Itinerary Help for family - Day Trips from Ljubljana or change accommodations?

If I’m honest you could probably do it all while based in Ljubljana but I think your itinerary sounds fine the way it is. While you do have to change accommodations, you’ll be saving some time by avoiding an hour’s drive to Ljubljana and then back again. Checking out of your LJ hotel in the morning followed by a packed day going to KG, Vrsic Pass and Bovec and then on to Venice sounds more stressful to me but only you can know for sure. Plus, staying in the countryside is a different experience to staying in a city, especially if you forego the big hotels in KG and opt for a small family-run establishment or a farmstay/agriturismo.

If I’m honest you could probably do it all while based in Ljubljana but I think your itinerary sounds fine the way it is. While you do have to change accommodations, you’ll be saving some time by avoiding an hour’s drive to Ljubljana and then back again. Checking out of your LJ hotel in the morning followed by a packed day going to KG, Vrsic Pass and Bovec and then on to Venice sounds more stressful to me but only you can know for sure. Plus, staying in the countryside is a different experience to staying in a city, especially if you forego the big hotels in KG and opt for a small family-run establishment or a farmstay/agriturismo.
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Thanks for the thoughts. One thing I would clarify - if we stayed in LJ the whole time, I'm sure we wouldn't do drive to Vrsic Pass, Soca, Bovec, and then on to Venice all on that departure day of Thursday. If we stayed in LJ the whole time, I would likely be doing a day trip to KG on Wednesday, some hiking, maybe drive part of the Vrsic Pass and see the Soca River, and then go back home to LJ. Then, we would spend Thursday morning in LJ before leaving for Venice - seeing some stuff along the way.

I think both options can work, although while doing a day trip to the Soca Valley from Ljubljana is doable, it may end up being a long day, which may present a problem for the kids.

If it makes the decision clearer, think about it this way: all else equal, you would be adding about 4-5 hours of extra driving over the course of two days with a good deal of those hours spent on curvy two-lane roads to avoid an extra accommodation change.

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If it makes the decision clearer, think about it this way: all else equal, you would be adding about 4-5 hours of extra driving over the course of two days with a good deal of those hours spent on curvy two-lane roads to avoid an extra accommodation change.

Excellent, excellent point. I think that makes my decision easier. Kranjska Gora it is.

Good call, Drew. I think the Kranjska Gora, Vršič Pass, Bovec long day trip would have been misery to the 3-year-old, which would have created misery for the rest of the crew.

I hope you have a great trip!

Follow up if you get this -

How long does driving the Vrsic pass actually take? So, from Kranjska Gora to Bovec, assuming we would stop for a pic or two as normal tourists do...

Thanks!

We had to stop every 15 minutes so people didn't throw up in the car. My kids in the back were really struggling.

We had to stop every 15 minutes so people didn't throw up in the car. My kids in the back were really struggling.

Wow! My kids have never had any trouble with car sickness before - hopefully that remains the case. So any idea how long it took with the stops?

Stay in one place and do day trips. It'll be easier and your wife and kids will be happier -- and that should make you happier. When you relocate you lose a lot of time. Packing up, loading the car, checking out, getting to the new city, finding the new hotel, checking in, and then unpacking is a pain in the anatomy as well as a way to lose valuable time. Don't mean to sound like Debbie Downer, just offering food for thought..

My kids have never been car sick ever, until that ride. I don't remember how long it took. Good luck and bring the barf bags.

We left Lake Bled around 2pm, I think, and made it to our accommodation in Kobarid in time for dinner. We made a number of stops to take pictures, walk on a suspension bridge, etc... We did it in May and there was no real traffic in the afternoon. It's not going to be that fun to rush it, esp. with the kids. We had left from Ljublijana in the morning and spent quite a bit of time at Lake Bled and Bled castle, so I imagine if you head straight for the pass you could make many stops and still get to Venice if your kids are OK with the ride.

My basic itinerary has to change, now that I found out that the drop fee for driving our rental from Slovenia to Italy was going to be absurd ($1200). So, I found a GoOpti transfer that we can take, and save a ton of money. Now, that has us not driving all the way to Venice from Kranjska Gora. What do you all think of this plan (with bolded changes):

Saturday - Arrival day - stay Ljubljana
Sunday - Explore LJ - stay Ljubljana
Monday - Road trip to Predjama Castle, Skocjan Caves - stay Ljubljana
Tuesday - Road Trip to Vintgar Gorge, Lake Bled - then stay in Kranjska Gora
Wednesday - Drive Vrsic Pass, stop at Soca River, Bovec, etc - then drive back to Kranjska Gora for our villa
Thursday - Explore more in Kranjska Gora, or see Bled/Bohinj again, then drive to LJU airport to drop off rental and catch GoOpti Transfer

Thoughts?