Here's how to squeeze everything into a week to make the most of your trip to Slovenia. We split our time between Lake Bled for 5 days and the capital, Ljubljana for 2 days. A stay in Lake Bled in the summer season will see you in the midst of an extremely popular interailling spot, the interaillers will generally fly through, whilst you bask in all Slovenia has to offer, if you're an interailer and you've got the time, I urge you to slow down, take your time and appreciate what Slovenia has to offer too.
Day 1
We set off from London and arrived at the airport in Ljubljana, only 2 hours later. We headed straight to Lake Bled via a shuttle. Our apartment was located on the road as you arrived into Bled, our driver ended up giving us a tour of Lake Bled before dropping us back off at our apartment. We headed out to the shops to stock up, ate dinner then headed down for our first proper glimpse of the lake, caught the sunset and watched as the castle lit up on the cliffside.
Day 2
There's plenty to do in Lake Bled whether your there for a relaxing holiday or an action packed adventure.
Hike
Cycle
Swim
Explore the Castle
Take a boat to the island and visit the Church or row there yourself
Try Bled cream cake
Go white water rafting on the Sava River
Go canyoneering
Take the mountain coaster down Straza Hill
Take a hot air balloon ride
Go Paragliding
If you're they're in winter go ice climbing or snow shoeing
We planned a whole day of hiking in Bled- for what hikes we did head over to my Slovenia hiking guide. This coincidently was also the hottest day out of the whole week at around 30C, with a short thunderstorm for good measure. The rest of the week remained around the mid 20s, a lot more pleasant for hiking in. After a day hiking, the sun was still out and it was still warm so we took a dip in the lake then headed for food.
Day 3
Catch a shuttle bus from Lake Bled and head to Vintgar Gorge, a short drive away. It costs 10 euros to enter the gorge and you head up a steep hill where the boardwalk and bridges start through the gorge, depending on time of year, it will be busy, you may have to wait to pass people on multiple occasions due to the narrow boardwalk and bridges in parts, take the time to get your own photos of the gorge, there is no rush. After you've walk along the sides of the gorge high up descend and walk along the riverside, before ascending and descending again to reach a waterfall at the other end. Vintgar Gorge is a very popular attraction especially as it is so close to Lake Bled, there may be crowds, but this doesn’t take away from how GORGEous it is.
After arriving back in Bled we took a walk up to Bled castle, there are some great hidden viewpoints from a different perspective of the lake up behind the castle, if you can find it .
Day 4
Catch the bus to Bohinj located in Triglav National Park, this takes about an hour (check how regularly they run). Lake Bohinj is very different to Lake Bled, there is nowhere near as many backpackers, as its off the traditional interrailing route, so it was much more tranquil. At the far end of the lake there is a beach, it’s a great spot for photo opportunities with the backdrop of the mountains, we stopped there for lunch.
Catch the cable car and soar high up into the mountains for the best views, and detour to Savica waterfall down below. As mentioned earlier, check the bus times, I remember running for the bus and just missing it, we then had to wait an hour and arrived back in Bled late, ate pizza and crashed, after a day of walking over 20 miles. Check out our Slovenia hiking guide for more information on day 4.
Day 5
After a lot of walking in the past few days, we wanted more of a chilled day, so had a slow morning and then took the bus for about 30 minutes to Radovljica, a medieval town known for its honey. We explored the town, it was deserted, and felt like a ghost town, nevertheless it was quaint and very cute. We stopped for lunch, had some nice cake from one of the only open cafes, then headed back on the bus to Lake Bled. We took a stroll around Lake Bled and booked a table at recommended restaurant; Sova and went for a swim in Lake Bled whilst we waited for a table. I would pass on this restaurant recommendation to everyone, it was by far all our meal of our week in Slovenia. Then remember when we all (England) thought it was coming home? Well, it was 2018 and it still was, as our legs apparently weren't sore anymore as we jumped in a bar with other groups of England fans, as onlookers stared, and you could hear cheers all around Bled, as we'd actually won a penalty shoot out.
Day 6
Our last morning in Bled, we walked down to the lakeside and rented some bikes and cycled round the lake, stopping off at Velika Zaka beach, the most popular spot for swimming on the shores of Lake Bled, for a last dip, before hopping back on our bikes to continue around the lake. We then picked up our bags and headed to get the bus to the train station. As we had travelled by car to Bled we decided, we wanted to get a different view, and opted to get the train back to Ljubljana. We arrived in Ljubljana, settled into our cute apartment in a cottage above a restaurant, then well; the fridge handle fell off, the aircon remote didn't exist because the aircon had only just been installed, the tap flew off and water went everywhere and I cut my knee all in the space of about 30 minutes, it's all part of travelling though right? So, it was probably time we got out and started to explore the streets, it did not feel like a capital city at all. A large town at best, maybe it because we're used to London, but we all said same thing. Look at the photos from day 8, its empty! We stayed out watching street performers, dancers and watched the boats light up the river as they went through.
Day 7
Our main reason for ensuring we had some time in Ljubljana was so we had the opportunity to visit Škocjan Caves on a day trip from the city. They are one of two places in Slovenia designated an UNESCO World Heritage site. I cannot recommend making these caves part of your trip enough, you won’t regret it. One part you have to cross a bridge suspended 50m up, as usual if you're scared of heights don't look down. They're some of the most impressive caves I have visited, but you'll just have to take my word for it and go see them for yourself, as no photography was allowed in the caves. At the exit to the caves it is a huge impressive archway you can then opt to catch a funicular back up to the entrance or hike 30 minutes, I'd recommend the walk back to take in some more views of waterfalls and small caves hidden on the route back.
Day 8
The final day, included exploring Ljubljana castle, eating crepes and catching our flight back home. I couldn't recommend Slovenia enough. It has boomed as a tourist destination in recent years, predominantly due to the popularity of Lake Bled, don't miss some of it's other top places. Slovenia has firmly placed itself in my top 3 European countries.
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