montrealvic

We are travelling to Slovenia next month. We will be based in Ljublijano for 3 days. On one of our days we would like to visit Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj. I just wanted to know should we rent a car for the day or just take the bus which does go from Ljublijano to these places.

crckwc1

We were in Slovenia last year and visited Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj by car. I know nothing about bus service there, but I would always prefer traveling by car than by bus because you can set your own schedule/itinerary. Driving was easy there. If you plan to drive, you should get an international driving permit from AAA.

kja

Do you plan on visiting Vintgar Gorge? If so, then having a car probably makes most sense. If not, then it would depend on whether the bus schedules meet your needs and what your transportation preferences are. As crckwc1 notes, driving in Slovenia is easy.

montrealvic

Thanks was thinking of visiting Vintar Gorge as well. Was leaning towards the Bus. We are a family of 4. 2 small children age 7 and 4. Just thought with car you dont get to enjoy the scenery as much, and parking might be a problem. But in return we would save some time.

kja

I'm usually a great advocate of public transportation options, but this does sound to me like a situation when a rental car might make most sense. When I researched my trip to the area (which was in May of 2009 - so things could have changed since), one would have needed to watch times very closely to make all the necessary connections - Ljublijana to Bled, Bled to somewhere near the Vintgar Gorge, another bus back to Bled, then a bus to Bohinj, and then another bus back to Ljubljana. Even as a solo traveler, I didn't want to attempt that!

I agree that it can be difficult to enjoy scenery when driving. My solution: I pulled off the road with ridiculous frequency, at least between Bled and Bohinj. I enjoyed the scenery between Ljubljana and Bled, but as I recall, most of the road was actually on a flat plain with the mountains in the distance. As a driver, I didn't feel "deprived." The road between Bled and Vintgar Gorge offers some lovely views, but as I recall, views of the mountains were rare from the road, so a stop here or there was enough for me. The road between Lakes Bled and Bohinj - which I drove before spending any time in the area - offered some stunning vistas that I was glad to take a few moments to pull over to admire. But I must admit that I don't know how often I would have pulled over if I knew what the views from Lake Bohinj and Lake Bled would be. I think I would have stopped once in a while, but not all that often.

I saw large parking lots at each destination, but I wasn't there in high season so I don't know how difficult parking might be.

Hope that helps!

crckwc1

One additional thought -- I know every family has its own priorities and ways of dealing with situations, so have you considered the pros and cons of bus/car with small children? For me, it would be car, hands down. I could pull over, stop, whatever/whenever necessary whether it was for the kids' needs or for just viewing the scenery.

montrealvic

Thanks for all your help. CAR IT IS!!!! and we are also going to keep it for an additional day to go to Skocjar Caves.

montrealvic

Oh and one more thing. Do we need an international drivers license?

kja

> CAR IT IS!!!!

I think you'll be glad you made this choice!

> and we are also going to keep it for an additional day to go to Skocjar Caves.

Another good choice - the Skocjan Caves are remarkable! Be sure to bring appropriate clothing - it is very cool inside the caves.

> Do we need an international drivers license?

Better to have it and not actually need it than to not have it and find that you do.

crckwc1

It's always good to have the international drivers permit but you also need your normal drivers license as well.