Located a short distance from Bled, Radovljica is a charming little town in northwestern Slovenia with one of the best-preserved medieval old towns in the country. Architecture and history buffs will love it and anyone interested in strolling through scenic medieval streets will have a blast as well. The town is quite small and doesn’t require a lot of time to visit, and thus makes a great stop when travelling either to from the picturesque Lake Bled. Most people will generally visit the town when travelling between Bled and Ljubljana or between Bled and Lake Bohinj. To help you get the most out of your time in the area, we put together this visiting guide Best Things to See and Do in Radovljica (Slovenia).
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Radovljica Location & Map
Radovljica is located in northwestern Slovenia, a short distance southeast of the town of Bled, near the edge of Triglav National Park. (link to Google Maps)
How to get to Radovljica
By Car: Radovljica is a short 10-minute drive from the center of Bled (7 km) and is about a 35-minute drive from Ljubljana (50 km).
If you need to book a rental vehicle for your travels, we highly recommend using Discover Cars to get the best rates on your rental in Slovenia.
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Important: All Slovenian freeways and expressways are subject to tolls. All cars, motorbikes, and camper vans must have purchased a digital vignette online when they plan to drive onto a motorway or expressway. Digital Vignettes with periods of validity of 7 days, 1 month, 6 months or 12 months are available and can be purchased from the Slowenien Vignette website. They are not prohibitively expensive — for instance, the 7-day vignette for cars costs €13.90 (2024).
By Bus: Radovljica has excellent bus connections as it is situated at a junction between Bled, Jesenice and Ljubljana. All buses to/from Ljubljana, Bled, Bohinj and Kranjska Gora will stop in Radovljica en route. For more information consult the Ljubljana bus website.
By Train: The closest train station to Radovljica is the Lesce-Bled station (4 km from the city center), which is a stop along the Ljubljana–Jesenice railway. From Lesce-Bled, you can take the bus to Radovljica. For more information on travelling by train in the area consult the Slovenian rail website.
By Bicycle: Given the short distance, you can easily leisurely ride a bike between Bled and Radovljica in 30-40 minutes. From Radovljica there is a bike lane to Lesce, then there is a traffic-free bike path from Lesce to Bled (Lesce is in between Radovljica and Bled).
Arrival by Car & Parking:
The best car park is a short 5-minute walk from the old town square. It is a time-restricted car lot, with a maximum of three hours (for the majority of people three hours is plenty to visit the town’s main attractions). From the car park, you will walk through a small linear park that will take you into the old town’s main street.
About Radovljica
Today, the town of Radovljica, located on the southern slope of the Karawanks mountain range, has a very modest population of about 6000 people. The town began to develop on a promontory above the Sava River in the 13th century, and in the 16th century, it reached the peak of its development. In the transition from the 15th to the 16th century, a wall was built around the old town of Radovljica, and today the town’s preserved moat – a former defence ditch, now partly a tunnel – is the only one of its kind in Slovenia.
Best Things to See and Do in Radovljica
Stroll Through the Old Town’s Main Pedestrian Street
The Old Town’s main street, Linhartov Trg, isn’t a particularly long one, but you still may want to linger around a bit to admire the beautiful and historical architecture. The are also plenty of outdoor terraces from which you can soak in the atmosphere and scenery.
You’ll notice that the main street is technically a town square (Linhart Square, “Trg” means square), from which you can admire the frescoed Renaissance and Gothic townhouses scattered around it.
The old town has many notable buildings, many of them with frescoes, such as Vidic House which now houses a café and a youth hostel, and the magnificent Radovljica Mansion (the building on the left below) which houses an impressive and unique museum (more on this further below).
At the very end of the town square is St. Peter’s Church, an exceptional example of the gothic three-nave church. The simple exterior appearance of the church dates from the end of the 19th century when the church was restored to its original Gothic form.
At the back of the church, you will find an old WWII bunker that today houses a chapel and shrine to Edith Stein, a Jewish nun who converted to Catholicism, died in Auschwitz, and was later canonized as a martyr and saint of the Catholic Church.
If you want to learn more about the town and its history, we highly recommend stopping by its small tourist information office. They can provide you with a map of the important historic buildings.
If visiting on a Tuesday or a Sunday (between June 15th and September 15th), you can join a guided tour that departs at 10 am from the tourist office. €5 / person.
If you are visiting on a day without scheduled guided tours, you can enquire about arranging a private 75-minute guided tour of the town, but it’s only worth it if you are a large group (€140, for up to 25 people)
Visit One of the Town’s Many, Many Museums
For a town of Radovljica’s size, it has a surprising amount of museums – many of them quite unique. Some of the more notable ones are:
– Museum of Beekeeping (Museum of Apiculture): Delve into the unique universe of Slovenian apiculture, which is distinguished by a centuries-old and world-famous tradition (an important agricultural activity in the 18th and 19th centuries in Slovenia), one that the museum has been showcasing since 1959. The exhibitions here present the legacy of the world-famous beekeepers of the Carniolan grey bee.
The museum is located in the Radovljica Manor and has exhibits on the biology of the Carniolan grey bee, and the current threats it faces from nature. Another section focuses on the history of beekeeping and the development of beekeeping tools and equipment. From May to October, visitors can watch the bees in action from an observation hive, whereas the rest of the year they can enjoy the visuals via video content and interactive exhibits.
Opening hours: Closed on Mondays throughout the year and occasionally on Sundays, closed on weekends during the offseason (winter).
Admission fees (2024): Adults €10, reduced prices for children, students and retirees.
–Museum of Pharmacy and Alchemy: Located in the old town centre of Radovljica, this museum showcases the history of pharmacy and alchemy through exceptional objects collected from all over the world. Here, visitors will find furniture from old pharmacies with ceramic containers, alchemistic laboratory equipment and old scales. The museum is housed in a restored bourgeois building and houses a particularly extensive collection of Spanish and Italian ceramics, in addition to a 12th-century mortar, and dozens of old pharmaceutical books.
Opening hours: May to October: 10 am – 6 pm, April & September: Sat & Sun only, closed rest of the year (Nov to March).
Admission fees (2024): €9, reduced prices for children, students and retirees.
–The Lectar Workshop and Museum: In this establishment, you will find a pastry shop with women in traditional costumes demonstrating how to bake genuine Lectar hearts (heart-shaped honey-bread products, similar to gingerbread) with the tools and equipment of the past. The workshop and museum are located in the vaulted cellar of Lectar Inn (adjacent to the main town square) where visitors can still see tools and antique equipment used for baking and decorating.
The workshop first opened in 1766, and the Inn followed in 1822. A café is located on the ground floor of the Inn.
Opening hours: Typically open every day from 12:00 to 23:00.
Admission fees (2024): Free
Visit One of the Many Specialty Shops
Of the neat things about Radovljica is you won’t find any chain shops here, all are small local shops featuring local products. Some of our favorites include:
Radolska Cokolada: This boutique chocolate shop was opened just a few years ago by its owners, after having served for ten years as the organizing the biggest chocolate festival in Slovenia – The Radovljica Chocolate Festival – and the town still didn’t have its own chocolatier. Beyond the shop, you can also partake in guided tasting sessions and workshops where you can perfect your own chocolatier skills. (Closed on Mondays).
Magušar’s House and Manufaktura: this is a fantastic pottery workshop and shop, where you can glimpse into Slovenia’s pottery traditional methods of producing pottery.
Magušar’s House is the home of Slovenian ceramist Urban Magušar. The ground floor features an exhibition of rural Gorenjska pottery whereas his workshop is found in the attic. Magušar’s House can be visited with prior arrangement. Alternatively, a visit to the house can be included in the guided tour of the town (see above).
The small commercial pottery workshop and shop is located on the ground floor of the house across the street (closed on weekends, except the first Saturday of the month).
Enjoy the Mountain Views
Take a short 30-second walk from the main street to the Sava Valley and Triglav Viewpoint. The viewpoint is a small belvedere with a few seats to admire the scenic view of the nearby countryside and mountains.
Go Through Slovenia’s Only Town Moat Tunnel
Near the northwestern entrance to Linhartov Trg, you’ll find Slovenia’s only preserved moat tunnel which runs under the entrance to the historic old town centre. Although not necessarily visually impressive, it is unique in Slovenia.
How Long to Spend in Radovljica
That’s really up to you! If you just want to enjoy a quick stroll around town and step into a shop or two, you won’t need more than half an hour. If you want to visit some of the museums or enjoy a meal and drinks on one of the several outdoor terraces, you can easily fill a few hours to half a day here.
Best Time to Visit Radovljica
We typically recommend visiting places during the shoulder season: there are fewer tourists, the weather is still nice and the prices tend to drop. However, there are a few reasons why you may want to visit Radovljica during summer.
For starters, given its small size, it’s rarely overrun by tourists, regardless of the time of year.
Also, during the summer months, many events are held in the old town square (Linhart Square), including concerts and street theatre performances. But the main event occurs every year on the first Sunday in August: Radovljica hosts a Medieval Day where Linhart Square is transformed into a medieval marketplace with an atmosphere from times long forgotten. On this day you can browse the market stalls, buy handicrafts, enjoy displays of jousting and archery tournaments, and sample some medieval cuisine.
Another fun month to visit Radovljica is December, when the holiday decorations are set up, including a 20-metre-tall Christmas tree. There’s also a mini Christmas market where you can warm yourself up with traditional mulled wine.
Where to Stay in Radovljica
Most people visit Radovljica as a day trip, often from Bled or Ljubljana, but if you are interested in spending a night (or more) in this quaint little town, you might want to stay in the charming Vila Radolca with a selection of vintage-decorated rooms and apartments, located right along the old town main square.
Other Sights and Attractions Near Radovljica
Vintgar Gorge
Vintgar Gorge is a must-visit in our opinion for anyone who is spending more than a day in Lake Bled. The gorge itself is stunning. Wooden boardwalks follow the gorge’s walls and run for approximately 1.6 km.
The boardwalk also crosses the river on several occasions giving you spectacular vantage points to capture some of the river’s various features, including small pools, falls, and rapids.
For more information on visiting the gorge, including opening hours and access fees, check out our Vintgar Gorge Hiking and Visiting Guide.
Lake Bohinj
Coming Soon
Photography Gear
If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations.
Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S
Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3
Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL)
Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod
Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod
Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack
Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug
Other Travel Essentials
Travel Insurance
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e-Sim cards
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Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.
Transfer from Airport
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Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024).
Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)
Photography Prints
If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints. Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.
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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our guide on the Best Things to See and Do in Radovljica (Slovenia) and that it will prove useful for planning your trip.
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