joangk

Hi,
I've just started planning a trip for husband and myself for about 12 days in Slovenia, early September. We like to hike, see charming towns, eat good local food, enjoy natural beauty, learn country's history. We would be flying in and out of Ljubljana and renting a car. Here's my first pass at an itinerary. Could Slovenia travelers please comment or post suggestions?
2 full days - Ljubljana
Lake Bled - I night
Lake Bohinj - 3 days
drive Vusic Pass, then 2 nights Kobarid
3 nights - Piran
return to LJU.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

kanders

Hi! Our family traveled in Slovenia in 2019. 2 days in Ljubljana sounds good, depending on what time you arrive the first day. The center is fairly compact and completely walkable. One night in Lake Bled is probably enough, it felt really overrun but then again we were there in June. We only had one day at Lake Bohinj, (slept in Bohinj Bistrica) we went to the beach and it was gorgeous. We could have spent much more time there. We didn’t hike but I’m sure there are many opportunities. I loved Kobarid! Totally charming town with very interesting WWI history and a great little museum. There is a place to hike along the river to a waterfall. We also went whitewater rafting with an outfitter from Bovec. We did not go to Piran, so I can’t speak to that. Vrsic Pass was breathtaking as well. I think your timeline looks pretty good. There was more I wanted to see, (Tolmin Gorge, Vintgar Gorge) but there’s never enough time, is there?

dreamon

I think I'd go to Piran from Ljubljana so you're closer to the airport for your return journey. And I'd choose to stay in either Bled or on lake Bohinj (not both as they are a short distance apart).

That would give you Ljubljana - Piran - Kobarid - Bohinj/Bled - departure. Assuming 13 nights, that's 3, 3, 2, 5 according to your preferred time allocation (although you have mixed days and nights which is a little confusing).

If you can find more time, I would. Slovenia packs a lot in for it's small size.

KarenWoo

I agree with Dreamon that it is confusing when you mix nights and days allocations. Plan by nights. 2 nights essentially gives you one whole day and maybe part of another day depending on when you arrive and/or leave.

We spent 3 nights in Ljubljana and that included a day trip to Lake Bled. Ljubljana is small and compact but it is beautiful and great for just strolling around. Take a "free" guided tour. It is well worth it. So I would definitely recommend 3 nights in Ljubljana and 1 or 2 nights in Lake Bled. We haven't been to the other places on your itinerary so can't comment. Slovenia is a beautiful country.

rialtogrl

I agree to visit Piran from Ljubljana. Three days there would be a lot for Piran unless you have some day trip ideas around there. You can find plenty to do in Ljubljana in the evenings after day trips.

Staying at Lake Bohinj is really nice and relaxing, but there are more restaurants and bars in Bled. I would not split them up, just find one base and see both places from there.

In Kobarid, if you want a truly remarkable culinary experience, go to Hiša Franko. It is not cheap but for foodies it is pretty awesome.. do lunch so you can take breaks between courses looking out onto the beautiful mountains. They also have a wine bar if you do not want to go for the full experience.
https://www.hisafranko.com/en/

xyz99

I agree with everyone on combining Lake Bled and Lake Bohink stays, they are only 30 min apart. Definitely more restaurant options in Lake Bled. Other than that, your itinerary looks great, you'll love Slovenia. Just take is slow and enjoy the beautiful sights.

bdokeefe

We were in Piran in 2019 and enjoyed our time. It will give you a nice taste of the coast. 3 nights might be 1 night too long. You can stop at Postojna caves on way back to Lbu.

Kobarid, the war museum is top notch. We took a private day tour through them and visited the battlefields, guide did a great job, and nice to be driven around so I could gawk at sites completely instead of trying to not wreck and gawk. We stayed nearby in Bovec, where some of the rafting may leave from. A nice town to check out anyway, and the Thirsty River Brewing is great. We spent both nights there, they have a nice outdoot seating with a bunch of boards games you can play. We joined another group, 5 of us playing, 4 nationalities.

If you need lodging in Lbu, Barbo Palace is about 3 minute walk from double bridge in pedestrian zone, great spot, all rooms around the courtyard of an old palace, great location, we stayed in a small apartment for less than 100E.

Ditto comments about Lake Bled. It is an amazing place, but tons of people and traffic. Can't imagine in summer. We stayed our first two nights as it was close to airport. We enjoyed ourselves, took advantage of a spa right next to lodging, and visited nearby Vintgar Gorge. You pay a few euro, and take a trail alongside a creek /river carved in a deep narrow gorge. Worth doing it you have the time, definitely walk around the lake at least.

You'll have a blast, a lot to see in a small package, we were really impressed, and want to return.

joangk

Thank you ALL for your comments and suggestions re: Slovenia itinerary. I think we'll visit Bled for the day and only stay in Bohinj. It's sometimes tricky figuring out distances in a country you've not been to before.
Seems like 3 nights is one night too long in Piran. I was thinking of one day to enjoy the seaside and one day to do a day trip (Skocjan Cave), but perhaps we could visit Skocjan on the way back to LBU. Can anyone recommend any other nice towns or sites on the way back to Ljubljana from Piran?
Also, has anyone driven across the border to Rovinj? (seems like this is considered more of a gem than Piran), however I don't want to get stuck in bureaucratic mess or long lines crossing and re-crossing the border.
Just out of curiosity, I rarely hear about anyone traveling through the east of Slovenia? Has anyone been?
Thanks again!

dreamon

Yes, I've seen something of the east, basing in Maribor. I found it very attractive and the wine was sensational. I'd like to return to that area and spend longer. It doesn't have the visual impact of the alpine region though and is therefore less popular with tourists.

If you have a car you don't have to return to Ljubljana from Piran unless you plan to stay there. One possible 'detour' might be to visit the Vipava valley (especially if you enjoy wine). I have yet to visit there (ran out of time) but it looks great. Or even Trieste in Italy if looking for a town. Google maps is great for working out distances and relativities - but I think sometimes drive times are bit optimistic. Just click on places that look as though they might be interesting.

xyz99

Rovinj is wonderful, but if possible, add a few more days and spend them all in the Istria peninsula, not just Rovinj. Add Pula, the hilltop villages, you will not regret it. Big Italian influence, amazing food and scenery, good roads, nice people and...truffle season starts in September ;-)

bdokeefe

I'm with xyz99, except I would recommend Lovran. We enjoyed it, probably more than Piran (we were in adjacent Portaroz back in 80's, so really wanted to see the difference).

Check out Hotel Villa Eugenia, an old Villa with big rooms, great breakfast, and location. Right across the street is a park that leads to the trail/cantilevered walkway that goes along and over the water for 13 kms, linking the towns along the coast. It's the Lungomare Coastal Promenade.
Really beautiful. Your money will go far in Croatia. We drove around the penisula for a day, and covered a tiny area, and it was all good. You could spend a week or a month here. History everywhere.

I think then you can swap caves you want to see, and Postojna caves might be more in straight line back to Lju, plus you can check out Predjama castle, which is a few minutes away and you can get a combined ticket. The audio tour of the castle was very well done. The castle is connected to the cave system, which allowed it to survive a siege as they were getting goods in that way. We actually stayed the night at the on site hotel, then checked out both, you can get the first tour in the morning.

bdokeefe

We also stayed in Straza, near Novo Mesto in the eastern part of Slovenia. We rented a little cottage in a family vineyard. The countryside is beautiful. We had a large scale topographic map, and the owner of a local restaurant drew a small triangle. One of the towns was Zuzemberk, just a great little town with a castle; a random pig roast at a roadhouse, then a region where Tito and his Partisans had a training base set up, school groups now have field trips there in the same old hidden buildings; finally a small winery. Maybe a 100 km drive, but it was great.

danen5

We are looking for lodging near the city center in Ljubljana, for 2 nights. Our budget is 250Euro tops.

danen5

These are great tips! Thanks - I will adjust our nights.
Slovenia looks just AWESOME!

danen5

Thank you - These are great tips and I will adjust out nigts.

So happpy that we were able to get lodging in Palace Barbo!

Thank you all.