Slovenia is a hidden gem hiding in plain sight. Located in south-central Europe, it’s definitely one of our favourite countries to visit, and we have done so many times. Slovenia is filled with stunning alpine lakes, towering peaks and green rolling hills, large and impressive cave systems, beautifully preserved medieval towns and imposing hilltop castles. Although many sights and attractions can be explored by public transit, most of the ones we describe below are more easily visited as part of a road trip. So to help you plan your time in the area, we put together this travel guide on the Perfect Road Trip Itinerary. We will first present a 7-day itinerary that will include Lake Bled, Ljubljana, Vintgar Gorge, Postojna Caves, Velika Planina, Lake Bohinj, and more. We will also present additional ideas for those of you wanting to spend more time in the region and itinerary tweaks for shorter trips.

Disclosure: This page (The Perfect Slovenia Road Trip Itinerary) may contain product affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, we may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. More details can be found on our disclosure and policies page.

You might also be interested in these pages:
Best Things to See and Do in Lake Bled
Best Things to See and Do in Ljubljana

Best Home Bases for Your Slovenia Road Trip Itinerary — Where to Stay in Slovenia

Because Slovenia is a fairly small and compact country, we don’t recommend changing hotels and cities too often. Many interesting towns, sites and attractions can easily be reached by short day trips taken from a few home bases, particularly if you stick to the west side of the country like in our proposed itinerary.

With a full week, we recommend splitting your time in Slovenia between two home bases: Lake Bled and Ljubljana. Although both are relatively close to one another (a 45-minute drive apart), both also make sense as a base for several reasons:
-Both Ljubljana and Lake Bled have plenty of sights and attractions to keep visitors busy for a few days
-Both Ljubljana and Lake Bled are centrally located within their own set of day trip options
-Both have a large selection of accommodation options

Staying in just one of Lake Bled or Ljubljana would work too, but it might involve a bit more driving overall for your day trips to the various other destinations and attractions in Slovenia. Although we don’t like to change bases too often, we think that with 7 days in Slovenia, splitting your time between Bled and Ljubljana gives you the best of both worlds – but if you only plan on spending 5 days or less in the area, then we would lean towards picking only one of them to base yourself in (more on this option below).

Lake Bled

Lake Bled is undoubtedly one of the more popular destinations in Slovenia, and with good reason. With its scenic clifftop medieval castle, shimmering blue-emerald waters and picturesque church sitting on a tiny tear-shaped island, it’s hard to find a place that embodies the definition of a fairytale destination more than Lake Bled. In addition to all of its attractions, one of the best ways to enjoy the surrounding landscapes is to hike some of the great trails around Lake Bled (most of which are relatively easy or short). Within walking distance here’s also the stunning Vintgar Gorge.

Ljubljana

Slovenia’s capital is colorful, compact, very photogenic, and has a charming small-town feel despite sharing many similarities with larger European capitals. Moreover, the city is very pedestrian-friendly making it easy to explore on foot, has a fantastic medieval old town center and hilltop castle, is a recent former winner of the prestigious title of European Green Capital, and is known for its beautiful architecture that mixes Baroque, Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings. And if all of that wasn’t enough, its central location in Slovenia makes it a perfect base from which to explore many of the fantastic attractions, towns and natural wonders the country has to offer.

Arrival In Slovenia

By Car: Both Lake Bled and Ljubljana are fairly easy to reach by car from several major European destinations. Lake Bled and Ljubljana are both roughly within the same driving distance of Zagreb (2 hours), Salzburg (3 hours), Venice (3 hours), Munich (4 hours), Vienna (4 hours) and Milan (5 hours). Ljubljana is also less than a 2 hour’s drive from several smaller tourist towns such as Rijeka (Croatia), Udine (Italy), Trieste (Italy), Villach (Austria), and Graz (Austria).

By Bus: The operator FlixBus provides long-distance bus services to Ljubljana from several of Europe’s major cities, including Salzburg, Munich, Budapest, Prague, Milan, and Zagreb. Schedules and fares can be found on the FlixBus website. The bus station is a 5-10 minute walk from the city center (old town). The operator FlixBus also provides long-distance bus services to Bled from most of the same cities that service Ljublana (see the FlixBus website).

By Train: Ljubljana’s main railway, the Oste railway line, connects the following cities with Ljubljana: Paris, Munich, Salzburg, Villach, Zagreb, Belgrade, and Athens among others. Ljubljana also has great rail connections with Trieste (Italy) and Vienna. The train station is a 5-10 minute walk from the city center (old town).
There are two stations in Bled — Lesce-Bled (4 km from the city center) and Bled Jezero (1.5km from the city center). Despite being farther from the center, arriving at Lesce-Bled is generally easier as it lies along the Oste railway line that connects the cities listed above.

By Plane: The nearest airport to both towns is Ljubljana Jože Pucnik Airport (LJU), about 35 km from Lake Bled and 25 km from Ljubljana, and has direct flights from several major European cities, including Paris, Munich, Frankfurt, Zürich, Warsaw, Brussels and Istanbul.
Alternatively, Zagreb airport is only a 2-hour drive away from Ljubljana and Venice airport is only about a 3-hour drive away. Flying into Venice can be a particularly good option for those flying in from North America where direct flights to Ljubljana are rare. This would also save you the hassle of dealing with a flight connection.

Leaving the airport

Reaching Ljubljana or Lake Bled by car from any of the airports described above is fairly straightforward.

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.

We also highly recommend Airalo (eSIM card) for your connectivity needs when travelling abroad. Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide.

If you don’t want to rent a car right away or don’t plan to drive at all, many other options are available to you:

–Taxi: Bled 25 minutes (about €60-70); Ljubljana 25 minutes (about €40)
–Bus – Bled 30 minutes (about €4) – The bus runs about once per hour, you can find more information and the timetable here; Ljubljana 30-45 minutes (about €4) – The bus runs about once per hour, you can find more information and the timetable here.
–Private Transfer – 25 minutes – We have often had great experiences throughout Europe with Welcome Pickups for airport pickups. Similar prices to taxis but without the wait or hassle.
–Shared Transfer – 25-40 minutes – To reduce the cost of planned transfers, GoOpti offers excellent shared transfers throughout Northern Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and eastern Austria.

How to Get Around Slovenia

Although you can reach the vast majority of the day trip options from Lake Bled and Ljubljana by public transit, in our opinion taking a road trip through Slovenia offers significantly more freedom and flexibility. Most of our suggested itinerary locations are relatively close to one another so you won’t need to worry about spending too much on petrol. As mentioned above, we highly recommend using Discover Cars to get the best rates on your rental in Slovenia.

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).

Although finding parking can be costly (though not as bad as in other major European destinations), most of the hotel accommodations we suggest below provide car parks for their guests.

Another option to get around Slovenia is to use organized group tours that depart from Ljubljana or Bled to reach other popular day trip destinations. We will present some of these organized tour options further below.

7-Day Slovenia Road Trip Itinerary

The following itinerary assumes you have 7 full days in Slovenia. We will present options for shorter and longer stays further below, in the itinerary alternatives section.

Lake Bled – 4 Days

Summary
Lake Bled (2 1/2 Days)
Day Trip 1 – Lake Bohinj (full day)
Day Trip 2 – Vintgar Gorge (half day)

Lake Bled

There’s plenty to do and see to keep you busy in Lake Bled. Several walking and hiking trails can keep you busy for the better part of a day, including the Lake Bled Loop trail and the popular Mala Osojnica trail.

Another great activity is to spend some time on the water by renting a canoe and visiting Lake Bled’s little church island. The island isn’t very large, but we’d argue it’s still definitely worth a visit. The main attraction is the 17th-century Baroque Church, which to reach you’ll have the climb a 99-step staircase. If you don’t want to row yourself to the island, you can jump on a passenger pletna boat, one of the traditional gondola-like flat-bottom wooden boats that are propelled by an oarsman and that have taken people to the island since the 16th century.

Perched atop a steep precipice overlooking Lake Bled, the majestic Bled Castle is another must-see attraction during your time in Lake Bled, if for no other reason than to enjoy the stunning views of the lake and the Julian Alps from up there. The castle is believed to be the oldest castle in Slovenia and recently celebrated its one-thousandth anniversary.

For more information on visiting Lake Bled, check out our guide on the Best Things to See and Do in Lake Bled.

Day Trip to Vintgar Gorge

Located in Triglav National Park, 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 and wooden boardwalks follow the gorge’s walls and run for approximately 1.6 km.

The boardwalks also cross 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.

We have typically walked to Vintgar Gorge, but another fun way to get there is via a self-guided e-bike tour:

For more information on visiting the gorge, including opening hours and access fees, check out our Vintgar Gorge Hiking and Visiting Guide.

Day Trip to Lake Bohinj

Lake Bohinj is Slovenia’s largest lake and is mostly located within Triglav National Park. While the lake doesn’t have an imposing clifftop castle or idyllic island, it more than makes up for it with its size and beauty, with the Julian Alps towering above.

There are many things to do in the Lake Bohinj area, including:
1) Take a panoramic boat ride across the lake (available from early April until early November).
2) Hike to short trail to Savica Waterfall near the western end of the lake.
3) Ride the Vogel Cable Car for incredible views from the summit of Mont Vogel.
4) Visit the 700-year-old St John the Baptist Church, one of the finest examples of Slovenian medieval architecture.

Day Trip to Radovljica

Radovljica is a charming countryside town with a well-preserved medieval historic town center. Its small center hosts fun local shops, unique and quirky museums, and a lively town square atmosphere. It’s also really close to Bled, meaning that you can easily stop here on the way to or on the way back from somewhere else.

For more information on this lovely town, check out our guide on the Best Things to See and Do in Radovljica.

Ljublana – 3 Days

Summary
Ljublana (1 1/2 Days)
Day Trip 1 – Postojna Caves, Skojcan Caves, Predjama Castle (full day)
Day Trip 2 – Velika Planina (half day)

Ljubljana

Although Slovenia’s colorful capital is quite compact, it still packs a lot of attractions and sites of interest. It is a recent winner of the prestigious title of European Green Capital and is known for its beautiful architecture that mixes Baroque, Art Nouveau and Art Deco buildings. One of the best things to do in Ljubljana is to stroll through its scenic and colorful old town and the city is very pedestrian-friendly making it easy to explore on foot. The old town has several popular and picturesque squares, including Prešernov Square, Congress Square, Mestni Square and others.

The city is also divided by an emerald green river (Ljubljanica River) that meanders through the historic old town, which is crossed by several impressive pedestrian bridges, most notably those built and designed by famed local architect Jože Plecnik, such as the triple bridge.

Ljublana also offers two great spots from which you can enjoy stunning aerial views of the city: Ljubljana Castle and the tower known as the Skyscraper. Built in the Middle Ages on Castle Hill, Ljubljana Castle has long been a fixture on the city’s skyline, whereas the Neboticnik building (“The Skyscraper”) was built in 1933 and inspired by American skyscrapers and was the ninth tallest building in Europe at the time of its construction.

For more information on visiting Slovenia’s impressive capital, check out our guide on the Best Things to See and Do in Ljubljana.

Day Trip to the Postojna Caves, Skojcan Caves, and Predjama Castle

The Postojna Cave (Postojna Jama) is Europe’s most visited cave system, featuring an underground train ride that traverses several chambers filled with impressive stalagmites and stalactites of all shapes and sizes. The entire karst cave system is 24 km long, making it the second longest cave system in the country – though it remains the easiest to explore for tourists. The caves can only be visited via a guided tour, which lasts 90 minutes and covers 5km worth of caves (though 3.5 of those km are covered via the train ride).

The site also offers more activities beyond the tour, including an interactive exhibition detailing how the caves were formed and the Vivarium, which showcases more than 150 species inhabiting the Postojna Cave system including the famous “baby dragons”.

The Škocjan Caves are home to the largest subterranean canyon in Europe at 146 m deep and were included on UNESCO’s list of natural and cultural World Heritage Sites in 1986. The underground canyon is just so vast and is somewhat reminiscent of the Mines of Moria scenes in The Lord of the Rings movies.

Unlike the Postojna Cave, however, which is easy to visit by most, touring the Škocjan Caves requires a lot more walking and climbing several flight of stairs. The tour is also divided into two parts: the caves are visited via a guided tour, whereas once you exit the caves, you can just choose one of three self-guided routes to return to the starting point. The shortest one takes 15 minutes and makes use of an escalator, whereas the longest takes over an hour and requires you to climb another 700 stairs. Note that photography and videography are not permitted in the Škocjan Caves, so the following pictures are not ours and are from the official Škocjan Caves website:

For more information on these awesome caves, check out our guide on the Postojna and Skojcan Caves (which also includes information on visiting Predjama Castle – see below).

Predjama Castle is a unique and visually stunning Renaissance castle built within a cave, roughly 9 km from the Postojna Cave site. It has stood in the middle of a 123-meter-high cliff for more than 800 years (but most of what you see today is from the 16th century) and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest cave castle in the world. The select and peculiar location of the castle made it quite the impregnable fortress. The cave below the castle is part of the 14 km Predjama cave system. It’s open to visitors from May to September (but closed in winter so as not to disturb its colony of bats during their hibernation).

Day Trip to Velika Planina

Velika Planina is a stunning alpine pasture in northern Slovenia where you can find one of Europe’s few surviving high mountain herdsmen’s villages and enjoy easy hiking trails among free-roaming cattle during the summer months. It’s a fantastic place to enjoy some time outdoors while learning about the unique traditions of the local herdsmen and sampling some of their delicious dairy products. Although you can undertake a challenging hike to reach Velika Planina from the valley below, it’s definitely more fun to ride the cable car and chairlifts up to the summit, and there’s still plenty of hiking to do once you reach the alpine plateau.

For more information on visiting this beautiful alpine plateau, check out our Velika Planina Guide.

Where to Stay in Lake Bled

There are multiple accommodations to choose from in Bled. These are some of the best mid-range options in our opinion:

Bled Rose Hotel – A cute little hotel with modern decor tucked in the center of town, near Bled Castle.

Hotel Park – This is Bled’s largest hotel with 218 rooms, and it’s your best bet to get a room with awesome lake views (and Castle views). The hotel also has a large pool and sauna.

Hotel Starkl – this hotel has cute and modern rooms and is located along the southern lakeshore outside of town for a more quiet and remote experience (though the town is still just a 20-minute walk away).

Where to Stay in Ljubljana

There are multiple accommodations to choose from in Ljubliana. Here are some of our mid-range recommendations, which are all either located in or near the heart of the old town center or a short bus ride away from there.

In or very near the city center:

Occidental Ljubliana – Located near the center of the city this trendy hotel is known for modern amenities and stylish Scandinavian-inspired look.

Hotel Heritage – one of Ljubljana’s most popular boutique hotels offering an authentic stay in a historic old townhouse from the 16th century.

NEU RESIDENCES Smart Stay – offers 55 serviced stylish apartments that are perfect for an extended stay or for those who prefer self-catering options. The rooftop pool is quite impressive as well.

Outside the City Center (a 45-minute walk or a short bus ride)
Austria Trend Hotel Ljubljana – offers some of the largest and most comfortable rooms in Ljubljana. Also features a spa, a wellness center and on-site restaurants.

ONE66 Hotel – offers a variety of vibrant, stylish rooms and apartments. Also features a fitness centre, a lounge and a large terrace.

Slovenia Itinerary Tweaks and Alternatives

Ideas for a Shorter Trip

If you have 5 days or less in Slovenia, an option might be to just pick one home base and spend the duration of your stay in that location. Whether it should be Lake Bled or Ljubljana, that’s entirely up to you. If you prefer being outdoors and enjoying natural landscapes, then perhaps Lake Bled should be your choice. If you prefer the vibe of a lively city with lots of shops, cafes, museums and activities, then Ljublana might be the better home base for you.

The main advantages of sticking to a single home base are that you’ll save all the time involved with the checking-in and checking-out processes and won’t have to repack your bags. The main drawback is that you might have to drive a little more for some of the day trips, especially if you end up in Lake Bled, but on the whole, we don’t think it will add up to that much.

If you pick Lake Bled as a base, the closest day-trip options are Vintgar Gorge, Lake Bohinj, and Ljubljana. Even though you would be further from Velika Planina and the Caves, you can still reach them in about 1h15 or less.

If you pick Ljubljana as a base, which is somewhat more centrally located between all the attractions listed, only Vintgar Gorge and Lake Bohinj will be farther to drive to than if departing from Lake Bled.

Finally, if you don’t want to drive yourself around Slovenia too much, a good option might be to base yourself in Ljubljana and make use of organized group trips that depart from the capital. For instance, If you don’t have a car or don’t want to drive to Lake Bohinj, you can also join one of several group tours from Ljubljana (most of which also include a stop in Lake Bled):

For Lake Bled, you can also join one of several group tours from Ljubljana:

For the Skojcan Caves, you can also join one of several group tours from Ljubljana (and some include stops at either Predjama Castle or Lake Bled):

And finally, for the Postojna Cave, you can also join one of several group tours from Ljubljana (and some include stops at either Predjama Castle or Lake Bled):

Ideas for a Longer Trip

Škofja Loka

Škofja Loka is a charming countryside town nestled in the foothills of the Julian Alps with a well-preserved medieval historic town center that makes for a great half-day trip from either Ljubljana or Lake Bled (though it’s located slightly closer to Ljubljana). The town is small enough that it can be visited in an hour or two but with enough things to see and do (including visiting a hilltop castle and several scenic bridges) to keep you busy for half a day. Despite its obvious beauty, this gem of a town is definitely underrated as few tourists make their way here.

For more information on this lovely town, check out our guide on the Best Things to See and Do in Škofja Loka.

Visit Wine Country

Although Slovenia isn’t necessarily the first name that comes to mind when thinking about wine countries, it is nonetheless home to nine distinct wine-making regions that are increasingly gaining international recognition with each passing year.

Wine-making in Slovenia existed long before the Romans introduced winemaking to France, Germany and Spain, and today Slovenia has over 28,000 wineries, producing upward of 80 million litres of wine annually (75% of which is white wine). For an authentic experience when visiting, choose from various native Slovenian grape varieties like Zelen, Rebula, and Pinela.

Fun fact: The oldest grapevine in the world is the Žametovka vine, also known as the Old Vine or Modra Kavcina, and is located in Maribor, Slovenia. The vine is over 400 years old and has been producing wine grapes since the 17th century. Today it only produces on average 100 lbs of grapes, which are fermented and put into about 100 miniature bottles.

The area around the caves (Primorska Wine Region) is one of the most well-known Slovenian wine regions, and one with strong Italian influence, which is expressed not only in viticulture and winemaking but also in its language, cultural traditions, architecture, and gastronomy. There are many great vineyards to choose from in the area, and we particularly enjoyed our time at Petric Winery, which is roughly a 25-minute drive from both the Škocjan and Postojna Caves.

There is also a great organized group Vipava Valley vineyard tour from Ljubljana if you don’t want to designate a driver while touring multiple vineyards:

Overnight in Postojna

Since the two caves (Postojna & Skojcan), Predema Castle, and many vineyards (Vipava Valley) are all roughly located in the same geographical area, and if you have more than 7 nights to spend in Slovenia, it might make sense to spend one or two nights in Postojna.

The Postojna Cave Hotel Jama is a recently renovated hotel just 100m from the cave entrance, which also features an on-site restaurant and bar.

Those who stay at the hotel also get a 10% discount on the Postojna cave tour prices and benefit from free parking, and pets can stay at the hotel. The hotel also has some interesting features, including secret rooms that you can visit, where “unusual hotel activities” took place in former Yugoslavia.

Best Time to Visit Slovenia

The best time to visit Slovenia depends on what you want to do and how you feel about crowds and weather. We are fans of visiting during shoulder season (April to early June, September, and October), which maximizes your chance of having good weather with fewer crowds. We’ve been to Bled a few times and particularly enjoy visiting in September when the colours are starting to change – and we can imagine the autumn colours really popping in October. Another reason we like September is that the daylight hours are still long enough to plan lots of outdoor time and the light is much softer for photography than when it is higher in the sky during the summer months.

The winter can also be a great time to visit with fewer crowds and lower accommodation costs. Winter in Lake Bled can be equally beautiful if not magical when there is snow – but it can also be quite dull and dark if there isn’t any significant snow accumulation. Your best chance for snow is probably around the Christmas Holidays and during the month of January. The Christmas holidays are also a great time to visit Ljubljana when it hosts several Christmas markets throughout town (typically from December 12th to January 1st). However, as you move away from the summer busy season, many attractions have reduced hours and more limited availability with regard to guided tours, and some places simply close down during the winter such as Vintgar Gorge.

Extend your Road Trip to Another Country

Austria

Three-to-four hours north of Ljubljana lies Austria’s stunning Salzkammergut region, where you will find a myriad of splendid subalpine lakes, each more beautiful than the next, set amongst towering mountains all around. Apart from the area’s natural beauty, there are several must-see attractions to keep you busy, including idyllic lakeside towns such as Hallstatt and St Wolfgang, beautiful hiking trails, boating opportunities, visiting salt mines and ice caves, and not to mention the Baroque beauty that is the city of Salzburg.

If you have 10 to 14 days to allocate to a road trip, we can highly recommend a combined Austria and Slovenia Road Trip.

Planning a Trip to Slovenia?

You might be interested in these pages (coming soon):
Best Things to See and Do in Bled
Best Things to See and Do in Ljubljana
Perfect Slovenia Road Trip Itinerary

We also highly recommend these guidebooks:
Rick Steves Croatia & Slovenia
Lonely Planet Slovenia

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
SafetyWing is a travel insurance company that offers comprehensive coverage for travellers. Includes Medical Insurance and Travel Insurance. Primarily geared towards long-term travellers, digital nomads, and expats.

e-Sim cards
Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide. With Airalo eSIMs, travellers can get connected the moment they land at their destination and avoid nasty data roaming charges
eSIMS are a sustainable alternative to single-use SIM cards – they are 100% digital, require less energy to produce and be re-used rather than disposed of.

Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.

Transfer from Airport
Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US).

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)

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Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our guide on the Best Day Trips from Ljubljana and that it will prove useful for planning your trip.

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