Vrsci Pass Loop - Comments/Suggestions re: Do in 1 day or stop overnight along the route?

Doing an overnight as part of the Vrsic Pass drive is a good idea in my book.

Leaving from Bled after breakfast, taking my time to drive the pass, and making
stops at most of the places in the RS book, got me to Kobarid around 5pm. I
did probably spend an extra hour in Kranjska Gora and the nordic area in Planika.

I think Kobarid or Bovec are candidates for finding a place to stay overnight, but
others may chime in, and I might go back into the subforum for possible recommendations.
There is one fairly modern hotel in Kobarid along with other hotel/pensions, apartments, etc.

Another reason to do the overnight is that you drive almost right by Skocjan Caves on
the return to Ljubljana, and that is definitely a stop worth considering. You can also
do it as a guided tour from Ljubljana, but since you have a car already....

As an aside, I am not sure Bled needs more than a night if your time there starts after
driving up from Ljubljana after breakfast.

If you want somewhere very peaceful (and a little closer to the Vrsic Pass), you could stay in Trenta. It's definitely a village rather than a town, which may or may not be what you want.

I prefer Kobarid to Bovec, personally, but you may ultimately be limited by accommodation availability, especially if you want a hotel. Tolmin is another option.

On my most recent trip to Slovenia we actually stayed in Kranjska Gora and drove through the Pass or via Italy and Mangart on three consecutive days. It was the driver's choice to avoid shifting accommodation, and we all like Kranjska Gora, but even as a keen and experienced mountain driver I'm not sure they'd recommend that again - it was a lot just observing and navigating from the passenger seat!

(Re-reading my description below it actually sounds insane! But it should give you a sense of the many options available.)

Anyway, there's plenty to do en route - on day 1 we didn't actually get further than Trenta starting in Kranjska Gora. Three stops on the way up - once for the Russian Chapel, once for lunch and a viewpoint, once for an easy hike - and then we stopped in Trenta for advice from the TI and ice cream before we did the hike to the source of the Soča. Back via the same route.

Day 2 we stopped for a longer hike at the top of Vrisic, then again to hike near the Great Soča Gorge (I actually swam there too but it is freezing - there are warmer options elsewhere), then again to go white water rafting in Bovec. Back via Italy as it was getting dark.

Day 3 and a painfully early start - we went to Tolmin Gorge, the Kozjak waterfall and the WW1 museum in Kobarid. (My travel companions were not really war museum or indeed museum people, so this was for me and kept short - otherwise it's too much for 1 day.) Then back via Italy and the Mangart Saddle - this was July, so we had just enough light, and a very experienced mountain driver, but without both of those I definitely wouldn't!

I went to Škocjan on a different trip to Slovenia, but definitely recommended too.

Assuming you're less outdoorsy than my travelling companions, and stay overnight somewhere between Trenta and Kobarid, I think you could easily turn this into a more sensible two day excursion. 😅

Thank you for the recommendations. It has indeed helped me in my planning.

We really enjoyed Slovenia, but I can’t imagine what you would do in Ljubljana for “a number of nights.” It’s extremely pleasant but not much sightseeing. We spent two nights in Bled and that was just right for us. We stopped in Bovec for lunch and kind of regretted not staying there but we were going further south towards Skocjan caves for our next night.

In my humble opinion, Ljubljana can fill "a number of nights," and the Bled/Bohinj area can easily fill more than one night.

25 days in Slovenia, including 5 nights in Ljubljana and 5 nights in Bohinj/Bled area.

Dave, thanks for saying it for me. 😅

For a small country, Slovenia has an enormous amount to do. That being said, it does feel more personal-interest-dependent than other places I've been - I think those who are keen on at least a degree of independent outdoor activity will find more reasons to stay for longer than someone whose dream trip is people watching in Paris or a scenic train journey. I can repeat local cheese/pastry - waterfall/gorge hike - small church/war memorial/castle - mountain hike + amazing view - lake or river swim / boat activity almost indefinitely, but my sister would be done after a day.

(No judgement - we're all different.)