Visited: July 2023

Slovenia: A country surrounded by tourist spots yet still underrated and undiscovered. I loved my visit to Slovenia in July 2022 and am always looking for excuses to return. Lake Bled is growing in popularity, but the full magic of Slovenia has yet to be explored.

Reaching Slovenia:

Slovenia is easily accessible by air, rail and road. Ljubliana airport is not particularly big but is well connected to the rest of Europe, with direct flights from Gatwick (for the Brits Abroad). It also has direct trains to neighbouring countries such as Croatia, Austria, and Italy. Flixbus is very active and affordable if you are already in the region.

I chose to fly in and out of Ljubliana from London Gatwick, but many people visit Slovenia as part of a larger interrailing trip, so they come via train to Ljubliana or Bled.

Day 1: Arrive at Ljubliana Airport and explore Bled

Our flight arrived at Ljubliana Airport at 10:30 a.m., and we got the 11:04 bus to Bled with Arriva for less than £2 each. It took approximately 30 minutes and was hassle-free. As we were travelling in the summer months, it is easier to get around Slovenia with public transport than at other times of the year. If you can, avoid getting taxis; they are not worth the cost.

Our Airbnb was on the east side of the lake, but we could easily walk there from the bus stop in the centre of Bled. Since we wanted to be within walking distance of the lake and have private accommodation, we chose a medium-budget option for £210 for 3 nights. We arrived during a huge thunderstorm and had no service, so we were completely unable to get in touch with our host, but fortunately, he had left the keys outside so we could get in.

After the storm calmed down, we walked down to Lake Bled to explore the area. As you reach the main entrance to the lake, there are lots of large hotel chains and ice cream vans, as well as a shopping centre opposite with restaurants and ATMs. We grabbed an ice cream from a small stall (which was absolutely amazing in the 28-degree heat), then we went to sit on the grass overlooking the water, only to be quickly told that we would be fined if we sat there, so instead, we hunted for a bench. We walked about half of the length of the Lake before reaching a small beach area. It is really worth staying late at the lake, as the island looks incredibly beautiful with the sunset. During the summer, there is a local bus that we used to take us back to our Airbnb.

Day 2: Vintgar Gorge

If you think Lake Bled is the only natural scenery worth seeing in Slovenia, think again! Vintgar Gorge is one of the most incredible natural sights I have seen. Since neither my friend nor I could drive, we were reliant on public transport/walking options to reach each destination. In the summer, there are buses that run towards Vintgar Gorge, which made it possible for us to reach the Gorge. That being said, we accidentally got on the wrong bus and had to change later, slightly delaying our trip. We should have got on the ___ line to ____. This is a mild warning that the ascent to Vintgar Gorge from ____ (our incorrect stop) is quite intense, so it is definitely not a flip-flop day. It costs ___ euros to visit the Gorge, and you have to pick an allotted time, but it is definitely worth visiting!

Once inside the Gorge, take your time, as it is a one-way system. I was truly mesmerised by the beauty of the Gorge, and after 18 months, I still haven’t stopped recommending it to everyone I can. If you can, go in the morning, as it can get very busy during the day, and tickets may sell out. At the end of the Gorge there is a small cafe where we grabbed a drink and an ice cream before walking down to see the waterfall coming down from the Gorge.

The next bus back was not for another 40 minutes, so we decided to walk back to Bled through a forest path and an adorable small village. It was not a particularly difficult walk, neither of us are experienced hikers. There are also clear signs the whole time, and nice viewpoints and cafes along the way. You could also definitely hitchhike back to Bled. We even had cars stop to ask if we needed a lift, but it was such a lovely walk that we turned down the offer. I would recommend walking back, rather than walking there, because the majority of the walk back was downhill, making it much more comfortable.

Day 3: Lake Bled

For our final day in Bled we chose to get a boat across the lake to the island and explore the church. The boat ride is really scenic, but the island is further than you think, so be prepared to work for it or get someone else to take you. On the island, there is not that much to do; there is the church, cafe and gift store. It is a perfect morning trip, but you shouldn’t expect it to take a whole day.

We then went back to the shores and walked up to Bled Castle. The castle is really beautiful and has an incredible viewpoint, which alone is worth visiting. Until this point, we had been living off of cheap meals and baguettes from a local bakery, so we decided to splurge on our last day in Bled. For lunch, we ate at Bled Castle, and I had an octopus dish that I cannot really explain outside of the photos. I’m a pescatarian and found Slovenia very easy to navigate in terms of food. Vegetarians and Italian lovers rejoice, as due to Slovenia neighbouring Italy, pizzas are exceptionally good at even very cheap restaurants in Slovenia (not so good for the vegans, and lactose-intolerant, unfortunately).

We ended our trip with a swim in Lake Bled. There are designated swimming areas across the lake, but we went to Grajsko Kopalisce, the public lido, since it had changing rooms and locker facilities. In the summer, expect this to be the busiest swimming area in Bled since it is in the perfect location for accessing the castle and the town, but luckily, it is a large sight if you still want a quiet swim.

Other things to do in and around Bled:

• Visit Bohinji
• Explore Triglav National Park
• Enjoy the amusement rides at Straza Bled

Day 4: Ljubljana

Ljublijana – the beautiful city, fighting with Reykyavik for the title of “Most Misspelt Capital City in Europe”. Ljubljana is a relatively small city with less than 300,000 people. But it is compact and full of history and culture. We chose to stay at Hostel Celia – an old prison that has been refurbished, but the doors have remained. It is located within walking distance from the city centre, bus terminal and train station making it an ideal location and low-budget option.

Spend the day exploring the city and the Triple Bridges – look out for the dragon statutes that are synonymous with Ljubljana. Depending on how much you like museums and art galleries, it may be worth getting the Ljubljana City Card. Most museums are shut on Mondays, so take that into account if one of your dates falls on a Monday. In the city centre, you can find a great local market for fresh fruit and vegetables as well as some high-end restaurants and cafes.

We had lunch at ___, deep within the beautiful Tivoli Park. This is a great park worth exploring on a warm summer day. Look out for some street music and wholesome couples dancing to the music.

Ljubljana has some of the best pub crawls due to the high number of bars and pubs in a small area. Lots of the hostels plan their own pub crawls or look on GetYourGuide for daily organised crawls.

Day 5: Ljubljana

Use your second day in Ljubljana to explore Ljubljana Castle. If you have paid for the Ljubljana City Card, it will include a trip on the funicular to save your legs from the walk. Within the Castle, learn about the famous dragon and St. George’s Day. See the best views of the city from the city walls and grab a drink from the cafe. Within the castle, there is also an amazing art display and exhibitions.

We then went to the Modern Art Museum, which was one of the best art museums I’ve visited, especially for history lovers.

We chose to go back up to the Castle in the evening, as they do film screenings during the Summer from the castle. On the way to the castle, I accidentally bumped into one of my university friends, who had just arrived in Ljubljana from Croatia. This was a great way to spend an evening and highlighted how great of a stop Ljubljana is on an interrailing trip.

Day 6 and 7: Day trips

If, like me, you feel that you’ve seen everything you want to in Ljubljana, then don’t fly back to the UK yet! Look into day trips from Ljubljana. On my trip, we chose to spend a day exploring a nearby town and, on a friend’s recommendation, a day trip to Zagreb.

Zagreb, Croatia:

Zagreb, Croatia’s capital, is a great day trip from Ljubljana—it takes only 3 hours to reach with Flixbus, which costs £5! Zagreb is the perfect size for a day trip, especially if you like small, hilly cities with crested roofs. The city is split into a higher and lower level, with a beautiful funicular connecting the two levels. We decided to walk up to the higher level to see the main museums and old architecture.

The best thing to do in Zagreb is visit the Museum of Broken Hearts. This museum alone makes it worth visiting Zagreb unless it is touring Europe again…

We got the funicular back down and had dinner, before catching the bus back to Ljubljana.

Skofja Loka, Slovenia:

If you’ve already heard of Skofja Loka, then why are you reading this blog? Your trip is sorted already. Skofja Loka is a beautiful little town directly between Bled and Ljubljana. We got on a local bus to the town, which has a small tourist scene. The town is mostly known because of the beautiful lake that runs through the centre of the town. If I could move here, I would do so immediately.

We found a beautiful little bookshop where the books were packed to the ceiling, making it impossible to navigate and a perfect place to spend an hour. Then we walked up to Loski Grad to explore the castle, the views from the castle are really beautiful, and the castle entry is very cheap (especially for students). Afterwards, we walked back down to the lake and walked along the paths towards a wild swimming area and outdoor bar. On a hot day, this is a great place to relax and escape the tourist traps.