I'd suggest three days in Ljubljana. Two days to explore the city and one for a day trip to Lake Bled (you can take the train). Then two days for travel to Zagreb and exploring the city.

How old is your son? I'd say that Ljubljana is a much younger and hipper city while Zagreb is more sedate and cultured. They reminded me of a mini-Prague and mini-Vienna respectively.

Oh, and I don't know your budget but we loved the Hostel Celica in Ljubljana. (http://www.souhostel.com/) It was fun, amazingly nice inside, reasonably priced, about 5 minutes walk from the old town, and spotlessly clean.

Their ages are 26 and 28.Ironically my son spent a semester abroad in Prague so will probably really enjoy it.Thanks so much for taking the time to share.

I think hayestrip has given good advice (and I love the summaries of Ljubljana and Zagreb!)

Depending on what your sun and friend want to see and do, one day may be enough for charming Ljubljana. There's enough to do in Bled (including the wonderful Vintgar Gorge) that it might be worth an overnight there rather than a day-trip.

Zagreb is surprisingly quiet on Sundays (it seemed that almost everything is closed), so they might want to keep that in mind when planning.

Ljubljana is very small..one day was enough for me. day ( or overnight) trips for sure..
Zagreb is bigger, but a couple of days was more than enough.

We loved Ljubljana but I agree that one day is probably more than sufficient. It's small and most of its appeal, for us anyways, was just walking around and admiring the pretty architecture.

The Julien Alps are really beautiful and I too highly recommend Bled. It's a very easy daytrip from Ljubljana. If they wanted to split the trip up, a night or two in Bled would be great.

We also really enjoyed Zagreb. Much larger but a great city, underrated in my opinion. I agree with danon that a day, maybe two, would be plenty.

Tracy

> We also really enjoyed Zagreb. Much larger but a great city, underrated in my opinion.

I agree! I spent 3 days in Zagreb and that was about right for me, but that included a LOT of time in museums.

Any hotels or areas of each city that you would recommend? Did you train or bus to Bled? Thanks-

it was a long time ago..I took buses to Bled , Bohinj
and Radovljica (?). Very easy.

I took a train from Zagreb to Ljubljana and rented a car to go to Bled.

In Zagreb, I stayed at the Best Western Hotel Astoria. It suited my needs well, but the rooms are tiny.

Ljubljana is small enough that location is not a big issue. I stayed at the Hotel Emonec, but I do not recommend it.

Bled is also small, so again, location isn't that critical. I stayed at the Penzion Mayer, which I recommend highly.

Hope that helps!

Although English seems to be pretty much universal among people under 35 in Croatia, he will have an advantage reading signs, schedules, and so forth if he remembers his Czech. What a great present!

HI there,

We also recommend the Hostel Celica in Ljubljana but there are lots of great choices like the Antiq, The Lesar Angel, The Macek is pretty funky, outside of town there is the Hotel Mons and even the Ljubljana Resort. We'd suggest something central like the Celica or maybe the Slamic B&B perhaps.
For a birthday treat, have drinks at the Skyscraper, great views of the city from the rooftop.

In Bled, we recommend the Hisa Sonca or the Penzion Mayer. Eat at the Pri Planincu or Chilis (run by a famous Slovene Olympian!)

Cheers
Kodmania.

Anyone have a favorite area in either Ljubljana or Zagreb area to look at hotels? Thanks so much-

I got Bled and Zagreb booked-Penzion Mayer for Bled and the Best Western Astoria in Zagreb but am running into problems with availability and prices in Ljubljana. Suggestions?

Have you looked at the Slamic B&B? As I recall, maitaitom mentioned it in his trip report and it gets great reviews on tripadvisor.

BTW, the food at the Penzion Mayer is wonderful!

I got a room at the Hostel Celica but am hesitant about the "shared bathroom" deal. Our family has done this in the past and as we have all gotten older it hasn't been as much fun-those who have stayed there,what do you think?
I cannot believe how everything is booked in Ljubljana.

I can second the Slamic B&b http://www.slamic.si/en/ Woh, we arrived into Ljubljana late one afternoon, without a booking and the gentleman on duty bent over backwards to accommodate us. We needed two rooms, he moved one of his regulars so we could have the interconnecting double rooms. Nothing was too much trouble and its a great location.

I am VERY excited to say that the Slamic sent me an email this morning that they had a room so that is booked.
Take a look at this itinerary and give an opinion?
Two nights in Ljubljana at Slamic B and B.
One night in Bled at the Penzion Mayer.
Three nights in Zagreb at the BW Astoria.

I am wondering if they should allow two nights in Bled since it looks so beautiful and they both are outdoor types?
Thanks everyone!

> I am wondering if they should allow two nights in Bled since it looks so beautiful and they both are outdoor types?

Here's what I did: I spent 2 nights in Bled, arriving just before a long, late dinner. The next morning, after a wonderful breakfast, I went to the castle. From there I drove to Vintgar Gorge, where I walked through the gorge and then returned along the path at the top of the hill. I drove back to Bled and took a pletna to the island. After returning, I walked around Lake Bled. I finished in time for another long, late dinner. I did everything at what I would call a relaxed pace.

Hope that helps!