Slovenia in 3 days in late April
 

A friend and I are considering a quick little side trip to Slovenia post-work conference in Spain. Due to the difficulty of flying directly into Slovenia, we are looking at flying into Venice. Would we be insane to do the following:

Day 1: land in Venice airport at 11am; rent a car; arrive in Piran by 2pm. Explore the small town
Day 2: morning a bit more exploring Piran; afternoon drive to Ljibljana; explore the small capital
Day 3: day trip to Lake Bled, return to Ljubljana by sunset.
Day 4: morning drive back to Venice; fly home

Totally crazy?
Also, is the weather generally hospitable in Slovenia in late April?

It's actually not crazy at all. Sure, it's rushed, but the distances involved are perfectly manageable. I would maybe go straight to Ljubljana in the morning of day 2, I think half a day is enough for Piran.

Late April is generally fine, expect some rain but it should be very pleasant overall. Expect highs in the high 60s (18-20C) and lows in the high 40s (around 10C) in Ljubljana, somewhat warmer in Piran and a tad cooler in Bled. April 27, May 1 and May 2 are national holidays, students have the week off and people often go on holiday or just for daytrips with their families, so you may find Piran and Bled a bit busier than usual.

SAme for me : youhave enough time in Piran with one afternoon.

See Postojna caves - they are worth it.

I can't speak to the weather, as I was there in early June. I trust you've checked wunderground.com and accuweather.com?

Beyond that, it depends on what you want to see and do! If it helps (and it might not!) I had 2 nights = 1.5 days in Ljubljana, and did not see everything I wanted to see there. I had 2 nights in Bled = one FULL day (up and out early, back only VERY late) and barely managed to see everything I wanted to see in Bled itself. And I had the better part of a day to see other places nearby, e.g., the Skocjan Caves and Lake Bohinj. I skipped any number of other places in Slovenia that I'm sure I would find delightful.

So yes, you might be able to find this an enjoyable little trip. But I might ask: Are there no places you would like to visit that are easier to reach for which your time might better match the opportunities? Just a thought....

Yes, I agree with others. You could get Piran over and done with on Day 1, and set out first thing next morning for Ljubljana. We had 2 days and 2 nights in Ljubljana and could easily have doubled that and still not seen everything. We also had 2 nights at Lake Bled and regard it as one of the highlights of our entire 8-week trip of Northern Italy, Croatia & Slovenia. We'd go back tomorrow!

Can't comment on the weather in April (we were there in September), but can say most Slovenians seem to speak English. Caves are not our thing (we've been to so many, at home and abroad), so can't comment on those either. Bled is great for walking; we never got tired of walking around the lake (about 7kms). Ljubljana castle, reached by funicular, is really interesting; and the markets around Ljubljana's Triple Bridge are delightful - especially the Friday pm food market - or "open kitchen" as it is called.

I can't comment on the practicality of your plans, but I loved Piran. I visited it back when Tito was still hanging on. Please write a TR.

I've been to Ljubljana three times, most recently the end of last April. Obviously the weather varies every year, but on my brief one night there last APril, the first day it POURED rain, but the next day was warm, sunny, and beautiful. (Ljubljana is one of my favorite places, but it has rained part of EVERY trip I've had there, in the fall, too...)

I adored little Piran, but it IS tiny. If you arrive at 2PM, you'll probably be done exploring by 4PM. (With a car, you'd have an option to stop say in the nearby town of Koper, too.) I visited Piran the end of September, on a warm weekend when Piran was crowded and people were still swimming (me too!), but I wonder what the town would be like in April? I was in Rovinj, Croatia last April and it was busier than I expected. Still...you might consider doing Piran as a day stop for a few hours and pushing on to Ljubljana by evening.

I suppose if the weather that day turns out to be perfect, maybe you'll wish you'd spent the night and enjoyed a beautiful Adriatic sunset...or maybe you won't and you'll be bored by 5PM and be wishing you had gone on to Ljubljana. You COULD wing it and just show up and decide near or at the last minute where to stay. Finding lodgings in Piran in April should be easy; Ljubljana could be harder depending on what's going on, but you can check hotel availability ahead of time.