How To Spend A Weekend In Slovenia

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Want to know how to spend a weekend in Slovenia? Look no further! Located in Eastern Europe and in close proximity to Italy and Croatia, it surprises me how often Slovenia is overlooked. However it is simply the perfect weekend getaway location! With so much to do fitted into this small country, this blog post will cover how best to spend a weekend in Slovenia!

Where to Stay on a Weekend in Slovenia:

Recently my Dutchie and I went to Slovenia for a little over 3 days. We met up with friends that live in London in Slovenia’s capital city Ljubljana & stayed at this lovely Airbnb!

The key factor for us was being within a 10 minute walk from the centre of Ljubljana. As Ljubljana is a very walk-able city, our location was perfect for being affordable yet also very close to all of the action!

Want a discount on your first Airbnb booking? Click here for my code!

With so much to do in this small country, we picked some highlights for our trip to make sure we got to see a lot of the country in a short time.

Here’s our Weekend in Slovenia Itinerary:

We split our weekend in Slovenia up into 3 areas of the country to explore. The Capital City of Ljubljana ( where we based ourselves ), the area of Bled, and the area of Postojna. All of which were remarkably beautiful!

Day One – The capital city of Ljubljana

Ljubljana seems like it was built for fairy-tales. We fell in love with Ljubljana pretty much instantly and really couldn’t get enough. From the beautiful and colourful architecture, to the cafe culture along the river, the Ljubljana castle, or the delicious food  – all of Ljubljana was really enjoyable!

How did we spend our first day? Well, after checking into our cute Airbnb, we headed out for lunch and to explore the city. First stop – Le Petit Cafe for a delicious first taste of Ljubljana!

[Address »Trg francoske revolucije 4, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia]

After our yummy lunch we strolled over to Kongresni Square – a place filled with stunning colourful architecture! Within the square are many important buildings, including my favourite – the Slovenian Philharmonic.

A short walk from here and we were discovering how beautiful and lovely the river and cafes along the river are, meandering all the way to the famous Dragon Bridge.

Ljubljana Castle

From here we found the funicular to get to Ljubljana Castle & bought our tickets! For only €1 extra (€5 total each), we decided to also do the ‘Escape Castle’ experience. With elements similar to an escape room, we had a map and clues and puzzles to find and solve around the castle, making our visit to the castle a lot more fun! We escaped in under our allotted time and feeling pretty proud of ourselves we went and had a drink in the castle cafe to celebrate!

Julija’s was our destination for dinner. This restaurant should DEFINITELY go on your to-do list for Ljubljana! We had an absolutely fantastic meal at Julija’s with not just impeccable service but great ambiance, too!

[Address »Stari trg 9, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia]

Day Two – Lake Bled & Lake Bohinj

Lake Bled

The area of Bled houses some of the most beautiful jaw-dropping scenery in the world, so there’s no wonder Lake Bled is very much on the tourist map! Lake Bled is found just a 40 minute drive from Ljubljana making it the perfect place for a day trip during a weekend in Slovenia.

On our day trip to Bled, our first stop was Bled Castle. Bled Castle is located on a hilltop overlooking Lake Bled and is the PERFECT place to start your day! Not only does Bled Castle have an interesting museum (albeit quirky odd-looking statues), Bled Castle’s biggest draw-card has to be the view.

After you’ve gotten your bearings and taken in the breathtaking scenery from Bled Castle, you might start to get a little peckish! If so – I’ve got you covered. Head down to the lake and find the Park Restaurant.

[Address »Cesta svobode 10, 4260 Bled, Slovenia]

Over-looking Lake Bled you can taste the most famous food of the area – the Bled Cream Cake. In Slovenian it is called “Kremsnita” and it is filled with cream and custard – YUM. I opted to share my very large piece with my fiance. BIG MISTAKE. It’s too good to share.

In the warmer months you can take a boat (or swim!!) over to the island in the middle of the lake, however we opted not to bother as we were keen to also see Lake Bohinj, and with the few daylight hours we had, we chose to leave after our cake for another beautiful lake!

Lake Bohinj

Lake Bohinj is a much smaller, more beautiful lake and has less tourists! In fact, we saw not one glimpse of tourism at this lake. I’m sure in summer it has its fair share of visitors but we had the lake to ourselves in mid-March! Whilst we were visiting Lake Bohinj, it actually snowed!

If you are visiting Slovenia from May-September I would 100% make sure you come to both of these lakes and bring your swim gear!

Evening in Ljubljana

Since we had so much fun doing the Ljubljana Castle Escape game on our first day in Slovenia, we booked ourselves an Escape Room for Day 2. Having never done an escape room before I wasn’t really sure of what to expect – but what I can say is that the team operating the Fox in a Box Escape Room really know what they are doing! The set up of our scenario was really well thought out and the escape room itself was super impressive!

After escaping so quickly from our escape room, 49 minutes *cough cough*, we went to celebrate by eating at a really funky restaurant in the old part of Ljubljana called ROBBA! This place had excellent food, cocktails and atmosphere and great staff! Highly recommend this place.

[Address »Mestni trg 4, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia]

Day Three – The Postojna Caves & Predjama Castle

Postojna Caves

After a sleep-in on our 3rd day in Slovenia, we got ourselves up and going towards the Postojna Caves around 10:45am. Arriving just an hour later from Ljubljana to the Postojna Caves car park, we had just enough time to secure our tickets for the 12noon entrance. Entry is done via entry times so make sure to check the website in advance to make sure you can visit!

I was really excited to enter the caves, having read online before our trip that they are incredible. The reviews were spot on. The first thing we were greeted with (besides the massive line of tourists) was a train which would ride us through the cave system! Once we were all aboard the train, it was time to drive deep into the caves, passing amazing stalactites and stalagmites along the way. After 10 minutes or so on the train oohing, aaahing, and laughing at the amount of selfie-stick’s taking pitch black selfies along the way, we disembarked the train for our on-foot expedition through the caves.

From here, we followed an English speaking guide through the cave system as he pointed out special interest objects along the way.

The visit through the caves took about 45 minutes before we rode the 10 minute train journey back to daylight. Make sure if visiting, you dress for cool weather inside the caves. The temperature stays the same all year round, around 10 degrees celcius, so in winter, it can be warmer underground than outside!

After our incredible visit to the caves was over we stopped for lunch at the Postojna Caves cafe, to meet up with one of my former housemates from my London days who is Slovenian. We ate, we talked about old times, and we got tips on Slovenia for future trips to this amazingly beautiful country!

Predjama Castle

The day was certainly not over, however we were conscious of our daylight hours. If you are in Slovenia, Predjama Castle is a MUST see! Why? It’s an old castle built into the side of a mountain and only a 15 minute drive from Postojna. This very place had been on my bucket list for years, it’s uniqueness being a magnet.

I also love the story of Erazem of Predjama. He is the most famous former owner of Predjama Castle until his untimely death at the castle, having been betrayed by one of his servants to his enemies. This impenetrable castle was his refuge, however the toilet was the only space which was not so safe. During one pit stop to the toilet, Erazem was struck from underneath by a cannon which had been shot at the toilet after his servant signalled to enemies that he was in there! What a way to go.

After an exciting day seeing two incredible places, we headed back to Ljubljana for our final evening. Dinner was a cheeky burger and delicious beer from Pop’s Place – in the centre along the river – and a great place to head to!

[Address »Cankarjevo nabrežje 3, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia]

During our weekend in Slovenia, everything we ate was sensational! From the Kremsnita, to the burgers, our fancy dinner out or the easy pizza by Lake Bled. Whilst Slovenia isn’t known for their food – you can be sure you’ll get delicious food everywhere and bang for your buck!

Our Budget for Slovenia

Slovenia is a very cheap destination in Europe and perfect for a weekend abroad! Our flights from Amsterdam cost us €80. Our Airbnb cost us €22 per person per night. Car rental was €10 per person for the entire 3 days! Our trip cost €156 per person (before petrol and meals) – so you can definitely add Slovenia to your budget travel list!

Adding Slovenia to your Bucket List? Visiting Slovenia soon?

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About Lesley

Australian expat, married to a Dutch guy, living in Amsterdam. Previously lived in London for 3 years, too! Lover of travel, coffee, brunch, beaches, fresh flowers, and family. Now a new mum, navigating life with a baby!