Slovenia is an underrated gem in Europe and left a lasting impression on us. We like its stunning castles, the serene beauty of Lake Bled, and the peaceful Ljubljana’s old town. We were fascinated to learn about olms for the first time. In addition, I found Slovenian food surprisingly delicious.

It was a great opportunity for us to explore Slovenia since we were travelling from Croatia to Italy, and Slovenia conveniently lies between the two.

In fact, I had been looking forward to visiting Slovenia very much, as it is not as commonly visited as other European destinations and it is less likely we will have the opportunity to return.

 

Ljubljana – the capital of Slovenia

We stayed at Urban Boutique Hotel Centre in Ljubljana for 2 nights. It was a comfortable stay at a good location, though I do not like the fact that there is no Uber in Slovenia. The hotel is only about 10 minutes walk from our hotel, but it was a bit inconvenient walking with our luggage.

Ljubljana is like a fairy-tale city, with its charming cobblestone streets, picturesque bridges spanning the Ljubljanica River, and a lively square with vibrant cafe culture… Just walking around the city felt so peaceful and relaxing.

By the way, the dragon is a symbol of Ljubljana, as it is also called the City of Dragon. Dragon Bridge is a key landmark crossing the Ljubljana River with four big dragon statues on the bridge.

A popular activity in Ljubljana is going on a boat tour. There are many choices and I heard they are more or less the same, so we just chose the one that we could simply walk in. The price was 14 euros per person, and there were only 3 people including us. It was a tranquil ride though it started raining.

It was a shame that we did not visit the famous Ljubljana Castle, the most popular attraction in Ljubljana. This was due to rain and the cable car being out of service. If either of these issues had occurred alone, we could have managed, but facing both at the same time made it too difficult.

Here, we had one of our most uncomfortable experiences with the free walking tour. After booking online, we arrived early at the meeting point, finding only ourselves as the other group has not arrived. We wanted to visit a nearby chocolate shop while waiting but the tour guide discouraged us.

After standing there waiting for a while, we found out the other group went to the wrong spot because the tour guide gave them the wrong address. She became very anxious and depressed, so we decided to cancel the tour. We only had very short time in Slovenia and did not want to waste any more time and I don’t think we would enjoy the tour even if going ahead. I felt very regret that I did not book another tour which runs on a Sunday.

 

Slovenia Explorer tour

We booked a tour via Viator for a day trip to Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle, Lake Bled and Bled Castle. While these attractions are not far away from Ljubljana, they are in opposite direction to each other making it impossible to visit them all in one day using public transportation. As we only had very limited time in Slovenia, we wanted to make the best use of it by joining the tour.

There is a price to pay for convenience. The tour was priced at AUD$384 for two of us, and didn’t cover any admission fees and boat rides – we ended up spending additional 154 euros (about AUD$255) for those expenses. But I think it is worthwhile as it is once-in-a-lifetime experience!

 

Postojna Cave

There are many caves in Slovenia and Postojna Cave is the most popular one. It is a huge underground network of caves famous for its stunning rock formations and unique creatures like the olm. The ticket included a guided tour with a train. Some paths are very narrow and steep so might not be suitable for elderly.

We found olms incredibly fascinating creatures. They can live up to 100 years, like humans, and can survive for up to 10 years without food. Blind and motionless for extended periods to conserve energy, they’re truly unique. I regret not buying the olm stuffed toy at the souvenir shop as it will be difficult to find elsewhere.

 

Predjama Castle

In Slovenian language, “Pred” means “in front of” and “jama” means “cave.” So, Predjama Castle literally means the castle in front of the cave. It takes about 15 minutes to drive from Postojna Cave to Predjama Castle.

To be honest, we found the view of the castle from outside more impressive than going inside. However, we decided to purchase tickets and explore the interior briefly. The self-guided tour was quite modern. Afterward, we enjoyed a coffee while admiring the impressive castle views.

 

Bled Island

The drive from Predjama Castle to Lake Bled typically takes around 1.5 hours, passing through Ljubljana. At Lake Bled, we enjoyed a traditional rowboat ride to Bled Island, where a charming church and cafe offered breathtaking views.

The boat ride cost 18 euros per person, and they only accept cash. The boatman shared that it’s a generational business, passed down to the children, which was interesting.

We spent an hour on Bled Island and tried the traditional Slovenian pastry, Potica. While it wasn’t quite to our taste, we enjoyed the beautiful view from the cafe. We saw hiking trails from here and wished we had the time to explore them, as we’re sure they would provide even more breathtaking views.

 

Bled Castle

When we arrived at Bled Castle, it was already 5pm. We only had 45 minutes to explore which felt a bit rushed. Bled Castle was one of the attractions that I most looked forward to in this trip, and we wished we could have more time to fully experience the castle, perhaps having a glass of wine while enjoying the stunning view.

A must-try here is the traditional Bled Cream Cake (Kremsnita). Travelling with Ben means we can share all the calories. 😂 Unlike the other three solo travellers in our tour who each had one cake, the two of us shared. Even then, we felt quite full, given it’s made mostly of vanilla custard and cream. It makes me wonder how much exercise it would take to burn off those calories.

 

Amazing Slovenian Food

The Kranjska sausage is one of the most internationally recognisable Slovenian specialties, and I have been looking forward to it for a while (I love eating sausages). We had it at Klobasarna which is a highly rated restaurant in Ljubljana.

The Kranjska sausage did not disappoint, and the the Jota and (cabbage soup) and Strukljev (rolled dumplings) were surprisingly delicious as well. The price is quite reasonable at 23 euro for everything.

Slovenia takes pride in using healthy ingredients from local gardens and farms, and we have really enjoyed the food that we had in Slovenia.

 

Overall, a short trip to a very unique place

We wished for more time in Slovenia. Technically, we had less than 2 days there, arriving in the afternoon on Saturday and leaving at 7:40am on Monday. After this, we took a bus from Ljubljana Bus Station to Trieste.

Having an extra day would have been ideal for a less rushed schedule. If we ever return to Slovenia, we’d love to take the cable car to Ljubljana Castle and explore the hiking trails at Lake Bled to immerse ourselves fully in its beauty.