One Week in Slovenia!

The first thing I want to say to start this one week in Slovenia guide is… Slovenia is for lovers! Love is even in the country’s name: sLOVEnia. It’s one of those places absolutely adored by Capital T Travelers, which is how it came to be on my radar years ago. I follow lots of travel creators online, and every single one of them RAVES about Slovenia. It’s a very loved destination. I was so curious to experience it for myself– spoiler alert: its loveliness definitely came through. I’ll get into more details later in this post, but love was definitely in the air. It felt like quite a romantic place.

This small country (about as big as New Jersey) is flanked by Italy, Croatia, Austria, and Hungary, and really packs a punch for its size. There is so much to do! I was surprised to find that one week in Slovenia wasn’t enough to see it all, so keep that in mind while reading through this itinerary. Because it closely borders four countries, it has all those influences while also being its own. I think the geography is a big part of what makes Slovenia a really interesting place to visit for people who love to travel. That and the fact that it’s less visited than those other countries–less crowded destinations are always welcome.

Some practical stuff about our trip before I get into details: we flew in and out of Munich (less than an hour flight) and were there at the end of September. I think September is a good time to visit because there are less tourists and the temperature is mild (50s-70s). However, the chance of rain increases, and we sadly got rain most days which was a bit of a bummer. It’s kind of hard to avoid rain completely since you’re near the Alps, but September and October seem to be the rainiest months. I think I would have preferred going in June or August. That being said, we had a wonderful time!

Let’s get into our itinerary, so you can daydream about or plan for one week in Slovenia, too! I went with my cousin, and we flew into Ljubljana from Munich in the evening and then drove the 45ish minutes to Bled. That was technically day 1, but all we did was travel and sleep. If you can arrive in the morning or afternoon, you’ll gain much more time to explore Bled.

Day 2: Lake Bled

This lake is so picturesque that it became a famous screensaver! You might have seen it on your computer or TV. Our day in Bled started in nearby Vintgar Gorge, the gateway to Triglav National Park and part of the Julian Alps. This is an activity you need timed tickets for, which we booked ahead and they were very strict about. (They wouldn’t let us start even a minute early. And I assume it would be similar if you were late.) We spent a few lovely hours walking the trails and taking in the stunning scenery. It was our first true glimpse of Slovenia, and we were already starting to understand why people love it so much. This is a must do in my opinion!

Then we decided to walk all the way around Lake Bled as it’s less than 4 miles. We beat the rain for the first part which I’m so grateful for. We got to take in so much beauty and get some amazing photos. We had plans to swim in the lake and go up to Bled Castle for wine and views, but it started down pouring so we didn’t do either of those things. Next time!

We stopped for a wonderful lunch across from the beach. I really loved all the food and wine I had in Slovenia! We made our way back to our hotel and relaxed the rest of the day. Then we went to one of the nearby restaurants for a seafood dinner and a bar for a night cap before walking back in the rain again.

There was so much we wanted to do in Bled that we didn’t get to because of the weather. No swimming and no castle views, plus we also would have liked to hike to Mala Osojnica for panoramic views of the lake. If you have better weather, add those things to your list! Despite all that, we loved Bled. It was very cozy while being impressive. We could see how couples would find it really romantic to be in a little town with such quaint hotels and gorgeous scenery.

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Pekarna Planika was a bakery across the street from our hotel that had the best chocolate croissants I’ve ever had! I also loved the coffee at the cafe next to it!

Our guest house: really loved our stay here. would stay again. I don’t believe they have AC so keep that in mind if your one week in Slovenia falls during the summer months.

Vintgar Gorge tickets: should not be missed.

Lake Bled Photo Diary:

If we had more time near Bled/if you arrive early enough on day 1:

We would have loved to drive the 30 minutes to explore Lake Bohinj. It looks so freaking beautiful and is more of a hidden gem than Lake Bled. It would have been wonderful to have a picnic here and do some more hiking. Zlatorog Fairy Trail was on my list for this area.

Day 3: Postojna Cave and Hisa Franko

We had to change our plans for day 3 because of the rain. I’ll share our original plans in the next section, so you can choose to do that instead if you have better luck with weather. However, I am soooo glad we got to visit the caves on our trip. We didn’t originally have time to.

I believe Postojna Cave Park is Slovenia’s top attraction. I can see why. There’s an underground train ride and walking trails surrounded by cave formations from MILLIONS of years ago. Our minds were blown through out the whole audio-guided tour. I did not think I would love this as much as I did (which is why it didn’t make our original itinerary), but it was absolutely incredible! A perfect way to avoid the rain but also worth it no matter what.

Then we were off to Hisa Franko, the place that put Slovenia on the culinary map and really upped the country’s food game overall. Hisa Franko is a 3 Michelin Star restaurant that also has a guest house, so you can enjoy a wonderful meal with lots of wine and then just walk to your room! It was featured on Netflix’s Chef’s Table–such a good episode if you’re curious to see it in action and see how they use Slovenia’s land and natural resources as inspiration/ingredients for their recipes.

This was one of the most special travel experiences I’ve ever done. If you love food and have room in your budget, I would highly, highly recommend staying one night at Hisa Franko. You get a world class dinner plus an incredible breakfast spread, too. And the accommodation is so cute.

I had never eaten at a 3 Michelin Star restaurant before, but Hisa Franko manages to make a very fancy meal feel welcoming and comfortable. When you’re there, you feel like family. It wasn’t intimidating, stuffy, or pretentious. You need no prior experience of fine dining etiquette– everything you need to know is explained to you with each course. The staff make it an absolutely magical experience from start to finish.

Once again we couldn’t help but feel like Slovenia is super romantic. How special would it be to have this meal on your honeymoon?! We actually did dine with one couple who was on theirs. This area of Slovenia is VERY close to Italy. It’s like getting an Italian honeymoon without the high prices or crowds. It’s also close to Croatia, so you could have some coastal honeymoon days too. I haven’t even gotten to Ljubljana yet, which is possibly the most charming capital in all of Europe. One week in Slovenia would make for a fantastic honeymoon!

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Postojna Cave Park: truly mind blowing.

Hisa Franko: I will never forget our day here.

Photo Diary from the caves and Hisa Franko:

Alternate day 3: road trip/hiking in the Slovenian Alps

These were our loose plans for day 3 that we had to cancel. We wanted to have a road trip/nature day, but the weather didn’t cooperate. We would have headed to Kranska Gora from Bled to drive the Vrsic Pass, stopping at Pericnik Waterfall on the way. Zelenci Spring is a short walk near Kranska Gora I had saved for us to check out. As we drove the Vrisc Pass and then further south to end up at Hisa Franko, we would have stopped at the famous suspension bridge and Kozjak Falls (and anything else that called our name!). This is a beautiful area of the country that travelers absolutely love. Next time!

Day 4 in Slovenia: Predjama Castle and Ljubljana

After a magical breakfast spread at Hisa Franko, we headed to Predjama Castle since it was included with our ticket to the cave park. Again, this is something we didn’t originally have planned and only did because of the weather, but I am SO glad things worked out this way. Seeing this castle jut out of the side of a cliff was stunning– I’ve never seen anything like it in all my travels. It’s the world’s largest cave castle and has been there in some form for over 800 years!

We thoroughly enjoyed the audioguide and wandering through the castle and into its cave. Imagining what life was like for people and royals living here has been on my mind ever since. I’d love to read historical fiction about one of its queens! This is located not far from the cave park, so you can definitely do them in the same day. It just worked out with our dinner reservations at Hisa Franko to do them on successive days. Plus, we needed another activity this day to get out of the rain.

Then we were finally off to the capital, Ljubljana! We checked into another fabulous hotel which I’ve linked for you below. Highly highly recommend staying at the AS Boutique Hotel if you go to LJ.

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Predjama Castle

AS Boutique Hotel

Photos from Predjama Castle:

Day 5/6 in Slovenia: Ljubljana

Ljubljana is postcard pretty and dare I say the most charming capital in all of Europe?? Again, how romantic! We absolutely loved our 2ish days spent wandering around, especially because no cars are allowed in the center. It made for such a lovely, walkable city experience. We basically puttered around and shopped and did whatever we felt like. We had some fantastic pizza and gelato (remember how close you are to Italy) but also some amazing Eastern European comfort food. Having food and wine next to the river was definitely a highlight of this whole trip!

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AS Boutique Hotel our fabulous hotel. great location to walk everywhere. great rooftop.

Slovenska Hisa Ljubljancanka where we had dinner our first night. traditional cooking like grandma. devoured this meal!

Pop’s Pizza and Sport incredible pizzas. sat outside for a boozy lunch.

Ljubljana Castle you don’t need tickets to go up and see the views and grab a wine, but there’s lots to explore if you like history/museums.

Ljubljana Photo Diary:

Ideas for another day if you have one week in Slovenia:

• The Brda region has vineyards and is considered Slovenia’s Tuscany. I would have loved to stay a night (or two) at Peterc Vineyard Estate.
• I’m so sad we didn’t get any time in Piran, Slovenia’s resort town on the Adriatic Sea, checking out the beaches, Venetian architecture, and coastal cuisine.
• If we made it to the mountains in the east, I had tobogganing on my wish list. How fun does this look?

Closing Thoughts

I’ll end with a confession. I went to Slovenia because my cousin wanted to. Yes, it had been on my radar for years and I knew people loved it, but for whatever reason I never felt the urge to make a trip happen myself. And even now, reading through what I’ve written about our time there, I know the magic of the country isn’t fully coming through. Slovenia’s charm is hard to capture in words or photos. It’s not as in your face as its neighbors, Italy and Croatia.

What I will say is it felt soooo good to be there. It is an absolutely stunning place I’m so grateful I got to experience. There’s so much to do without feeling overwhelming. It’s less busy, more calm, super drivable, unhurried. Its presence is quieter and asks you to listen a little harder for its call. Slovenia is understated, but so impactful and special once you’ve been there yourself.

So yes, I’m very glad my cousin wanted to visit Slovenia. Our partners weren’t able to join for different reasons, but we both agreed that this country really shines as a destination for couples. We obviously had a wonderful time, so it also works for a family or friend trip, but we just kept coming back to how romantic it felt. Everything is so picturesque and charming–it really would make a great honeymoon spot. Incredible nature, food, wine, hiking, history, culture, adventure, beauty. Slovenia truly has it all!

I hope you found inspiration in this one week guide. And if you’re on the fence about choosing Slovenia over one of its neighbors, I hope you’ll take a chance and book the trip. I know you’ll fall in love with this country, too!

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This trip was combined with Munich, because we went to Oktoberfest!! It was not love at first sight like many people feel with Slovenia, but it was love in the end.

Read more here: First Timers’ Guide to Oktoberfest.