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If your planning to visit Slovenia with limited vacation time, it may be helpful to know about these 8 easy day trips from Ljubljana. The benefit of basing yourself in Ljubljana and doing day trips to nearby attractions is that you save yourself the time and money of constantly changing hotels.
The follow day trips from Ljubljana have been split up into different sections to help you choose a day tour. Whether you’re looking to experience nature, European architecture, or nearby cities, I’ve got you covered.
Top Three Must Haves
I wouldn’t recommend going on your holiday without the following three items: a good quality (but affordable) memory card, an international plug adapter, and noise reduction earphones. All three things will come in handy as you’re traveling around Slovenia or Europe.
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Living Fairytale: Lakes, Gorges, Caves and Castles
The Slovenia of old is full of reminders of its ancestry, and many of these sights will make you feel like you’re visiting a fairytale. Slovenia has an abundance of pretty, natural attractions such as waterfalls, gorges and caves. These combine with beautiful European architecture littered around the country, some of which are castles, gives the entire country a magical vibe.
1 Lake Bled
Glistening turquoise water encompassed by lush green trees and snow-capped mountains – Lake Bled is a slice of heaven placed on earth.
It is a most popular day trip from Ljubljana and one you don’t want to miss out on. The view is breath-takingly beautiful and the beautiful church perched right in centre of the lake make sit even more enchanting.
You can visit Lake Bled itself and take a pletna boat to visit the church. After that, to enjoy a great view, head out toward majestic Lake Bled castle. At Bled castle, yo can enjoy most stunning and picturesque views. There is a museum to visit and a wine cellar to enjoy some Slovenian wine.
How to get there:
- Go it Alone Route: most convenient route to reach Lake bled from Ljulbjan is via bus. It’s a 75 minute ride and a bus leave after every hour. You can ask at your hotel for the timetable.
- Take a day trip:
- See Lake Bled and Vintgar Gorge in the same day – find more information and see prices here.
- Visit Lake Bled and Postojna Caves in one trip – see the latest prices here.
- If you just want to visit Lake Bled, this half day tour is a great option.
2 Lake Bohinj
If you want to overdose on scenic beauty and nature, Lake Bohing is a good place to start. Located about 26 km away southwest of lake bled, Lake bohinj is not inferior from Lake bled in any capacity. Sparkling water surrounded by Solvenian Alps and picturesque landscape, Lake Bohinj is a place to relax and unwind.
Contrary to Lake bled ,it is less crowded. You can take excursion boats to enjoy the water trip around the lake or take a walk around the lake to take in all the stunning scenery. Boats runs from April till late October and it is one of the most popular activity to enjoy here.
Don’t Forget to take some stunning pics here because the lake is perfect place to take some snaps.
How to get there:
- Go it alone: 2 hour bus ride from ljulbjana will take you to Bohinj.
- Day tour from Ljubljana:
- Visit Lake Bled and Bohinj in one day – see more details and the prices here.
3 Skocjan caves
Listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site, Skocjan caves are something out of this world.
The exhilarating cavern system is one of the largest cavern system in Europe. Skocjan caves day trip is a unique one so you don’t wanna miss out on that.
It a series of eleven caves that expands over 6 km. you can join guided English tours to explore caves but don’t forget to bring your tough boots a the caves are pretty slippery sometimes. Watch out for stalagmites and stalactites when crossing limestone pools .
How to get there:
- Go it alone: from Ljubljana, 1:45 hour train journey will take you to Divaca station where you can ride a connecting bus or stroll down last couple of kilometers.
- Take a daytrip from LjubLjana:
- Visit the Skocjan Caves & Lipica Stud Farm – Find more details here.
4 Predjama castle
Major robin hood vubes right there! Predjama castle is sculpted in the middle of a cliff nearly 400 feet high and is a stuff of fairytales.
The history of the castle is quote interesting itself. Erazem Leguer a robber and a 15th century knight took refuge in the castle. Even under siege, he couldn’t be stopped from sneaking into the valley, robbing and killing Austrian dignitries.
No one could figure out how he did it. The mystery resolved when they infiltrated the castle and found mysterious cavern system down below. You can have adventure while visiting the secret tunnels, caves, nearby park and some other local attractions.
You can also sneak a visit to postjona caves located few km away. the cave is a home to unique lizard like creatures called olms.
How to get there:
- Go it alone: take a bus from Ljubljana to the postojna town. From postojna you can either take a taxi to the castle or use a free shuttle service which is only available during high season.
- Take a daytrip from Ljubljana:
- Visit Predjama castle and Postojna Caves in one trip with this tour – see prices.
5 Vintgar Gorge
Looking for some adventure filled hiking experience? Head out to Vintgar Gorge. Along tha Radovna River, Vintgar gorge is a gorgeous place to take a stroll through 1.5 km long wooden pathway. Cool off your eyes with stunning scenery all around. The wooden bridge ends towards a stunning Sum waterfall.
There is a tuck-shop near the waterfall if you want to grab a water bottle or something. You can find some restaurants outside the parking lot, if you want to grab a quick bite or two.
How to get there:
- Go it alone: Vintgar gorge is just 20 minutes away from lake Bled so you can visit both destination in one day. From Ljubljana, an hour’s ride will take you to vintgar Gorge. You can also rent your own car as the traffic isn’t so bad in Slovenia.
- Daytrip from Ljubljana:
- Kranjska gora and Vintgar Gorge – find more details here.
- See Lake Bled and Vintgar Gorge in the same day – find more information and see prices here.
Historical sites and beautiful cities
As mentioned above, there are a few castles to be explored around Slovenia, but beyond that there are a large amount of interesting buildings with historical significance. Some cities are achitecture beautifully as a whole and you could many many a day wandering through their streets.
6 Piran City
The alluring little town of Piran is situated at Adriatic coast of Slovenia. You will notice undeniable Italian influence that is so evident through the narrow alley ways and Venetian architecture. Piran is a place best described best as picture perfect almost as if someone painted it.
The stunning sea view and the gorgeous vistas gives it a charismatic appeal. Start off your tour with Tartini square (Tartinijev Trg), which is amin square of the city. It is surrounded by magnificient historical buildings such as Tartini House, Venetian Building and Town hall. Afterwards, head towards St. George church to enjoy incredible seascapes. The view of the blue sea from Top is a thing not to miss in Piran.
Finish off your day trip with a relaxing meat at sea side at Presernovo nabrezje.
How to get there:
- Go it alone: you can take either a train or a bus from ljulbjana to Piran. the bus ride is quickest. The total ride time 2-2.5 hours each side.
- Day tour from Ljubljana:
- Lipica and Piran – see more details here.
7 Radovljica
If you are a history geek, you wouldn’t want to miss on this small charismatic town. Radovljica is a neighboring city ljulbjana, 40 minutes away from the capital. The one and only surviving moat in solvenia can be found in radovljica and dates back to 15th century. Pretty old, right?
You can take a free guided tour of the town on Tuesday so plan your trip accordingly.
How to get there:
- Route: buses are frequent between both cities so you can easily take a day tip. You can also combine the radovljica day tip with Bled as it is only 10 minutes away from Bled city.
- By daytrip from Ljubljana:
- Day tour to Radovljica & Lake Bled – see prices here.
International day trip
Wanna explore something more? How about something out of the country, but still close enough to visit as a day trip?
8 Zagreb
Zagreb is a Croatian capital and will make for a perfect day trip from ljubljana. The city is amalgamation of urban diversity and traditional European charm. Start with gornji grand, the centre of Zagreb. The tallest building in Zagreb is the cathedral of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Mary.
For art and history lovers, Zagreb is like a treasure. Some of the best European museums are situated in Zagreb, Mimara museum and Archaelogical Museum being two of them.
How to get there:
- Go it alone: there are several tours from ljulbjana to Zagreb. The journey is 2.5 hours long by bus or train. Catch the earliest one to make the most out of your day trip.
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