SLOVENIA: 4 FAVOURITE SPOTS
Slovenia is one of our favourite countries we have visited so far! This place is full of hidden gems, less explored places, less tourists, and has so much still to dive into. It's not a super touristy place yet, but it's definitely on it's way there... people are realizing this country shouldn't be overlooked. We visited summer 2023, and whilst some places were pretty busy, the mountains, countryside, and other parts of the country were still pretty tame. We road-tripped through Slovenia and below you'll find our four favourite spots in the country!
Logar Valley
Logar Valley is a popular photography spot, but there is so much to unpack here. Not only was the drive in SO stunning, there are beautiful hotels to sleep at and cute restaurants to dine at (that ALSO have stunning views). Think farm-to-table restaurants in cute slovenian cabins with 360 degree mountain views.
Driving through Logar Valley is one thing, but our favourite part about it is that it's located right in the Kamnik Alps - where our favourite hike ever is located. You can find everything you need to know about the hike and the mountain hut we stayed at at our blog linked below, but WOW was it something else.
If you visit for the drive, opt to stay in the valley, or head up for the mountain hut for the night, you will not regret visiting this cute valley! If you're in Ljubljana and just want to visit as a day trip without organizing it, check out this tour that will take you right there - to your own Alpine Fairytale.
Lake Bohinj
Lesser known than Lake Bled, however this lake is still a popular spot - for good reason. This stunning lake is the perfect place to take a dip, head to a restaurant, relax, rent a kayak or canoe, and just admire the lake surrounded by the beautiful mountains.
There are a few reasons we love this lake so much. We were able to find out own private spot by walking down the lakeside to relax away from crowds in most places. It's also less known than Lake Bled meaning theres less tourists there. However, don't get me wrong it's definitely still busy! The lake is just also so naturally stunning.
It's also literally right beside Triglav National Park. We did another amazing hike right down the road from here so to be able to do a crazy overnight hike, to post-hike relaxing and taking a dip in the lake, was amazing.
Our tip: if you have your own car, don't stay right on the lake. Opt to stay less than a 10 minute drive away, in a cute Slovenian town! We picked an airbnb that was in Stara Fuzina and were so happy with our choice. The room wasn't anything too special, but it was a traditional Slovenian home with the most peaceful balcony view over the countryside. We felt truly like we were in such a serene setting! Plus, this brought us closer to some of the local restaurants that are a bit less known than those directly on the lake.
Here are a few tour options to see this stunning lake.
Day Tour Ljubljana to Lake Bohinj (& Bled): If you're just looking to do a day trip and see the highlights from the city, this is the perfect way to combine Lake Bohinj and Lake Bled together to get a day trip in.
Bike Tour From Bled to Bohinj: If you're into biking or just feeling super adventurous, take this bike tour from Lake Bled to Lake Bohinj! Not only will you get to experience Slovenia in a different way, but you'll get to see the highlights along the way.
Bovec (Soca River)
This town will soon be a hot adventure spot for people looking for all sorts of things - climbing, hiking, kayaking, rafting, white water, and so much more. This place has so much adventure, and was the thrill of our trip forsure.
The town itself is a great place to spend a few days if you're looking to do some hikes or exploring in the area specifically. It has a very laid back vibe with many options of things to do and where to eat.
However, our favourite thing about Bovec was it's easy access to the Soca River. This river is a work of ART! It's insanely clear and bright blue all at the same time. It's freezing, but also the perfect way to cool off after a nice summer day. It also happens to be the best place to try a new activity, or get your kick of adrenaline for the year!
Here is the ultimate place to do a tour. It's probably the best way to ensure you get everything out of what the Soca Valley / Bovec adventure town has to offer. We personally opted for the kayaking tour and lucked out - I'll link our experience below, and we highly recommend it.
However, if you don't want to kayak on some beginner rapids theres a ton of options of things to do in the area below! All of these tours start in Bovec and take you where you need to go.
Kayaking Adventure: We opted for a kayaking adventure. You can find the exact tour we did in the blog post above as we loved it SO much. But honestly any tour will do as they are all the same (we ran into some other groups along the way). This is a relaxed way to navigate new terrain and see an insane view of the Soca River and the surrounding mountains.
Whitewater Rafting Adventure: You and your group will navigate some beginner rapids whilst going down the Soca River. Your guide will show you the ropes - it's an adventurous way to see so much of the Soca River scenery.
Canyoning Adventure: I have never tried canyoning, but honestly this looks so fun, and what a great way to see so much of this stunning river. Plus, the parts of the river where you explore are so fresh and clear that you'd be less worried about swimming through it! Canyoning is basically using nature as your own adventure park and is definitely for the adventurous.
Stand Up Paddle board (SUP) Adventure: SO many people love to take their SUPs out, so why not do it on the Soca River. This tour will take you through the amazing scenery of the Soca River combined with the background of the Alps and will teach you new tips and tricks about this popular hobby.
Ziplining Tour From Bovec (Julian Alps): This tour takes you into the Julian Alps to adventure on central Europe's largest zipline. Transport is included, including 4x4's to get to the destination, and multiple ziplines will take you over some insanely scenic views.
Brda
As soon as we drove through this place I immediately thought it was the Tuscany of Slovenia. In fact, you're so close to the Italian border, you may aswell be in Italy. This wasn't actually on the original itinerary, but we had been hiking SO much and the last hike on the schedule we just decided to skip, and head to the wine valley for the day instead.
We drove from the Bovec region and it actually was a relatively short drive (that's the beauty of Europe). This allowed us to pull over for views, head to many different places, and drive into some of the small towns.
Something to note about Slovenian wine regions is it's not built for tourism / tastings. It's not like Canada or the USA where you can roll up and taste a selection of wines. In fact, we tried to visit a few vineyards and there was no one around!
For the tastings, you'll need to find specific places that offer wine tastings. For us, the cutest place was found in the adorable town of Smartno and had a selection of wine tastings from across the wine region. It came with great outdoor seating and views in a quiet location,
The other spot, that was unfortunately closed when we visited, was the vineyard below. This way you'll get to taste wine from the owners vineyard on the premises!
However, if you want to visit the actual vineyards, don't want to drive (i.e. both get tasting wines!), or want to do it as a day trip from the city capital, check out these two tours that both visit vineyards close to the area we visited. The vineyard views, rolling hills, and wine will be just as spectacular!
Full Day Wine Tour (From Lbjuljana) To Vipava Valley: This wine tour brings you from the city out to the romantic rolling hills of the Vipava Valley.
Visit To Vipava Valley Vineyard: If you're already in the Vipava Valley or are willing to drive there, book a vineyard experience by reserving a tasting of many wines at the Lepa Vida Vineyard in advance.
Wine Tour From Koper (Visit A Wine Fountain): Take a day trip from Koper to a small vineyard and get to taste wine right from a wine fountain! Plus, you'll have spectacular views over the valley.
See You In Slovenia!
We HIGHLY recommend Slovenia. If you're intereted in knowing more about our exact itinerary (where we stayed, ate, what we did, etc), check out our Slovenia Itinerary (found on our thatch profile). We also have so many resources for hikes and information available on our blog! You can find them both below and we hope you'll make the trip to Slovenia - it's SO worth it.
SLOVENIA: 4 FAVOURITE SPOTS
Slovenia is one of our favourite countries we have visited so far! This place is full of hidden gems, less explored places, less tourists, and has so much still to dive into. It's not a super touristy place yet, but it's definitely on it's way there... people are realizing this country shouldn't be overlooked. We visited summer 2023, and whilst some places were pretty busy, the mountains, countryside, and other parts of the country were still pretty tame. We road-tripped through Slovenia and below you'll find our four favourite spots in the country!
Logar Valley
Logar Valley is a popular photography spot, but there is so much to unpack here. Not only was the drive in SO stunning, there are beautiful hotels to sleep at and cute restaurants to dine at (that ALSO have stunning views). Think farm-to-table restaurants in cute slovenian cabins with 360 degree mountain views.
Driving through Logar Valley is one thing, but our favourite part about it is that it's located right in the Kamnik Alps - where our favourite hike ever is located. You can find everything you need to know about the hike and the mountain hut we stayed at at our blog linked below, but WOW was it something else.
If you visit for the drive, opt to stay in the valley, or head up for the mountain hut for the night, you will not regret visiting this cute valley! If you're in Ljubljana and just want to visit as a day trip without organizing it, check out this tour that will take you right there - to your own Alpine Fairytale.
Lake Bohinj
Lesser known than Lake Bled, however this lake is still a popular spot - for good reason. This stunning lake is the perfect place to take a dip, head to a restaurant, relax, rent a kayak or canoe, and just admire the lake surrounded by the beautiful mountains.
There are a few reasons we love this lake so much. We were able to find out own private spot by walking down the lakeside to relax away from crowds in most places. It's also less known than Lake Bled meaning theres less tourists there. However, don't get me wrong it's definitely still busy! The lake is just also so naturally stunning.
It's also literally right beside Triglav National Park. We did another amazing hike right down the road from here so to be able to do a crazy overnight hike, to post-hike relaxing and taking a dip in the lake, was amazing.
Our tip: if you have your own car, don't stay right on the lake. Opt to stay less than a 10 minute drive away, in a cute Slovenian town! We picked an airbnb that was in Stara Fuzina and were so happy with our choice. The room wasn't anything too special, but it was a traditional Slovenian home with the most peaceful balcony view over the countryside. We felt truly like we were in such a serene setting! Plus, this brought us closer to some of the local restaurants that are a bit less known than those directly on the lake.
Here are a few tour options to see this stunning lake.
Day Tour Ljubljana to Lake Bohinj (& Bled): If you're just looking to do a day trip and see the highlights from the city, this is the perfect way to combine Lake Bohinj and Lake Bled together to get a day trip in.
Bike Tour From Bled to Bohinj: If you're into biking or just feeling super adventurous, take this bike tour from Lake Bled to Lake Bohinj! Not only will you get to experience Slovenia in a different way, but you'll get to see the highlights along the way.
Bovec (Soca River)
This town will soon be a hot adventure spot for people looking for all sorts of things - climbing, hiking, kayaking, rafting, white water, and so much more. This place has so much adventure, and was the thrill of our trip forsure.
The town itself is a great place to spend a few days if you're looking to do some hikes or exploring in the area specifically. It has a very laid back vibe with many options of things to do and where to eat.
However, our favourite thing about Bovec was it's easy access to the Soca River. This river is a work of ART! It's insanely clear and bright blue all at the same time. It's freezing, but also the perfect way to cool off after a nice summer day. It also happens to be the best place to try a new activity, or get your kick of adrenaline for the year!
Here is the ultimate place to do a tour. It's probably the best way to ensure you get everything out of what the Soca Valley / Bovec adventure town has to offer. We personally opted for the kayaking tour and lucked out - I'll link our experience below, and we highly recommend it.
However, if you don't want to kayak on some beginner rapids theres a ton of options of things to do in the area below! All of these tours start in Bovec and take you where you need to go.
Kayaking Adventure: We opted for a kayaking adventure. You can find the exact tour we did in the blog post above as we loved it SO much. But honestly any tour will do as they are all the same (we ran into some other groups along the way). This is a relaxed way to navigate new terrain and see an insane view of the Soca River and the surrounding mountains.
Whitewater Rafting Adventure: You and your group will navigate some beginner rapids whilst going down the Soca River. Your guide will show you the ropes - it's an adventurous way to see so much of the Soca River scenery.
Canyoning Adventure: I have never tried canyoning, but honestly this looks so fun, and what a great way to see so much of this stunning river. Plus, the parts of the river where you explore are so fresh and clear that you'd be less worried about swimming through it! Canyoning is basically using nature as your own adventure park and is definitely for the adventurous.
Stand Up Paddle board (SUP) Adventure: SO many people love to take their SUPs out, so why not do it on the Soca River. This tour will take you through the amazing scenery of the Soca River combined with the background of the Alps and will teach you new tips and tricks about this popular hobby.
Ziplining Tour From Bovec (Julian Alps): This tour takes you into the Julian Alps to adventure on central Europe's largest zipline. Transport is included, including 4x4's to get to the destination, and multiple ziplines will take you over some insanely scenic views.
Brda
As soon as we drove through this place I immediately thought it was the Tuscany of Slovenia. In fact, you're so close to the Italian border, you may aswell be in Italy. This wasn't actually on the original itinerary, but we had been hiking SO much and the last hike on the schedule we just decided to skip, and head to the wine valley for the day instead.
We drove from the Bovec region and it actually was a relatively short drive (that's the beauty of Europe). This allowed us to pull over for views, head to many different places, and drive into some of the small towns.
Something to note about Slovenian wine regions is it's not built for tourism / tastings. It's not like Canada or the USA where you can roll up and taste a selection of wines. In fact, we tried to visit a few vineyards and there was no one around!
For the tastings, you'll need to find specific places that offer wine tastings. For us, the cutest place was found in the adorable town of Smartno and had a selection of wine tastings from across the wine region. It came with great outdoor seating and views in a quiet location,
The other spot, that was unfortunately closed when we visited, was the vineyard below. This way you'll get to taste wine from the owners vineyard on the premises!
However, if you want to visit the actual vineyards, don't want to drive (i.e. both get tasting wines!), or want to do it as a day trip from the city capital, check out these two tours that both visit vineyards close to the area we visited. The vineyard views, rolling hills, and wine will be just as spectacular!
Full Day Wine Tour (From Lbjuljana) To Vipava Valley: This wine tour brings you from the city out to the romantic rolling hills of the Vipava Valley.
Visit To Vipava Valley Vineyard: If you're already in the Vipava Valley or are willing to drive there, book a vineyard experience by reserving a tasting of many wines at the Lepa Vida Vineyard in advance.
Wine Tour From Koper (Visit A Wine Fountain): Take a day trip from Koper to a small vineyard and get to taste wine right from a wine fountain! Plus, you'll have spectacular views over the valley.
See You In Slovenia!
We HIGHLY recommend Slovenia. If you're intereted in knowing more about our exact itinerary (where we stayed, ate, what we did, etc), check out our Slovenia Itinerary (found on our thatch profile). We also have so many resources for hikes and information available on our blog! You can find them both below and we hope you'll make the trip to Slovenia - it's SO worth it.