traveling by train, June/July, would like to see the following:
Piran
LjubLjana
perhaps Bled
perhaps Postonja
is Maribor worthwhile?
then we go to austria - probably Graz
No rental car and prefer to avoid bus unless there's no train.
How about 1 night in Piran, postojna 1 night, 4 in Ljubljana with one trip to Bled overnight, then either Maribor(?) or on to Graz?
eager to hear your suggestions.
It will not be easy to do Slovenia via public transportation, and impossible strictly by train.
Piran doesn't have a train station. The nearest is in Koper, so you have to take a 15-minute bus ride to Koper to get the train. Then the train to Ljubljana takes about 2 1/2 hours. You could take a bus all the way and save a little time, or drive in an hour and a half.
There is also no train station in Bled. You could take a train from Ljubljana about halfway and then switch to a bus, or you could take a bus all the way. Either way, you're looking at close to 2 hours. You could drive in 40 minutes.
There are trains between Ljubljana and Maribor and between Ljubljana and Postonja. The train from Ljubljana to Graz goes through Maribor, so if you decide you want to visit there, it makes sense to visit as a stop on the way to Graz.
But in my opinion, the best parts of Slovenia are Triglav National Park, the Julian Alps and the Soca Valley, none of which are accessible by train or bus.
I'm aware that some connections and sights will require a bus trip, that's ok.
What are the relative merits of the places I mentioned and the length of time required to see them properly? Is my itinerary doable and is Maribor adding anything not found in the other experiences?
Of the sites you mention, I've been to Ljubljana, Bled, and Piran.
Piran was worth a couple of hours to wander about and explore.
Bled is lovely and you could spend a day there.
I think Ljubljana is worth a few days.
I didn't go to Postonja or Maribor, so I can't comment on those.
Postojna is worth a visit and can be done on the day you travel from Piran to Ljubljana, you don't need to spend the night there.
Maribor is also worth a visit, although personally I don't think it's as interesting as some of the other destinations. That said, there are definitely worthwhile things to see in the area and since you'll be passing the region on your way to Graz anyway, it makes sense to include it in your itinerary. If possible, include a trip to nearby Ptuj, which has a lovely historic town center, maybe you could spend the night there instead of at Postojna.
I think your plan is sound otherwise, you could also use the 4 nights in Ljubljana to visit historic or natural sights in the vicinity of Ljubljana as half-day or day trips, should you find Ljubljana not big enough to fill 4 days.
Thanks to those who replied.
Right now I'm considering limiting our trip to Postojna -- Llubljana -- Bled and keeping it a rail-only voyage (with the exception of the bus detour to Bled).
Hopefully with three nights in Llubljana we can do a day trip from that base. Can anyone recommend a good day trip suggestion from Ljub?
We stayed 3 nights in Bled and had 3 full days to explore.
We are huge hikers, so this was perfect to do numerous hikes and bike Lake Bled. We enjoyed the outdoors immensely here !
We only needed 1 night in Ljubljana - it is delightful, but we walked the river, hiked to the castle, and ate a marvelous meal and we were done.
Great - we're more city people than hikers, though we like both. We also enjoy taking our time in a city, on the third day we'll sleep late and do laundry. It's going to be a long trip and some breathing time counts.
feel free to share any Bled excursion ideas, we'll enjoy a full day (easy) hike - or a sightseeing trip.
A very easy walk is the Vintgar Gorge - just beautiful and scenic and and a short drive from Bled.
We loved staying at Penzion Berc - the breakfasts were hearty and they were just a block from the lake - you can walk around the lake or use their free bikes to bike the lake.
It would be a great place to relax.
The other excursion you should take from Bled is to the beekeeping museum in Radovljica. Even if that doesn't sound terribly interesting, it is a small museum packed with a great bit of interesting exhibits and folk art.
That sounds very unusual but very interesting! Thanks!
can anyone comment on the Stanjel hill town in the Karst region? This looks really picturesque.
Also, what about Postojna vs. Skocjan -- these both look like interesting sites...
Thanks!
My visit to Postojna was 20+ years ago, so I'm basing this comparison on what I was told in Ljubljana: Postojna is more developed; it has colored lights. Skocjan (which I saw last year) is a bit more natural. That said, as an older traveler, I wished for somewhat brighter lighting in Skocjan so that I could better appreciate any differences in color among the various formations.
Both are well worth a visit, in my view, but I don't think I'd choose to do the two of them on the same trip. Check transportation availability before making a final decision.
I agree with acraven, both are worth a visit, but visiting both on the same trip is unnecessary. Postojna is known for its intricate rock formations, train ride and olms, Skocjan has less intricate formations, but has a spectacular underground canyon to make up for it. Which one to choose is really down to personal preference and convenience.
Regarding Stanjel, it's a picturesque place that is well worth visiting, but it's something I would do as part of a day trip to the Karst or Vipava Valley. I wouldn't go out of my way just to visit Stanjel, unless I had a few hours to kill in the region and needed to go somewhere that is easily accessible by train.
Ok, many thanks -- this confirms what I was thinking!
