MildManatee

Hi all, I'm thinking of taking the aforementioned trip in Mid-August, though it seems that in order to experience the best of Slovenia, one must be able to rent a car, so I'm wondering about the feasibility of my itinerary. I'll be flying in and out of Trieste and my itinerary looks as follows:

Day 1: Arrive in Trieste at 20:40 - Bus to Ljubljana

Day 2: Explore Ljubljana

Day 3: Day Trip to Postojna Caves and Predjama Castle

Day 4: Day Trip to Skocjan Caves

Day 5: Transfer to Bled - Explore Bled

Day 6: Day trip to Lake Bohinj

Day 7: Day trip to Kranjska Gora

Day 8: Transfer to Piran

Day 9: Explore Piran

Day 10: Transfer to Trieste

Day 11: Fly out from Trieste at 10 am

So that's 4 nights in Ljubljana, 3 nights in Bled, 2 nights in Piran and 1 night in Trieste (necessary due to my early morning flight).

Is this itinerary feasible? I've tried not to include day trips or journeys exceeding 2hrs in length (except for the transfer from Bled to Piran) so any suggestions or alterations should keep this in mind.

Regarding Postojna and Predjama, I understand they are only about 10 km apart, and during some periods of the year a shuttle service is organised between the two sites, though I can't find any information about August 2024 specifically, does the service usually run during this part of the year and is it a feasible day trip?

Regarding Skocjan, I understand it's a roughly 1.5-2hr train ride to Divaca from Ljubljana, and a further 35 minute walk to the caves. Considering the round trip will take up the majority of the day, would this trip be worth the time or would it be better spent elsewhere?

Regarding the Bled sector of my trip, is it worth making the trip to Kranjska Dora considering it's main appeal is as a ski resort, I added it in as its only 1-1.5 hr away from Bled, and it gives me a chance to see the Alps up close. Would the day trip to Bohinj cover this aspect of the trip? I understand it's close to Triglav. Would entering Triglav National Park from Bohinj on the day trip be feasible?

I originally wanted to travel to Bovec for two nights to see the Soca River Valley, though it seems like at least a 2.5-3hr journey from Bled. I understand the journey from Bled to Piran is about a 3-3.5 hr journey, but the proximity to Trieste is why I've included it instead of Bovec, also with the consideration that the Adriatic provides something different compared to the Bled/Alps part of my trip.

Is the Piran section of my journey too far out of the way for the payoff? Is it worth 2 nights of my trip? Would I be better off extending my stay in Ljublana or Bled instead?

Also would you take the extra day I've given Ljubljana over Bled and give it to the Bled sector of my trip (perhaps removing the Skocjan day trip and giving an extra day to just exploring Bled)? Are there any other feasible memorable day-trips that you would suggest?

Thanks for reading

dreamon

I've spent 4 weeks travelling around Slovenia and going back this year for another 3+ weeks and I have never hired a car. Don't believe people who tell you that one is essential, although certainly there may be advantages to having one if you want to get off the beaten path (which you're not).

I think your plan is fine except that arriving in Trieste at that time of night might limit your options, especially if your flight is delayed. Try ap-ljubljana.si for bus timetables or try GoOpti. Maybe Trieste to Piran would work at that time of night but you'd need to check. I wouldn't want to sweat on arriving on time, even if transport options are available so I’d probably spend the night in Trieste.

I’m not so fascinated by caves that I’d want to visit both Predjama and Skocjan. I visited the latter and thought it was great.

I haven’t been to Kranjska Gora yet but there is plenty of walking around Bled and Bohinj if that appeals more.

At some times of the year there are ferries between Piran and Trieste but you’d have to check the timetable and frequency. Otherwise, bus to Koper and then onwards. Personally, I think that one night in Piran would be enough, if you include time on the days either side of that night.

Lastly, I once did a walking tour with the tourist office in Trieste and recommend it (but that was a few years ago).

Travel_Nerd

I've only done some highlights of your itinerary and defer to dreamon for some of it, though albeit, it does seem a little rushed. Slovenia is well-connected by buses, but since you'd be at the mercy of those schedules, I'd want to slow it down.

I did Predjama and Postonja as a small group tour. And I'll be honest, I only did Postonja because it included Predjama. I have only slight interest in caves and found this portion of the tour to be extremely overcrowded and touristy - I was there in August. They have the cave tours as part of a large group (I'd say at least 75 people or more) and it was loud and crowded. Some tourists did not wear proper footwear, and held up the group for everyone, plus the sheer amount of people. I do not know about Skocan, but I'd imagine it would be similar, iirc, it is larger and more of the "draw," so keep that in mind. YMMV. Edit: I just looked up and I see that Skocan are less visited so perhaps that might be a better experience overall.

Predjama castle was a highlight. They found a way to make an audio guide clever, interactive and interesting. I've had my share of audio guides and groaned when I heard that but our guide (an American) said it was worth it, and he was right.

I agree with dreamon that you only really need a day to tour Piran. Lovely town, but I saw all I came to see the first day of arrival and as a solo traveler, spent the remaining full day bored to tears. I did my tour of Predjama and Postonja from Piran. Btw, the group tour I took was merely as a "driver" and although he told us about the country, he was not our guide at the sites. So, if you do not want to hassle with public transport for this portion, I'd happily provide their name if you'd like.

I'd, personally, want more time just to wander Ljublana, but you might only need one full day to see the sights.