Slovenia tips

Have you considered going north out of Venice (through the Dolomites) to Lienz, Austria--just over the border.
North of Lienz is the Grossglockner High Alpine Highway which is absolutely the most beautiful drive I've ever taken. It ends (going north) at Zell-am-Zee, Austria and The Grossglockner is the second highest point in Europe.
You can easily get into Salzburg from Zell-am-Zee.

See: www.grossglockner.at/gg/en/index

Thirteen days in Slovenia would be nice. If you mean thirteen for the entire trip, that will be sort of tight.

Outside Ljubljana (a very nice city), I suggest the Vintgar Gorge and a walk around Lake Bled. I believe you can rent some sort of small boat (canoe?) at the lake. I'm sure there are some lovely walking possibilities in the Julian Alps as well. I believe you'd also enjoy one of the cave systems. Postojna is a bit more touristy (colored lights); Skocjan is more natural. You can also visit the Lippizaner stud farm at Lipica.

I ran out of time before getting to Piran in Istria, but I've hear that it's very picturesque. Most of Istria is Croatian, and with a car you could see a lot of the peninsula in 2 or 3 days: In Croatian Istria the coastal towns of Rovinj, Porec, Vrsar (small) and Pula, and the interior towns of Motovun and Grožnjan are all worthwhile. The coastal towns get rather heavy tourist traffic, so I'd advise reserving a hotel in advance if you want to visit that area. There's a zip-line in Pazin, in central Istria.

It's farther into Croatia, but if you do have thirteen days allotted to Slovenia, I'd be tempted to use about 1-1/2 of them to go to the wondrous Plitvice Lakes National Park. It's a bit over 3 hours by car from Ljubljana. It is extremely popular, and I'd only recommend the visit if you stayed in the area the night before so you could get into the park very early, before the day-trippers arrive. This is one of the most beautiful places in Europe, but it is difficult to appreciate it fully when it is totally mobbed. Going mid-week might help a bit, but it's critical to spend the previous night in the area.

Yes, we are thinking 13 days in Slovenia. These suggestions so far have given me some great ideas. The Postojna cave has some "adrenaline tours", and that will be easy to do since it is between Ljubljana and the coast. The Skocjan caves are more off the beaten path, so I am going to look into other things to do in that area. Also. We were thinking of stayin in Piran off the coast, but maybe I will look at the Croatian coastal towns on Istria. The Plitvice National Park is also something we could add into the trip and we could do that in the earlier part of June so it would not be so crowded. And the suggestion to drive the High Alpine road is something we will definitely add in. THanks for your wonderful suggestions!

Michele, the two caves are less than a half-hour apart. Skocjan is near the town of Divača. There's another Skocjan in a completely different part of Slovenia, which is potentially very confusing.

With 13 days in Slovenia, besides Lake Bled and Ljubljana, consider also Lake Bohinj, the Soca Valley (the town of Bovec is the activities "capital" of Slovenia) and Vrsic Pass, the Goriska Brda or Vipava Valley wine regions (the latter has paragliding opportunities and both are good for cycling), then Istria, visiting Piran or Rovinj, one of the caves, but also venture east, visit historical Ptuj and the hills around Jeruzalem and the scenic Logar Valley. Between Ljubljana and Lake Bled there's also Krvavec, a ski resort that turns into an adventure park in the summer with mountain gokarting, a bike park and of course the hiking opportunities, all coupled with wonderful views of the valleys below - a fun day out.

We absolutely loved Slovenia, and 13 days should give you plenty of time to explore. We were there for 5 days and can't wait to go back. In Lake Bled we enjoyed biking around the lake (quick and easy) and the summer toboggan up on the hill. Ljubljana was a beautiful city wander around it and enjoy great cafes and restaurants. We also did the Vrsic Pass drive--quite the adventure with all the hairpin turns. Absolutely stunning scenery. After that drive we spent the night in Kobarid and wish we had more time there as there were lots out outdoor adventure activities (rafting, biking, etc.). Enjoy your trip!

Hello Michele,

On the way to Venice stop in Postojna caves, if you prefer less crowded cave Škocjan caves are amazing as well, yet my choice would be Predjama caste with cave tour (anyone can do it, I loved it) If you'd like a true caving experience, I recommend coming to Bovec for it. From there go to Piran - lovely town on the coast, with narrow streets, then continue to wine tasting region Goriška Brda.

I would recommend going from Venice to Idrija lead mine museum - awesome insight tour. From there to Kobarid to see WW1 museum - best in Europe and it's a must do to have home made spiced beer in bar Polonka in town. Then come to Bovec - outdoor adventure center in Slovenia, where you can do Soča river rafting, canyoning, river tubing, easy mountain biking, hiking, climbing in Julian Alps and Triglav National park, Alpe adria trail, historical hikes and much more. If you'd like to experience remote places, I would recommend renting a car as the cheapest option.

From Bovec head for Kranjska gora, a great spot for half day cycling tours. From there go to Bled (I am sure it's clear what to do there), continue to Bohinj for SUP session on the lake. From Bohinj go to Radovljica to Gorenjka chocolate factory for choc tasting and shopping. ;) You'll finish in Ljubljana to fly out.

Enjoy!
Katja

I have made a list of all these suggestions (which are awesome and my girls are so excited!), and am now trying to map out our coordinating accommodations. I am waiting to hear back from several Penzions and Tourist Farms. I have a couple options in Ljubljana to consider. I have not found anything that has wowed me in terms of accommodations in Piran. Would you recommend that as a day trip, or recommend staying there? If so, how many nights would you recommend. We will have a car, and I know that parking will be an issue in some places, but we will deal with that given the greater flexibility it allows us for the whole trip. Also, I should mention, we generally try to stay in apartments with 2 bedrooms so we don't trip over each other, so it isn't always easy for me to find places that accommodate all of us! I also love to be able to do my own laundry because we are travelling for a month in one small suitcase each.

Piran works well both as a day trip or as a destination for a couple of nights. The town itself can be seen in a day. How long you should stay there mostly depends on whether or not you want to have some beach or relax time and if you wish to venture out of town to nearby points of interest or into neighbouring Italy or Croatia. Some sights to consider include the nearby Secovlje Saltworks, which are still operating as well as being a nature reserve. The Lepa Vida Thalasso is also located in the saltworks, it is an open air spa and quite an experience if you feel like relaxing. Alternatively, the Parenzana cycle path follows a disused railway route along the coast and is a fun day out. Nearby Trieste or one of the Istrian hilltop towns just across the Croatian border are also an option from Piran. Finally, if you stay overnight, you will get to experience the lovely sunset in Piran. If staying for a couple of nights, I would consider booking accommodation outside of the old town or in Portoroz for parking convenience. Portoroz to Piran is a popular leisurely walk, about 2 miles following the coastline.

When deciding whether to stay for a few nights or not, you should also consider how much wiggle room you have in your itinerary. There is no sense in staying in Piran for two or three nights if it will mean rushing through other places.

if you are driving east out of venice, id recommend a stop at aqueila....5th century mosiacs...its a UNESCO heritage site. there were excavators working in the field while we were there

Last year, we traveled to Slovenia and Croatia with friends from Boulder. We stayed in Lake Bled for 3 nights at Penzion Berc - minutes from the lake, great breakfasts, and free bikes to ride around the lake. We hiked in the Pokljuska Soteska, the Vintgar Gorge, Slap Savica Waterfall on Lake Bohinj, and paddled the swan boats. The people at Penzion Berc had even more hikes that we could do !

Eat Pesto Risotto and Sea Bass at Osterija Peglerz'n - quick walk from the Berc down on the lake.

David --- what do you mean by the Grossglockner is the "second highest point in Europe?". There are 58 peaks in the Alps alone that are higher---29 of them over 4000 meters, gaining them the distinction of being "Fiertausenders".

Grossglockner is 3800 meters ( rounding up).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mountains_of_the_Alps_above_3000_m

Nor is the road the second highest point you can drive to. There are several passes in the Örtler Alps that are higher, as well as numerous alpine roads that end at higher elevation.

Not to say it isn't a beautiful drive---I am sure it is.