Slovenia 5 days with car

I spent two nights in Maribor and visited Ptuj as a day trip - I didn't have a car here so I did it all by train. Ptuj has a beautiful old town and shouldn't take much time to explore. Maribor is nice too but maybe a little less quaint than Ptuj (and bigger) - a little more lively too. I guess you could try to see both in one day if you make it a long day.

I spent a few nights in Piran, too - beautiful town, postcard-perfect. I didn't visit Koper, but I hear it's a little less polished, probably less touristy. You don't mention when you will visit but Piran was very busy over the last September weekend when I visited (nice weather). I imagine it is even busier in season, in the summer. But I don't know how you can go wrong with Piran, unless it's high season and very expensive to find a room or something, then maybe you'd have better luck in Koper.

I had a car to drive from Ljubljana to Bled and eventually down to Piran. I found the scenic detour from Ljubljana to Bled via Škofja Loka very rewarding (instead of taking the fast highway). The drive from Škofja Loka over the hills and down into Bled was breathtakingly beautiful - I highly recommend it. The town of Škofja Loka is certainly worth a stop and a look around, too.

Definitely Piran! One of my favorite places. When in Lake Bled area, be sure to do the Vintgar Gorge. Personally, I would skip Zagreb all together and spend more time on the Istrian peninsula (Rovinj, Pula, Porec, Motovun are all special places). Ljubljana and Zagreb are similar to me, with Lj being the more beautiful of the two.

I would even say much more beautiful.

Update to this post. We will be traveling in mid May for 8 days total. I am now thinking of staying in Zagreb just two nights. The other we would stay either in Maribor, Ptuj or Varazdin. Any suggestions? At this time I plan to drive to Ptuj first, do some sightseeing there then go on to Maribor for an overnight. The next day drive to Varazdin again some sightseeing and continue to Zagreb. I have a reservation in Ljublijana at the Hotel Emonec. Many people have commented that it may be noisy late into the night and we will be there over the weekend. Seems like a perfect location but the noisy part bothers me. Any recommendations? I am looking at the Best Western, but it's more expensive. In Piran I have reservations at the Hotel Tartini. Appreciate any suggestions for eating and places to see. Thanks

Is the Slamič B&B available in Ljubljana available on your nights? If so, consider it - good place. Not sure about the parking situation (I didn't have a car when I stayed). Walking distance to the center isn't bad (Ljubljana really isn't that big).

Try requesting a quiet room at the hotel and do also bring earplugs.

I like your idea of staying in Zagreb just two nights rather than three. Since you're making a day trip to Lake Bled, you could easily add another night to Ljubljana. When you are visiting Lake Bled, consider stopping in Radovljica--it's a small, cute town with an interesting bee museum.

I'll add my vote for Piran--we visited on a day trip but would like to return to stay for a few days.

Also agree that Slamic B & B is a great choice for Ljubljana if it's available--great service, secure parking, and a short walk to the city center.

Enjoy Slovenia!!

Hi - Have fun in Slovenia. I think you're smart doing a day trip to Lake Bled from Ljubljana. I didn't...I stayed near Lake Bled for 2 nights to explore the area. That would have been fine...except the weather was overcast and really took away from the beauty of Lake Bled. I should have stayed an additional night in Ljubljana and did a day trip to Lake Bled......and then I could have picked the nicest weather day to go.