16 Nights in Slovenia, June 2025

Day 7, Night 2 (Wednesday) and Day 8, Night 3 (Thursday):

We are interested in doing various hikes on these days, possibly split with some time in cute or interesting towns/villages/cultural sights. We know we want to see Velika Planina.

I also read about underground kayaking near LD but am not sure if it makes sense to take the time, especially if we already did a different cave experience.

I am also wondering if part of one of these days would be when to drive to Celje as a side trip.

I don't really need much input as of now for the rest of the trip, minus I suppose a possible guide in Ljubljana.

2 NIGHTS BELA KRAJINA (Jakša's Cottage in Semič)

Day 9, Night 1 (Friday) and Day 10, Night 2 (Saturday):

This portion of the trip is driven by family history. I have Gottscheer ancestry in this region. On day 9 we would probably see some of the east such as Ptuj or Maribor on our drive to Semič. If people don't think they are worth the time, it would give more time to explore Bela Krajina. I am hoping to secure a guide to provide Gottschee history on day 11 or part of day 12.

3 NIGHTS LJUBLJANA (Barbo Palace)

Day 11, Night 1 (Sunday):
Drop car off at train station in the later afternoon.

Day 12, Night 2 (Monday)
Day 13, Night 3 (Tuesday)

2 NIGHTS VENICE (Palazzo Odoni)

Day 14, Night 1 (Wednesday):
Final time in Ljubljana, shuttle to Venice.

Possibly tour St. Mark’s in the evening on a small group private tour.

Day 15, Night 2 (Thursday):
All day wandering in Venice.

Day 16: fly home from Venice in the AM

I did 8 days in Slovenia last June and I loved visiting Radovljica and the Beekeeping museum there! See below for some great hikes too...

I started in Ljubljana and did a food tour and a few historical tours there. The Free tour was absolutely great and I took two of them there. The food tour came highly recommended and the owner is a local and she took so much time with us and told us history on the way to and from the restaurants we toured. She was so informative! The company was LjubljanaYUM tours and their website is https://ljubljananjam.si/

I rented a car in Ljubljana and drove towards Vipava and Slap and the scenery was beautiful. Stopped for an incredible meal at a restaurant/farm/winery near Vipava called Majerija.

Piran for 2 days - there is a local who gives great historical tours but he was gone the days I was there. I just wondered around town and took it all in. Church of St. George is beautiful but was not open when I visited. But, I loved hiking up there for the view! I highly recommend Fritolin pri Cantini (casual outdoor cafe with incredible seafood - snag a seat and one of you order). Then, I really loved the staff, their stories and the meal at Pirat Piran restaurant.

After Piran, I drove to Skocjan Caves and hiked there. It was also beautiful and the tour was so interesting and included lots of history!

When I went to Kobarid, I did visit the WWI museum which was fascinating and I didn't have the $$ or time to eat at Hisa Franko but did eat at her husband's restaurant, Hisa Polenka, which was amazing (and less $$). I also drove up to Church of St. Anthony and it had a beautiful view. I hiked to Slap Kozjak before sunset which was less crowded and stunning!

I caught the car train in Most na Soci and rode it to Bohinj Bistrica which was a great way to see the scenery but not have to drive hairpin turns (they only take Euros cash)! https://potniski.sz.si/vozni-redi/avtovlak/ and then drove to Bohinj which I loved so much more than Bled. I took the Vogel Cable Car in Bohinj and had intended to hike down but it was raining a lot that day so I opted to take in the view, hike a little at the top and ride it back down. Then, after it stopped raining, I hiked to Slap Savica which was a great climb (all stairs though but worth the view at the top with the falls!).

Next day parked the car at Star Fuzina and hiked to the mountain huts through Voje Valley to Slap Mostnica (water falls). The hike was beautiful and about 7 miles and the falls were beautiful but I honestly liked Slap Kozjak better. Maybe because it was less crowded and the hike to Mostnica was longer. I missed the Gorge on the way down b/c I was running out of daylight and energy! :( I did have to stop and rest at the 1/2 way point and had some soup and drink at Okrepčevalnica - Snacks Slap Voje (cash only).

From there I went to Bled and just stayed a night and next morning biked around the lake with the free bikes from my hotel and toured the castle. Then, drove to Radovljica and toured the fascinating beekeeping museum. Back to Ljubljana and left the next day to Budapest, Poland and Czech Republic.

Have the best trip!!

Piran

Great place. I think there is plenty there to keep you busy for 1.5 days. As I mentioned in the PM (and mention here for others who browse through the Slovenia forum planning a trip), don't miss the retail shop/artist workshop for Nika's Tiny House to see really cool Piran-inspired art made out of driftwood. Meet the artist! This was where I got the souvenir for my 2019 Slovenia trip. (And I had her make me 50 small driftwood sailboats during COVID times to hang on a wall in my home). If you have time for an adventure with a local, jump in Saša's Citroën and go for a ride. We looked at the salt pans from above as we drove along the coast and dipped down into Croatia.

Soča Valley

Beautiful. I really liked staying at Tourist Farm Kranjc. I went for the half-board option and had very good food. The Michelin star restaurant mentioned above is an option for foodies. The people at the farm did laundry for me in 2019 for 8 euro per load. The drive up to it... gorgeous.

I recommend pre-booking a guide at the WWI museum to help you negotiate the collection. BUT click on the "Guided Tours" tab at the top of the web page and you can see outdoor WWI tours the museum offers, too.

I think you can "play it by ear" on adding Tolmin Gorge to your travel day that includes Hrastovlje church and Škocjan Caves. You can buy a ticket in advance, but it is not required. You would be arriving late afternoon, when crowds should be down.

Vesna is a great guide for the area (be patient with her website loading!). She is a tour guide and herbalist! I did a day of non-strenuous hiking in beautiful areas one day and did another day that included visiting bee keepers and exploring the Brda region, including the medieval city Šmartno and walking through a vineyard's field, eating grapes (allowed) and other fruit we ran across. Vesna is part of a loose network of guides in Slovenia who are trying to offer truly local experiences to visitors.

If you want to see the Vršič Pass, my suggestion is to incorporate it into your travel day to Radovljica. Soča Valley is on the west side of Triglav National Park. Radovljica is on the east side. You can get to it by taking the Vršič Pass around the park to the north or by taking the Motorail (or highway) to the south. Vršič Pass is much more impresive! You will drive by Bled and could make an afternoon stop at Vintgar Gorge (crowds tend to be thinner in the later afternoon).

For Vintgar Gorge, you have two options for returning to the parking at the end of the gorge. I HIGHLY recommend taking the path that takes you up to St Catherine's Church (the green path on the map) if you can manage a bit of an ascent (which I was able to manage as a mildly obese 49 year old -- weight is better now!). The views of the surrounding villages and Bled Castle in the distance are great and you get to walk through cow pastures!

Radovjica

Radovljica is great. Attractive town. Begunje may be of interest to you sociologically. The Avsenik Museum tells the story of the rise of the Avsenik brothers, who are the most famous players of traditional Slovenian folk music. There is also a mansion that was used by the Nazi's as a prison. The wing used to house prisoners condemned to death has been turned into a museum that preserves the cells but also the prisoners graffiti on the walls, some of which is inspiring, some of which is heartbreaking. I did a very inexpensive tour there with Sašo from the Tourist Information office -- by main goal was for him to read graffiti to me, but he gave so much more -- as a resident of the village, he gave great insight into village life in Slovenia, showed me a project at his house he was working on with friends, and took me to the nearby castle where he shared stories of exploring as a child. It looks like the Begunje TI is only open in July and August, but you could probably write to the main Radovljica TI and be put in contact with Sašo if this sounds of interest to you.

I visited Rovljica in the morning, Begunje in the afternoon and then headed off to Logar Valley from there. Which brings us to travel to the Logar Valley. The highway way to get there is to go to Ljubljana then to Kamnik then to the Logar Valley. There is a way that involves two lane roads (narrower in some places) but has spectacular scenery. I was told about this way by a guide. My anxious nature said "nope" BUT I had just finished reading a travel book that encouraged accepting offers/options that may go a bit against your nature while traveling. So... I took the roads with spectacular scenery, and I am so glad I did it. To go that way, head to Kranj on the highway and get off there, take road 210 through Visoko, Preddvor, Zgornje Jezersko. At the border with Austria, the road turns into road 82. Turn right on the road marked as "Vellach" on google maps, and that will take you to the Logar Valley. Use google maps to plot the course. I had no trouble following it to get there. THIS AVOIDS BACKTRACKING! And lets you see very cool nature and villages along the way.

Logar Valley

You've picked another great place to stay here. The best place to look for info regarding this area is the website for the Solčava Panoramic Road. It has much info on hiking. I had a guide, Mojca, who was recommended by the owner of the tourist farm for exploring the road; it's helpful to have someone who speaks Slovenian at stops along the way. But my understanding is that Mojca delivered a baby in December and won't be doing tours for a bit. The folks at the farm may have another suggestion for you, though, if you are interested in that. The underground kayaking sounds really cool -- I did not find that on my trip but would like to go back to do it.

You will do less back tracking if you stop at Velika Planina on your way to your next destination, which will take you past Kamnik and Ljubljana.

Bela Krajina

I have not been to Maribor or Ptuj, so I can't offer much there. They ended up getting cut from my trip due to too much to see west of them.

Ljubljana

I will add my recommendation on the Ljubljanyum food tour. It's great and includes a bit of a tour of the city as you move from place to place. I spent a few days in and around Ljubljana with Mateja. She was very professional and knowledgable; she provided excellent information.

I hope I did not overwhelm with information. Slovenia is great. You will love it. Happy travels!