Sauntering in Slovenia: Ljubljana Castle

Castles in Slovenia are low-key affairs. Of course, there are castles that have stunning locations, like the Predjama Castle, yet most are small and not in-your-face, unlike castles in Germany and France. Ljubljana Castle is no exception to this. It's a castle situated on a hill, yet for the most part, the thing that impressed me the most was not the castle but the views that were available at the top.

Sauntering in Slovenia: Old Town Ljubljana

Our B&B in Ljubljana was right at the Old Town. So once we stepped outside the building, we were directly on the old cobblestone street that runs parallel to the river. This is now a large and long shopping and restaurant area, and visitors typically spend their time walking up and down this street. The names change as there are multiple sections, but practically they are all linked together as one street running more or less on a north-south direction.

Sauntering in Slovenia: Ljubljana as Seen from the Ljubljanica River

Our last stop was Ljubljana. After spending 8 days driving around, we ended our driving tour in Ljubljana, where we were to fly out after two nights. We arrived at the capital of Slovenia in the morning: we were itching to leave our apartment in Piran (because we didn't like it), so we left early. That meant we were able to return our car early, and arrive to our final apartment earlier than expected. We weren't able to check in yet, but we were able to leave our luggage, while we were walking around the city. So we decided to make good use of our time, by taking a boat tour of the city.

Sauntering in Slovenia: The Old Town of Koper

Koper (Capodistria) is Slovenia's largest town on the coast. If you understand Italian, you would probably notice that the name in Italian means Cape of Istria. Italian is a second language here, and signs are actually bilingual, as in many of the other coastal towns.

Sauntering in Slovenia: The Old Town of Piran

After exploring the mountains and the gorges of Slovenia, we then went to the seashore. We were staying in an apartment near Piran, whose Old Town was just walking distance away. This was an interesting town, located on the tip of land, and surrounded by water on almost every side. There isn't a sandy beach, yet even with all the rocks and boulders, there are still plenty of people enjoying the sea.

Sauntering in Slovenia: The Romanesque Church in Hrastovlje

While we were on our way to Piran, we stopped by a small village in the area. The Village is Hrastovlje, with 139 inhabitants, so this is definitely small. I don't think there's public transportation to this village, so we took advantage of the fact that we had a car. If we didn't have our own set of wheels, we probably wouldn't go here.

Sauntering in Slovenia: Anthony Mine Shaft in Idrija

The day after we went to Tolmin, we decided to explore the other side of the area. Tolmin was west of where we were staying in Ajdovščina, so this time, we went east to Idrija. Idrija happens to be a famous town due to mercury mining. In fact, UNESCO granted World Heritage status to Idrija, due to the importance of its mercury mines, together with Almaden, Spain.

Sauntering in Slovenia: Tolmin Gorge

After exploring the little Slovenian villages near the Italian border, we drove further north. Eventually we reached Tolmin, which is located in the Triglav National Park. So once again we found ourselves in this national park, but this time, we entered it from the south, not from the north, unlike when we were in the lake areas.

Sauntering in Slovenia: Šmartno, Dobrovo, and the Goriška Brda

I'm not a fan of cars. I don't even have a valid driver's license. Nevertheless, I appreciate the flexibility and reach that cars can give you, allowing you to explore places that are a little bit harder to reach. For example, the Goriška Brda (Gorizia Hills) in western Slovenia. This is the area of the country across the border from Italy, famous for its wine. And yes, sometimes, one gets the feeling that it looks more Italy than Slovenia.

Sauntering in Slovenia: Postojna and Škocjan Caves

I love caves. Every time I have a chance to go and visit one, I go. So when we were planning our Slovenia trip, I was excited to visit Postojna and Škocjan Caves, which are two of the most visited caves in the country. Slovenia is a small country, but there are plenty of caves in its territory, quite a lot for its small size.

Sauntering in Slovenia: Predjama Castle

After spending three nights in the Bled area, it was time for us to move again. This time, we had booked an apartment in Ajdovščina, a town in the Vipava Valley. While it isn't a touristy town, it is central enough that it was a good hub to explore nearby places, especially when you have a car. So that's exactly what we did. When we drove from Bled to Ajdovščina, we passed by Predjama Castle, which was perhaps one of the most dramatic sights I have seen in the country.

Sauntering in Slovenia: Mostnica Gorge

Mostnica Gorge is the second of several gorges we have visited in Slovenia. This one is a low-key one, easily accessible from Bohinj. The hike from the parking lot takes about 2 hours. It's quite easy, and there are a few interesting formations along the way. So after parking our car at the parking lot, we ate our packed lunch, and after that, we set out.

Sauntering in Slovenia: Savica Falls

After exploring the area around Lake Bled, we took the car the next day to drive to Lake Bohinj. This lake is also pretty, but instead of doing water-related activities, we decided instead to go hiking on areas around it. One of the places we visited was the Savica Waterfalls. This waterfall is the source of the Sava River, flowing into Lake Bohinj.

Sauntering in Slovenia: Lake Bled, Bled Castle, and Bled Island

Lake Bled is perhaps the most visited place in Slovenia. This is the Slovenia of postcards. But the funny thing is, even though there were plenty of tourists, it didn't feel crowded and cheap. It didn't feel like this was a place full of package tourists looking for a beach. Instead, it felt like adventure sports central, with plenty of people on bicycles, on kayaks, and on their feet moving about.

Sauntering in Slovenia: Vintgar Gorge

The first thing we did in Bled was head to this gorge, which is located north of the lake. The drive was a little tricky, but thankfully we had a very reliable navigation system, which helped us a lot. After driving for about 20 minutes from where we were staying, we found the entrance and the parking lot.

Sauntering in Slovenia: Škofja Loka

The first thing we saw in Slovenia was the town of Škofja Loka. This is a small town very close to the airport, just 15 minutes away by car, and about half an hour away from Ljubljana. So after picking up our car in the airport, we drove it here.

Sauntering in Slovenia

It seems that most of my trips this year are short and within Europe. I quickly escaped to Bergen in March, we spent a long weekend in Dresden in April, got married in Copenhagen in May, and even visited Normandy in June. All of these were relatively short trips, lasting only 3 to 4 nights long, or if it were longer, then it is due to the fact that it was primarily a business trip and I just appended a day extra for myself. Anyway, we wanted something more substantial, so this time, we went to Slovenia, spending 11 days in July and August, driving around the country. Of course I will blog more specifically about the individual things we have seen, but first an overview post.