Slovenia and Istria 13 day itinerary
 

Hello to all. I am planning a trip with my boyfriend for late September to Slovenia and Istria. Would like to see the most scenic places, such as fairy tale, lush green valleys and mountain type scenery in Slovenia and then a little taste of coastal and most importantly the hilltop towns in Istria (hoping for an old world Italy feel). We plan on renting a car, ideally having scenic drives in transit, easy hiking, renting boats on the lakes. We like museums (19th century art and history) but will sacrifice museums for more time to take in the scenery. Maybe Kobarid WWI museum if a very rainy day. We do not want a too rushed pace. We are flying to Venice b/c we can get a direct flight there, spending the day and night there and plan on taking GoOpti transfer the next day to Ljubljana, Slovenia. I have been to Venice before but BF has not. Need a little help with itinerary.

Day 1: Arrive in Venice, spend the night.
Day 2: Shuttle transfer from Venice to Ljubljana, spend the afternoon and night.
Day 3: Drive from Ljubljana to Logar Valley
Day 4: Logar valley (Logarska Dolina) - hiking (hope to get scenery reminiscent of Bernese Oberland)
Day 5: Logar Valley
Day 6: Drive to Bled. Lake Bled.
Day 7: Lake Bled (Vintgar gorge in morning)
Day 8 and 9: Bohinj area and more of Triglav National park and Soca river valley
Days 10: Goriska brda region? (no wine tasting visits, just scenery). Drive to Istria, stay maybe in Rovinj for a couple of nights.
Days 11,12, 13: Visit inner hill top towns of Istria (Grozjnan, Motovun, etc.) and more of Istria coast.
Day 14: Drive back to Slovenia (Piran) to drop off rental car and look into GoOpti for transport back to Venice.
Day 15: Flight out of Venice.

Still trying to figure out an itinerary, especially for Istria. Not sure if we will go all the way down to Pula or not and if 4 days is enough in Istria. Am I giving enough time to the Logar Valley region for hiking? Am I giving too much time for the Triglav national park area?

Any insight would be appreciated.

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Should be a great trip!

With an interest in museums, you might want another day in Ljubljana. And even if you aren't interested in its museums, if you want a relaxed pace, you might want to give a bit more time -- it really is a charming little city with vibrant markets and some lovely parks and great streets for roaming and enjoying the city's unique architecture.

Depending on what else you want to do in Bled, the morning might not be the best time for the Vintgar Gorge -- you can hike it any time during daylight (leave plenty of time for the walk above the gorge when you return), whereas things like the castle in Bled and the things on Bled Island can only be seen during their opening hours.

How much time to give Istria really depends on what YOU want to see and experience. While there is a great deal to appreciate in Istria, be prepared that it might not meet your idea of "an old world Italy feel" -- much of the area was essentially abandoned for a long time after WWII, and some parts still bear the marks of that abandonment, while parts of what has been revitalized can be extremely touristy. If you go to Istria, give some thought to visiting Porec and, given your interests, the Limsky Canal. Rovinj would be a logical base for your time there.

Hope that helps!

I love Ljubljana and keep returning for brief visits whenever I get a chance. It's a small city but lovely just for strolling - beautiful architecture and old churches, etc. You don't need multiple days there necessarily, but it's lovely city to return to at night especially.

(You can see my pictures and read my trip reports for Slovenia (2011) and Croatia/Istria (2015) by clicking on my name and following the links.)

The drive through the hills and over narrow roads between the town of Skofja Loka (also worth a stop) and Bled is really beautiful and scenic, through the towns of Jamnik, Drazgose, etc. You might detour that way between Bled and Bohinj, drive around and explore.

Many people drive the "Julian Alps Loop" from Bled "counterclockwise" up over the Vrsic Pass and down into the Soca Valley, through the towns of Bovec and Kobarid - very interesting, scenic drive. The road up over the Vrsic Pass has many hairpin turns and was built by Russian prisoners of war during World War I; you can find cemeteries of some of them and a beautiful little Russian Chapel some way up the drive. Rick Steves has a good description of this drive in his Croatia/Slovenia book, which I've relied on for all three of my trips to Slovenia and Croatia.

I loved Rovinj - a beautiful little town and a great base for Istria. Pula has some interesting Roman ruins, but I did not care much for the town and could easily have skipped it. (But ahead of time, how do you know?) I had only about 2.5 days in Croatian Istria including one day to explore a few of the hill towns. I saw four of the towns. Grožnjan, Motovun, Buje, Završje. Buje was more of a real, working town with some interesting sites (a rambling old ruined church with an old cemetery above the town was really cool). Završje was mostly still in ruins when I was there (being re-built, only a few inhabitants as of 2015), OK for a brief look but barely worth it. Grožnjan seems to have been completely restored and was my favorite - a quaint, artsy town that is so fixed up it almost looks like a movie set. Motovun was the most touristy and in some ways my least favorite, but it most definitely worth seeing. (Views down from Motovun would have been great on a clear day, but it was raining by the time I arrived.)

Four nights would have been more than enough for me in Istria. Relaxing in the evenings in beautiful Rovinj is a treat.

Piran is somewhat similar to Rovinj (remember, they were both Venetian towns and part of Italy previously) and I loved Piran also.

I've heard great things about GoOpti. But if you have an option to return the car in Koper instead of Ljubljana, you could take the bus from there up to Trieste and then train on to Venice, if you like. Of course, you could also just rent the car in Venice and return it there, too, which would simplify things and save you some time.

If you have the option to rent in Venice, go for it. You'll have to pay €30 extra for a Slovenian highway vignette (toll sticker), which would be included in your Slovenian rental, but you will save on time and distance travelled. For example, instead of going to Ljubljana, you can go from Venice straight to the Goriska Brda/Vipava Valley area (a must if you're hoping for an old world Italy feel) and then go to Bled and Bohinj through the Soca Valley in the opposite direction of what you were planning in your itinerary. From Bled, you can go to the Logar Valley and then return to Ljubljana and from there go to Istria and then return to Venice. However, even if you stick to your original itinerary, you will still save about half a day in transit time, which you can spend on sightseeing or doing other activities instead.

I personally think one day for the Istrian hilltop towns is enough, one day is also enough to see Rovinj, although it's a charming town and a perfect base to return to in the evenings. You can spend another day visiting somewhere like the Brioni Islands, an interesting experience. Pula is somewhat lacklustre for tourists apart from its Roman arena, although I appreciate its more working town feel as opposed to other coastal towns in Istria, which are almost entirely dedicated to tourism. However, if you've been to the Colosseum in Rome or other Roman arenas, only visit Pula if you've got spare time once in Istria. Piran, while similar to Rovinj, is worth a stop, too.

Regarding your time in Triglav National Park, I don't think you're giving it too much time. You can easily spend days in the TNP, be it in Bled, Bohinj, Kranjska Gora or the Soca Valley, with the sights, all the gorgeous scenery, various activities and hiking options.

I haven't done longer hikes in the Logar Valley area before, but it does have plenty of hiking options, too. That said, I have spent about the same amount of time there as you're planning on (2 nights/1 full day) and I think it's about right, if you're not planning on hiking high into the Alps. Make sure to include the panoramic road above the valley in your itinerary, I'm a huge fan of scenic views and I loved it. Also, when driving between Bled and the Logar Valley, include a stop in Jezersko, a very scenic area.

I also agree with the other posters that Ljubljana deserves a full day and is perfect as a base for visiting other places nearby.

PS: When driving between Bled/Bohinj and the Soca Valley, in Kranjska Gora, consider a somewhat offbeat stop at the Planica ski jumping center, a fifteen-minute detour. It's an interesting experience to see how terrifyingly high and steep the biggest hill is - you can also zipline off the top if you're brave enough.

Thank you for the great advice. I did not even consider renting a car in Venice. We still want to spend a day in Venice. Do you know if we have to go back to the airport to get the rental car? There are car pick ups at Piazzale Roma but are they for use only in Italy or an we cross borders?

We'll strongly consider this. I'm now thinking to make sure we spend at least a full day and night in Ljubljana.

You might have a car delivered to you in Venice by the rental car company. At very least, you can rent a car at Mestre, by the train station, instead of going all the way back to the airport. But you can probably return same car to the airport at the end out of convenience. Just make sure you reserve it that way.

It may be cheaper to rent it in Slovenia. You'll have to compare prices and weight any cost difference against the time savings and convenience. Check GoOpti's site to get an estimate of the cost of going each way to/from Venice. And remember what rtt0921 said: you'll need to buy a vignette at the border in Slovenia at extra cost - don't forget or you will probably get a stiff fine! - so need to factor that into the cost.

Other factors: possible cross-border fee for taking the car out of Italy (should be an option when getting a car quote; if not, find out of course.), extra cost of insurance, etc. If you were planning to use a credit card for car rental insurance, I understand that they may not cover Italy for some reason. But you can just take the extra insurance from the car company or from the broker.

Try EconomyCarRentals, Kemwel, and AutoEurope for car rental cost estimates. These are all "broker" websites who make reservations with the actual rental car companies; prices and policies may be about the same with all of them. Sometimes you'll have to book the car first to find out the actual company it is with, though the reservation should be refundable til about 72 hours before pick-up. You can contact the car company directly to confirm fees and policies after the reservation is made. I used EconomyCarRentals last year for a car in Croatia and was able to change/cancel a few times, and it is indeed refundable.

Thanks Andrew -- I have a lot of research to do regarding getting the car in Venice (sounds a little complicated) versus using GoOpti and renting in Slovenia. My initial perusal of GoOpti site for 4 hour option(from pick up to drop off) is 50 euro for two people one way.

To keep close to our original itinerary, if we can rent a car from Venice then:

Day 1: Arrive in Venice, spend the night.
Day 2: Drive or GoOpti to Ljubljana, spend the afternoon and night.
Day 3: Drive from Ljubljana to Logar Valley.
Day 4: Logar valley (stay 3 nights, 2 full days)
Day 5: Logar Valley
Day 6: Scenic drive to Bled. Lake Bled
Day 7: Lake Bled and Vintgar gorge
Days 8, 9, 10: Bohinj area and more of Triglav National park and Soca river valley. Include Julian Alps loop somewhere here.
Days 11: Drive to Ljubjlana and stay the night (gives us option to see it again on our way to Istria.
Day 12: Drive to Istria, stay 2 nights. Go to hilltop towns from Ljubljana.
Days 13: Istria - spend day in Rovinj
Day 14: Drive or GoOpti back to Venice and stay the night
Day 15: Flight out of Venice.

We don't plan on shopping, staying at a beach, or doing nightlife stuff like bars. Seems like many people rave about Rovinj, so it made me curious. For two nights, I assume we should use it as our base?

Indeed, in the end it comes down to how much you are willing to pay for the time saving. In my experience, renting a car in Italy is not too expensive, although I have never rented in Venice.

It will be cheaper if you rent a car in the city instead of returning to the airport. I would personally not pay more than a couple of euros extra to have the car delivered to Piazzale Roma - Mestre railway station is quite easy to reach once you're in Piazzale Roma.

Some money-saving tips: In Ljubljana, it pays to be willing to leave your car just a few hundred yards further from the historical center. You can end up paying as little as €8 per day (the parking lot in front of Hala Tivoli) as opposed to about €20-30 in the garages nearest to the old town. If your stay in Ljubljana falls on the weekend, street parking is free (in the city center it's free after 1pm Saturday). Refuel in Slovenia and Croatia instead of in Italy, a full tank of gas is about €15-20 more expensive there.

I would try to re-work your itinerary to avoid splitting your nights in both Venice and in Ljubljana. It would sure be easier to group your nights together in both cities, wouldn't it?

How about this:

Fly into Venice - go immediately to Ljubljana.
Ljubljana (2 nights)
Logar Valley (3 nights)
Bled/Bohinj (3 nights)
Julian Alps Loop + Soca Valley
Kobarid (or some other town) (1 night)
Rovinj (2 nights)
Explore Istrian hill towns on drive back to Slovenia.
Piran (1 night)
Drop car in Slovenia in Koper or Portorož***
Venice (3 nights)

You could potentially do this in reverse too.

(I might have an extra night in there - adjust as necessary.)

(*** Slovenia to Venice: take bus from Piran or Koper to Trieste, train to Venice or maybe direct bus to Venice...or take GoOpti. If you have any chance to make this day Saturday, October 1 - or any Saturday in September - you could take the ferry from Piran directly to Venice.)

If you rent the car in Slovenia, then you don't need it for the first two nights (no need for a car in Ljubljana) nor at the end in Venice, though if you have an early flight out of Venice at the end, make sure you understand the cost/options of getting to the airport early.

I would not try to drive immediately after flying into Venice unless you are absolutely certain that you will not have jet lag. Although many people are not aware of it, driving with jet lag -- even if you are not aware of the symptoms -- is as dangerous to yourselves and others as driving drunk. Either take public transportation to Slovenia or split your time in Venice.

I wouldn't try to split time in Ljubljana, not only to avoid an unnecessary change of hotels, but also to make sure you have some time there in the morning, when some of the markets are at their best.

Given your stated interests, I would think you would want at least 3 full days for Istria -- Rovinj, some hill towns, Porec and the Limsky canal. Whether that can be done with 2 nights in Rovinj would depend on timing and pace.

Very good point Andrew. If I rework my itinerary I have:

Fly to Venice, GoOpti straight to Ljubljana and stay 2 night
Logar Valley (3 nights)
Bled/Bohinj (2 nights)
Bohinj area(3 nights)
Istria (2 nights)
Drive from Istria to Koper but to drop off rental car AND take GoOpti back to Venice the same evening (Long day)
Venice (2 nights)

Now we are thinking if Istria is becoming too much of a hassle to go to. Was curious about seeing a variety on our trip with Slovenia and Istria, and I have no idea if I am giving too much time to Slovenia. Maybe we could fit Istria in if we cut out another night from Slovenia, but wondering if we will get enough good scenery and hikes in with 4 days instead of 5 for Bled/Bohinj/Julian Alps loop/Soca River Valley? Don't want to miss out or be rushed. This would then give 3 nights and maybe just over 2.5 days in Istria but still having to get to Koper and get GoOpti to Venice on same day. Any thoughts? I don't see myself going to Istria in combo with Croatia for another trip in the future. We're torn.

IMO, Istria provides a nice contrast to Slovenia -- they are quite different in scenery, architecture, food, etc. I admit that Istria was was not my favorite part of Croatia -- although it tops the list for many people! -- but I was definitely glad to have seen it. There isn't that much to see or do in Rovinj, and the hill towns -- well, you can see as many or as few as you like and decide on the fly. If you skip the Limsky Canal, two nights in Rovinj -- preferably with a bit of time on either side -- should be fine for a relaxing visit. Make sure you either book a room that offers parking or know where you will put your car. Have you decided against Porec and its magnificent sea-side basilica? You could see it on your way to Koper; all you'd need is an hour or two....

I absolutely loved Rovinj - more than the hill towns of Istria, which were nice but not amazing. But Rovinj is tiny - you could see it in a few hours. It works better as a base than as a destination, really. It's a great place to come back to at night.

As a compromise, you could potentially skip the hill towns and just see Rovinj. That might make sense IF you could get a ferry from Rovinj on to Venice - the schedule drops off through September and then they stop running in October I think. But if you could work that out, you could drop the car in Slovenia say in Koper, then take a bus (or GoOpti) down to Rovinj for a couple of nights. Two nights in Rovinj with no day trips is more than in enough time in my view.

You could also settle for Piran instead of Rovinj if that simplifies your plans - or just do a day trip to Rovinj and stay in Piran or Koper. No, the two towns aren't exactly the same, but they have a somewhat similar feel. I thought Piran was lovely, too. Remember, they have a similar heritage; both were previously part of Italy and both were Venetian towns for hundreds of years. Piran is in what is called "Slovene Istria." The fact that there is a modern border now down the middle of the region between Slovenia and Croatia doesn't really seem that important to me.

I wasn't so much into the hiking excursions that you are looking at (I prefer towns myself), so I can't say whether you are spending too much time in Slovenia or not. Triglav National Park is huge, and I'm sure there are good hiking trails, but I'd do more research and find specific hikes and excursions you want to do on various days before arbitrarily committing yourself to a few days there.

Thanks for the input. After sleeping on it and some discussion, we may just scrap Istria and stay in Slovenia, instead of the half day in travel back and forth. The thought of what I could be missing lingers, but hopefully Slovenia will be a treat.

Current draft for itinerary:
Fly into Venice - GoOpti from airport to Ljubljana
Ljubljana (two nights, 1 full day)
Logar Valley - 3 nights
Lake Bled - 2 nights
Bohinj - 2 nights (Can do Julian Alps loop and Vrsic pass)
Tolmin - 2 nights (one full day) near lower Soca River. I can always change this last location as I do more research on the Soca river valley but just wanted to book economical hotel at this point.
Last day - Drop car off in Ljubljana, GoOpti to Venice
Venice (3 nights, 2 days)

Still in progress . . .

Still plenty of time to fine-tune! In fact, I'd offer that unless it freaks you out, at that time of the year, you don't have to be that rigid in your planning. If you have a car and an internet device of some sort, you can probably book as you go, more or less, except for the arrival and departure cities.

Lake Bled is lovely, but it's a highly developed tourist resort. From what you've described, it's not necessarily your cup of tea. Bohinj sounds more up your alley - less developed, more of a natural kind of area.

Bled probably makes a better starting point for the Julian Alps drive; if you start in Bohinj, you might drive through Bled on the way or the way back.

It would be a shame to be so close and not even get to the coastal towns like Piran, which is a real gem. It sounds like you'll have plenty of time otherwise for outdoor activities.

It'll be great no matter how you allocate your time! I like Andrew's idea of leaving yourselves the option of shifting gears once there -- if you book your lodging on booking.com, you should be able to find places that offer parking and can be cancelled with just 24-hours notice (do read the cancellation policies carefully). And FWIW, I wouldn't think of driving to or from Istria as a lost half day in either direction -- it is your chance to see some hill towns and maybe Porec -- en route! JMO. No bad choices here -- just hard ones.

Bled and Bohinj are close enough that I would find one base for 4 nights instead of moving in between...

Yes, there is room for tweaking as trip is just over a couple of months away. I have booked some hotels on booking.com but can cancel for free one week prior, not 24 hours, unfortunately.

rialtogrl - great point but the move from Bled to Bohinj is for a better hotel price in Bohinj but still want to do the hotel in Bled for at least a couple of days.

Andrew, I actually think I may like the more fairy tale look of Bled over Bohinj and will do my best to avoid the other resort stuff. Would like to rent a canoe in Bohinj. Radovljica is a place I'd like to visit from Bled, the town and a nearby trail. The Logar valley scenery (reminiscent of Austria or Switzerland) I've seen in photos appeals more to me than the more rugged scenery I'll encounter in some places. Still trying to wrap my head around Soca river valley. I don't plan on white water rafting but would not mind any easy, scenic hikes along the river.

kja - I am keeping Istria in the back of my mind. Maybe a trip from Ljubljana to the hill towns. I'll keep it in the back of my mind.

Well, if you can cancel you hotels a week in advance, then you can -- until a week in advance -- look for hotels with a shorter cancelation period and adjust accordingly....

I honestly didn't think Bled was all that touristy.