jnt1985

Jan,
We will be in Slovenia in May and will probably be coming from Venice by car. We love the mountains, small villages and good wine. Some of the places we are considering are the Soca Valley, Kranska Gora, Logarska Dolina, Piran and Ljubljana. We will be there for 8 - 10 days and I am having a hard time mapping out a tentative route. Can you help? We plan on staying at tourist farms, do you think we should have reservations that time of year or should we be able to play it by ear? Thanks for your help! Tana

SloJan

Hi Tara,
May is beautiful here. I think you could play it by ear in some of the areas, but in other, you will want to make some reservations. Soca River Valley is popular with the Slovenes, as well as Austrians and other Europeans. Logarska Dolina has limited lodging. It just depends on how flexible you are.

Where are you flying out of? You could do a loop trip and drive from Venice to Piran, exploring the coast. Then, head to Ljubljana, spend a day and then, on to Bled. From Bled, go to Logarska Dolina which is NE. Explore, hike, try out new sports...it's a nature lovers paradise! From there, with minimal backtracking, you could drive to Kranska Gora. Play there and then, head over the Vrsic Pass (which is lovely) and go to the Soca River Valley. The places we recommend to stay in the Soca River Valley are Hisa Franko, (least spendy), Nebesa (wow, but spendy) and Pristava Lepena (middle). After exploring Kobarid, Bovec and trying canyoning, drive to the Goriska Brda for wine tasting. I recommend staying in Medana at the Belica Hotel (new and nice, but not expensive) and walking across the little street and having the tasting at Kristancic or Klinec.

Cheers,
Jan

SloJan

Oops...I mean, Tana!

jnt1985

Jan,
Thanks so much for the recommendations! We will be traveling from Athens. From what I can tell there are reasonably priced flights between Athens and Venice. Should it be a problem to rent a car in Italy then drive it into Slovenia? I've seen other postings about this so now I'm curious.

We love to hike, white river raft and wine taste. With that in mind are there any areas that we should consider spending more time? OR, are there areas that we should not miss that I didn't list on my tentative agenda.

Is May typically cool or rainy? We are coming from the US and will be visiting our kids who live in Crete before we head to Slovenia. Packing light will be a challenge so I'm trying to be prepared.

Thanks again for your recommendations. We are looking forward to the trip!
Tana

SloJan

Tana,
May is often gorgeous. It starts out cool and rainy and ends gloriously sunny and about 75 degrees. I have asked my own parents to come visit at this time b/c it is the perfect time here. It is amazing how happy the people are when the sun is shining here!

It shouldn't be a problem to rent in Venice and drive to Slovenia. Many do it. Try www.autoeurope.com

Here is the website for the Dobrovo Wine coop in Goriska Brda. There is a ton of information on this site. http://www.klet-brda.com/eng/brda_region.php

Here is a blurb from the website:
Coming from Gorenjska via Vršiè

When you enter Primorska from Gorenjska via the Vršiè mountain pass, the road will take you towards Bovec where you will discover the fort of Kluže situated above the 60-meter-deep gorge of the Koritnica River. This historic building is an extraordinary cultural monument of remarkable appearance. You will get acquainted with the remarkable past of the Soèa Valley in the War Museum in Kobarid. The Museum is dedicated to the Isonzo (Soèa) Front. In 1993, the Museum was declared the European museum of the year and since its opening in 1990 it has been visited by over 100,000 visitors from all over the world. Further on you will pass by Kanal ob Soèi, and in Plave you will cross the “clear daughter of the mountains”, the emerald green Soèa River, and start ascending to the paradise of wine devotees – the GORIŠKA BRDA. Continuing your journey to the village of Šmartno you will not be able to take your eyes off the innumerable hills painted by blossoming trees and vineyards. The name of the village was first mentioned in sources from the 14th century. At heart the image of a “fortified” settlement from the 16th century, enclosed in walls interrupted by seven towers, has been kept. Next to the parish church of St. Martin’s there is a bell tower which used to be a tower of the fortress. Your next stop is a place named after the oak, DOBROVO (Quercus robur is called dob in Slovenian) where the Wine Cellar Goriška Brda is located.

If you go in the direction of Vipolže you will come to the House of Artists in Cerovo. Many renowned artists create and exhibit their works here. In Vipolže you can enjoy the scent of hundred-year-old cypresses surrounding a magnificent mansion dating back to the 17th century. The Teuffenbachs were the last in the line of its owners. You can pass by Medana, the native village of Alojz Gradnik and Ludvik Žoržut and visit the houses where they were born
[end]

Sounds enticing, doesn't it?

Your itinerary sounds good and covers almost all the hotspots. The only things I would consider adding (if you want a break from wine drinking and hiking) are the Postojna Caves and Lipica. The caves are amazing and are very much on your route. Also right around the corner from them is Predjama Castle which is an old robber baron castle built into the cliffs and a cave. It is very interesting. Lipica is where the Lipizanner (sp?) horses are bred. It is a nice afternoon with a tour and small show. It is basic compared to Vienna but very authentic.

Cheers,
Jan

SloJan

I forgot to add that May is great for white water rafting. Lots of water flow then, from the snow melt. It should be exciting. In the summer, when the water is lower, it can be quite docile.