Piran – Italian vibes on the Slovenian Riviera
September 8
2,1 million (2017)
Euro (EUR)
Right side
UTC + 1
Slovenia is the small country with the big nature. Nowhere in Europe will you find as many different experiences and sights in such a small area. Europe's largest caves, snow-capped Alps, turquoise Mediterranean and cozy little medieval towns. Slovenia took the whole family by storm. We spent 8 days here in October 2019, filled with history, magnificent views and great food.
In the northwestern corner on the border with Austria, you will find some of the country's most beautiful natural experiences. The most popular is Lake Bled, with postcard views and many lovely restaurants. Here you will also find one of the most popular gorges Vincent Gorge which is worth a half-day excursion. Further towards the border with Italy you will find the ski resort Kranjska Gora and the beautiful mountains. Drive the winding driveway over Vrsic passport and stop in fabulously beautiful Soca valley.
The capital city Ljubljana is a green city with many nice restaurants and a castle on a hill. Here it is easy to fulfill a weekend of culture and history.
Slovenia's greatest natural experience can be found underground in the caves skojan and Postonja. As a cave lover, I can easily say that these are some of the most delicious I have ever visited. Quite in class with Carlsbad Caverns in the USA.
On the beautiful coast of the Mediterranean lies Piran and Portoroz, two lovely holiday resorts with a lot of charm and unexpectedly few tourist menus. Piran was my favorite city on the trip, every little alley felt like Venice in miniature.
1. Visit some of Europe's coolest caves Postojna and Skocjan
2. Hike by ice-blue rivers in the Soca Valley
3. Go boating on beautiful Lake Bled or hike by Lake Bohinj
4. Discover Piran and the coastal strip with Italian vibes
5. Eat a wonderfully vanilla Bled cake in Bled
6. Go skiing in Krajnska Gora
7. Cozy up in cafes in Ljubljana
8. Hike in dramatic gorge in Vintgar Gorge
9. Discover the Mediterranean salt farms
If you want to experience Slovenia's nature, you need a car. The roads are good and the traffic is mostly very calm and pleasant.
If you want to avoid queues and tourists, May-June and October-November are the best times. If you're going during high season, be sure to book admissions and tickets online well before you go.
It is not certain that the fastest option to get to Slovenia is via Ljubljana if you need to stop over on the way. We flew direct to Vienna and rented a car from there. Another option is Venice. Keep in mind, however, that there may be rules regarding which car brands may be brought across borders.
There are no distances in Slovenia, so check travel times with Google maps. It's always shorter than you think.
In Slovenia, all shops are closed on public holidays. I really do mean all the shops – including the big grocery store chain Mercator. However, restaurants were open.
