I am interested in spending some extra time in Slovenia and Croatia post cruise. Our cruise will stop in Dubrovnik, Zadar and Kopor, plus other ports in Greece. I have looked into transport from Venice to Ljubljana, where we will meet another couple who will have a car. We would like to spend 3 days in the Lake Bled area and then 2-3 days in Goriska Brda. Would this be too similar to Lake Bled? Rick says in his book, that Rovinj is the most romantic of all Croatia's small costal towns, would this stop be good on our way to see Plitvice Lakes National Park(have read to just spend 1 night here)? I'm having trouble deciding which route to take. We are in our older years and are ready to travel at a slower pace, enjoying and relaxing as we go. We would probably return to Ljubljana to fly home.
This will be early September. We enjoy the outdoors, not too strenuous hiking, history and wine. Any help will be appreciated.
Posted by
5613 posts
How many days do you have overall?
Posted by
OP
11 posts
I was thinking around 8 days. I don’t have a return ticket, so I am flexible.
Posted by
5613 posts
I have not traveled in Slovenia but have been to Croatia many times and hope to visit them both next time, hence my interest.
While awaiting input from Slovenia posters, I can continue the discussion on overall planning. (But since you mentioned liking wine/outdoors, I do not think your two selections in Slovenia would be too similar.)
I would only dip down into Istria if you can give it a few days. In early September, I would want some coastal time as warm weather wanes. If you think you might end up flying out of Ljubljana, then you could even consider taking the ferry from Venice and meeting your friends in the Rovinj area, then going into Slovenia last.
I stayed longer at Plitvice, but we were experiencing rain and are avid hikers. More recent advice says to stay a night so you can enjoy the park in late afternoon first day and in morning the second before departing (and possibly avoiding some of the worst middle of the day crowds).
So, I would just be checking outbound flights at this point, and then you can fill in once that is settled. In northern Croatia, you have Pula and Rijeka airports in addition to Zagreb. Zadar may even be worth checking.
Posted by
Citizen of the World
2500 posts
In Slovenia, as in Croatia, the excellent buses are quicker than trains. There is a twice-daily bus service from Venice to Ljubljana. Both 3-hour buses leave Venice between 11am and 12:30pm
I enjoyed LAKE BOHINJ with its branches of turquoise-coloured water. Lake Bohinj is inside Triglav National Park and is only 30 minutes beyond the mob scene at Lake Bled—-which is not inside Triglav National Park. RIBCEV LAZ, near Bohinj Bistrica, is the village closest to LAKE BOHINJ. It is a beautiful, peaceful area surrounded by the Julian Alps.
From Ljubljana, Lake Bohinj can be reached by bus in less than two hours, or by car in 75 minutes. Most buses stop at Lake Bled on the way. With a car, you can easily see both on the same day.
Goriska Brda is a wine-growing region, so it’s not high up in the mountains but in the foothills below. Unless you’re determined to taste Slovenian wines in an in-situ setting, there’s really no need to go to Goriska Brda. I would not miss the UNESCO World Heritage site of the SKOCJAN CAVES which—not only has a subterranean cave system— it has one of the deepest underground rivers in the world. While on the one-hour cave tour at Skocjan, you can see groups river-rafting hundreds of feet below you inside a massive cave! The whole scene is surreal, and looks like it’s out of the movie “Lord of the Rings.” SKOCJAN CAVES are a 45-minute drive from Ljubljana.
PIRAN, a Venetian town on the coast that is similar to Croatia’s Rovinj— but much closer—is just a 25-minute drive beyond the Skocjan Caves. PIRAN is widely considered to be one of Slovenia’s most beautiful towns.
The famous turquoise-coloured SOCA RIVER is a sight to see and the town of MOST NA SOCI is a great place to see it. Most na Soci is near a cluster of beautiful mountain towns—-TOLMIN, KOBARID and BOVEC— all located in a stunning landscape where the turquoise Soca River flows below the summit of Mount Triglav.
Slovenia has dozens of great destinations all within a couple hours of Ljubljana by car.
Have a great trip!
Posted by
OP
11 posts
Thank you for the helpful replies.