What is the MOST amount of time a couple can spend in Slovenia, being that we must depend upon public transportation? And, is it possible to have our base point in Ljubjlana and see pretty much of everything as a day trip?
Posted by
Atlanta
3250 posts
Hi Sue,
That's a tough question! We spent 4 nights in Ljubjlana and loved it...one day we rented a car for the day and drove to Lake Bled though I think that you can take a bus to Lake Bled from Ljubjlana. It was lovely and worth a day trip! I probably could have spent more time there but it was a stop that we made between Budapest and Dubrovnik. I haven't visited other areas of Slovenia so don't know what other day trip possibilities there might be. We also took public transportation (except for the one-day car rental.)
Posted by
British Columbia, Canada
188 posts
The MOST amount of time? Can't answer that one--it SO depends on your travel preferences and objectives. What kind of things are you hoping to see or do? We spent 4 days in the Lake Bled/Ljub area including some day trips but I don't have any experience with Eastern Slovenia except through the train window.
There is a bus from Ljub to Lake Bled and a "tourist bus" to Vintgar Gorge from Lake Bled. We rented a car for a day to see the Skocjan Caves. So there is public transportation available but the buses will take some time to get you where you're going.
Posted by
edmonton, canada
77 posts
Sue ..glad to hear you are going to Slovenia. I highly reccommend it..We were there in 2007 and just picked up our airline tickets today for our second trip.. to see the areas we missed ! ...and taking friends along! We travelled by bus, train and rental car, will do the same this time.From Ljubljana you can get to a number of places by bus or train for day trips...Bled, Kamnik, Skofja Loka, Postojana for example..google Avtobusna pastaja Ljubljana d.d..for bus scheduals, itineraries etc... Slovenske Zeleznice for trains.. and ...dare I say it... the Lonely Planet Slovenia guide book
Posted by
Johns Island, SC
172 posts
We have details of our trip posted in a spreadsheet at our blog that might give you some ideas:
http://gadtravel.blogspot.com/2008/10/slovenia-and-croatia.html
Posted by
Puyallup, WA, USA
881 posts
Hi, Sue. Slovenia is my absolute, most favorite place in the world, and and have stayed there a couple months over 3 trips. Yes, Ljubljana is a great place to base out of, and the majority of the country is as most 4hrs away - and that's the slow train there most is available with in 2. As the capitol of the country, it's also the main bus/train/freeway hub, so it's easy access for all 3, and all three are affordable. As for how long? Well, it depends on you - there is more than enough to do to keep you busy. Spend several days in Lju checking it out, and make sure you're there on a Thursday night, the town really comes alive as everyone hits the city center and Trg for stroll. Several days can be spent up in Bled's glorious Alps resorts. You can head down to Primrose, and Portorose, and enjoy the Adriatic coast. And you simply must do the Caves in the Carst region. Potojna, Predjama, and Skocjan for sure. That's the Western half. In the Eastern half, there are money "tourist farms" you can stay on that are great. Beehives galore. And Zagreb, Venice, the Dalmatian Coast are all great 2 day side trips.
I'd recommend the Lonely Planet Slovenia book. It's very thorough.
Feel free to private message me with any questions.
PS - If you're a music lover, the national motto is "where there are two Slovenians, there is a choir", it's a great place to hear concerts, and some rumbling basses!
Posted by
none
79 posts
We loved Piran on the coast...
you couldnt make it as a day trip..
we found it to be very charming and a great place
to have a little downtime ...