Slovenia
We didn’t really know what to expect when we visited Slovenia, but it turns out, this is one of the MOST beautiful places we have ever been! We spent almost a week in Slovenia after our quick 24 hours in Italy. We stopped at Pradjama Castle, Postojna Cave, Lake Bled, the countries capital city, Ljubjana and a few more. Skip to the bottom if you just want the deets.
We continued our 2 week road trip through Europe with our Australian friends by exploring Slovenia. We first stopped at Postonja Cave and Predjama castle (we bough a ticket online that included both attractions for $40). Postonja cave was STUNNING and fairly easy to navigate as they provide an english speaking guide. We also road a train into the cave which was an adventure on its own. Next we stopped at Predjama Castle which is literally a castle that’s built into the side of the mountain. There is an audio guide that comes with this ticket and it was fun to walk around the restored castle while learning its history. To get the best view of the castle, head down the restaurant just before the hill and sit in a booth and enjoy a mug of delicious Slovenian beer.
Next we drove to Lake Bled which was incredibly peaceful, and also a little pricey. This sleepy little resort town is situated around a lake and there is no shortage of cute local restaurants to eat at. We mostly ate ramen and PB&J sandwiches to save money but we did grab some local wine, beer and cheese and had ourselves a picnic at the lake. There’s also an island in the middle of the lake and you can hire a row boat and visit a 15th-century pilgrimage church.
We took a day trip to drive the Vrsic Pass which is a mountain pass across the Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia. The road has so many hairpin turns that we lost count! We stopped along the way to admire the incredible views before getting to the top of the pass. In hindsight, we wish we would have spent more time here because it was that beautiful- like a scene out of The Sound of Music!
We also took some time to explore Lake Jasna, Lake Bohinj and Soteska Vintgar which boasts a scenic walkway through a gorge (and a 6 kilometer round trip hike). SO MUCH NATURE!!! It was a nice break from our recent adventure in Italy and Croatia.
Finally, we stopped for a few days in Ljubjana to explore. This city has a decent amount of history and the old town is beautiful (a little more modern than we expected). Ljubjana is Europes greenest city which means lots of people riding bicycles, no plastic straws and recycle bins were everywhere! One thing to note about Slovenia- most everything is closed on Sundays including grocery stores so it’s important to be prepared for that. It was a big inconvenience for us as we were out of groceries and the restaurants that were open were a little pricey. I, Evan, ate one of my top 5 favorite meals at Green One Bistro. I still think about their vegan goulash- it’s got a delicious red wine gravy broth and filled with vegan meat. There is also a BEAUTIFUL castle you can explore and a funicular you can take up (or a hike if you want).
The deets
Slovenia is underrated
Rent a car and explore
Accommodation and restaurants are pricey
Nature lovers dream
Drive the Vrsic Pass, pack your lunch and have a picnic
Must stop at Lake Jasna and Lake Bohinj
Lake Bled can be done in 1 day
Ljubjana is a modern city that still has old world charm
Almost everything is closed on Sundays
