Renting an auto in Ljubljana for two days this coming fall. Lake Bled and Julian Alps in one day - where else? Or lake Bled one day and Julian Alps one day? We are a senior couple in good physical shape, first trip to Central Europe. Have rented auto in France, but first time in Slovenia and Croatia. Appreciate any and all information on driving there. Thanks in advance.
John
Driving in Slovenia and Croatia is easy, especially if you've driven elsewhere in Europe. Some Croatian cities like Split and Dubrovnik can be challenging, though.
You don't need a car in Ljubljana proper. There are large pedestrian areas in this not-very-big city, and having a car there as a tourist might be a pain. If you start your trip in Ljubljana, you could start without the car when you arrive and pick it up as you leave the city (without going to the airport - rent the car in town) or even just rent a car for the day.
2 days are obviously better than only 1 day.
There are lots of different routes to do:
Option A:
Day 1 Drive to Lake Bled and surrounding, drive to Lake Bohinj, spend the night
Day 2 Lake Bohinj(Savica waterfall, Mt Vogel), drive back to Ljubljana with a stop in Skofja Loka
Option B:
Day 1 Drive to Lake Bled, drive to Kranjska Gora and over the Vrsic Pass into the Soca Valley, spend the night in Soca or Bovec or Kobarid
Day 2 Drive back to Lubljana via the Soca Valley and Idrija
Dave, you can find "don't rent from!" horror stories about every car company out there. If you read them all, you'd never rent a car from anyone.
I rented from Avantcar two years ago in Ljubljana and they were just fine (I posted on that TA thread too). They even caught a mistake I wouldn't have caught (I changed my reservation and the change made the rate cheaper per day) and they ran out to catch me before I left with the car, to re-do the contract at the cheaper price. I'd most certainly rent from them again.
Hi. Yes rent the car when you leave Ljubljana. Lake Bled is a spot where locals go for holiday so it can be crowded (we we there over Easter week). The Vintgar Gorge is a lovely hike in Lake Bled. We too are retired travelers and found the driving was very easy in Slovenia & Croatia but you need a good map because the language can be difficult.
