Slovenia/Croatia Is it possible
 

Would it be possible and within reason, with auto rental, in one day,
to leave Lake Bled in the morning, go over the Vrsic Pass to Kobarid, see the museum and have lunch, travel to Skocjan Caves, take the tour of caves (leaves hourly, last tour 5pm), then drive to Rovinj to drop car and spend the night. Depart ferry to Venice the next morning.

I have read Rick Steves Julian Alps. Have used via Michelin and it looks doable. Has anyone done this? Would it be practical? We don't want to take a day from anywhere else to make this into 2 days. I think my son would enjoy the Kobarid Museum and being in the area of the front......if need be can eliminate Kobarid and go from Lake Bled to Skocjan Caves direct. Which would you suggest? Thanks in advance for all your help.

You can catch the Venezia Lines boat in either Piran, Slovenia (no cross-border drop-off fee for the car) or Porec, Croatia. Both of these are closer than Rovinj. (And the boat leaves later.) Why go all the way to Rovinj when you'll have no time there?

Thanks! I thought that I had read that the ferry from Piran to Venice had been discontinued. Is that not the case? Closer would be preferable.

I assume you're traveling next spring. It's hard to get accurate schedules this far ahead. But it may be true that the boat no longer stops there.

Of course, you don't even have to take the ferry; you can catch a bus from Piran (or Koper, etc.) to Trieste and there are frequent 2 hour trains to Venice from there. The buses don't run on Sunday (or Italian holidays) to Trieste, however, though the trains run. The bus departing Piran on "Italian workdays" (Mon-Sat usually) leaves Piran early at 6:45 (current schedule) so you would get into Venice pretty early.

Last month, I did the drive from Bled to Kobarid via the Vrsic Pass and then saw the Skocjan Caves, but I spent a night in Kobarid in between. (Then a few nights in Piran and then on to Venice.) What you describe could be done in a day if you leave from Bled early, no doubt, though it seems like a pretty rushed day to me. FYI, since I was traveling from Piran to Venice on a Sunday, I had my B&B owner drive me to Trieste (40 Euros) and just took the train - worked out fine.

I am planning to rent the car from Zagreb to visit Plitvice, then Bled before Kobarid. I am finding huge drop fees if I don't drop it in Croatia with Auto Europe. Good ideas so I am know trying to find someplace to drop car without exorbitant drop charges and without going all the way down to Rovinj.

Were you planning to drive directly from Plitvice to Bled? You could just rent the car in Zagreb, drive to Plitvice, then drop it back in Zagreb and train to Ljubljana, pick up another car there and drop it again near Piran in Slovenia.

You can also do Plitvice from Zagreb via bus round trip; I've not done it that way (I rented a car in Zagreb for several days, dropped it down in Dubrovnik) but I saw where the bus stops were at Plitvice, and if you stay at one of the park hotels it shouldn't be very difficult. You don't need a car to tour the park.

As far as cars: I rented with Auto Europe in 2009 in Croatia and they used Sixt. Last month I got the best price renting in Slovenia by renting directly with Sixt.

I drove over the Vrsic Pass this past summer, and I toured the Skocjan caves (not on the same day), and I have to say that this sounds awfully rushed to me. I didn't go to Korbarid, so can't comment on the museum. However, I think it would be terribly hectic to fit lunch, museum, and the drive into one afternoon.
You could maybe do it if you left early,and lunched somewhere between Kobarid & Skocjan.
I know Google says 1.75 hours from Bled to Kobarid (just checked), but we took over 2 hours from Bled to Bovec, and IMO it's pointless to take that road unless you are going to look at the (glorious & incredible) views. And in order to do that, the driver has to stop and pull over at one of the numerous haul-offs. And frankly, thinking of the >25 hairpin bends, I think 1.75 hours is pushing it for a straight run.

Thank you all for your help!!! Does this plan make more sense.
Day 1: Pick up car in Zagreb, drive to Plitvice, visit park, sleep Plitvice.
Day 2: Back to Zagreb (will either keep the auto depending on next year's rates or turn in and train to Ljubljana. Explore Ljubljana for the day. Sleep Lake Bled.
Day 3: Sleep Lake Bled
Day 4: Rent car (or keep previous depending on rates). Drive across Vrsic Pass with a million photo ops. Continue to Kobarid. Sleep Kobarid or in area.
Day 5: Drive to and visit Skocjan Caves in the morning. Then drive to Trieste. Drop car and take train to Venice.

Looks much better to me. Thanks again.

Still a very busy, rushed schedule if ask me - but doable.

You have two nights in Bled? I suggest one night in Ljubljana (which is much more interesting at night - really an amazing city) and only one in Bled (which is basically dead at night and not much of a town - the lake is really the thing to see).

In fact, if you are going to stop in Kobarid, I'd probably drop any nights in Bled, start in Ljubljana, stop and see Bled, drive over the Vrsic Pass, and if you make it to Kobarid on time see the museum - otherwise see the museum in the morning. Then see the caves, dump the car in Portoroz (near Piran, skip the high drop fee), see the beautiful town of Piran that evening, take the bus/train to Venice the next morning. I'd choose a night in Ljubljana and a night in Piran over two nights in Bled anytime.

FYI, I had very high expectations for the Vrsic Pass - and I was a tad disappointed. Granted, there are some amazing mountain views here and there, but my photos from that part of my trip are nowhere near the top of my highlights. Actually, I drove from Ljubljana to Bled via Skofja Loka (itself a neat town) and a scenic, hilly detour from there to Bled - and THAT was an amazing drive! Really breathtaking scenery. The roads are a bit narrow north of Skofja Loka but very driveable in a small car and a lot easier than it looks on a map (no GPS - directional signs to various towns were great along with basic tourist driving map).

The other side of the Vrsic Pass - the Soca River Valley - is more scenic in my opinion (everyone who has seen my pictures commented about the turquoise-ish color of river) . Kobarid itself is not much of a town but was convenient for me to stop there. There is more to see there than meets the eye (B&B owner insisted I hike out to a waterfall nearby at dusk - it was actually worth seeing) but it's not a must-stay-in town.

Would you recommend staying in Ljubljana even if the night is Sunday? I read that it is disappointing on a Sunday, things not open?

I was just there on a Sunday night in September; restaurants are certainly open. (Many would normally have had outdoor seating, but it was pouring rain that night.) I think I ate after 9pm that night, but not all restaurants may be open that late. Stores probably close early. I know I arrived from Maribor and Celje where were DEAD all Saturday afternoon/Sunday so in Ljubljana, it felt like lots more things were open.

The architecture of the core of the little downtown is really wonderful, even at night. Bridges and such are lit up. Strolling is probably the highlight and you can still do that in the evening. Actually, pictures of Ljubljana at dusk are fantastic but you'll want a tripod probably...

To clarify about the Vrsic Pass: I visited in September when there was almost no snow on the mountains. If you visit in the spring, I'll be there will be much more snow which will make it more scenic no doubt!

I agree with Andrew - (a) it is a rushed schedule and (b) you would do well to consider spending a night in Ljubljana. Andrew nicely explains why.

> Day 1: Pick up car in Zagreb, drive to Plitvice, visit park, sleep Plitvice.

If you mention when you are going (time of year) or when you would leave Zagreb (time of day), I'm sorry to say I missed it. Will you reach Plitvice Lakes early enough to have time to see the park the way you want to? Some people spend just 2 hours to take a very short circuit through a small part of the park; others take 8 hours to see the highlights of the main course of lakes; and some spend days to explore it. I spent about 6 hours there, which felt about right for my interests. I'm sure I would have enjoyed more time; I would have hated having less time. But people differ....

And it doesn't sound like you are planning to spend any time in Zagreb, which I thought very under-rated. But it's your trip!

Hope that helps!

I am traveling the end of July when my son is out of school. Have found a reasonable flight from Budapest to Zagreb so will arrive Zagreb 9:50am so I figure we will be at Plitvice around noon (earlier would be better but we can stay until closing. I am hoping some of the day trippers leave before then so there will be a less busy period before we leave. The next morning we have additional time if needed.

Sounds like a good plan! If you intend to take the bus or boat, be sure to check the times - I think some of them stop running before the park closes. It's a gorgeous place - enjoy!

I would maybe just suggest, if you will sleep in Bled, to visit neighbouring Lake Bohinj as well, but definitely try to spend a night in Ljubljana!

And yes, Sunday is the worst night to spend in Ljubljana, however since you will be there in the end of July, it won't really matter since most people at that time of year will be tourists anyway.

On the other hand, before the holidays start in early July, there is a huge difference between the weekdays and weekends in Ljubljana, when it's bustling on weekdays and dead on weekends (university students go home and locals go on day-trips).