The Great Slovenian Road Trip: Our 11-Day Itinerary
To be honest, Slovenia wasn’t really on our radar. I had seen photos of Lake Bled, with its iconic fairytale island in the middle of that bright blue lake, but other than that, I didn’t know much else. Raunaq and I were looking for a country where we could be outdoors the majority of the time, that was small enough for an easy road trip where we didn’t need to drive hours every day, and of course, that had good management of coronavirus. Slovenia ticked those boxes nicely, so we thought, why not? Bought a Lonely Planet, rented a car, and we were off.
But Slovenia blew us away, and exceeded those expectations in every sense. The outdoor opportunities? Epic and seemingly endless - we were outside all day, every day. The drives? Stunning (if not a bit anxiety-inducing with all those mountain hairpin turns, eek!). The coronavirus management? Everyone masked up in all indoor/tourist spots, nothing was too crowded, hand-sanitizing stations galore (literally everywhere). But those are just the parts that we ‘expected.’ It was the parts that we didn’t really expect - the soups, the dumplings, the wine, the pumpkinseed oil, the olive oil, the colors, the caves, the castles, the farms, the mix of cultures that created something uniquely Slovenian - those unexpected bits are really what make a trip memorable, aren’t they?
I’m planning to write up a couple different individual posts - on the best hikes, the favorite regions, the delicious food - but until then, here is our jam-packed, 11 day road trip itinerary from our August trip. We took an overnight train from Zurich to Ljubljana, and rented a car once we arrived in Slovenia. One of the best parts of having a car is the flexibility. We tried to maximize our driving time, and made many pit stops on days when we were driving from one city to the next. Oh, and we spent about 80% of this trip outdoors and/or hiking - which we probably would have done with or without COVID, but all the outdoor opportunities in Slovenia really made this an ideal pandemic-friendly getaway.
Itinerary at a Glance:
(click to jump to a specific day)
Day 1: Arrive in Ljubljana and drive to Bled
Day 2: Explore Lake Bled
Day 3: Hike Seven Lakes Valley in Triglav National Park
Day 4: Lake Bohinj, Slap Savvica, and Vingtar Gorge
Day 5: Explore Logar Valley
Day 6: Explore Ljubljana
Day 7: Postojna Caves and Predjama Grad
Day 8: Explore Soča Valley
Day 9: Vršič Pass and Slemenova Špica
Day 10: Explore Kranjska Gora
Day 11: Lake Jansa and Ljubljana
**We took this trip in August 2020, when some travel restrictions in Europe were relaxed**
Day 1: Arrive in Ljubljana (drive and stay in Bled)
In Ljubljana, we quickly grabbed breakfast, picked up our rental car and hit the road. Because we were planning to be back in the city on day 6, and again at the end of the trip, we didn’t do any exploration. Instead, we made our way to Bled with a couple pit stops along the way.
First, we stopped to stretch our legs in Škofja Loka with a hike from Breznica to Lubnik (about 2-3 hours roundtrip), treating ourselves to our first Slovenian beer from the little hut at the top. And second, a stop at the medieval city of Radovljica to visit Vinoteka sodček wine bar, where we had an excellent introduction to Slovenian wine, cheese and olive oil. We arrived in Bled early evening, just in time for sunset over the lake. Turns out the rumors are true: Lake Bled is every bit as magical as they say.
Day 2: Explore Lake Bled
Today was all about exploring the town and the lake. We started with a hike up to the one of Bled’s best viewpoints, Mala Osojnica. The island, the castle perched on a hillside, the vividly blue water dotted with the traditional pletna boats, the mountains, all create this perfectly picturesque Slovenian panorama.
The entire hike takes about an hour round-trip, and even though it’s a steep climb, it’s not difficult. Plus, if you get sweaty, you can just cool off in the lake after - which is exactly what we did. There is a 6 km footpath that circles the entire lake, so just walk until you find a place that you like. We found a little dock/swimming platform near the Bled campground, right in front of that little fairytale island, and posted up for the afternoon.
And once we had our fill of swimming and sunning, we continued our walk to Bled Castle. Honestly, the castle itself is a little...meh. But it’s high up on a hill, so if you do go, go for the views (which are stunning!) or for dinner (which would be a real treat). The day ended with some traditional food at Gostilna Pri Planincu, where I finally tasted my first štruklji (cheese dumpling). Which led me to wonder why I had not been eating štruklji my entire life. Needless to say, it would not be my last Slovenian dumpling of the trip.
Day 3: Hike Seven Lakes Valley in Triglav National Park
And on day three, we hiked. Oh, did we hike.
If you are going to do one hike in Slovenia, do this one: the seriously epic Seven Lakes Valley trail in Triglav National Park. We took the long route that took us above Bohinj valley and way, way up to the Zasavska hut, seemingly perched on the end of the world, before looping back down through the Triglav lakes. This hike had it all: old wooden shepherds villages, hilly pastures, pristine alpine lakes, stark rock valleys, craggy ridges, and incredible - incredible! - views of the Julian Alps. Looking back at the photos, it’s hard to believe that so many varied landscapes could fit into one trail. One of the best day hikes we’ve done, in Slovenia or otherwise.
Start early, and be prepared: It’s a day hike in the truest sense of the word, in that you will be literally hiking all day. 11 hours, 1500 meters, and 30 kilometers of blood, sweat, and tears. I felt both physically and mentally challenged during it, and physically and mentally stronger than I thought I was when we finished. 1000% worth the effort. I’ll write a whole post dedicated to this one, but until then, this blog has a great summary with detailed directions.
Day 4: Lake Bohinj, Slap Savvica, and Vingtar Gorge (drive and stay in Logar Valley)
After yesterday’s intense hike, we opted for a relatively low-key day (although most things would feel low-key after an emotional break-down on a mountain after 10 hours of hiking. Again - it’s worth it!).
First up: a drive to Lake Bohinj, the once-overlooked but now popular sister to Lake Bled. She’s a beauty, though, and well-worth a visit. I wish we had more time here, but we only hopped out of the car to do the 20 minute walk to the pretty little Slap Savica, before leaving to drive through the rustic countryside to Vingtar Gorge. This was absolutely the highlight of the day.
Vingtar Gorge is a canyon, carved by centuries of river flow, that is crisscrossed with wooden boardwalks. It’s filled with shallow pools and waterfalls, flowing with water the color of melted gemstones. Not all tourist places live up to the hype, but this one sure did. Just a note: once you leave the gorge, you can’t turn around and walk back to the start. You’ll need to hike around the valley and surrounding woodlands to get back to the entrance. It’s a pretty hike (about 3 hours - bring lunch!), I just wasn’t prepared for it!
Side note: it was around this time that I realized Slovenia just might have an endless supply of pristine emerald and turquoise water. The country positively brims with it.
We ended the day by driving to the Logar Valley, checking into our hotel in nearby Solčava, and eating a seriously delicious dinner (I still think about my idrijski žlikrofi a.k.a “ravioli dumplings of my wildest dreams” on a near-daily basis) at Govc-Vršnik, one of the well-known Logar Valley farmhouses.
Sitting on that deck outside, watching the late sun filter through the mountains with a crisp Slovenian white, is one of my favorite memories of the trip.
Day 5: Explore Logar Valley
The Logar Valley is a gorgeous glacial valley in the Kamnik-Savinja alpine range. It’s a bit isolated from the rest of the country and slightly off the beaten track, famous for its traditional farmsteads, pristine nature and of course, mountains.
We decided to hike the “easy” trail (easy only by Slovenia standards) to Klemenči jami, zigzagging uphill through the forest until we reached a mountain hut in a small meadow surrounded by sheer rock faces. Our original plan was to continue another two hours from there to reach Strelovec, but the weather was quickly turning and we didn’t want to get caught exposed in a thunderstorm. Which actually worked out perfectly, because then we were able to have lunch and wait out the rain at Planšarija Logarski kot, home of the world’s best mushroom soup (gobova juha).
We also had time to walk up to Rinka Slap, a 90-meter waterfall, and have a drink at the treehouse-esque hut while the mist rose from the valley floor. And lest this itinerary become all about food...we later had a sunset dinner at Penzion kmečka hiša Ojstrica right as the clouds finally cleared. Logar Valley for the win. It’s beautiful, and remote, and filled with old myths and legends that makes it feel almost enchanted. Honestly, I can’t recommend it enough.
Day 6: Drive to Ljubljana and explore the city
The next morning, we did have to tear ourselves away from the valley (somewhat reluctantly) to make our way to Ljubljana. But that reluctance quickly wore off, because Ljubljana is one of the coolest cities around. We only had one full day here, but the city is small and walkable, so we were able to get a good feel for it in the 24-hours.
The old town is a web of cobbled streets, pretty pastel buildings with brick-red terracotta roofs, church spires and sidewalk cafes. There are open air markets, bridges with dragons, small boats floating down the river - the city just has such a great atmosphere. We walked up to the castle to see the view, stopped by a few art galleries, drank some wine and ate some ice cream, and mainly, just strolled around without any specific plan or agenda.
Places: Manna (go for the butter infused with garlic and olive oil), Trgovina IKA (great for gifts), Klobasarna (for the carniolian sausage), Gelateria Romantika (for deliciously unique ice cream flavors), El Patron (for the best Mexican food this side of the Atlantic) and Vinoteka Movia (to taste all the Solvenian wines)
Day 7: Postojna Caves and Predjama Grad (drive to Bovec)
Today is cave day!
First up, a tour of Postojna Caves. If you ever want to feel like a tiny blip on the earth’s timeline, visit a massive subterranean cave system that takes millennia to develop. The tour took us through narrow tunnels and impossibly big caverns that can fit 10000 people, all filled with stalactites and stalagmites that are millions of years old. Staggering. Second: Predjama Grad, the quintessential medieval castle built directly into a cave. I had low expectations for visiting this one (seemed a bit tourist-trappy), but the audio tour turned out to be very cool, with lots of fun historical facts about the castle and its inhabitants. I most enjoyed learning about rebellious knight Erasmus, the Slovenian Robin Hood who used the castle as his secret hideaway in the 15th century.
Once we were all caved out, we drove to Bovec. We stopped by Kanal ob Soci, a very quaint little town, on the way, but the real high point of the drive was dinner at Hiša Polonka in Kobarid. And even though the whole meal was divine, it was once again the dumplings that stood out. This time, I tried the dessert version of struklji, a sweet walnut dumpling drenched in butter and cinnamon, and it was to die for.
**Note: we stayed two nights in Bovec, but if we were to come back, I’d stay in Kobarid instead!**
Day 8: Explore Soča Valley
The Soca Valley is famous for the Soca River. Remember how I said that Slovenia had endless turquoise water? Just wait until you see this river.
And so, our plan for this day was Stage 13 of the Juliana Trail, that follows the Soca River from Kobarid to Bovec. We took a local bus from Bovec back to Kobarid to start the hike, so that we would end up back at our hotel.
The trail was advertised as following the river the entire way - which, it turned out, was only partly true. The first half of this hike (around 8km) was right along the water, and it was spectacular. The contrast of the icy aquamarine river with the mossy green foliage and the smooth white rock was picturesque and wild. But most of the second half put us right on a busy road. If I could do it again, I would just do the first half, and then turn around and follow the trail back to Kobarid.
Day 9: Vršič Pass and Slemenova Špica (drive to Kranjska Gora)
Vršič Passis Slovenia’s famous alpine pass that goes straight through the Julian Alps, connecting the Soča Valley and Kranjska Gora. It’s a road that slowly climbs to over 1600 meters, and is complete with 50 hairpin (and slightly hair-raising) turns. I was a bit nervous for this drive, but I ended up loving it - it wasn’t nearly as scary as I expected, and as we slowly wound up the mountain, the views kept changing and evolving to showcase different angles of the mountains.
At the very top, we parked and hiked out to Slemenova Špica, a classic short trail (2-3 hours roundtrip) that took us to a small summit with even more breathtaking views. If you have the time, this is really worth it. It’s marked as an “easy” hike, and there were lots of families with small children - but in Slovenia, I found that even some of these easy trails can be grueling and a little heart-pounding. But no matter what, definitely get out and walk around for a bit at the top - if anything, it gives your driver a chance to really soak in the scenery without having to worry about watching the road.
Day 10: Explore Kranjska Gora (Tamar Valley, Zelenki Reserve, Triglav Park)
For our day in Kranjska Gora, we mix-matched a few different excursions.
First, we headed to Planica, where we saw the famous ski jump (that had people practicing, even in August) and walked up to Planinski dom Tamar. The walk to the hut was easy and beautiful, and the hut itself is in a wide open meadow at the base of the mountains, a perfect place for lunch. We could see all the way up to Slemenova Špica, where we were yesterday. Detour off to the nearby waterfall for a fun adventure. From Planica, we drove to Zelenki Reserve - something else I had relatively low expectations for but was (again) blown away. I don’t think I’ve ever seen water this color before - it was shimmering, Iridescence aquamarine that dramatically changed as the clouds floated overhead.
And from Zelenki, we headed back into Triglav National Park one last time to see Slap Peričnik - famous because it is one of the few waterfalls that you can actually walk behind! The drive to this area of the park goes along another river, and we had to pull over a few times because the water was so brightly blue it looked dyed. I will never get over Slovenia water colors. To end the day, we had dinner on the outdoor terrace at Milka, a restaurant on the edge of Lake Jansa.
Day 11: Lake Jansa and Ljubljana
Far too quickly, our last day in Slovenia arrived. We spent the morning at Lake Jansa, a pretty deep-green lake. The lake was calm because it was a bit too cold to swim, and so the mountains were reflected perfectly in the water. But finally - and very begrudgingly - we had to accept that our trip was nearing its end.
We packed up, and headed back to Ljubljana to return our rental car. Since our train wasn’t until that evening, we had a final afternoon free in the city. In most trips we take, we always reserve some time at the end to do grocery shopping, picking up any local specialties that we discovered or enjoyed during our travels. So once in Ljubljana, we got: an assortment of Slovenian salt, olive oil, pumpkinseed oil, our favorite wines (Rebula, Zelen, Edi Simčič Triton Lex, and Kocjančič Zanut Sauvignon), and chocolate (although in retrospect, I would recommend skipping the chocolate to save room for more olive oil).
As our last meal, we had the VERY BEST Mexican food that we’ve found on this continent: El Patron. I’d go back to Slovenia just for the tacos and the homemade hot sauce. Thank me later. And we did a final wander through the city, until a huge storm rolled in and we had to take cover in the train station until our 10pm Zurich-bound train. Nothing says vacation is over like a torrential downpour, does it? Our week and a half went by way too quickly, but hopefully, we’ll be able to come back one day!
In some ways, Slovenia felt a little bit like Switzerland - with slightly smaller mountains, and better food (sorry CH), and wayy better prices. But of course, Slovenia is its own country, and an incredible one at that. A bite-sized country that really packs a beautiful punch.
