After three weeks in Innsbruck we were eager to explore Slovenia, a new country for both of us. To get to Slovenia we had to drive back to Germany, then driving for a long time through Austria and finally crossing the border in the beautiful north of Slovenia. Our impression of Slovenia is very positive. People are friendly here and it’s a very green country, so much forest and beautiful landscapes. We would strongly recommend people to visit this country.
Our first stop was a campsite not far from the town Bled, in the foothills of the Julian Alps. The town is set along the famous lake Bled, a spectacular sight for the eye. No wonder this is the most famous tourist attraction in Slovenia. Our next stop was closer to the Croatian border, at a five star campsite. Here we enjoyed some nice spa facilities before entering the next country, Croatia.
Lake Bled and Vintgar Gorge
Bled is a cozy, little town surrounded by mountains and charming architecture. It’s nearly impossible not to fall in love with the stunning view of the turquoise lake with the small island in the middle of it and with the castle on the hill top behind. If you’re up early there is also a colorful air ballon taking tourists up and down to get a unique view of the lake. We were really caught by surprise when we had our feet in the water, you expect it to be kind of cold but it’s totally the opposite. It’s super warm.
If you’re in Bled you need to taste the famous Bled cream cake.
Not far from Bled you can explore the scenic walkway along a historic river, Vintgar Gorge. In some parts of the river the water is turquoise and really beautiful to watch. It’s a nice walk along the river. Be prepared, it costs €5 per person and there are lots of tourists here.
Lake Bled
Vintgar Gorge
Climbing in the area of Bled
We found some climbing crags close to Bled and had a climbing day at Bodešče. We went for an afternoon walk in the area another day and met some climbers at the crag. They said that this is a very local crag and gave us some tip about the routes. We went back the day after to try it ourselves, and really appreciated their advices as some of the routes were a bit tricky to understand. We didn’t have a guidebook, but used the webpage plezanje.net, the grades was also painted at the stone.
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital city of Slovenia. We needed some new climbing gear and wanted to explore the city so we had a full day here. The city centre is full of life. Small, urban streets with trendy cafes and restaurants creates a warm and idyllic atmosphere. If you’re in Ljubljana you have to visit this part of the city.
Campsite Perun Lipce
- Nice and friendly owners
- Clean and good sanitary facilities
- Park wherever you want
- Gras field
- 10km from Bled
- Remember that tourist tax is in addition of the ACSI discount
We liked this campsite very much. If you have a car it’s no problem to drive to Bled (keep in mind that you pay for full day parking, €5, if you park by the lake). The campsite was far from full, almost the opposite, because of the low season. It was nice to get the feeling of free camping at the same time as we had everything we needed of facilities. Even good wifi.
Podčetrtek – Luxury Camping
Miriam had to take a quick work related visit to Norway and had booked a direct flight from Zagreb. We found a campsite 1.5 h drive from the airport on the Slovenia side. Campsite Natura is a 5 star campsite belonging to the Hotel Complex Terme Olimia. The timing was perfect. The campsite was far from full so we had plenty of space around the caravan. In addition, we had a free entrance to the Wellness Termalija (because we stayed for more than five days) with indoor and outdoor pools and a great fitness room. For us, that was almost to good to be true, and of course we took advantage of this opportunity. Nice with some luxury in between camping.
There are also lots of hiking possibilities in the area, we explored an abandoned castle up in the hills. Very exciting and different, and a little bit scary in a way too. We also found a little hill top with a tree perfect for some climbing related training.
Terme Olimia – Campsite Natura*****
- Marked and leveled pitches
- Friendly staff
- Perfect Sanitary facilities
- Nice location. Lots of hiking and biking opportunities
- If you stay more than five days you get access to the Wellness Termalija
- ACSI discount
Driving in Slovenia
All private cars and vans whose maximum permitted weight does not exceed 3.5 tons must display a vignette to use all Slovenian motorways. You can buy a Vignette for a week (€15) or a month (€30).
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