Welcome to our post about the best Slovenia Tours. Slovenia is one of the most beautiful countries you will ever visit. From the snow-capped peaks of the Slovenian Alps to beautiful Lake Bled, it is a gorgeous place to visit; however, first some facts. While we recommend that you start your tour in Trieste, please note that the City of Trieste is not in Slovenia. It is part of Italy, located on the Gulf of Trieste off the Adriatic Sea. At the end of WWI, it was awarded to the Italians, who this time were on the winning side of the war.
Nevertheless, it is the perfect port on the Adriatic Sea to begin a tour of Slovenia. You can reach Trieste either by car, boat, or plane. So, it really is the ideal place to start a trip into Slovenia or even into the Istria region of Croatia (see below for more details about Istria).
Contents
- 1 Our Visits to Slovenia
- 2 Five Day Slovenia Itinerary
- 3 Getting To You Slovenia Tours
- 4 Slovenian Coast
- 5 Some Facts About Trieste, Italy
- 6 First Visit-2022: Western Slovenia
- 7 Second Visit-2024: Ljubljana, Slovenia Lake Bled and Other Major Attractions
- 8 Lake Bled vs. Slovenia’s Largest Glacial Lake
- 9 Slovenia Tour Packages
- 10 Istria, Croatia
- 11 Conclusion: Slovenia Travel
Our Visits to Slovenia
However, that is not how we toured Slovenia. We visited twice, once in 2022 and a second visit in 2024. On our first wonderful visit we toured the western part of Slovenia and entered from Italy (from Venice, but not thru Trieste).
The second time we took a train from Zagreb, Croatia to Ljubljana, and toured the central part of the country including the famous Lake Bled. However, It was one of the worse train rides of Cos’s life. Not only was the train ride torturous (no A/C and hot), but the Ljubljana train station is also poorly designed (no elevator from the train platform to the station and no English directions to the terminal- try lugging two big luggage bags up the stairs, not knowing which way to go).
Nevertheless, we had a fantastic trip and we visited some great places which we will describe below.
So, we now recommend entering from Italy and preferably from Trieste. Trieste to Ljubljana is only a one or two hour trip depending on how you do it. We suggest you plan your trip with plenty of leisure time. Don’t just plan for a day trip. There is plenty to do in Slovenia. In fact, plan on extra days, we suggest at least a five night holiday.
Five Day Slovenia Itinerary
Slovenia is a small country in Eastern Europe. If you plan to visit the entire country, then we recommend minimally a five day Slovenia itinerary. However, if you are only interested in seeing part of the tiny Slovenia than a two or three day Slovenia Itinerary may be more appropriate. We did three days on our second visit when we visited Ljubljana, and Slovenia Lake Bled, and two days when we visited the Western part of the country on our first visit.
Getting To You Slovenia Tours
There are several options for public transport from Trieste to Ljubljana:
- Bus: FlixBus operates buses from Trieste to Ljubljana bus station every 2 hours, with tickets costing $10–15.
- Train: Trenitalia runs trains from Trieste Centrale to Ljubljana Tivoli twice daily, with tickets priced at $10–18. The train journey takes approximately 2 hours and 37 minutes.
- Rideshare: If you prefer ridesharing, you can find options through platforms like BlaBlaCar. Uber does not operate in Slovenia.
- Driving: The distance between Trieste and Ljubljana is approximately 58 miles (93 km), and takes around a one hour drive. However, there are a number of fine details to be aware of when crossing the Slovenian border from Italy into Slovenia. The rental car company needs to approve cross-border travel, and you need to make sure you have paid the road tax for travel in Slovenia.
Slovenian Coast
Slovenia has a small coastal area on the Adriatic Sea that is just south of Trieste and north of the Istria region in Croatia. The principal port city is Piran.
Some Facts About Trieste, Italy
Trieste has a rich history as it belonged to the Habsburg monarchy from 1382 until 1918. In the 19th century, the monarchy was one of the Great Powers of Europe and Trieste was its most important seaport. As one of Europe’s great coastal towns it was a free port and was known as the free territory of Trieste. As a prosperous trading hub in the Mediterranean region, Trieste grew to become the fourth largest city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (after Vienna, Budapest, and Prague).
In 1918 Trieste became one of the Italian cities. In fact, other than Venice, the most important city in Northeastern Italy. As a deep-water port, it continues as a maritime gateway for northern Italy, Germany, Austria and Central Europe. It is considered the end point of the maritime Silk Road, with its connections to the Suez Canal and Turkey.
James Joyce is one of Trieste’s most famous residents. He also made a name for himself in Ljubljana. Apparently, he got off the train by mistake and spent the night there instead of back home in Trieste. This just supports the notion of visiting Slovenia by starting in Trieste.
Trieste is one of a number of resort towns in the Northeast Adriatic Coast Area. Slovenia’s main coastal town with great coastal views is Piran. Another resort town in the area that we loved is Rovinj in Croatia.
First Visit-2022: Western Slovenia
Western Slovenia is right across the border from Trieste. During our first visit to Southeastern Europe, our final visit was the country of Slovenia. Given our limited time, we were only able to visit the western part of the country. The Soča River, shown below, is an example of the absolutely beautiful natural wonders of the region. Slovenia is well know for its crystal clear rivers.
During our visit, we stayed overnight in Kobarid at the Hiša Franko resort and restaurant in the Soča River Valley. Hiša Franko is a two-star Michelin restaurant and Ana Ros is considered one of the top 50 chefs in the world. The chef, Ana Ros, is self-taught and is incredibly creative. See our favorite restaurant post for more information.
Second Visit-2024: Ljubljana, Slovenia Lake Bled and Other Major Attractions
Since we only visited the western part of Slovenia on our first visit, it seemed necessary to return to enjoy more Slovenian holidays, and tour the central part of the country including Ljubljana and Lake Bled.
Getting to Ljubljana
Our second visit to Slovenia in 2024 started with a train ride from Zagreb, Croatia to Ljubljana, Slovenia. At the time, this seemed to be the best way to travel between the two capitals. However, we were wrong as the train was clearly from a relic from older days, (no A/C) stopped frequently, and was very crowded with no place to store baggage. Including the tight cabin for six and the lady who insisted on having her bag on one of the seats, it was anything but a wonderful, comfortable trip.
The only problem is that the alternatives are no better. Flights between the two cities first go through Belgrade in Serbia and take longer. And, driving a rental car is a problem if you want to rent in one country and drop-off in another. We actually couldn’t find a company that let us do that. So, I hate to hate to say it, but the train may be the best alternative. We will continue to search for other means of transport. We’ve heard the bus may be a better choice.
Slovenia Tours: Visiting Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the Capital of Slovenia. It is surrounded by an astounding natural beautiful landscape and contains stunning architecture with historic buildings. It is a wonderful place to use as a base to tour the central part of the country to see some of the most popular destinations, or simply take a leisurely walk around the beautiful city. We did the walking tour on our own along the Ljubljanica River without a tour guide and took a little train tour around the city. The train tour takes you up to the Ljubljana Castle. To be honest, I wouldn’t recommend the train tour, and we recommend finding passionate local guides for the walking tour. Maybe next time.
Anyway, Ljubljana certainly has some picturesque places here in the heart of the city:
There are some some wonderful places to visit nearby all within an hour’s drive.
Visiting Slovenia Lake Bled
Slovenia Lake Bled is the best place to visit if you are looking for natural beauty. We took a day trip from Ljubljana and arrived early in the morning before the crowds. After a short walk around the lake, we jumped on a Plenta Boat to visit Bled Island. Plenta Boats are an important symbol of the lake. They date back to a tradition from the 17th century when Maria Theresa, the Habsburg Empress granted them permission to ferry visitors to the island. The boats are flat-bottomed without a keel, so weight balance in the boat is critical and the oarsmen need to be strong and very talented.
The Island is capped by a super-cute church and stands as the cornerstone of the lake’s quaintness (please see picture up top). The other church in the city of Bled is also an example of stunning architecture
Lake Bled vs. Slovenia’s Largest Glacial Lake
Slovenia has its fill of glacial lakes. Surprisingly Lake Bled is not Slovenia’s largest Glacial lake.
- Lake Bled
- Surface area: 1.45 km²
- Depth: ~30 meters
- Famous for: Bled Island, medieval castle, emerald waters, and romantic scenery
- Lake Bohinj
- Surface area: 3.3 km²
- Depth: ~45 meters
- Located in Triglav National Park, it’s the largest permanent natural lake in Slovenia.
So while Lake Bled steals the spotlight with its fairy-tale charm, Lake Bohinj quietly holds the title for size.
Slovenia Tours: Visiting Lake Bohinj
Lake Bohinj is a pristine lake, 16 miles southwest of Lake Bled. Unlike Lake Bled, which is a well developed tourist location, Lake Bohinj is a real back-to-nature experience. Robin is pointing out the fish that are easy to spot in the very clean lake.
Slovenia Tours: Visiting Predjama Castle
Predjama Castle is a must visit. It is a medieval castle that is built into a cave on the side of a mountain. Normally people will visit it and the Postojna Cave on a day trip from Ljubljana.
Slovenia Tour Packages
If you are looking for a tour to take you to Predjama Castle and also to Postojna Cave, then we suggest you check out group tours on TripAdvisor. They have a number of interesting one-day tours that you can choose from.
Instead, if you are interested in multi-day private tours, or tours with small groups, then we suggest your check out Tour Radar. They have tours that can show you the whole country with a tour guide. They generally run tours for smaller groups and have some of the best tour operators and best guides.
Visiting Postojna Cave
We skipped Postojna Cave due to time limitations on our trip out to Predjama Castle. However, we recommend you plan for extra time and visit both. It is easy to do both in the same trip. The Postojna Cave is considered one of the best caves in the world and the largest in Slovenia. It has more than 12 miles of explored caves. The tour there covers three of the caves. It is Slovenia’s single most popular tourist attraction.
Visiting Piran
Piran is the main stop on Slovenia’s Adriatic Coast. It is only a few miles from Trieste, so it certainly is worth a stop if you decide to come to Slovenia via Trieste. Piran is one of the most pleasant and user-friendly towns on the Adriatic, much more so than the crowded Croatian towns. The city center and old town with its narrow streets is a wonderful place to wander around.
Final Stop: Lake Zbilje Near The Airport
As we departed Ljubljana, Slovenia we did not return via Trieste, but took a plane from the Ljubljana airport. Near the airport is Lake Zbilje was is also very beautiful. That day, in addition to the beautiful swans, there was a mystifying fog laying on the lake. It was one of the most picturesque places we visited in Slovenia.
Istria, Croatia
Istria is one of five provinces in Croatia and is the closest to Trieste and Slovenia. It, along with the western region of Slovenia, is wine country and is a great area to enjoy some excellent wine tasting. The local wine is excellent. Please visit our Croatia Post to learn more about Istria.
Conclusion: Slovenia Travel
Slovenia Travel is a wonderful way to extend your European Vacation. It is a small, but beautiful country that is well worth a visit. Plan to add a Slovenia Itinerary to your next trip to Europe.
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