18 Best Places to Visit in Slovenia - By a Local
Often overlooked in favor of neighboring Italy and Croatia, Slovenia is a gorgeous small country filled with an incredible diversity of landscapes, all packaged into just 7,800 square miles (a little smaller than the U.S. state of New Jersey).
Located between Italy, Austria, Croatia, and Hungary, and seated on the border of four major natural regions, visitors to Slovenia can experience wildly different terrain all in the same day, often while driving less than an hour from one destination to the next.
In the north and northwest, you’ll find Alpine mountains. In the southwest, there is our small, but lovely Miedterranean coastline. To the east, you’ll find the Panonic Plains, while the south holds the Dinaric hills. And in the middle of all of this sits Slovenia’s capital city, Ljubljana, conveniently close to just about everywhere.
Apart from the geographic diversity, we also have our share of lovely cities, such as Ljubljana and Maribor, coastal towns like Koper and Piran, more hiking trails than you can imagine, ancient ruins and historic sites, and delicious food and friendly locals no matter where you go.
For me, as a local, creating a list of the “best” places to visit was almost impossible, as I’ve inevitably had to omit many places that I love and think are well-worth a visit for anyone. This list could easily be two or three times as long, and would vary heavily depending on your interests, when you’re visiting Slovenia, and how much time you’ll have here.
Regardless, I’ve selected 18 places that I believe absolutely must be mentioned, and which any and every traveler will surely enjoy.
I’ve tried to include a balanced mix of destinations, with some mountainous areas, beaches and coastal towns, our famous caves, the “big” cities, and a few other destinations that aren’t often visited by international tourists, but which I think are hidden gems.
Check them out below!
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Slovenia isn’t a big country, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in natural wonder! Long overshadowed by our neighbors of Italy, Austria, and Croatia, Slovenia is finally starting to get some recognition as a wonderful place to visit, especially for lovers of the outdoors.
So if you could use some help creating the perfect plan, schedule a Slovenia travel consultation with me!
These are one-hour Zoom calls where we can chat about the trip you’re planning and I’ll share my tips and advice, answer your travel questions, and help you perfect your itinerary.
How to get around Slovenia
Driving/renting a car
I would strongly advise you to rent a car when visiting Slovenia. Most of Slovenia’s highlights are its natural landscapes and many of them are simply unreachable with public transport. Also, given most visitors have limited time, having to rely on public transport means that you’ll not only miss out on wonderful places, but also lose lots of time in transit.
In general, transportation in Slovenia is good for travelling between major cities, from cities to smaller towns, and even from town to town, but if you want to reach more natural landscapes, especially in the mountains, you will absolutely need to have a car.
Where to book a car rental
International car rental companies such as Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Sixt, Enterprise, etc. all operate in Slovenia and you also have plenty of local rental agencies too. You can find rental offices in all major cities, many larger towns, and some tourist hotspots.
To check prices and book, I recommend using DiscoverCars. It’s a car rental website that includes offerings from all the major international rental companies as well as lots of smaller local agencies, which often have much better pricing. You can often find great deals.
I use it myself and have always had good experiences.
Public transport
For those with more time and who can accept the tradeoff of missing out on Slovenia’s wildest places, using public transport to get around is a viable option.
The train network is decent, albeit rather old and quite slow (slower than car or bus). Even so, many of the journeys are very scenic and tickets are a bargain, never costing more than 20 euros. The national rail carrier is called Slovenske železnice. Connections from Ljubljana to most larger cities are pretty good and you have some routes between other cities.
The bus network is much more extensive than the train and you can get to all decent-sized cities and even most towns using buses. Roads are well maintained and travel times are generally pretty quick. It can be a bit of a headache trying to find bus routes though as there are so many different companies (more than 20), and many of them operate only in certain regions or for certain routes. A few of the larger companies are Nomago, Marprom, and Arriva.
Where to book train and bus tickets
In general, I recommend booking your public transport tickets directly with the service provider. That said, when you have a lot of options or when you’re not familiar with the different companies, it can be a real hassle to look them all up in order to compare routes and prices.
Omio is an aggregator that shows options for public transport routes all over the world. When you do a search, you’ll be able to see all your options for trains, buses, flights, and even ferries along with a host of different companies that provide the services. Comparing prices is easy, the site has a great design, and you can keep all your bookings in one place. It costs a little bit more than booking direct, but it’s really convenient.
1. Ljubljana
Slovenia’s capital city of Ljubljana (pronounced lyoo-blyah-nah) is located right in the middle of the country. With only 280.000 inhabitants and a relatively small old city centre, you might feel like you are visiting a charming small town, not Slovenia's biggest city.
Besides being the country’s capital city, Ljubljana is also the economic, cultural, industrial and educational centre of Slovenia. The city also has an interesting history, being an important Roman settlement with the Roman name Emona.
The old city centre is now mostly a big pedestrian zone. This is the area most visited by tourists who enjoy exploring the city's famous streets, squares and bridges. The River Ljubljanica which runs right through the center of Ljubljana, created many opportunities for the famous architect Jože Plečnik who designed most of the famous bridges as well as various other spectacular buildings in Ljubljana. The most famous bridges are the Triple Bridge and the Dragon Bridge.
The central point of Ljubljana is the Prešeren square, named after the most famous Slovenian poet, whose statue stands on the square, right next to the Triple Bridge. The picturesque pedestrian-only streets connecting Ljubljana’s squares, parks and bridges make Ljubljana a very tourist-friendly place.
Above the old town, there is Ljubljana Castle, with one of the most famous Slovenian fine dining restaurants, Strelec Restaurant, serving traditional Slovenian cuisine.
2. Piran
Situated on the sunny Mediterranean coast, the iconic and picturesque town of Piran is without a doubt one of the most beautiful sites in Slovenia. Developed under the influence of Venice, it is not hard to see how different it is compared to the other Slovenian towns further away from the coast.
Explore the narrow town streets of Piran, immerse in the beauty of the charming Tartini Square and treat yourself to local seafood while observing the fishermen preparing their small fishing nets for the fishing trip the following morning. Piran will not disappoint you, but you need to take it slowly, the same as the locals do!
Hike your way to the picturesque St. George's Parish Church from where you can see the countless sea of the red roofs under you. For an even better view climb your way up to the town walls! A visit to the neighbouring Sečovlje salt pans is highly recommended as well.
3. Postojna Cave
Postojna Cave. Photo: Luka Peternel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Predjama Castle, near Postojna
This 24,340-meter-long karst cave system near Postojna town in southwestern Slovenia will leave you speechless. Visiting this more than two million years old series of caverns, halls and passages that were hollowed out by the Pivka River is one of the top things to do in Slovenia.
You don’t have to have ANY adventurist and explorer genes within you to be able to visit this cave! Visitors are able to see the first 5 km of the cave, from which the first 3.2 km you are riding an electric train and the other 1.8 km you are walking on a nice wide and well-lit pathway.
Even though it is frequently considered overpriced and overcrowded by the Slovenian locals who are traditionally eager hikers and often hate the idea of taking the tourist train instead of hiking the traditional way through the cave, we cannot argue that the cave really is something special and the vast majority of the visitors there have never seen anything remotely similar as Postojna Cave.
Located a few minutes away from Postojna Cave is the Predjama Cave Castle. This more than 800-year-old medieval castle is located in the middle of a 123-metre-high cliff. There is a very interesting museum inside.
4. Lake Bled
Without a doubt, the most well-known tourist attraction in Slovenia features a turquoise glacial lake under the snowy Alps with a small island in the middle of it where a picturesque little church stands. Located on the edge of Triglav National Park, Bled offers breathtaking scenery in combination with some of the highest-rated tourist infrastructure in the country.
Walk around the lake and stop for a picnic on the shore, or take a traditional Pletna boat to the island. The Church of the Assumption on the island is famous among visitors who are eagerly pulling the wishing bell and making their wishes. Perched on a rock overlooking the lake is the iconic Bled Castle from where breathtaking views can be observed.
Bled might get crowded during holidays or sunny weekends but it is still well worth visiting! For a quieter alternative continue your journey to Lake Bohinj.
While in the area don’t forget to taste the famous Bled cake!
5. Škocjan Caves Regional Park
The entrance to the cave system, seen from above. Photo: Ramón from Llanera, España, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped from original
Škocjan Caves Regional Park is a 413-ha protected area situated on the Karst Plateau of South-West Slovenia. The park comprises a remarkable limestone cave system with 6 km of underground passages, collapsed sinkholes, waterfalls and one of the largest underground chambers where you can observe one of the world's largest known underground river canyons.
Reka River (“Reka” means river in Slovenian, so the translation is funnily enough “River River”) can be heard like a loud beast already approaching the underground canyon from other parts of the cave. Stand on the narrow bridge above the noisy river canyon and imagine how it must have been for the first explorers visiting this cave when no electricity or bridges were set here.
One of Slovenian's really spectacular natural sites, the Škocjan Caves are well worth exploring. The caves are a very popular tourist site but compared to the Postojna Cave, the visit requires a bit of walking.
6. Nature Reserve Strunjan
Cliffs in the bay of St. Kříže in the Reserve. Photo: Zorka Sojka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
One of the less-known coastal regions among foreign tourists, Nature Reserve Strunjan is my absolute favorite place in Slovenia! The Reserve is a preserved part of the Slovenian coast, located between the towns of Piran and Izola, that includes a natural pebble stone beach at the end of Stunjan peninsula, and 80-meter-high flysch cliffs above it. It also has the only lagoon in Slovenia, salt pans, and sunny cultivated slopes that reach all the way down to the valley of the Roja Stream.
Moon Bay, also in the Reserve, has one of the best beaches in Slovenia. It is a great place to swim during the summer months, but be aware that you need to hike down a steep slope for around 20 minutes in order to reach the beach. It’s a bit more intimidating on the way back up. This short but steep climb is probably what keeps the crowds away though!
The salt pans have a small museum and offer an interesting tour. During winter times this area is often sunny and very windy. When the winds are not so strong, visitors like to hike the short and easy circular path from Strunjan Village, around the lagoon, above Moon Bay and back down to the valley.
7. Maribor
Maribor with around 114.000 inhabitants is the second-largest city in Slovenia. It is located in the Eastern part of Slovenia, just south of green Pohorje Hills. The Majestic Drava River runs through the city, while around Maribor one can find picturesque wine-growing hills of the Štajerska Region.
Lent is the central part of Maribor. It is also the oldest part of the city and has a rich cultural heritage located just on the banks of the Drava River. Every Summer Lent hosts the largest outdoor festival in Slovenia called Lent Festival.
One more thing that is famous in Maribor is the oldest living grapevine in the world. You can see it right in the centre of Lent. Next to it, there is also a vinehouse where you can taste some of the best wines from the region including the wine from the oldest vine in the world!
During the winter months, Maribor is a very popular destination for winter sports enthusiasts. Pohorje Hills are the largest Ski Resort in Slovenia, with the longest night skiing slope ending right on the outskirts of Maribor. During the Summer months, Pohorje Hills are a favourite among hikers and mountain bikers. If you prefer riding a bike on the road, Drava Cycling Route is a perfect choice.
8. Koper
Koper is one of three coastal towns in Slovenia. The three towns; Koper, Izola and Piran were all built under Venetian rule and still have a very strong Italian influence today. The difference in the architectural style of the coastal cities compared to the cities in the other Slovenian regions is easily spotted.
Koper is the city where the only port in the country is located. Specializing mostly in cargo ships but with a big growth of cruise ship arrivals in the last few years. It is the biggest city on the Slovenian coast with 25.000 inhabitants. With a beautiful central old town with stone houses, photogenic old squares and a modern promenade by the sea, it is rapidly gaining popularity among foreign tourists.
Koper is a great base if you want to explore Slovenian coastal regions and the Istria wine region. Visitors often take trips to the traditional villages around Koper as well. It is a great idea to explore the area with a bicycle!
I would especially recommend visiting the Marezige wine fountain, Hrastovlje Holy Trinity Church with its famous frescoes and Socerb village set on the beautiful Karst Lim from where you can observe the most amazing panorama. Many wine cellars in the area offer wine tastings as well!
Connect with Primož for help perfecting your itinerary, answers to all your travel questions, and fabulous local tips for a better visit!
9. Bohinj Lake
Bohinj Lake is Bled’s less crowded neighbor. Located in the Triglav National Park, Bohinj is famous for its pristine and unspoiled natural beauty. Bohinj Lake is bigger than Bled Lake. Probably the most famous tourist site in Bohinj is the Savica waterfall, a 78-meter waterfall that inspired Slovenian writers and poets for many centuries.
Bohinj Lake is a great place to swim in summer. There are also many water sports available, everything from rafting, kayaking, canoeing and stand-up paddling to sailing and even diving. This is also a paradise for hikers, with countless amazing hiking opportunities around the lake! The best one of them in my opinion is the hike through Mostnica Gorge all the way to Voje Hill and Voje waterfall.
There are a few hotels, some locally owned pensions and many apartments, but camping is widely popular here.
While foreign tourists mostly choose to visit neighbouring Bled, Bohinj is a destination popular with local tourists. However, if you are a nature enthusiast, Bohinj Lake is one of the destinations in Slovenia that you should not miss!
10. Kranjska Gora
This mountain destination is a favourite weekend getaway among Slovenians! Kranjska Gora is a small town of almost 1.500 inhabitants, located in the heart of Triglav National Park. The town itself looks more like a settlement of tourist villas, than a mountain village.
A widely popular way of spending time in Kranjska Gora is hanging out around the small Jasna Lake, from where you can observe the most spectacular mountain view in the back of the lake, with Triglav, Slvoenia’s highest peak right in the centre.
A few minutes’ ride from Kranjska Gora is the incredible Zelenci Nature Reserve. This 15-hectare nature reserve is famous for its emerald-green lake and cold springs in the middle of the wide shallow marshland.
During the winter months, Kranjska Gora is a favourite winter sports destination. Skiing, ski touring, ice skating and snow hiking are all very popular activities here.
11. Ptuj
Photo: obzorje1, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ptuj is known as the oldest Slovenian town. Stone Age settlements have been found here, and later Roman legions made it into a strategically important settlement. Set in the Eastern part of Slovenia, Ptuj is rarely present on the itinerary of foreign tourists. It is an undiscovered gem with significant historical importance. Around 18.000 people live in this charming medieval city. The Drava River flows through the city, separating the older part from the newer one.
The Castle is the most important site of Ptuj, located at the highest point of the town and overlooking the Drava River. You can visit one of the oldest wine cellars in the country in the castle’s basement for a wine tasting of the regional wines.
If you are interested in history and love to explore less tourist places, Ptuj is the place you must visit! The beautiful medieval city architecture, charming old squares, small local antique shops and old wine cellars will not leave you unimpressed.
Every winter there is a huge festival in Ptuj, called Kurentovanje. It was voted one of the top ten interesting carnivals in the world by Lonely Planet. Kurenti masks have even been recognized by UNESCO.
12. Logar Valley
Famous for being one of one of the most beautiful Alpine glacial valleys in Europe this green valley is one of the places you must visit if you are a nature lover! Logarska Valley is located in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps in the North Eastern part of Slovenia.
The pristine beauty of Logar Valley is stunning. Walk or bike the valley road all the way to Rinka Waterfall, observe the incredible mountain scenery above you and indulge in the delicious local cuisine.
A well-known trail named the Logar Valley trail runs all the way through the valley. It is a themed, natural-ethnographic trail that leads through forests, past farms, across meadows, streams and torrents to the 90-metre Rinka waterfall. The whole trail is 7 km long and takes about 2 to 3 hours. It is an easy walk, suitable also for not experienced hikers and families.
The Logar Valley is one of three valleys in the Solčava Region. The other two to be discovered are Robanov Kot and Matkov Kot, which are similarly stunning but even more remote and undeveloped. Most of the residents of the Solčava region live on high-mountain farms, among which the most famous is the highest of all, Bukovnik farm, located at the altitude of 1.327 m.
13. Soča River Valley
This cold, wild and immensely beautiful river with a distinct emerald green colour is the place a true adventure seeker shouldn’t miss! Experience Soča’s rocky gorges, waterfalls, cascades, canyons and pools from the river itself. Wild water kayaking, rafting and canyoning are the most popular activities in the area.
Located in the western part of Slovenia, close to Italy's northeastern border, besides river activities, the region presents countless other opportunities as well! Go hiking, cycling, paragliding or ziplining. Soča River is also very popular with fishermen, trying to catch the famous Soča Trout. Or you might prefer to just meet your Soča Trout on your dinner plate, that works as well.
In addition to the natural beauty in the Soča Valley, one can explore the historical sites and learn about the local heritage of World War I as the mountains above the valley were the setting of the largest mountain battle in history during World War I.
14. Velika Planina
The Velika Planina (Big Pasture Plateau) is a 5.8 square kilometre high mountain plateau located in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, north of Ljubljana. It is known for being the largest shepherd’s settlement in Europe with the herdsmen’s huts scattered all around the scenic plateau.
You can take a 3-hour hike or ride a cable car from Kamniška Bistrica. Once on the plateau, there are plenty of opportunities for walking and hiking around the mountain pastures.
Besides incredible mountain scenery, Velika Planina is an important ethnological treasure. There are 140 herdsmen’s huts on the plateau. The distinctive huts have roofs from the traditional locally collected spruce shingles.
Some of the landmarks on the plateau that are worth stopping by are the Chapel of Snow Mary, Vetrnica Cave, the natural window called Luknja (hole) and the Dovja Griča cave. If you want to learn more about local cheese production stop at the Preskar Museum.
Between the months of June to September, the shepherds are staying in the huts and you will have the opportunity to taste their homemade dairy products. While there, it is a great idea to try the traditional shepherd's lunch; sour milk and žganci – buckwheat or corn mush.
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15. Triglav National Park
Triglav National Park is the only national park in Slovenia. It is located in the northwestern Slovenia, between Italy and Austria. The park got its name after Mount Triglav, the highest mountain in Slovenia (2864m).
It covers high rocky mountain peaks, green Alpine valleys, glacial lakes, pristine rivers, and many incredible waterfalls and is incredibly rich in biotic diversity. The park also has a very rich cultural heritage. This incredibly preserved part of the Slovenian natural landscape presents endless possibilities for tourists.
Two of the areas already mentioned in this article (Bohinj Lake and part of Soča River Valley) are located within the park, but because of their exceptional beauty, I felt it is important to list them separately.
Triglav National Park is extremely popular with local and foreign nature enthusiasts. With endless hiking possibilities hiking is the most popular activity in the area. Some of the most popular mountains to hike are Slemenova Špica, Mount Visevnik, Vogel Mountain, Planina Blato and of course the most famous of all, Triglav Mountain.
The hike to Mount Triglav is hard and should not be underestimated. It is not very technically demanding but steep and long. It will take you 2 days to climb it. The cases where the mountain rescue team needs to intervene and save the tourists who are stuck in the middle of Mount Tiglav because of their lack of physical condition, bad climbing equipment or bad weather is way too often and should be avoided at all costs.
16. Kras Region
The town of Štanjel, in the Kras Region. Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia. Cropped from original
The Kras Region is a plateau located in the western part of Slovenia, between the Adriatic coast and the Alpine mountains. It extends across the border to northeastern Italy. The expression “karst” (“kras” in Slovenian) is internationally used for a type of landscape where the dissolving of the bedrock by water has created many specific landforms not found in other places (such as caves, sinkholes, etc). This expression originates right here from this small place in Slovenia, called Kras.
Here, you can observe the natural dry-looking landscape, which is often very windy, with pine forests and white limestone rocks scattered all over. The true attraction in Kras is the cultural landscape though. Many small traditional villages that are spread all around the plateau, with houses built entirely of stone (including their roofs!) present a hidden gem in Slovenia.
The local cuisine here is really something special and worth exploring. Try locally made prosciutto which is dried on the strong local wind called Bora. The local grape vines grow on a typical red soil called “terra rossa” and produce a unique red wine, Teran, which is found only here. Only 20 km away the same grapes produce a very different type of wine because the landscape and soil changes so dramatically.
Two of the most popular stops worth exploring in the Kras region are the Lipica Stud Farm, where you can learn everything about Lipizzan horses, and one of the most beautiful villages in Slovenia, Štanjel.
17. Kočevje Virgin Forests
A brown bear in the forest in southern Slovenia. Photo: Charles J. Sharp , CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Located in the southern part of Slovenia where foreign tourists rarely ever set foot, the Kočevje Virgin Forest is probably the wildest natural area in all of Slovenia. Kočevje is the most densely-forested province in Slovenia, with forests covering 91% of the area. Rajhenavski Rog and Krokar are the most recognizable parts of the forest in the region.
A good way to experience the forests is by hiking the Rog hiking trail from where you can see the vast fir and beech forests spreading everywhere around you. The trees are centuries old and up to 50 metres high.
Another popular way of visiting the Kočevje forest is by bike. You might see the locals singing or whistling while walking around the forest, or cyclists with a small bell installed on their bikes. The reason for this is the high number of brown bears that roam these forests. You probably wouldn’t want to accidentally scare the bear while quickly cycling on a winding road in the middle of the forest!
Kočevje forests are sometimes referred to as “The Kingdom of the bear”, and there are even bear observation tours that you can take, where you’ll walk through the forest with an experienced guide.
18. Rakov Škocjan
Photo: Mihael Grmek, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rakov Škocjan is a spectacular 2.5km-long karst valley near Cerknica village in the Notranjsko-kraška Region. A visit to this area is a great choice if you are someone who is fascinated by the karst landscape and wishes to explore it further.
At Rakov Škocjan, you can observe most of the karst phenomena spread around a relatively small area. The Rak River has hollowed out 2.5km of caves, springs and rocky arches, the most famous of which are the Big and Little Natural Bridge.
There are many hiking and biking trails to choose from in the area. I recommend walking the Rakov Škocjan Natural Education Trail which is a 5.5-kilometer circular trail where you can observe many of the interesting sites in the area including brooks, Big and Little Natural Bridge, hollows, caves, interesting flora and fauna, as well as the diverse cultural heritage along the River Rak.
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