Slovenia Trip Report

So many RS members were helpful as I prepared a week's visit with my wife. We are a late 50's couple. I write this so other folks considering a visit to Slovenia can build on our experience and also to show how easy travel is to this lovely country.
Day 1...After a week in Budapest we arrived Ljubljana on Sunday , 8/12 at 1:00pm via Flixbus. We had paid an extra fee ATET car rental to have an agent wait for us; the office usually closes at noon on Sundays. We finished the paperwork and inspection and were on our way to Postonja by 2:00pm. We arrived in less than an hour and checked in at the Jama hotel. The place was packed with tourists; the front desk suggested we take the LAST tour into the Postonja Cave at 6:00pm. Since we had time to kill, we drove into town had a delightful lunch. Upon our return we arrived at the Cave a little before 6 and joined the English speaking tour. The cave was a really good experience - it is immense and shows beautifully - great colors. You take a train about 1.5 km into the mountain and then walk through the cave for about an hour; this cave is made for tourists, people wanting a more natural experience should look elsewhere. But we had a great time -
Dinner afterwards at Jama hotel veranda was delicious andrelaxing.
Day 2...Monday, arrived Predjama Castle (10 mins away) around 9:00-9:30am. We took the castle self-guided tour. Because we were early, we parked very close to the castle. It is a nice hour or so of walking about the old building; it's interesting.
Next on our itinerary was Bled, however, we did not take the more direct route - rather we drove through hills/valleys/small towns/forests/rivers via: Predjama to Podkraj to Col to Mrzli log to Crnl Vrh to Godovic to Idrija...this was a white knuckle fun drive, especially for the 10 mins we lost google on a dirt road (only unpaved for 10-15 mins) but otherwise we had no issues with GPS! From Idrija we drove through Ziri - Gorenja Vas - to Skofja Loka (beautiful) to Kropa (lunch) then onto Bled. We arrived Bled about 4-5:00 pm and checked into Penzion Meyer. We walked around the lake (beautiful) and had dinner at Meyer. I cannot tell you how impressed we were with the menu, dinner and service here - I was a tad fatigued from the drive - and a quiet outdoor dinner was perfect.
Day 3...Tuesday, arrived at Vintgar Gorge about 9 to beat the busses! The Gorge was a favorite spot during this trip. This is generally an easy walk on a wooden walkway alongside a river in a deep gorge. Great pictures – arrive EARLY – much better without a crowd!! We then drove to Radovljica - a walled city with beautiful vistas - we had a very nice lunch there - so glad we stopped here!. We pushed ourselves and drove to Lake Bohinj - where I swam in a glacial lake. Dinner in Bled that evening at Ostarij Peglez'n - much fun - fine food -
Day 4...Wednesday. We left Bled at 6:00am, Meyer packed us a breakfast for the trip. We headed to the Vrsic Pass. Another wonderful driving experience enhanced by going early - to avoid traffic and buses. We drove through Bovec and entered Kobarid. We walked through the WWI museum and then drove onward to Trieste. We arrived Trieste about 2:00pm - we checked into the Savoie Hotel (a splurge) and had lunch and dinner in the city. It was a holiday and we were awarded a prime view of fireworks from our Adriatic facing balcony.
Day 5/6/7...Thursday –Saturday (noon). Thursday we spent in Piran from 10:30-1:30pm. We walked through the city, saw the sites then drove about 1,5-2.0 hrs to Ljubljana. We returned the rental without issue. We then spent the next 2 days enjoying the sights, sounds, food, wine and flavor of Ljubljana. It is a delightful city - our only tourist endeavor a visit to the Contemporary Art Museum and Metalkova and a funicular ride to the castle overlooking the city. Two favorite spots: Breakfast and/or lunch at China House Tea Store. Dinner: Valvas'or.
All in all Slovenia is a delight & an easy visit!