Weekend in Slovenia Part I
For our anniversary we decided to go glamping in Slovenia. I’ve already put it back on my travel list for the Fall or Winter months. I think it would be a great place to visit during any season. We visited the first weekend in August. Saturday morning we woke to a chilly 59 degrees (F) and Sunday morning to 57 degrees (F). Slovenia was very refreshing, the views were stunning, and the people were delightful. Honestly, people greeted us with a smile. I loved it! (I rarely experience this in Italy.) The food was delicious and the grocery store was cheap.
“Glamping”…………who comes up with these words? Glamping is like camping, but you’re in a cabin or similar. Our bathroom was 50 meters away and we had no electricity or water in the cabin. However, they do have WiFi available. Occasionally, we enjoy a simple outing and have no problem sleeping in a tent, or a cabin, with no electricity.
Keep reading to find out how we spent 3 days in Slovenia.
Where Did You Stay?
We stayed at Mountain View Glamping in Dovje which is about 20 minutes northwest of Lake Bled. The villages below were a mixture of old and new Alpine style housing, perfectly manicured yards, and livestock fenced in right beside or under the homes. I was surprised at how well kept the whole community was. The beautiful, clear river, mountain views, and blue skies topped it off.
My Mountain View Glamping experience was flawless. There were three reasons I booked this place: price, view, and there were only 5 cabins on the property. I wanted quiet and relaxing and it was. Location was kind of important as we wanted to be in the proximity of Lake Bled. Checking in was a breeze and the owner supplied us with a basket of 2 wine glasses and a bottle of wine, a lantern, and a list of what to do, where to eat, and what to see. The bed was very comfortable. The cabin and bathrooms were spotless and private. The trip from the bathroom to the cabin involved a steep climb - nothing wrong with a little extra exercise. We had two lounging chairs on the porch of the cabin which allowed us to relax while looking at the magnificent view. There was a fire pit and a grill next to a pavilion with two picnic tables. If we had wanted to use the grill, the owner would’ve provided us with charcoal, lighter, etc. They also had a refrigerator next to the bathrooms and each cabin had a designated shelf for their items. We took a cooler so we’d have water at the cabin. They’ve thought of nearly everything to make your stay a care free one.
What Did You Do?
We left Vicenza around 6am on a Friday morning and drove to Škocjan Caves. On the way, we stopped for a snack and to purchase the vignette; the cost of the vignette was 15€ for 7 days and yes, you must buy one. Friday evening we drove to Lake Bled and had dinner.
Škocjan Caves
Adult Entry fee: 20€ (approx. a 2 hour tour). We arrived at 8:30am on a Friday morning. They open at 10am so we hung out until people began lining up. I got in line about 9:15 and had tickets by 9:30.
Saturday we casually walked through the villages to get breakfast. On the way back, we walked down a hiking path by the river. We visited Bled Castle, rented a row boat to visit the island, husband snorkeled, had pizza for lunch, and returned to the cabin for a nap and freshened up for dinner.
Lake Bled
The picture of the grassy path between the trees is where you go summer tobogganing. We did not do that, but will probably go our next visit.
Bled Castle
Adult entry fee: 11€
Great views of Lake Bled can be seen here.
Bled Island - Rented a Row Boat
Boat rental fee: 20€ for 1 hour, 10€ for each additional hour. There are multiple places to rent boats and they are not hard to find. One spot is right in front of the Sova Bled restaurant.
You can see how clear the water is in the picture of the catfish.
Sunday we had breakfast at the Veranda, then packed up and drove to Vintgar Gorge to join 5,000 other people on the catwalk to the waterfall. Ok, 5,000 may be an exaggeration, but it was too many people as you’ll see in the pics below. Note to self and tip for you: Don’t go at 11am on a Sunday morning in August. It was beautiful, but all of the people were so distracting.
Vintgar Gorge
Adult entry fee: 10€
Tip: All places we visited took debit/credit cards (except the parking lot). Also, restaurants bring checks to your table.
Where Did You Park @ Lake Bled?
Considering we visited during the peak season, it was the weekend, and a popular destination, parking was not nearly as troublesome as we thought it would be. I highly recommend using the EasyPark app when street parking. Both places had a maximum time limit of 120 mins, but I was able to just pay again for street parking after 2 hours so we didn’t need to leave. The other place was not an issue because the worker left at 7pm and no one came around to check (not that they would know how long we had been there anyway). Below are the two areas we parked.
Where Did You Eat?
Aparthotel Pr’ Jakapc’ - Breakfast for 6€ (partnered with MVG)
Restavracija Sova Bled - on the shore of Lake Bled. This is what I would call fine dining, but affordable. (Pics below are of/from Sova Bled.)
Guesthouse Veranda - Breakfast (buffet 8€) & Dinner
Below are two helpful apps when traveling in Slovenia.
If and when you visit Slovenia, please be sure to share your experience in the comments below. I have so much to learn and I’m sure others would appreciate it also. If you have any questions about what I’ve posted, ask it in the comments or send me a message.
See other Helpful Travel Apps.
I can look at pictures of destinations over and over, but there’s nothing like being present and seeing it with my own eyes. Could it be that when we are there all senses are activated and that scene in the picture becomes reality? You can run over and touch it; it’s no longer just a desire to be there, you are there.
For more tourist info on Slovenia, I recommend this site.
