Slovenia Trip Help

Brad_B_a_l_l_i_n_g_e_r · September 30, 2017, 2:14pm

My wife and I are traveling to Slovenia, October 13-24. We fly in and out of Munich. I have several questions/topics on which I’m seeking input.

1. Travel between Munich and Slovenia. After some research and much thought, I’ve decided it’s better to rent a car in Slovenia rather than at the Munich airport. Renting a car in Munich would mean purchasing a vignette (pass) both in Austria and Slovenia to drive on the major highways there. Renting a car in Slovenia includes the vignette in the price. So that leaves the issue of the best (fastest, cheapest) way to get form Munich to Ljubljana. Train appears to be seven hours. Bus appears to be four hours. However, I found something called Bla Bla Car (similar to Uber???) where drivers post rates to take people from one destination to another. Several options for Munich to Ljubljana for only $20 (U.S.). Leaning toward doing that unless there is a better recommendation. I’ve posted separately on this board looking for a one night recommendation for Munich. We will be staying there the evening before our return flight.

2. Where to visit. We have already booked our lodging via VRBO/HomeAway. We are renting a stand alone chalet outside of Kamnik (30 minutes north of Ljubljana). This will be our base. We are planning many day trips (Ljubljana, Bled, Triglavski, Maribor, Ptuj). We do not anticipate a day trip into Croatia (but could be persuaded). We do not plan crossing into Italy or Austria. We might consider a trip to Piran on the Slovenian coast, but everything I’ve read so far informs me that the coastal towns pretty much shut down starting in October. Looking for additional “don’t miss” suggestions as well as specifics for any place I’ve already listed. We are both very active, and are open to both outdoor experiences as well as indoor attractions.

3. Dining. When we use a vacation rental (such as we are doing on this trip), we tend to do our restaurant dining during lunch and cook our evening meal back at our rental. I’ll shop locally and stock up on items for cooking breakfast and dinner in the rental, although we may do one evening somewhere in Kamnik. We take this approach to avoid driving at night, and being able to enjoy wine in our lodging. So I’m looking for dining options for places that are open during lunch. I have already booked a lunch reservation for Hiša Franko outside of Kobarid. What else should I consider for Ljubljana, Maribor, Ptuj, Novo Mesto, or any other town that could be a day trip destination or on the route of a day trip? If there is truly a “not miss” restaurant that only serves dinner, I’d be open to hiring a driver.

4. Wine. There are several wine-growing/producing regions in Slovenia. I’m wide open to any recommendations here. Also, are we able to visit some places without an appointment, or is an appointment absolutely required? My wife will afford me one day to spend visit wine producers–two if I’m extremely lucky or nice.

Thanks in advance for all advice, suggestions, tips, or other things I should consider about traveling in Slovenia. We will have nine nights in Slovenia, and are looking forward to experiencing as much of the country as we can.

Jason_R · October 1, 2017, 5:18pm

Hi Brad,
We went to Slovenia and Croatia in June 2016 as a family (wife, 4 kids, my parents) and absolutely loved it. We started our Slovenia stretch in Bled for a couple of nights, then stayed several nights in Landol at a wonderful guest house, Lippizaner Lodge, which is roughly an hour west of Ljubljana, so I’m not sure how translatable our day trips will be for you, but FWIW… Hope you don’t mind the pics

Bled is very pretty. Touristy, but still very picturesque and charming. I found restaurants a bit overpriced here, though not wildly so. Our favorite casual meal was at Pizzeria Rustica. Plenty of different pies to choose from, terrace available. Great place to fuel up after days of hiking. There’s a great hike in a park just on the northeast of Bled (the name escapes me) that was a beautiful hike in along the river and back out.

For a slightly different Slovenia lake, you could try Bohinj, which is in a box canyon: gorgeous. We took the tram up to the peak and had some awesome views over into the mountains.

Since you’re already going to Kobarid, we loved the WWI museum in the town. The docents and staff are so helpful, and eager to share other local recommendations.

Highly recommend the hike to the Kozjak Falls (Slap Kozjak). There are unbelievably beautiful vistas along the way, and the waterfall in the cave/grotto at the end is spectacular.

The Tolmin gorge is also beautiful. We went up to the small village up the mountain and ate at the small cafe there. The hike up is also spectacular

At the advice of our innkeepers, we visited Vipava, a charming town just west of our lodge that is nestled up against the mountains.

Its claim to fame is the seven springs that flow through the town.

We had a lovely dinner there at Gostilna Podfarovz on the porch overlooking a spring-fed pond.

There was delicious gelato in the bar on the main square in the photo above that was truly the best I’ve eaten outside of Italy. We made it a daily stop on our drive back from hiking

The Skocjan Cave really is breathtaking - there’s a Mines of Moria moment when you walk into the main cavern that is a little mind-blowing.

There’s basically tons to do and see - those were our highlights, YMMV I know you’ve got your lodgings, but Lippizaner Lodge is terrific and they had loads of posts on their site with day trip ideas, etc… Let me know if you have any questions and prepare for a ton of fun!

Best,
Jason

Jason_R · October 1, 2017, 5:35pm

Not sure what I did on the photos - first-timer on images, and nothing was rotated on my computer. Sorry!

Brad_B_a_l_l_i_n_g_e_r · October 3, 2017, 8:05pm

Thanks, Jason. Yes, we are also planning on Bohinj. I’ll share the rest of your post (and pics) with my wife to help with our planning.

G_Greenbaum · October 5, 2017, 6:09pm

The Vipava valley is wine area. In the town of Slap you should find your way to Majerija | The aroma of the Bora and the sun. You won’t be disappointed

Chris_Blum · October 6, 2017, 6:52pm

Brad B a l l i n g e r:

My wife and I are traveling to Slovenia, October 13-24. We fly in and out of Munich. I have several questions/topics on which I’m seeking input.

1. Travel between Munich and Slovenia. After some research and much thought, I’ve decided it’s better to rent a car in Slovenia rather than at the Munich airport. Renting a car in Munich would mean purchasing a vignette (pass) both in Austria and Slovenia to drive on the major highways there. Renting a car in Slovenia includes the vignette in the price. So that leaves the issue of the best (fastest, cheapest) way to get form Munich to Ljubljana. Train appears to be seven hours. Bus appears to be four hours. However, I found something called Bla Bla Car (similar to Uber???) where drivers post rates to take people from one destination to another. Several options for Munich to Ljubljana for only $20 (U.S.). Leaning toward doing that unless there is a better recommendation. I’ve posted separately on this board looking for a one night recommendation for Munich. We will be staying there the evening before our return flight.

That $20 rate is crazy cheap and a car sounds great. We looked into that but we took the train from Vienna. The SIXT and other rental places are a short walk to the farthest edge of the Ljubljana station.

2. Where to visit. We have already booked our lodging via VRBO/HomeAway. We are renting a stand alone chalet outside of Kamnik (30 minutes north of Ljubljana). This will be our base. We are planning many day trips (Ljubljana, Bled, Triglavski, Maribor, Ptuj). We do not anticipate a day trip into Croatia (but could be persuaded). We do not plan crossing into Italy or Austria. We might consider a trip to Piran on the Slovenian coast, but everything I’ve read so far informs me that the coastal towns pretty much shut down starting in October. Looking for additional “don’t miss” suggestions as well as specifics for any place I’ve already listed. We are both very active, and are open to both outdoor experiences as well as indoor attractions.

Lake Bled is worth a full day and night. We spent two and chilled a bit. Take a boat trip early to the island, maybe take the cable car up to Vogel Ski Resort and hike around (great view, dress warm) maybe do the alpine luge, maybe hike up to the old Bled Castle, eat meat and drink beer.

Away from Bled, I think the drive down through the Julian Alps was a huge highlight. We slept at a pizza restaurant in Kobarid that rented rooms. (just ok, but super cheap) The WWI Isonzo front museum in Kobarid was IMO really cool if you are into that type of history. After driving down through those mountain passes, the idea of a long bloody back and forth being fought on them really hit home. Plan 2 hours.

Ljubljana doesn’t have really any “can’t miss” sights. The castle is neat and they do a great job with the history of the place, but it’s a castle. The real draw of Ljubljana is just the vibe along the river. And that requires being there in the evening to really experience it. It’s a lovely city

For me the idea of visiting a coastal town that is “shut down” is super appealing. After hating the crush of people in the otherwise charming Rovijn, the offseason lull sounds perfect. Plitvice, to me, is pretty spectacular, but it requires you overnight really close to the park to avoid the swarms that descend as the day moves on. This may be a bit less in October, but still a lot of schools go there. The whole thing might be too much driving/time out of your limited schedule for the payoff.

3. Dining. When we use a vacation rental (such as we are doing on this trip), we tend to do our restaurant dining during lunch and cook our evening meal back at our rental. I’ll shop locally and stock up on items for cooking breakfast and dinner in the rental, although we may do one evening somewhere in Kamnik. We take this approach to avoid driving at night, and being able to enjoy wine in our lodging. So I’m looking for dining options for places that are open during lunch. I have already booked a lunch reservation for Hiša Franko outside of Kobarid. What else should I consider for Ljubljana, Maribor, Ptuj, Novo Mesto, or any other town that could be a day trip destination or on the route of a day trip? If there is truly a “not miss” restaurant that only serves dinner, I’d be open to hiring a driver.

4. Wine. There are several wine-growing/producing regions in Slovenia. I’m wide open to any recommendations here. Also, are we able to visit some places without an appointment, or is an appointment absolutely required? My wife will afford me one day to spend visit wine producers–two if I’m extremely lucky or nice.

Thanks in advance for all advice, suggestions, tips, or other things I should consider about traveling in Slovenia. We will have nine nights in Slovenia, and are looking forward to experiencing as much of the country as we can.

Brad_B_a_l_l_i_n_g_e_r · October 6, 2017, 9:07pm

Thanks for the responses, all.

I’ve had to amend my initial plans getting from Munich to Slovenia. I’ve had no bites on the carpooling site, Bla Bla Car, from my travel date and time. There is one driver going at 22:40, but we arrive at 8:00. I’m not going to sit around all day just for a cheap car ride. The alternative is a bus ($45 each way for two passengers, plus €65 cab fare from the airport to the central bus station–might be less via Uber, but probably not by that much). So I’ve decided to rent the car out of Munich. The vignette for Austria is €5 and the vignette for Slovenia is €15. It’s probably a close enough wash financially and doesn’t have the hassle. Per Europcar, no problem taking the car to Slovenia as long as it’s an Intermediate class or smaller.

Martin_S · October 10, 2017, 7:41pm

I can second Gregg’s recommendation on Majerija. Such a wonderful experience. I can also highly recommend Danilo just outside of Skofija Loka (https://www.danilogostilna.si/). Wonderful food and charming owners. The wine list is no slouch either! (https://www.evino.si/media/wysiwyg/Danilo/Danilo_VINSKA_KARTA_-_FINAL_-_TISK_8.2017.pdf)

Brad_B_a_l_l_i_n_g_e_r · October 12, 2017, 1:22pm

Thanks. Danilo is about 30 minutes away. Could work for lunch or an early dinner. Lookes like Majerija will be open on Friday and Saturday only. We’ll see if our itinerary takes us in that direction on those days.

Peter_Keibel · October 13, 2017, 1:04pm

I just returned from Slovenia, biking not wine traveling. If you are in Ljubljana I highly recommend JB and I have heard that Cubo is also very good

Brad_B_a_l_l_i_n_g_e_r · October 13, 2017, 6:27pm

Thanks, again, everyone. We are in Toronto, waiting to leave for Munich. We will be going to Ljubljana. I know we will eat lunch at Valentin (in the back of a seafood market). There is also a street food festival on Saturday, October 21. A chocolate festival on that same day.

Going to try horse meat “burgers” at a gostilna, if offered.

Brad_B_a_l_l_i_n_g_e_r · October 18, 2017, 5:58pm

So far:

Food:
Gostilna Danilo, Skojfa Loka, Retece = excellent, for both food and wine.
Valentin, Ljubljana = simple, but expertly prepared, fish and seafood.
I’ve cooked in a couple of nights, and eaten what my distant relatives have cooked.

Wine:
Ajovščina, Faladun wine bar. Tasted wines of the Vipava valley. Bought six to take home.

Sights:
Bled, Piran, Prejama castle, Postojna caves, Ljubljana castle.

Beautiful country.

Martin_S · October 18, 2017, 9:50pm

Fantastic choices! So glad you enjoyed Danilo! Nina and Gaspar are doing a bang-up job with the place!

Faladur in Ajdovščina was one of my first introductions to wines of the Vipava valley. Wonderful place! What wines are you bringing home?

Brad_B_a_l_l_i_n_g_e_r · October 19, 2017, 6:04pm

Wines are boxed up, and box taped shut for travel. Photos upon my return. Also tasted at Pullus in Ptuj today. Bought one bottle to drink here, their gewurztraminer.