Arrive into Ljubljana where you will be met and transferred directly to your city centre hotel. Balance of day to explore Ljubljana on foot.
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Slovenia's beautiful countryside - historic towns, caves, lakes, mountain passes, quiet valleys & wine regions.
START / FINISH - Ljubljana
Activity code: SLFD02
Duration: 15 Days
If you wish to explore Slovenia fully and have approximately two weeks available then this recommended self-drive holiday is definitely for you.
Starting in the capital, Ljubljana, your self drive will incorporate stunning National Parks, historic towns (large & small), beautiful coastal resorts and much more. The route is designed to be a circuit from Ljubljana so you can begin your travels via Lake Bled and come back directly from the coast or vice versa. This holiday can be easily extended by adding nights in some or all locations or, of course, introducing new places such as heading into Croatia to visit Zagreb & Plitvice Lakes National Park or Istria.
All our holidays have tried and trusted driving routes with our personal suggestions for sightseeing included with your final travel documents but you are free to explore or relax as much as you like within the overall structure of the itinerary. Driving conditions are excellent, in fact the highways cut down on travel times but also free up space on minor roads so drivers can choose between peaceful scenic routes or speedier alternatives to make the most of time away from home.
Begin your holiday with a spot of sightseeing in Ljubljana, a city which is a delight to wander around both daytime and evening; it is compact and very friendly with some excellent viewpoints and historic architecture. From here there is a beautiful drive, via the Sava valley eastwards to Celje and on to Ptuj. After this encounter with eastern Slovenia drive towards the border with Austria, this time following the Drava valley, to the secluded Logar Valley - a location offering a plethora of outdoor activities. From here it is only a relatively short drive west through another mountain pass to stunning Lake Bled and the Triglav National Park, where you can choose to stay in one or more of Bled, Bohinj and Kranjska Gora to make the most of the outdoor activities and plentiful fresh air on offer.
Afterwards, you have a few days to meander up through the incredible Vrsic Pass to visit mountain villages on the smaller roads including staying in both Bovec on the famous Soca Valley and a detour to the wine region of Goriska Brda. From this lesser-visited corner of Slovenia it is time to get down to the coast and to stay in Isola (or Piran) on the small but beautiful Adriatic shoreline. Due to its proximity you are ideally placed for a short trip into Croatia (e.g. Porec, Rovinj, Motovun) and/or Italy (e.g. Trieste, even Venice !) prior to heading back on the highway to your final location, Postojna and its fabulous caves. On your last day simply head back on the highway to Ljubljana for your flight home.
Important Information
Flights available to book with us through a range of airlines, from various UK airports to Ljubljana. If we book your flights this means that your holiday will also be fully ATOL protected.
Our hire cars include Slovenia's Vignette (or highway tax disc) & the cross-border Green Card for Croatia, Italy & Austria.
Prices shown are a guideline "from" (in UK Pounds) and are based on a travelling party of at least 2 adults. Single supplements may need to be applied to the twin/double price and discounts for children (under 12yrs) and/or a 3rd adult sharing a room are available upon request. Quoted prices for individual enquiries will depend upon your chosen accommodation, room availability and dates of travel. We always aim to match a high quality experience with exceptional value for money. Discounts will apply if there are 3 or more people in your travelling party as fixed costs such as transportation and guides will be shared equally between the group.
Based upon 2 persons travelling.
What's included in your Fly-Drive holiday?
Itinerary
Arrive into Ljubljana where you will be met and transferred directly to your city centre hotel. Balance of day to explore Ljubljana on foot.
Today will be your sightseeing and exploration day!
Visit the castle using one of the many footpaths up the hill or by taking a ride in the funicular. You may like to consider a boat trip on the river or hiring a bicycle to explore this compact city, including the huge Tivoli Park not far from the centre. Ljubljana has some great food and wine to sample, a fabulous market, a zoo, a museum of illusions and many different types of tour, e.g. Segway, Moustache Tour.
Your hire car will be delivered to your hotel in the morning (or to the nearest safe parking place). Drive east along the pretty Sava valley to the historic town of Celje with its dramatic castle. In the afternoon take the highway to Ptuj, a town filled with cobbled streets, lined with Baroque and Gothic buildings and dominated from above by the 12th Century castle. For wine lovers Ptuj is in the centre of one of the most fabulous wine regions of Slovenia - the Haloze Hills.
Day 4 - more time to visit Ptuj and its surroundings, particularly if you are a wine lover. Today, your main journey starts with a short drive north to the city of Maribor for an optional visit, followed by a beautiful trip westwards along the course of the River Drava to the isolated Logar Valley near the Austrian border.
Day 5 - plenty of time to explore this beautiful, lesser-visited area; we recommend a walk up to the Rinka Waterfall at the top of the valley, a scenic drive on the panoramic road where you can indulge in high quality local products from the farms along the route and a visit to nearby Solcava which has a fantastic visitor centre and local crafts workshops.
More time in Logar Valley and then onward via a superb "short-cut" on smaller roads through Austria, maybe stopping at Zgornje Lake near the border. Then descend to Preddvor and on to the lovely town of Kranj en route to Lake Bled.
Today you have a full day to explore the lake, including its island by Pletna Boat, and the castle; you can walk or cycle around the shoreline of the lake and explore further on trails in and around the Triglav National Park. On the shore of the lake there is a summer toboggan run, a zip line, mini-golf and nearby is Lake Bohinj and the Vogel cable car to the west and to the north, the Vintgar Gorge.
At this point on your holiday you could choose to extend your stay in Lake Bled to explore the area more fully or even to take a day trip into the mountains by train. A possible alternative would be to consider a couple of nights in Bohinj.
Extend your stay in the Triglav National Park with a night in Kranjska Gora - there are lots of opportunities for walking, cycling and more adventurous activities from here.
** on this day you could elect to simply drive through Kranjska Gora en route, via the Vrsic pass, to Bovec as part of an alternative itinerary.
A full day to travel over the famous Vrsic Pass (with more than 50 switchbacks which are numbered from the north side) and then down the western side of the Triglav National Park along the Soca Valley to Bovec (where you could stop for a night or two) en route to the lush wine region of Goriska Brda.
** If you choose to stay in Bovec there are many hiking and cycling trails plus the cable car to the ski area which is now linked up to the Italian side.
You now have 2 (or more) full days to properly explore this region which can include Slovenia's coastline at Isola (e.g. Hotel Marina) or Piran (e.g. Hotel Piran). You may also choose to add extra nights so that you can visit our recommended locations in Istria (Croatia). These are Rovinj, Porec, and Pula on the coast plus the mountain village of Motovun.
* Ask us for more details of how you could make the most of this part of your holiday, Istria is a well-developed holiday region which offers a wide range of activities as well as some great food and drink choices.
Finish your sightseeing and exploring at the coast and return to Slovenia's mountains; break your journey back to Ljubljana at the world-famous site of Postojna. Time to explore the area which has so much more to offer in addition to the caves - Predjama Castle, Modrijan Homestead, Skocjan Karst landscape and the home of the Lipizzaner Horses.
** Visit the show caves first thing in the morning (they are just a short walk from both hotels and tickets can be purchased online) and then you have time to enjoy the general surroundings away from the main crowds.
Take the highway back to Ljubljana for your flight home, dropping off the car at the airport.
If you have an early flight departure then we can arrange a hotel in Kranj which is near to the airport, e.g. Hotel Actum - OR you may wish to consider reversing your itinerary and stay in Ljubljana at the end instead of at the beginning.
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