First time in Slovenia: 6 days itinerary
We've been packed for Slovenia (literally) several times, but always some illness or injury got in the way. This year, however, we hopefully finally pushed our bad luck in this destination and saw for ourselves what everyone sees in this relatively small country. And that there's really a veeeeery lot to see! I can already say for sure that we will definitely come back here, because I have XX more trips planned, besides this famous (and so beautiful) base that we did now, which I will share with you in the following lines.
Our itinerary
We're going full pack again - with Nina (3,5 yrs) and Jonah (8 months), so it's clear from the beginning that we won't be doing any exaggerated hikes and X kilometre hikes. I had a hunch that Slovenia doesn't have nearly the facilities for kids as neighbouring Austria, where you might come across a playground even if you don't want to. The other thing I was counting on is the lack of cable cars - meaning you have to climb the hills pretty much on foot, which I don't want to break my knee this year. For the next visit I have Vršič pass and the valley of the Soca river in my sights, but when it will be, it's hard to say at the moment.
As I already mentioned in the previous paragraph, the focus was mainly on the most famous tourist highlights, especially in the area of lakes Bled and Bohinj. All the trips were simple, suitable for absolutely everyone - individuals, couples, families with children and pensioners. Each time I tried to dilute our program at least a little with some children's entertainment, whether paddling in the lake or playing in the playground, so that Nina would have fun with us in the future. Hopefully :) For inspiration, our itinerary looked like this:
DAY1
DAY2
DAY3
DAY4
DAY5
DAY6
Accommodation around Lake Bled / Bohinj
- cheap: the superbly rated Rooms Malina, where there are several rooms to choose from, or Villa Mint&Lavender, located right in Bled for about €68/night
- more expensive: modern accommodation in the form of 4 Elements Resort Bled, lots of options with prices starting from €100/night, or the very similar Aparthotel Gaja
- luxury: the stylish Rikli Balance Hotel or the not so overpriced eco boutique hotel AMS Beagle
Lake Bled
Is there anyone who doesn't know this iconic lake with an island, on which there is also a photogenic church? Of course not. Everyone knows this place. Bled has become a Slovenian must see, especially for first timers like us. For me personally, however, places of this type (meaning crowded) only need to be seen once and that's enough... which we confirmed the moment we arrived.
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In all the articles about Bled you will read that you must try the specialty of Bled kremna rezina (kremšnita or cream cake) = thin puff pastry, yolk cream and whipped cream. It's not only in Bled that you can have this cake, because it's more or less everywhere. They also don't have any other cakes quite often :) Just try to order it home-made from a cafe/cake shop somewhere, not the one out of the freezer from the supermarket. Expect to pay about €5. Plus for me it's also definitely worth trying Slovenian strudel dumplings . Don't expect anything like our potato or yeast dumplings, štruklji are more like a hooodly stuffed soft pancake cut into rounds. They can be made savoury or sweet with many variations. Yum! So we ate at least the letters and now how to have fun at Bled?
- Within the village of Bled you will probably walk through the nicely landscaped Zdraviliški park and promenade. Beware there is a ban on rolling on the grass and swimming! Water fun, including various attractions, can be enjoyed at the nearby Grajsko kopaliště swimming pool (info on prices and opening times here), or take the gradual approach on the other side of the lake at Malá and Veliki Zaka beaches. At the pier in Bled, volunteers can still queue up for a photo with a heart-shaped instaspot (we don't really have that), or pay for a horse-drawn carriage ride (blesjki fijakerji) around the lake. As of 2024, you'll pay €60 for it.
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- Blejski grad - towering on a rock above the lake is said to be the oldest castle in Slovenia. And thanks to its location, it is of course one of the most visited. It can be reached on foot from the lakeside promenade, or there is a parking lot (paid and quite small). All info on the official website here. There are also a few viewpoints around the castle, but if you're just scratching around for photos, I find the view from Ojstrice/Osojnice better.
- lake tour - if you want to stretch your legs, enjoy the views of the castle and the island with the church, but at the same time not get completely exhausted, this is the right option for you.All in all, you will walk 6 km in a straight line, suitable for strollers.The tour can also be done effortlessly via a tourist train, which could be a nice diversion for children (timetable and stops here). Alternatively, it could be used to shorten the trip if your kids run out of energy on the walking option, but you pay €7 per adult (€5 per child), so I'd probably prefer to consider the tourist bus I mentioned above for this short ride.
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- Ojstrica + Osojnica - or the best view is the one from the top.And here it is doubly true!You may get a bit tired, but it's worth it.Be sure to open maps.cz, switch to the tourist option... and take your pick. From the lakeside promenade you can tear off at Velika Zaka and upwards. Don't be afraid of the shaded sections either, they are normally passable (tried), as long as you have sneakers and not boats. My photos are from Mala Osojnica.
- boats and boating - one of the most popular activities at Lake Bled is certainly sailing in the original boat with an awning, called a pletna. And the guys who drive the pletna are knitters :), so they will safely transport you to the islet with the pilgrimage church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.The price is 12€ round trip.If you fancy a more enclosed (electric) boat, you can check out the Bled boat line here (cruise €14).The last option would then be to join in on your own and rent your own small boat, with prices around €24/hour.
- dino park - I will add one more tip for children's activities before entering Bled. So if you have dinos at home, check the tickets and opening hours on the official website.
Lake Bohinj
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Apart from swimming, you can also take a boat ride on Lake Bohinj - either a cruise boat or a self-propelled one. We had originally planned to take a cable car ride to the top of Vogel, which offers a beautiful view of the lake and surrounding area, but the weather up there looked all over the place, so we were forced to reconsider. Anyway, the cable car leaves from the town of Ukanc and you can find the latest info on this website. Other places that are definitely worth mentioning in this area are Korita Mostnica and the Savica waterfall.
We are actually just hanging out here - we check out the playground (next to the Hotel Center), have an ice cream and finally Pepa succumbs to Nina's insistence that she wants to go on a boat... and so off we go. Jonah, however, does not share such enthusiasm for the swaying boards... Well, it's been a long half hour, what can I tell you?)
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Peričnik
Yes, you recognize the place correctly from the opening photo :) Very nice waterfall, which is special because you can get behind it. It reminded me a lot of the Austrian Johanneswasserfall from the previous article. The way to Peričnik is not a big deal, just type Koča pri Peričniku into the navigation , park there and after about 15 minutes of walking uphill you can enjoy the view of the waterfall. Parking costs 5 € and is paid directly at the hut (= koča), there is no entrance fee to the waterfall itself. So if you come on foot along the hiking trail from Mojstrana (you can see it on the map.cz), it will even be a free trip for you.
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Vintgar
We will end this article with this Slovenian must see - Vintgar Gorge. You can get an idea of the visitor numbers just by glancing at the information when the online booking system with 20-minute time slots comes up. Especially in high season, don't underestimate it and buy your tickets in advance! The price comes out to €10 for an adult and €5 for a child aged 3 and up.
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Accessibility and parking - if you want to make it the easiest and most expensive (10 €/car), you can drive almost to the entrance, but beware there are very few places. And echt important! Don't just type "Vintgar" into google maps, because it will take you somewhere completely fucked up... Google is stupid at this, so give it something more palatable, either Vintgar Gorge or Vintgar Gorge.
The other option - park at the Centralno parkirišče VINTGAR LIP car park in Spodnje Gorje or Parkirišče VINTGAR Blejska Dobrava, both cost €5/car. From there, a free shuttle bus will take you to the entrance. Just be careful and be on time, as the minibuses run about 20 minutes apart.
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Visiting the gorge - in the first row you will go through a turnstile, where you will only need a QR code on your mobile phone. Then you will get a helmet (mandatory) and you can go for a walk. Vintgar is one-way, runs along groomed wooden paths and is 1.6 km long in total. Quite easy, just reckon that the kids have to walk it on their own or put them in a carrier. Leave the stroller at home. At the end, you'll enjoy the view of the Noise Waterfall, or have a refreshment at a local kiosk, and then just choose how to get back. Variants:
- The River of Trees trail - a shorter route (4.3 km including the gorge) that will lead you back to the entrance. We didn't go, so I can't judge, but according to the map you can turn off the trail and walk to the Blejska Dobrava parking lot.
- The King of Triglav trail - a longer route (5.7 km including the gorge), this is the one we chose. It leads through Sv. Kateřina, where there is a nice pizzeria and a playground. Unfortunately, an incredibly violent storm caught us in these places and we ended up spending more time under the roof of this place than we intended. The photos from the second half are somehow missing, it was a rather hectic and hectic escape :)
Today I've focused on the biggest Slovenian attractions, in the next article 5 completely FREE Slovenian trips you can check out the tips you won't read about in every tourist brochure.
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