Travel advice for Slovenia?

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If you don't mind eating horses, or want to try it. One thing we loved in Ljubljana was a burger place called Hot' Horse. Get a huge and juicy horseburger

Postojna Cave Although lots of people but it was incredible and it is prob. one of the biggest cave I have ever been in.

Predjama Castle If you like architecture, this castle that's built into the rocky wall of the mountain was quite a view.

If you do not have a car, we researched how much it would be to do Predjama & Postonja on our own. It came out to about the same price if you join a small mini van tour. I don't often recommend joining tours but this one is an exception.

Bled is beautiful. We made a mistake and booked a hotel the first time. the second time we booked a B&B which elevated the experience more.

Have fun~

Lake Bled exceeded all my expectations.

Ljubljana is probably a good place to set up base camp. Lake Bled, Postojna Cave, etc are all an easy day trip using buses and trains out of Ljubljana.

The city center is the vocal point of the city. It is where you will find the castle, the river, Triple Bridge, Dragon Bridge, Preseran and Congress Squares, the university, many riverside cafes, and lots of shopping. Metelkova is an interesting neighborhood to wonder about. Tivoli Park is only a few blocks away and is very pretty. It is good for hiking or just taking a stroll. The contemporary history museum in one of the park's old mansions is a pretty interesting look at the history of the country's people. I would also recommend Hot Horse and the Skeleton Bar, if you can find it.

Can't really help with lodging since I stayed at a university dorm. However, I can give you some advice on getting into Slovenia. Check flights into some of the major cities around Slovenia (Munich, Vienna, Venice) to see if it would be cheaper flying there and taking a train into Slovenia.

Not local here, but someone from one country over who loves Slovenia and visited at least 8 times. Best time would be April and after, Slovenia definitely has a big outdoor angle that is best enjoyed then. The country doesn't get terribly much visitors so you could go as late as late May and early June and still see just a small number of other tourists, but the weather would certainly be warm and nice already.

In Ljubljana, try and book at least a night in the prison hostel, it's a fun experience. Party in Metelkova, the squatter/hipster paradise a bit like Christiania in Copenhagen. It's a bit tacky and definitely tourist oriented, but Sokol Restaurant is a nice experience to have for one time. Try the horse steak! Also check out the craft sellers, both are around Preseren square, the focal point of the city. Check out the castle too obviously, but don't have your hopes set too high, it's pretty average (but I'm saying that as a European who visited at least a 100, so if you didn't, you might love it)

Outdoors activities are huge in the country. Rafting in the Soca river is often advertised. I think canyoning is better, but there are companies offering both in one package.

Bled is all the hype and of course a must stop, however I prefer lake Bohinj which is a mere 15kms further up the road. Lot less tourists, more nature, waterfalls and a nice gondola ride up the nearby mountain.

Skocjan caves are better than Postonja, though opinions differ. Definitely gets less (but still many) visitors, and the biggest chamber definitely feels like something out of of LotR. If you pick Skocjan, then the other trip for the day should be the Lipizaner Stud Farm nearby, where you can check out a performance or spend the night in a cool setting.

If you go for Postonja then Predjama castle will be near you when you finish.

After that head to the seaside and check out Portoroz and Piran, both are charming mediterranean-style "village-cities". Piran is smaller and thus a bit more quaint.

This should easily add up to a week, but if it didn't then take a daytrip by ferry from Piran to Trieste, Italy for experiencing that city, which rarely ends up on the proper Italian itineraries because of its location, but it definitely worth seeing.

I was there for a week this September and had a wonderful time. I highly recommend getting a hire car as it is so easy to drive there. Most roads are more like country lanes and there isn't really any traffic.

Below I've detailed our itinerary to give you a few ideas. As other's have said, it is probably better to go no earlier than April so you can make use of the range of outdoor activities.

Let me know if you would like any more information.

Our itinerary was;

Day 1 - Ljubljana: We spent time looking around the old city and enjoying the cafes by the river. Also took a walk up to the castle to enjoy the views, although the castle itself was somewhat different to how I imagined with cafes and shops now added.

Day 2 - Bohinj: The drive from Ljubljana didn't take too long and was very picturesque. I enjoyed Bohinj slightly more than Bled as it wasn't as busy and was therefore easy to escape the crowds. I highly recommend hiring a canoe and spending some time on the water which was one of the highlights of the trip. We spent the evening in Bled which we were using as our base.

Day 3 - Bled: Bled really is a beautiful town. In the morning we drove up to Vintgar Gorge which is worth a visit. In the afternoon we walked around the lake and hiked up to the viewpoint which was really special but quite hard going! After this we hired a boat and rowed to the church on the island. The church itself was more impressive on the way over than up close but it was enjoyable none-the-less.

Day 4 - Bovec: If you enjoy outdoor activities then this really is an excellent place to stay on the edge of Triglav National Park. It is about a 3-4 hour drive from Bled with lots of time taken stopping to take photos of the impressive Virsic Pass. We went for a leisurely 4 hour walk on arrival taking in the crystal clear river, countryside and mountain peaks.

Day 5 - Bovec: This was a day of adventure. In the morning we went ziplining which offered spectacular views and in the afternoon we took to the Soca River to go rafting. The water was beautiful but very very cold!

Day 6 - Piran: It is quite a long drive down to Piran but the scenery was again great as we took in the mountains and the vineyards as the road wound down to the Adriatic. Piran is a small scenic town squeezed into Slovenia's minute coastline. If you stand on the end of the peninsula you can see Croatia one way and Italy the other. The town itself is has Venetian architecture and delicious seafood. There isn't a great deal to do here which is why we only stayed one night. In the evening we sat at a cafe in the main square and enjoyed a large glass of local wine for €1.30.

Day 7 - Ljubljana: Driving back up to Ljubljana you will pass Predjama Castle, Postojna Cave and Skocjan Cave so you can stop at one or more of these en route. We stopped at Skocjan which was impressive and a good way to break the journey. We stayed the night in Ljubljana and had a nice meal before having a walk through the lit up cobbled streets.

Day 8: Flew home.

Be really careful if you're driving there to buy the vignette! It's very easy to miss the place to buy it when you cross the border, and the police set a trap shortly after. The fine is very high. I was very soured by this experience and will not return.

It's surprisingly expensive in Slovenia, since they have adopted the Euro. Prices are almost double Croatia. You're really better off in Croatia, it's a friendly country without traffic police shakedowns, beautiful scenery, and much lower prices.

Thank you, everyone, for the great advice! I really feel like I have a starting point now.