Yes it is that time again, another weekend trip. This time Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. I will be perfectly honest, I knew nothing about Slovenia and certainly had no idea what to expect from Ljubljana. Boy was I surprised. Slovenia and Ljubljana are absolutely stunning, not just the amazing scenery but the people, the architecture. Everything about the country surprised me.
Slovenia from the air
We landed at Ljubljana airport around midday on the Friday, met our pre-arranged transport and made our way into the capital.
Taken from the Airport transfer vehicle
We arrived at the Hotel Slon, which incidentally translates to “Elephant”. After a short freshen up we headed out for lunch and a wander round the city. There are quite simply loads of restaurants, bars and coffee shops in Ljubljana, to suit every pocket. We chose an Italian just round the corner from the hotel, excellent value for money.
Ljubljanica River
Ljubljanica River
Ljubljanica River – “Three Bridges”
The following day we had a tour organised, the “Karst and Coast Mystery Tour“. Our guide, Aljaž picked us up at 9am and took us to Predjama Castle. On the way he stopped by one of the oldest, most ornate Hay racks in Slovenia, they seem to be a common feature of the landscape.
Hay Rack
Predjama Castle dates back to the thirteenth century, and has steadily been built up over the years. It is situated in a cave to make it almost impregnable.
Predjama Castle
View from oldest part of Predjama Castle
Valley – Predjama Castle
From Predjama Castle we went to the Škocjan Caves, unfortunately as this is one of the largest Subterranean cave systems it is in UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites and hence protected so no photography at all inside. However I will say they were stunning and for me very scary as I do not like heights and they were very, very deep. On the way we stopped for a light snack to taste some Karst Ham, with local cheese and wines.
However from a viewpoint outside the caves you can go and look at hole where the water enters the cave system, and oh my god!! It is DEEP!
River entrance to Škocjan Caves
This picture really does not do the depth justice, I was, quite frankly too scared to get closer to the edge to really look over and take a photo that shows more.
I am getting the jitters just thinking about it again, so I will move on. Next stop was the town of Piran, a beautiful old town on the Slovenian coast. You can actually see the Croatian and Italian coasts from here.
Piran
After an early dinner we had a wander round the old town.
Piran Square
I have to say at this point the group was pretty tired, so we elected to have a quick cocktail before heading back to Ljubljana. The location for our cocktail was Ayala Cocktail Bar in Portorož.
The bar had an idyllic location!
View from Ayala Cocktail Bar
After enjoying some excellent cocktails we headed back to Ljubljana, the drive back was very beautiful with a stunning sunset.
Lone Rider (Taken from the car)
Day 2 in Ljubljana and another tour, this time the Alpine Fairytale tour. Our guide for the day was Aljaž again. Just a note to say this guys knowledge of Slovenia and its history is great!
First stop for today was Blejski Vintgar, a natural Gorge near Bled. The Gorge was discovered in 1891 and within 2 years walkways were installed and it was opened to the public in 1893.
Blejski Vintgar
Blejski Vintgar
Blejski Vintgar
Blejski Vintgar
Blejski Vintgar
Blejski Vintgar
What a great way to start the day, the gorge was beautiful and thankfully quite cool in the shade. From here we went to the town of Bled with its Glacial lake and Castle that sits on the cliff edge.
Bled Castle and Lake
Bled Castle
The lake has a small Island in the middle with a church, you can get to the lake via one of many traditional row barges called Pletna, costs €12 per person and you get about 30 minutes on the island.
Pletna
Time for lunch again, this time in an old village close to Bohinj. It was a beautiful place to have lunch.
View from restaurant Pri Hrvatu in Srednja Vas V Bohinju
After a Wild Boar Cutlet lunch it was time to head to Bohinj and visit our second Glacial lake of the day.
Bohinj Lake
Bohinj Lake
Bohinj Lake
Unlike the other lake, Bohinj lake has a constant throughput of water, its exit point is the Jezernica River.
Bohinj Lake Outflow – Jezernica
From here we sped our way to our final pit stop of the day, a medieval town called Škofja Loka. It has a very beautiful Linden Tree right next to a great place to have some ice cream Kavarna Homan.
Linden Tree outside Kavarna Homan
That was the day done, we headed back to Ljubljana for dinner etc. It just remains for me to say a big THANK YOU to Aljaž and the tour company Roundabout for 2 great trips. I will certainly be recommending people to visit Ljubljana.
Hope you enjoyed the photos, and maybe found it helpful in deciding on a holiday destination.
very great.i wònder if all the pics were taken with n8.they look amazing
Yes all the pics are with the N8 on the blog, the 500px account has some images taken with the Canon, remember the N8 can do HDR too, and a lot are HDR images
Amazing pictures as always Rich. Beautiful country – my favourite pics Blejski Vintgar and the Predjama Castle, love it.
Thanks Joao, definitely one of those places I will remember
Really nice pictures. I went to Ljubljana in 2003, stayed mainly in the city as i had a friend at the university. Hope to go back one day. A very stunning place.
You should the scenery just outside is nothing short of breathtaking
Glad to see you enjoyed your stay.
We did indeed, you have a beautiful country
Lake Bled is one of the most beautiful peacls I have visited. Even though I only spent a short amount of time in Slovenia, I loved this country and can’t wait to see more of it. There is so much to see and incredible diversity in the Slovenian landscape. Even though it is a small country, it shouldn’t be overlooked!Love the photos of Bled. Some of them look like photos that I took! Eerily similar!
Beautiful photography my freind. Don’t be so hard on yourself they’re stunning and you captured the essence of both your journeys for all of us to relive your experiences! I keep reading about Lake Bled and how beautiful it is and after seeing your castle perched clifftop, it’s moved up on my bucket list, that is certain! Thanks for your sharing your journey and your lovely pics!!
Fabulous scenery done full justice by a gifted photgrapher. Good on ya! Cyclist photo is brilliant.
Thanks Frances
Thanks for great time and great pictures! Greetings from sunny Ljubljana!
Aljaž, Roundabout Travel
Hiya, thanks for taking the time to read it. And thanks again for a great trip