For what it's worth, the Logar, Upper Sava (around Mojstrana and Kranjska Gora) and Upper Soca Valleys (around Bovec and Trenta) and Bohinj, as well as most of their side valleys (Radovna, Vrata, Tamar, Planica, Lepena, etc.) are all glacial (U-shaped) valleys, the same type of valley as the more touristy valleys of Austria and Switzerland.

In the Soca Valley, there's an easy trail that follows the river in the upper valley, including past the Great Soca Gorge. Kozjak Waterfall and the Tolmin Gorge in the valley can be reached by short hikes. There are also longer, but still easy hikes to scenic places like Krn Lake from Lepena and Slemenova Spica from Vrsic (both 2 hrs one-way). Both hikes have a 600-700 meter vertical climb. The Mangart Road is very scenic, too.

Do include a visit to Istria. Piran, the hill-top towns and even Rovinj can easily be visited on day trips from Ljubljana, they are all about 1.5 to 2 hour drives.

Nonconformist: <i>I honestly didn't think Bled was all that touristy.</i>

It's not so much that Bled is a "tourist trap" with tacky souvenir shops and mobs of tour groups. I wouldn't describe Bled that way at all. It's more that Bled is a developed tourist resort, not a big natural area like Bohinj is. There's nothing wrong with Lake Bled - the lake is really lovely. I personally didn't think much of the town itself, though, but not because I thought the town was "too touristy."

My flight home from Venice is 12:45 p.m. Instead of traveling to Venice the night before in preparation, is it too risky to schedule for GoOpti to pick us up in Ljubljana the day of departure and ask them to drop us in Venice airport by 9:00 a.m.? Asking for drop off by 9:00 a.m. would still give a 45 minute window (to be at airport 3 hours before departure)for any delays in getting there. It would mean an early morning pick up in Ljubljana at 5:00 a.m. or so, but we are willing. I am unsure how reliable GoOpti is.

Regarding my last post, by going directly from Slovenia to Venice airport for departure, we would move our two nights to see Venice to the beginning of our trip and end our trip based in Ljubljana. I would try to work Istria into the last couple of days of our trip +/- Piran.

I have never used GoOpti, but I have looked at their website (and read a lot of feedback from people who have used them). You can specify in your booking a latest time you need to be at the airport. For shared transfers (cheapest), you have to accept a range of times and can specify either a latest time for arrival or earliest time for pick-up. Specifying 9am might actually get you there at 8am or even earlier. (They'll try to combine your shared trip with others who have specified different times; maybe you will share with someone who has specified arrival by 7am at the latest, so maybe you'll have to share with them and arrive when they do.) You might have to get up at 4am or 5am just to meet the GoOpti shuttle.

I wouldn't like the uncertainty myself - I'd prefer to be closer to the airport the night before. And I'm not crazy about potentially arriving at the airport 4-5 hours before departure. That's why I'd rather start the trip with that transfer. On the other hand, if your flight into Venice is really, really late, you could miss your GoOpti shuttle.

You could compromise by flying into Venice, spending the first few days there as you are now proposing, then rent the car in Venice, drive to Slovenia for your trip, and return to Venice in the end and not deal with GoOpti at all. You'll have the car for maybe a few extra days in Ljubljana where maybe you won't need it, but that might not really be a big problem.

There's no perfect way to do it!

Goopti is very reliable, but I would not schedule an early pickup for a flight in a different country. What if there is an accident on the highway in Slovenia or on the road in Italy? Chances are great that would not happen, but if something did, you are screwed.

If you rented a car in and out of Venice, you could just arrive the night before and get a hotel in Piazzale Roma or close to the airport for your last night.

Is there a particularly good company in Venice that anyone knows of that is good? One that I came across but can't remember now makes you buy insurance. In Slovenia it looks like ATET lets you use your own insurance.

Maybe I can use GoOpti to drop us off the night before our flight and get a hotel by the airport.

Loved Slovenia over Croatia !!! and definitely spend some time in Ljubljana.....lovely city; warm people, clean...really nice...

I'm with rialtogrl -- spend your last night in Venice, even if that means splitting your time there across two different hotels. To catch a morning flight, you might want to be near Venice's airport, and that isn't really a great option for exploring the city. I also like your idea of using GoOpti to and from Venice -- just using it the night before your departure flight instead of the day of.

For car rentals, consider contacting gemut.com -- they are associated with Autoeurope (and so are a broker, not a car rental company <i>per se</i, will match any lower price you find, and IME, they are very helpful. I would, however, pay very close attention to the specific pickup and drop-off locations -- their first offer doesn't always specify the places I request (which I find by doing google searches and checking things on a map).

Thanks for the tips. I will keep my mind open but I favor renting the car in Slovenia.

New sample itinerary:
Day 1: Fly into Venice, GoOpti to Ljubljana for one night
Day 2: Rent car in the afternoon In Ljubljana and drive to Logar Valley:
Day 3: Logar Valley
Day 4: Logar Valley
Day 5-10: Bled, Bohinj, Triglav, Soca River valley. Maybe base 4 nights in Bled, 1 or 2 nights elsewhere, maybe near Soca river. It's flexible right now.
Days 11 and 12: Two nights in Ljubljana with a day trip to Piran and Grozanjn on one day.
Day 12: Morning GoOpti to Venice
Day 13: Venice
Day 14: Flight home from Venice.

I'll probably rework this.

You are making progress!

I'm thinking of spending at least 3 full days in Logar Valley. I was looking at photos on the web of scenery further east, between Logar Valley and Maribor. Really beautiful. Wondering if it would make a good drive from Logar Valley for part of the day. I don't plan on doing Maribor or Ptuj.

Also, is an International driver's license needed for Slovenia? I've read that Rick Steve's recommends it b/c although it is unlikely to get stopped by police, they would want the international license if you did. Other sources claim that it is not needed for U.S. drivers.

I don't recall needing an IDP in 2011 when I last rented a car in Slovenia. But according to the US Embassy, you need one now, at least if you are a US citizen:

http://slovenia.usembassy.gov/drivin...accidents.html

<i>Driver's License

U.S. citizens need both a valid U.S. driver’s license and an International Driver’s License to drive in Slovenia. If you have both items, you can drive for up to one year in Slovenia. If you already have a driver's license from another European Union member state, then the International Driver’s License requirement is waived.</i>

You can get an IDP at AAA for about $15. (Take a spare passport-sized photo with you if you have one or they'll take one.) Better safe than sorry. I was never stopped by the cops in Slovenia but was stopped in Czech Republic in 2012 (random stop - no violation) and I did show them my IDP. There's a good chance the rental car company won't need it.

Thanks Andrew. One of us will be doing the driving so I'll make sure he gets the international license.

Regarding the Logar Valley question, I was thinking of 3 full days with maybe opportunity to drive to Luce or the hills around Pohorje or the Styria region of Slovenia. These seem like less frequented areas by American tourists but photos look beautiful.

I never made it to the Logar Valley but it's on my list, to see when I return to Slovenia! But I'm not into major outdoorsy activities beyond the occasional afternoon hike, so I might not spend a few days there myself.

Try posting your query on the Slovenia Trip Advisor forum. There are some local experts there.

If there is any chance that both of you will drive -- say, if someone is injured -- it might be very helpful for BOTH of you to have an IDP.

Further north and east from the Logar Valley, there's the valleys around Mt Peca/Petzen, especially Topla Valley. Around Pohorje, there's Rogla, Ribnica na Pohorju and the eastern part around Maribor is very picturesque, as well. Other areas in Styria to look into are the Slovenske Gorice, Jeruzalem and Haloze hills, all wine regions, as well as towns such as Ptuj and Rogaska Slatina, historic monuments and churches at Ptujska Gora, Zice, etc. Styria is a treasure and practically undiscovered by overseas tourists, well worth a visit.

From a logistical perspective, though, the Logar Valley is a bit remote for exploring Styria. Consider a night somewhere further east, perhaps somewhere in the rolling hills around Zrece, close to Pohorje, Maribor, the wine regions and the highway, too.

Thanks you everyone for your advice. As of now, we have decided to hold off on Istria and spend our time in Slovenia. I still have questions regarding a new itinerary. My mind is spinning with how to divide my time. I know weather can always throw a wrench into the whole plan as well, but nothing I can predict about that.

Day 1: Venice to Ljub. (one night in Ljub)
Day 2: Ljub during day, drive to Logar valley by evening.
Day 3: Logar valley
Day 4: Logar valley
Day 5: Logar valley (to inlude Jezersko valley and other surounding areas)
Day 6: Bled
Day 7: Bled
Day 8: Bohinj
Day 9: Bohinj(or Kransjka Gora? for one night)
Day 10: Closer to Soca river (Dreznica)
Day 11: Soca river (Dreznica)
Day 12: Ljub (Ljub. is at least 2 hour drive from where I am ending)
Days 13 and 14: Venice

Should I perhaps combine Bled and Bohinj into 3 days and do one night in Kranjska Gora followed by two nights in Soca river region? Is Kranjska Gora a good base for easy scenic trails (valleys, mountains, meadows). I don't want to rush if there are a number of scenic trails from Bohinj, though.

Or after Bohinj, should I make my through the Vrsic pass to valleys near Bovec and work my way down to stay in Dreznica for a couple of days (11 min drive from Kobarid) where I have found a good hotel. Maybe we can visit Lepena valley in this time as well.

Where should I try to fit in the Mangart road?

Other questions:
Regarding parking, if I stay 3 or 4 nights in Bled and just drive to Bohinj during one or two days, what is the parking situation in Bohinj? Does anyone know how expensive it is?

When trying to start hikes from other areas (from Kranjska Gora or along Soca river), are there a lot of designated car parks? I assume most of these require paid parking?

Kranjska Gora and its surroundings offer more than enough for a day there, whether it's worth a day of Bled and Bohinj, it depends. Generally, if you're not planning on doing longer hikes in Bohinj, then I would say you can subtract a day in that area to include a longer stop in Kranjska Gora. To do any of these areas justice in terms of hiking, though, you would probably need twice the time you have.

Even if you go from Bohinj straight to Vrsic Pass, you'll be passing through Kranjska Gora. I'd probably prefer to spend a night there actually, so you can drive over the pass the next morning and have the whole day open for exploration and scenic hikes. Whenever I go through the Soca Valley, I always find I'm pressed for time in the end. So many things to see and do, so little time.

Lepena and Mangart are located in the wider Soca Valley region and should be included in your itinerary during your days in the Soca Valley. The Vrsic Pass road takes so long to cross you should think of it as a divide. Anything before it should be seen when you're staying in Kranjska Gora/Bled, anything after it while you're staying in Dreznica, which is a gem BTW. Probably one of the most scenic village settings in Slovenia.

Parking in Bohinj is plentiful and generally €5 per day (as of last weekend; it may be cheaper in September), some areas close to the swimming areas of the lake also charge by the hour. If you plan on leaving your car for the whole day somewhere, avoid those, they'll end up being much more expensive. Make sure you don't inadvertently park illegally in Bohinj, there are traffic wardens everywhere, whizzing around in their electric cars.

In the Soca Valley and Kranjska Gora, there will be car parks at most, if not all trailheads, some more designated than others. Almost all of these are free in the Soca Valley, in Kranjska Gora somewhat less so, but still, late September isn't high season, so I wouldn't worry about it, chances are there won't be anyone collecting parking fees while you're there. Most parking areas don't have parking meters, if noone is collecting parking fees, you don't have to pay.

rtt092, your reply is very helpful. I was unsure if I should do one or two nights in Dreznica around Soca. I'll now consider doing 3 nights total for Bled and Bohijn, 1 night Kranjska Gora, 2 nights Dreznica. So little time.