5 day Slovenia itinerary

Hi Josie. You might want to add that you will be arriving from Venice so you won’t be jet-lagged when you get your car.

Quick question? Are you traveling solo or with others?

It's not challenging at all to find 1/2 day hikes in the area. The Slemenova Spica hike I mentioned in your prior post takes around 2 1/2 hours as an out-and-back hike (not doing the side hike that the family did in the link I sent you). The views really are great. It gets a 4.8/5 rating on Alltrails. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/slovenia/slemenova-spica--3

For a lower impact/easier hike, Mostnica Gorge is very nice. It's another out-and-back hike. Hike through the gorge and then through the Voje Valley to Voje Waterfall. It's not stunning mountain-top views, but it's gorgeous in its own way. There is a great snack hut at the waterfall with wonderful blueberry strudel; I also drank my first Turkish coffee there. Elizabeta and her daughters can help with that hike, too. The link says it's 2 1/2 hours in and 2 1/2 hours out. I did the hike in the morning with one of Elizabeta's daughters, and she dropped me off at the Vogel cable car early afternoon (where I explored on my own), so it was half day-ish. I was staying in Bohinj, so it was an easy walk to my B&B from the cable car -- I am not necessarily recommending that you do it that way. https://www.bohinj.si/en/mostnica-gorge-and-voje-valley/

Other things to explore: Radovljica has much to see. It can easily keep you busy for the day. In your wanderings of the town, try to find the Chapel of Edith Stein. It is a former German WWII bunker behind St Peter’s church that has been converted into a chapel for a nun of Jewish descent who was killed at Auschwitz. The town has a bee museum. Cool architecture. Many other things. There are also some really nice viewpoints on the edge of the town where you can get great views of the mountains. Hopefully you've found the town's excellent tourism website: https://www.radolca.si/en

You could also take a day to drive the Vršič Pass and see the Soča Valley on the other side of the pass. Another gorgeous place. Drive back the way you came. Or make a full circle (long driving day) and throw in a trip on the Motorail (train that you pull your car onto that takes you through the mountains instead of over them.

Here is what I did with 25 days in Slovenia, including 3 days based at Kranj (just south of Radovljica) and 5 days based on Lake Bohinj: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/25-days-in-slovenia

And a few other thoughts.

Day 1 -- Consider a food tour with Lubljanayum. You get a bit of a tour of the city and many, many tastes of Slovenia -- from trendy new places to traditional favorites. I've done a lot of food tours. I think this one is the best of all. On some days, they have a tour that starts at 4 pm. I did this as a solo traveler and much enjoyed it.

Day 2 -- I agree with skipping Postojna Caves. If you ask typical Slovenians which cave complex to visit, they will always says Škocjan Caves. There is an enormous cavern with a river running through at one point that is absolutely amazing.

Day 3 -- For the best experience, beat the crowds! Be there at opening time to enjoy the gorge with fewer people.

We were in Slovenia last September and hiking is our jam. Here are a few suggestions:

1) Everyone has heard of Julija, and the food is indeed excellent. When we had dinner it was packed with noisy Americans and the waiter was a bit indifferent. We very much enjoyed Gostilnica 5-6 kg (recommended by leeshao on the forum) and enjoyed it so much for lunch we went back another day for dinner. Great pizza but also great entrees and salads. I had a wonderful sea bass. Fun wait staff. And it will give you a little walk from the center. It could be worth it to see if you can get into Julija for dessert. Our favorite out of the way restaurant was Azur Tratorija. A real long walk or a short drive from town with parking.

2) Something I have not seen mentioned in the Skocjan vs Postonja cave debate is the quality of the return hike at the end of Skocjan. The long return hike takes about 2 hours and on it's own is worth double the price of admission. Every corner you turn you come face to face with another jaw-dropping spectacle. (I have not been to Postonja, but we loved Slovenia so much we are returning next month, and plan to give Postonja a try. We are also thinking about finding the return hike at Skocjan and doing it as an out and back.)

3) The Vintgar hike with the circuit of Lake Bled is probably enough, though you could also consider hiking up from the island end of the lake (near to the crew boats) for the marquee view of Bled. It's steep but worth it.

4) Bohinj was our disaster location. No Cow's Ball and our lodging was so horrible we had to switch. We didn't go up to Vogel as it would have eaten up a lot of the day for us. But the hike to Slap Savica is quick and easy, and hiking a bit around Bohinj is also nice.

5) Personally I would put a loop over the Julian Alps above a day at Bohinj sans Cow Ball. The drive is amazing and you can make a lot of stops or not. I guess you could also just take the Motorail from Bohinska Bistrica to the Kobarid area. One of my favorite hikes was a silly little thing right off the road through a magical forest to Slap Boka, not far from Bovec. The stretch of Kobarid's historical trail from the Napoleon Bridge to Slap Kozjac is also a winner, and not too long. We remember that fondly as our rafting and two waterfalls day. You just don't want to miss the Soča River. We are going back for more.

Have a wonderful sampler tour. I hope it leaves you dreaming about "next time!"

Ann

Thabk you Dave and Ann for your replies. I'm new to the traveler forum and am just learning the ropes.

I am traveling solo so there's that.

I think I have a good short list of hikes i can do for half a day. I realized that I will have just finished a 32 K paddle at the Vogalonga in Venice preceding this trip and every day has a huge amount of walking/hiking so a "wid-card" down day possibly in Radovljica may be just what the doctor ordered. Or a car ride to Vrsic pass. Thanks Dave for your trip report. It was delightful and I am going to simply borrow pieces of it!

I love the idea of a food tour and will look into this. Good suggestions Ann. I realize that I really like food in new countries!

The day right now that has me a bit anxious is the Vintgar Gorge/Lake Bled day. I think I've got it down to a 9:40 entry (parking at lot 1 at the Gorge) so I can have my first delightful breakfast at the place I'm staying- starts at 8). This may be too late to beat the crowds though. I know they have parking lot near the Gorge and a 20 min shuttle ride; then a shuttle that goes to Lake Bled from the Gorge which could work if I want to just leave my car at the gorge. Seems like alot of time waiting for a shuttle though. Alternatively I could leave the Gorge and then drive to Lake Bled but that sounds like a nightmare. I'm somewhat termpted to skip Lake Bled or save for another day.

Amy

I think 9:30 will be fine for entering Vintgar Gorge. I didn't park in Bled, so I don't know how troublesome that is. One other option is to ask the place you are staying how much a taxi to Vintgar Gorge would be. If not too expensive, you could use a taxi to get to Vintgar Gorge, catch the shuttle to Bled, and then catch a bus back to Radovljica. That's actually what I did, but the place I stayed in Kranj had a taxi associated with it and offered free taxi rides to guests. I was the first one ever to ask if they could take me to Vintgar Gorge! I know I mentioned Bled is overrated in my trip report, but it kind of feels like a bit of a "must see" when going to Slovenia -- especially if you only have 5 days and are in the area.

I had a lot of anxiety about our Vintgar Gorge day too. We were there in mid-September and I kept an eye on ticket availability but did not buy ahead because I didn't know how long it would take to get there and it wasn't selling out. We drove to Vintgar from Lake Bohinj, which necessitated a drive around the top half of Lake Bled. I don't know if you can avoid Bled traffic heading to Vintgar from the other direction. There was no problem with the parking lot and the shuttle, it all worked as advertised, but I was surprised how far away the lot was and how long the whole thing took. We bought our tickets on arrival and all was fine. I think we went after the morning rush, maybe 1 p.m.

I guess it all depends on if it is selling out. Who knows how busy early June will be? Tickets are not that expensive and since it's just you, maybe you could reserve a "worst case" time slot and if you get there much earlier and there is availability you can buy another ticket? I was a little surprised at which time slots were the fullest. I think tour groups impact this.

Both times we were at Bled we parked at the lot near the crew boats. It was expensive but convenient. I didn't see as much parking as I expected.