Weekend in Slovenia Part II
During July of 2021 our kids visited and we decided to take them out of Italy and expose them to other nations and cultures. We headed for Slovenia. This was our second time there and I love it even more. Slovenia has so much to offer anyone - from solo travelers to family travel.
Keep reading to find out how we spent 3 days in Slovenia.
Where Did You Stay?
PC: House Gabrijel on Airbnb
We stayed in an Airbnb apartment. It was a one room apartment - one queen size bed and bunk beds. Perfect for our family of four.
Gabriel was super hospitable. I’ve had great experiences in Slovenia (so far). He allowed me to pick vegetables from his garden and he has a fully-equipped kitchen which is great for preparing and making meals.
The environment was serene. If you click the link above, you’ll see the photos of the area. The place is as photographed. Even better actually. Before lying down, we opened the window to hear the sound of the stream below the porch. It made for a good night’s rest. Also, good for my naps. Behind the house is a pasture with two horses and lots of greenery. This would be a great place for a retreat.
What Did You Do?
We left Vicenza around 08:30 on a Saturday morning and drove to Ljubljana. On the way, we stopped to purchase the vignette; the cost of the vignette was 15€ for 7 days and yes, you must buy one or risk being fined. You can now buy the vignettes online. As for the border, there was no one there so we drove straight through.
What We Did in Ljubljana
I suggest parking here: https://goo.gl/maps/i8YLmcnjyXWDioWX6 (pay on the way out, it's a one way and there's a gate - you can pay with card here, but always have coins in case)
From the parking lot, you'll walk across the dragon bridge (which is cool!) to.....
Central Market - We ate lunch immediately. (plenty of places to choose from)
House of Illusions - We had a blast here.
If you have time and are interested, the National & Univ Library is cool - the windows resemble an open book. (it's a nice area to see - the university is very close to the house of illusions)
Walk through this area on the way back to the parking lot - staying on the left side of the river.
After all of the fun in Ljubljana, we drove to Lake Bled. It was a about a 50 minute drive.
While in Bled, we swam. The water was refreshing, clear, and beautiful.
We visited Bled castle again. Adult entry fee: 11€. Great views of Lake Bled can be seen here.
We hiked up to a lookout point above the lake. The trailhead is here. This hike can be challenging. I wouldn’t recommend taking children, but athletic teens would be ok (we took our teens).
Rented a SUP rental fee: 10€ for 1 hour. Rented from this place.
You can also rent wooden rowboats. The boat rental fee is 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. Another is by Villa Bled.
Walked to pickup pizzas in Bled center and picnicked by the lake. Then, walked around the entire lake which I highly recommend.
Summer Tobaggan. We didn’t do it, but I’ll say the same as I did in the last post, “we will probably do it next time.”
On the way to Croatia from Slovenia, we stopped at Skocjan Caves for the kids to have another fantastic experience.
Where Did You Eat?
Ljubljana
Kodila Gourmet - they had a great menu and we all enjoyed our lunch.
This place has really good reviews, if you want something to eat besides what you see at the market - Pop's Place.
Bled
Most often we made our food in the outdoor kitchen at Gabrijel’s place. We did have two special meals. One was at Old Cellar Bled and the other was grabbing pizzas to go from Pizzeria Rustika and picnicking by the lake. In my opinion Old Cellar Bled isn’t worth a return trip, but Pizzeria Rustika is a must!
See other places to eat in this post: Weekend in Slovenia Part I, click here.
What Tips Do You Have?
On Sunday, most grocery stores/mercati are closed so be sure to stock up prior to. Here’s one by Lake Bled.
On the way home stop at Postojna Caves and ride the train through, if you have the energy.
Slovenia is also good for canyoning. They accommodate families as well.
If you’re headed to Croatia, check out this post.
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.
For more tourist info on Slovenia, I recommend this site.
