Slovenia with ease
 

We are a couple in our 70's and will be in Bled in an apt. close to the lake for 8 days late Aug. We
are interested in doing day trips by car without rushing from place to place to check off
every place we've been, but rather do a day trip with some driving, and then some
walking and sitting to take in the beauty. We like nature, scenery, especially lakes.
We don't know what to combine for a day trip. What to combine with Bohinj?
What about Kranjska Gora, Zelenci natural park, Triglav, lake Jasna, Vrsic pass,
Most na Soca--what to see in a day. Lago de Fusine in Italy looks peaceful--has
someone done that and is that worth taking a day trip? Any suggestions would
be appreciated. (We do not need restaurant suggestions )

Given your preferred traveling style, you might just want to play it by ear -- it would seem that you have the time to explore a variety of options and to make many of your decisions on the fly. You might just start each day with the place that seems furthest or most time consuming, have some option in mind for your return... But I could be wrong!

Do consider making time for the Vintgar Gorge!

Shall we assume that you have decided to skip charming Ljubljana and the fascinating Škocjan Caves on this trip?

It's a beautiful part of the world -- enjoy!

Wörthersee is about an hour away across the border in Austria (though you will need a vignette). One can take a cruise around the lake, stopping at some of the various little villages. It is also possible to hike/walk around the lake, as well.

The little town of Škofja Loka is worth a visit. The scenic drive through the hills (via Dražgoše and Krupa) is beautiful, with some interesting stops - war memorials, etc. There's a neat little church near the top at Jamnik.

the caves at postojam (?) are superb.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'd like to walk around
ljubljana. I thought to park near train station that would
probably allow a few hrs for a reasonable price. What would
you recommend to see there and in what order from train station to walk to see? Should we make one stop someplace on the way to Ljublijana to see something interesting or would that be too much?
I thought to save the cave for a rainy day--the one that has
a ride through on a train.
I'm still interested in a suggestion on how to do Kranjska Gora, Jasna Lake, Zelenski park, Triglav, Vrsic etc.--what to do in one day and in what order?
Thanks again for the prompt replies.

Sounds like you might benefit from consulting some of the better guide books to the area. FWIW, I found the Rough Guide the best of the half dozen or so that I consulted when planning my time in the area.

More generally, I recommend that you pull out a map and a calendar and plot your options on each to see what makes sense. You can use google maps, too -- while I don't recommend it for estimating driving times, it can be a great resource for seeing where several different places are in relation to each other. For driving times, if you will have a car, check viamichelin.com and mappy.com -- and as a rule, take the longer estimate.

I could easily be wrong, but it sounds to me like you are hoping to see a number of places that could really vary in how much time you choose to give them. If so, I think "loose" planning might serve you well -- start each day with your highest (remaining) priority, with a rough plan of what you will do if (and when) you finish seeing it.

Hope that helps!

Kranjska Gora is basically a nice resort summer and winter. You'll find a good looking nature park down towards the old customs house or the path from town south into the mountains makes for good walking. Other than that not much to do, but certainly a nice trip.

ljubljana, not sure about parking as we took the bus, but there are two good streets of shopping and a further one beside the river next to the castle with coffee and restaurants. One good castle and a museum back towards the shopping area gives you a good 8 hours of entertainment. No need to go into the burbs outside the bus and train station.

bilboburgler wrote, "Ljubljana ... One good castle and a museum ... gives you a good 8 hours of entertainment"

Actually, there are several museums in Ljubljana, and while they might not suit every visitor's interests, it's worth noting that they are there and that some of us found them very well worth visiting. At least I did! And along with the castle and cathedral, Ljubljana has some delightful public squares, some colorful markets, at least one near and interesting "suburb" (when I was there, 2009, one could walk to Krakovo), and LOTS of beautiful and unusual architecture. I wish I'd given this charming city more than the day+ that I gave it....

I like Ljubljana but wouldn't recommend the castle.
The climb to it was nice, the view from outside was nice too but we were quite disappointed by the visit.

De gustibus et coloribus non disputandum est, so some people might love it, with good reasons. We didn't.

I agree - Ljubljana castle was very disappointing.

Vintgar Gorge...

http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/chap...orgeous-gorge/

((H))

There is a fantastic restaurant at Ljubljana castle - Gostilna Na Gradu. It is worth to go up there for lunch!

http://www.nagradu.si/en/

If you want to go, make a reservation.

On Sundays there is a flea market along the river.

In Ljubljana you park In Tivoli, big cheap car park only 15min on foot from Old Town. On Friday you must visit market near triple bridge, lots to see and delicious street food-slovene and international.

Fabulous pictures of Bled and Vintgar gorge etc. Can't
wait... Thank you to all with helpful suggestions. Re. parking in Tivoli park--is that better than train
station which was also recommended. Directions to get to
Tivoli park (from highway from Bled) would be appreciated.
We'll have gps, but sometimes directions from someone
is more helpful. When setting out from there, what do you
recommend to see and in what order?
Is there free parking on Sunday or after a certain hour at
night (as there is in NY)

Tivoli car park is much bigger, cheaper and very easy to get to. When you left motorway in direction Lj-centre you just follow the same main road-Celovska Street for cca 4km and there it is on your right. Big area(woods) with park and sport facilities. Direct opposite is Union brewery. You can't get lost. You usually pay for street parking until 7pm, saturdays until 1pm, sundays are free. http://www.ljubljana.info/parking/
Tivoli itself is nice to stroll and you are 15min from Old Town where everything is happening. Town is small and all what is worth to see is in walking range. I recommend free city tour which start in front the church on Presern Square at 11am.

If you only have a day and you plan on covering Bohinj I would take the cable car up mount vogel for awesome views. Vrisic pass is beautiful but quite a bit of driving and pulling over. It will be a long day.

Forgot to add....we did Vitgar and it was nice but I wasn't blown away. Certainly not as beautiful/awe inspring as compared to the above mentioned attractions. It also is quite touristy (much like the rest of lake bled). Apologies not trying to offend anyone...this stuff is a matter of personal choice ...

I agree with you about Vintgar Gorge: it's a nice hike, but I wasn't blown away either. I would do it if you are in Bled and have seen everything else you want to see and want an easy diversion close to Bled. I wouldn't call it a "must see."