is close to the Croatian border not far from Plitvice. You could get your Bosnian meal there, though I didn't find the town of Bihać particularly charming.
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Old Aug 24th, 2017, 01:11 AM
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We stayed at this family run accommodation in a nice one bedroom apartment - about 7 km from Plitvice. Very helpful owners and very reasonable and easy with a car

https://www.booking.com/hotel/hr/apa...3c2b3028db5cdf
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Old Aug 24th, 2017, 04:04 AM
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Thank you all so much for the info. I do prefer nature and scenery and would love to get in as many hikes and walks as possible. I love a cute town too! I really only like a few days in a larger city and try to prioritize the scenery. I have just read about Velika planina and Kamnik. Anyone visit this region and any opinions?
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Old Aug 24th, 2017, 04:52 PM
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Oops -- the Lungomare is 12 kilometers, not miles! And it passes through various towns that are connected by bus, so you only need to walk in one direction and don't need to walk the whole length.
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Old Aug 25th, 2017, 09:34 AM
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Thanks for the clarification kja!
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Old Aug 27th, 2017, 04:58 AM
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I found a festivals in Istria: Teran Wine and Truffle Festival in Motovun and a chestnut (Maruni) festival in Lovran. The perfected coincides with my time in the area.

Would you suggest to stay in Motovun or outside of it the night before the festival? I will be coming from the Skocjan Caves. I would like to spend the day in Rovinj and a day doing the Lungomare in Opatija.

How would you divide up the 3 nights?

Thanks!
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Old Aug 27th, 2017, 07:44 AM
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I'm not sure I would stay in Motovun, but I don't know how crowded it gets for that festival....

If you stay along the Kvarner Gulf, you might consider staying in Lovran rather than Opatija.

Maybe 2 nights in Rovinj (visits to Motovun, Porec, and anywhere else you hope to see) and 1 night in Lovran?
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