Five days doesn't seem like a long time to explore three parts of a country, but we did it, and we even found time to relax on those days. Our trip gave us the best of everything: the buzz of the city, the freshness of the coast and the pinch-me beauty of lakes and mountains.
Here's our busy-but-very-doable five-day itinerary for Slovenia.
Day One - Ljubljana
We flew into Zagreb Airport in Croatia on a
Monday evening and hired a car to make the hour-and-a-half drive to Ljubljana, crossing the border. We got there late at night, waking up with a full day to explore the city. We started by walking down to the river, crossing the Dragon Bridge – famous because of the two dragon statues at either end – and along the bank, where there is an array of cafés and bars on either side.
It wasn't long before we hit more famous bridges – three of them, in fact – all next to each other. They are, unsurprisingly, called The Triple Bridge, and they are one of the capital's must-see attractions.
Tired from our travelling the day before, we decided to search for a coffee spot. The most recommended one was called Vigo, and was handily about a one-minute walk from the three bridges. I had an iced coffee, containing a dollop of their extremely popular ice cream. And it definitely gave me the pick-me-up I needed.
After more wandering (my favourite way to explore a new city), we sought out a lunch spot serving traditional Slovenian cuisine. We settled for Klobasarna, which was recommended by both our Airbnb host and Google. Our choice of traditional sausages, mustard and the beany, veggie stew wasn’t necessarily what I’d pick for a summer’s day, but it was tasty and set us up well for exploring the castle in the afternoon.
The castle sits on top of a hill to the south of the city. To get there, you can either walk the steep climb through the woods or you can get the funicular railway. We decided to get the railway up and then walk down.
From the castle, you get incredible views over the city out to the fields and mountains beyond. Not buying a ticket gives you access to the courtyard, bars and cafes and some limited viewpoints. But we decided to pay the €12 ticket fee each to be able to climb the clocktower for the panoramic view and access to the handful of exhibitions. We spent a good few hours there, reading about the history of Slovenia, taking a look at the puppet museum and a photography exhibition before making our way down the zig-zag path back to the city. I'd recommend visiting the castle if you visit Ljubljana – if only for the amazing views!
For our first and only evening meal in the city, we went to a busy restaurant called Gostilna Sokol. We tried to go for traditional Slovenian food again, so I had a veal stew in a bread bowl - yes, a bowl made out of bread - to start and Jake had beef tartar with parmesan. We then shared a selection of meats in various sauces for our main dish. Everything was delicious and good value for money – especially the house wine, which was around €3 per glass.
We then went back to Vigo to try their ice cream, which was delicious. I'd really recommend the cheesecake flavour if you go.
Jake also had ice cream that afternoon (we were on holiday, after all!) in a place called Cacao, which he said was also very good. Their list of flavours was super long, and they had some really interesting ones on their so I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you love ice cream like us.
Then it was drinks in a bustling and lively bar by the river and back to our lovely apartment before it was time to head to the coast the following day.
Day two: the coast
We set off to Portoroz after grabbing some breakfast in Ek Bistro, which again is by the river Lubljiana. I would really recommend this restaurant if you're looking for a big brunch to set you up for the day.
The drive from the city to Slovenia's very small section of coastline took about two hours. Our small hotel was called Villa Bellevue and was located on the hill in Portoroz.
Predictably, the first thing we did after checking in was to go for a walk. We walked the coast path from Portoroz to Piran, which took about an hour and a half. It's a lovely walk that hugs the sea all the way there.
In Piran, you can have lunch in the big square as we did, meander the small streets finding little gift shops as you turn corners and walk up to the the Duomo di San Giorgio (St. George's Parish Church) for an amazing view over the town and of the sea and coast on the other side of the peninsula.
After this, we headed back to Portoroz, stopping for a couple of hours of sunbathing and swimming en route. There are plenty of spots to swim on this walk, with steps handily leading you down into the water. And there's no sand in this section, which a bonus if you want to avoid it getting stuck to everything.
For dinner, we headed to Santa Lucia ribja kantina, which specialises in fish dishes. We shared a starter of mixed seafood and a grilled seabass and potatoes for our main. It sounds simple, but it was absolutely delicious and was definitely the best meal of our trip! It ended up being a little more on the expensive side but it was worth every penny, in my opinion.
The coast in Slovenia may be small, but it has everything you need if you love the beach: places to swim and sunbathe, great restaurants and fun bars. If you want to relax, then a few days here would be perfect. We were in explore mode, so were quite happy to move onto our next destination the following day, having heard amazing things about the area...
Day 3 - Lake Bled
You may have heard of Lake Bled as it's been doing the rounds on social media recently. People have been raving out the crystal clear waters, the surrounding scenery and the quaintness of Bled itself, which sits next to the waterfront. And when I got there, I could see why. It really is very beautiful, and I'm glad we made the decision to travel there straight away after our night in Portoroz.
Jake was the one who picked to come to Lake Bled, so I was happy to let him take the lead in terms of what we got up to. But there was one thing I really wanted to do: the toboggan ride. It's on the south-east side of the lake and is €12 for one ride. You get a chairlift up to the top of a mountain, which turns into a ski slope in the winter, and make your way back down in the toboggan. The views at the top are great, and the ride is really fun! If I go back I'll definitely do it again, and it's probably worth paying for two goes as you get a bit of a cheaper deal that way.
We then wandered around a bit, grabbed a quick bite to eat (not somewhere worth recommending) and checked in at our beautiful Airbnb. We stayed in a room in a guesthouse run by a lady called Ana Marija. It was a beautiful old wooden house set in a gorgeous garden brimming with flowers and greenery. Ana Marija welcomed us with a glass of homemade elderflower lemonade and biscuits and gave us several recommendations for our trip – many of which we followed.
First on the list was to walk the six-kilometre circuit around Lake Bled, which we did that afternoon, stopping off for a swim. We went clockwise around the lake, getting the section of road out of the way first and ending on the quieter, wooded pathway. It's a lovely walk and an excellent way to start a trip to Lake Bled. You get to see the scenery from every perspective.
For dinner, we went to Ana Marija's main recommendation which was a little authentic restaurant a short drive away in the next village, Bohinjska Bela. The restaurant was called Gostilna Batišt Tomaž Zupan s.p., and it served a selection of meats and fish. Following Ana Marija's guidance, Jake and I both had the fresh trout, which had been caught in the river close by and likely bought in that day by one of the fishermen sitting at the nearby table. It was very simple but super yummy.
Next, we went to try the famous Bled cake at a cafe overlooking the lake – which is a must when visiting the area. It's set custard and cream sandwiched between two slabs of light, flakey pastry. What's not to love?
Day 4 - Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj
While many tourists flock to Lake Bled, they may not know that there's another beautiful lake just a 30-minute drive away. It's called Lake Bohinj, and it's much bigger than Bled. We wanted to explore this one too, so we decided to walk the 12km loop around – starting from Ukanc – and again stopping for a swim on route.
The water here was much colder than in Lake Bled as it’s glacial. I couldn't stay in for too long, but it was very refreshing. It's surrounded by stunning mountains and is located within Triglav National Park.
The walk took us around three hours in total – including the stop for swimming and another for an ice cream.
In the afternoon, we headed back to Bled and hired a row boat for an hour and a half. This cost around €25 and gave us just enough time to get to the island in the middle, dock for twenty minutes or so, have a walk around and head back.
The idea of hiring a rowing boat is so romantic, but it was actually quite stressful. Rowing, it turns out, is really hard - especially when the wind is against you. If you want to have a good chunk of time on the island and enough to go inside the church, I'd recommend hiring a boat from one of the businesses a bit closer to the island. That way, less rowing will be required. We wanted the chance to bob about a bit, tucking into the sandwiches we'd bought from the supermarket together. But there was no time. We had to take it in turns to eat while on the move. Although we didn’t move very far when it was my turn to row!
When back on dry land, we relaxed for a bit by the lake, taking a few final dips before getting ready for our dinner at The Old Cellar. This is a really popular restaurant located in Bled village. The restaurant was beautiful, with a cosy, wooden wine cellar aesthetic. And the food? Also amazing. We shared the goat's cheese and truffle to start and the trout tartare. Jake had beef cheeks for his main, and I had belly pork. Being a wine cellar, the choice of wine was top-notch, and it was still really reasonable.
It was a great last meal in Bled, and a fab last evening meal of our trip on the whole.
Day 5 - Bled and Vintgar Gorge
After a delicious breakfast of omelette, pastries and homemade jams in Ana Marija's serene garden, we set off on our last day in Slovenia. We had a lot to cram in.
We started by heading to Vintgar Gorge. It's €10 each per person to get in – plus €10 to park – and you then get given a helmet and follow a zig-zagged path that's suspended above a crystal-like river. It's very beautiful to see – but the organised nature of it meant it wasn't my favourite experience of the trip. I like to be a free agent on holiday!
The helmeted part of the walk is around 1.6 kilometres long, and then you can walk back through the woods to the car park and exit. This means the experience takes at least an hour and a half in total – and that was with us walking quickly because we had more we wanted to see on our last day.
After this, we headed back to Bled for more walking. We set off for the castle, which is a steep 10-minute climb. I thought it would be like the castle in Ljubljana and that you'd be able to get into the courtyard without getting a ticket. But you need a ticket to enter everything here – and it was €17 for adults. This felt a little steep for us given that we wouldn't have much time there. So we checked out the viewpoint on the level below and wandered back down the zig-zag path to Špica, where we filled up on a pizza and salad before making the two-hour trip back to Zagreb airport where our fun-filled holiday sadly came to an end.
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