Unless you are LITERALLY just passing through one city on the way to somewhere else, 3 days in Slovenia is the minimum amount of time to “see” something of Slovenia.
Ljubljana and Lake Bled are two of the most visited parts of Slovenia for a reason. Seeing these highlights will give you a small but sweet taste of what the rest of Slovenia has to offer.
Driving in Slovenia was an easy and enjoyable experience, so we recommend renting a car for your visit.
If you won’t have a car, getting between Ljubljana and Lake Bled is an easy connection with trains regularly throughout the day. There are also a number of wonderful tours that you can take to see Lake Bled from Ljubljana. There are public transportation options for getting to Predjama Castle and Postojna Caves from Ljubliana.
🛏 Where to Stay for 3 Nights in Ljubliana
Ljubliana is the best home base to use for this trip. It is centrally located between Lake Bled and Predjama Castle/Postojna (it is about 45 minutes to each.)
🛏 Option 1 - Vila Veselova: We stayed in Vila Veselova on our stay. It offers large rooms for families in a big house, just a few blocks from the old town. We enjoyed the friendly atmosphere of this family friendly hostel (we had a private room with a shared bathroom). They also offer a lovely but basic breakfast.
🛏 Option 2: Meščanka Apartments- These apartment in Ljubljana's old town have an ideal location and have space for families. This would be a great choice, especially if you needed a kitchen or more room to spread out.
🛏 Option 2 - City Hotel Ljubliana: This hotel has a beautiful rooftop restaurant and rooms to accommodate a wide range of family sizes (including triples, quads and adjoining rooms). They serve a lovely breakfast on the rooftop that is included (note on breakfast - it looks like they have some range of options for gluten free and special diets.)
📆 Day One: Ljubliana
🕘 9:00am
Get a good overview of Ljubliana and get the tour out of the way first while your kids are fresh. I will be honest...this was a little dry for the kids, but we did learn a lot and we covered a lot of ground. Look for ways to make it interesting for them (maybe some bubbles or see who can spot the most dragons...or candy...bribes always work!)
...Then reward them with a stop at Puffy L'il pancakes on your way to the castle!
Meander over towards the castle before lunch. You can take the funicular up or walk (our kids thought that the funicular was fun).
🍽 Lunch
Grab a picnic lunch at the central market, and then meander over to Tivoli Park for some unstructured play time.
🕐 Afternoon Free Time
I have left some time in the afternoon to hit any sights that you missed earlier, or to just wander around soaking in the scenery.
If you are looking for something else to do, the House of Illusions in Ljubliana was a really fun stop for our kids. They never seem to get tired of these places, and there were some great photo opportunities to be had there.
🍽 Dinner in Ljubliana
Dinner at Gostlina Sokol is a little "touristy" but it is still a worthwhile and fun stop for families. The inside of the restaurant as a very "old and medieval" we all enjoyed. Authentic...probably not. Fun and worthwhile...definitely!
Follow dinner up with ice cream at Vigo while wandering around the old town getting some fantastic pictures of the old town lit up at night.
📆 Day Two: Lake Bled
Lake Bled is a magical place. It is one of those rare places that really do look as pretty in a photo as they do in real life. The walk around Lake Bled is easy. It is flat and level, and will probably take you a couple of hours with little kiddos.
There are impressive and varying views of the magical island from different spots around the lake, so if your kids are up to it, I suggest taking a couple of hours and walking around the whole lake.
🕘Morning
Make sure you stop here for your iconic slice of Bled Cream Cake! This impressive photo spot is a little up the hill from the lake, but the views are some of the best! A little cake will help give your kids some energy for walking around the lake (or, save it as a reward for at the end!)
If you are looking for more impressive views of the lake, this is a great trail to consider. It will take about 30 minutes each way, and it is moderately challenging, as you will be climbing.
There are two ways to get out to the iconic island. You can take a traditional Pletna Boat out there, or you can have an adventure and rent your own boat and row! They are both fun (our kids loved rowing and it made it seem like a little adventure). Rowing is definitely the more budget friendly option for 3 or more people.
This is a link to the Pletna Boats...
Or, if you are feeling adventurous, you can rent your own and DIY your trip to the island!
🍽Lunch
The reviews are spot on about this popular local pizza place in Bled. Fabulous pizzas and a super family friendly atmosphere made this a hit on our trip!
🕐 Afternoon
Bled Castle is one of the most popular things to see in Slovenia. It is the oldest castle, and it has an impressive perch, high up on the cliffs above the lake.
We had so much fun riding the chairlift and doing the mountain coaster from the top. The views from the top of the lake were really worthwhile. You should definitely make time for this while you are visiting Lake bled.
If you are looking for more adrenaline from your afternoon, you should absolutely check out the longest ziplines in Europe!
📆 Day Three: Predjama Castle and Postojna Caves
Drive or take public transit from Ljubljana to Postojna Cave/Predjama Castle. Spend the day exploring these beautiful sites which are among the most popular tourist destinations in the country.
🕘Morning
🍽Lunch near Predjama Castle
I highly recommend having lunch at the little restaurant right at Predjama Castle. The prices were very reasonable, the views are really quite grand.
🕐 Afternoon
🕐 Bonus Activity!
The Technical Museum of Slovenia is located midway between Ljubljana and the castle and caves. If you are driving and you are looking for a way to extend your sightseeing a bit, this is a fascinating stop! You could easily spend a couple of hours here and if you have time, you really should!
❓❓❓ Are you looking for some other short Slovenia itineraries? I created a guide with three different ways to see Slovenia in 3 days. There are two other great itineraries that I have curated for you from our own Slovenia adventures, which you can find here.
Unless you are LITERALLY just passing through one city on the way to somewhere else, 3 days in Slovenia is the minimum amount of time to “see” something of Slovenia.
Ljubljana and Lake Bled are two of the most visited parts of Slovenia for a reason. Seeing these highlights will give you a small but sweet taste of what the rest of Slovenia has to offer.
Driving in Slovenia was an easy and enjoyable experience, so we recommend renting a car for your visit.
If you won’t have a car, getting between Ljubljana and Lake Bled is an easy connection with trains regularly throughout the day. There are also a number of wonderful tours that you can take to see Lake Bled from Ljubljana. There are public transportation options for getting to Predjama Castle and Postojna Caves from Ljubliana.
🛏 Where to Stay for 3 Nights in Ljubliana
Ljubliana is the best home base to use for this trip. It is centrally located between Lake Bled and Predjama Castle/Postojna (it is about 45 minutes to each.)
🛏 Option 1 - Vila Veselova: We stayed in Vila Veselova on our stay. It offers large rooms for families in a big house, just a few blocks from the old town. We enjoyed the friendly atmosphere of this family friendly hostel (we had a private room with a shared bathroom). They also offer a lovely but basic breakfast.
🛏 Option 2: Meščanka Apartments- These apartment in Ljubljana's old town have an ideal location and have space for families. This would be a great choice, especially if you needed a kitchen or more room to spread out.
🛏 Option 2 - City Hotel Ljubliana: This hotel has a beautiful rooftop restaurant and rooms to accommodate a wide range of family sizes (including triples, quads and adjoining rooms). They serve a lovely breakfast on the rooftop that is included (note on breakfast - it looks like they have some range of options for gluten free and special diets.)
📆 Day One: Ljubliana
🕘 9:00am
Get a good overview of Ljubliana and get the tour out of the way first while your kids are fresh. I will be honest...this was a little dry for the kids, but we did learn a lot and we covered a lot of ground. Look for ways to make it interesting for them (maybe some bubbles or see who can spot the most dragons...or candy...bribes always work!)
...Then reward them with a stop at Puffy L'il pancakes on your way to the castle!
Meander over towards the castle before lunch. You can take the funicular up or walk (our kids thought that the funicular was fun).
🍽 Lunch
Grab a picnic lunch at the central market, and then meander over to Tivoli Park for some unstructured play time.
🕐 Afternoon Free Time
I have left some time in the afternoon to hit any sights that you missed earlier, or to just wander around soaking in the scenery.
If you are looking for something else to do, the House of Illusions in Ljubliana was a really fun stop for our kids. They never seem to get tired of these places, and there were some great photo opportunities to be had there.
🍽 Dinner in Ljubliana
Dinner at Gostlina Sokol is a little "touristy" but it is still a worthwhile and fun stop for families. The inside of the restaurant as a very "old and medieval" we all enjoyed. Authentic...probably not. Fun and worthwhile...definitely!
Follow dinner up with ice cream at Vigo while wandering around the old town getting some fantastic pictures of the old town lit up at night.
📆 Day Two: Lake Bled
Lake Bled is a magical place. It is one of those rare places that really do look as pretty in a photo as they do in real life. The walk around Lake Bled is easy. It is flat and level, and will probably take you a couple of hours with little kiddos.
There are impressive and varying views of the magical island from different spots around the lake, so if your kids are up to it, I suggest taking a couple of hours and walking around the whole lake.
🕘Morning
Make sure you stop here for your iconic slice of Bled Cream Cake! This impressive photo spot is a little up the hill from the lake, but the views are some of the best! A little cake will help give your kids some energy for walking around the lake (or, save it as a reward for at the end!)
If you are looking for more impressive views of the lake, this is a great trail to consider. It will take about 30 minutes each way, and it is moderately challenging, as you will be climbing.
There are two ways to get out to the iconic island. You can take a traditional Pletna Boat out there, or you can have an adventure and rent your own boat and row! They are both fun (our kids loved rowing and it made it seem like a little adventure). Rowing is definitely the more budget friendly option for 3 or more people.
This is a link to the Pletna Boats...
Or, if you are feeling adventurous, you can rent your own and DIY your trip to the island!
🍽Lunch
The reviews are spot on about this popular local pizza place in Bled. Fabulous pizzas and a super family friendly atmosphere made this a hit on our trip!
🕐 Afternoon
Bled Castle is one of the most popular things to see in Slovenia. It is the oldest castle, and it has an impressive perch, high up on the cliffs above the lake.
We had so much fun riding the chairlift and doing the mountain coaster from the top. The views from the top of the lake were really worthwhile. You should definitely make time for this while you are visiting Lake bled.
If you are looking for more adrenaline from your afternoon, you should absolutely check out the longest ziplines in Europe!
📆 Day Three: Predjama Castle and Postojna Caves
Drive or take public transit from Ljubljana to Postojna Cave/Predjama Castle. Spend the day exploring these beautiful sites which are among the most popular tourist destinations in the country.
🕘Morning
🍽Lunch near Predjama Castle
I highly recommend having lunch at the little restaurant right at Predjama Castle. The prices were very reasonable, the views are really quite grand.
🕐 Afternoon
🕐 Bonus Activity!
The Technical Museum of Slovenia is located midway between Ljubljana and the castle and caves. If you are driving and you are looking for a way to extend your sightseeing a bit, this is a fascinating stop! You could easily spend a couple of hours here and if you have time, you really should!
❓❓❓ Are you looking for some other short Slovenia itineraries? I created a guide with three different ways to see Slovenia in 3 days. There are two other great itineraries that I have curated for you from our own Slovenia adventures, which you can find here.