Slovenia is a small country in Central Europe full of mountains, rivers and National Parks.
There is only 1 international airport in Slovenia - in it’s capital Ljubljana.
The city is perfectly located right in the center of the country so you can choose Ljubljana as your base and explore the country by making 1-day trips to neighbouring areas.
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is a beautiful city on the Sava river and places to visit are Prešernov trg Square with the Franciscan Church, 900 years old Ljubljana Castle, The City Museum of Ljubljana, The Cathedral (Church of St Nicholas) and Tivoli Park. We gathered the best options where to stay in Ljubljana with 9.5+ rating here.
From Ljubljana you can travel to the following local attractions:
Celje. It is only 50 minutes from Ljubljana on the road to Maribor and has an enormous 14th-century castle which rises above the whole city. Near Celje on Savinja river, there is a picturesque village called Laško and just 8 minutes from Laško you find Rimske Toplice - a small SPA resort with thermal waters.
Storjic mountain - less than 1 hour north from Ljubljana and you can also visit Brdo Castle on your way there.
Fans of winter sports can continue their Slovenia trip to Krvavec Ski Resort just 1 hour north from Ljubljana.
Trip to North
There are also tours in Slovenia from Ljubljana north via Kamnik city.
You can first make a stop in the Arboretum - a nice park with big dinosaurs and whales 10 minutes south from Kamnik. Your kids will be happy:) Then you go 1 more hour north to see the beauty of Logar Valley - considered one of the most beautiful Alpine glacial valleys in Europe. And on your way back spend 1 night at the Big Pasture Plateau - a fabulous plateau with a big shepherd settlement where you should taste dairy culinary masterpieces.
Maribor
In your Slovenia vacation, you must visit the second largest city - Maribor. The city is famous for its superb wine and vineyards so don’t miss The Old Vine Festival held from 29 of September 2022 till 2nd of October 2022.
Just 6 kilometers from Maribor is Mariborsko Pohorje - the most popular ski resort. It offers 41 kilometers of ski slopes (red - 13 kilometers, blue - 24, black - 4).
Another place to include in your Slovenia holiday is Rogatec Open-Air Museum and 15th-century Strmol Rogatec manor just 50 minutes south from Maribor to the Croatia border.
Also, make a trip from Maribor to the charming city of Ptuj with 12-century Ptuj Castle.
Trip North-West
If your trip is in winter time, the best option to head North-West from Ljubljana, Slovenia to Lake Bled. This astonishing region includes Triglav National Park (part of Julian Alps), Lake Bohinj, Vogel Ski Resort right near Lake Bohinj where you can ski and snowboard at 11 tracks: 6 red and 5 blue ones.
Besides, you must stay at least 1 night in this area and take a paragliding tour.
One more region worth visiting is located in the far west of Slovenia near the Italian border.
There is a Kanin-Sella Nevea Ski Resort near Bovec where at an altitude of 1700-2300 meters above sea level, there are the most difficult slopes in Slovenia with snow cover until May. The length of the tracks is 30 kilometers (blue - 6 km, red - 22 km, black - 2 km).
Besides skiing and snowboarding, you can explore the Great Soca Gorge which is just 10 kilometers from Bovec and Soca River Valley, considered to be one of the most beautiful and best preserved Alpine rivers in Europe.
If you like extreme sports, then try Soca River Rafting and tandem Paragliding in Bovec (for a 20 minutes flight you pay 120 EUR, a 30 minutes flight will cost you 160 EUR).
Trip to West
Continue your travel in Slovenia west to a small part of the country located on Adriatic (Koper and Piran). We recommend to get travel emotions on your way from Ljubljana to Koper in the following places:
Cerknica lake surrounded by green mountains
Postojna Cave - a 24 kilometers karst cave system made by the Pivka River
Predjama Castle located in just 15 minutes from the cave - a 700 years old castle built into the 123 meter rock
Nanos Plateau - a 1300 meter high karst limestone plateau
Skocjan Caves - a huge underground canyon added to UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Piran - a resort town on the Adriatic coast known for its Venetian architecture.
FAQ
If I come for only 1 week, what is the best itinerary?
Spend 2 days in Ljubljana, then rent a car and head to Big Pasture Plateau (Velika Planina) and then drive to the Logar Valley.
The next day move to Lake Bled (1:40 from Logar Valley) and Lake Bohinj and stay for 1 night in the area.
Then drive 1.5 hours to Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle and after that 45 more minutes to the city of Koper on the Adriatic sea.
In the morning follow the route to Bovec (2 hours) where you can do Rafting on the Soca River or tandem Paragliding and in the evening enjoy mountain views with a glass of wine.
On the last day come back to Ljubljana and rest:)
How to move around the country and see the most of local beauties?
Though Slovenia is a small country, most part of it is mountains. And even if you need to drive only 70 kilometers, it will take you 2 hours to drive to another spot.
So the best option is to rent a car for 35 EUR/day and drive through Alpine valleys, along mountain lakes and rivers and choose the best place for you to spend 1 more incredible night in a remote wild area.
What are the prices for accommodation in Slovenia?
Accommodation prices depend much on the time of year you make your Slovenia vacation and don’t differ too much in remote areas and major cities (Ljubljana, Maribor).
If you come in high season (July - August), then you pay around 90 EUR for a double room.
If you come in the low season, the price will be 50 EUR for a double room.