Main sightseeing spots in Slovenia
Distance from Ljubljana: 54km (30 min. by car)
Places to visit in Bled: Bled Castle, St. Mary’s Church on Bled Island
In Bled you can:
- Enjoy boat ride with traditional pletna boats to Bled Island
- Take a stroll around Bled Lake
- Visit Bled Vintgar Gorge (approximately 4 km north-west from Bled)
- Try traditional Bled cream slice called “kremshnita”
- Enjoy delicious traditional food in local restaurant and see folklore performance
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Bled is one of Slovenia's most popular tourist resorts. Bled became a popular tourist resort in the 19th century, when the Swiss doctor Arnold Rikli discovered the beneficial effects of its natural surroundings and founded a health resort there. The town is best known for its lake, Lake Bled, with a little island in the middle, where you can be taken in a traditional "pletna" boat, Bled Castle, which stands on a precipitous cliff above the lake, and the famous Bled-style vanilla-and-cream cake called "kremshnita".
With immense natural beauty, Bled, together with its surroundings, ranks among the most beautiful alpine resorts, renowned for its mild, healing climate and thermal lake water. The beauty of the mountains reflected on the lake, the sun, the serenity and the fresh air arouse pleasant feelings in visitors throughout the year, guaranteeing an ideal base or a relaxing break or an active holiday. Bled attracts businessmen, artists, athletes, explorers, sport enthusiasts, the old and the young, from all over the world, enchanting them to return again and again.
Distance from Ljubljana: 60km (30 min. by car)
Facts:
- One of the most popular caves in the world
- The longest cave system in the country (20km)
- Length of paths open for tourists: 2km
- Duration of guided visit of the cave: 1,5 hrs
- Constant temperature: 8°C
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In Postojna cave you can:
- Walk through the labyrinth of subterranean passages, filled with fantastical stalagmites, stalactites and other rock formations.
- Take a ride with electric tourist train in the cave.
- See unique “human fish” (Proteus Anguinus) that is living in the cave.
Postojna Cave is a network of 20 kilometres of passages, galleries and chambers into which experienced guides have accompanied more than 31 million visitors in the last 188 years. It is the largest cave in the “classic karst” and the most visited show cave in Europe. In 1872 railway lines were laid in the cave; electricity arrived in 1884. Today you begin your visit aboard the cave train; the electric lighting allows you to admire the size and splendour of the underground world, where the geological past is recorded in a unique manner. Visitors to the cave are dazzled by a wealth of speleothems: calcite formations, stalactites and stalagmites abounding in a variety of shapes, colours and age. The constant temperatureinthe caves ranges from 8 to 10° C. A guided visit lasts an hour and a half.
Take the train through the underground world of the largest cave in the Classic Karst and the most visited tourist cave in Europe to see magnificent caverns and glistening stalactite formations. View the largest collection of cave animals in one place.
LJUBLJANA, THE CAPITAL OF SLOVENIA
Facts:
- The centre of trade, capital and largest city of Slovenia with 300,000 inhabitants.
- Former names: Emona (Roman times), Laibach (1144), Luwigana (1146).
- Formed around 2000 BC, when the Ljubljana Marshes were settled by people living in wooden structures on pilotis.
- The city is strongly influenced by the Austrian fashion in the style of Graz and Salzburg - buildings are build in Baroque and Art Nouveau styles mix.
- Symbol of Ljubljana: green dragon.
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What to visit: Ljubljana Castle, Cathedral Of St. Nicholas, Ljubljana University, Preseren Square, Triple Bridge, Open Market, Baroque Town Hall, Dragon Bridge ect.
Things to do:
- Take a classical walking tour (or cycling tour) of Ljubljana city (duration: approximately 2hrs)
- Enjoy boat ride on Ljubljanica river (city centre)
- Visit medieval Ljubljana Castle and see the magnificent panoramic view of Ljubljana old town from the castle tower
- Enjoy coffee break in one of several coffee shops located on the banks of Ljubljanica river, also called the Ljubljana promenade (city centre)
- Experience ride with tourist train or funicular railway that will take you straight to the Castle
- Take time for shopping in stores and malls located in the centre
- Visit museums, galleries, theatre or cinema
- Enjoy delicious traditional food in local restaurant and see the floklore performance
- Visit flea market on Sunday morning (city centre)
Ljubljana is a city with 300,000 inhabitants. Despite the fact that it ranks among the middle sized European cities, it maintains the friendliness of a small town, and at the same time possesses all the characteristics of a metropolis. Here the remainders of all the five milleniums of its history are preserved, among these is the legacy of the Roman town of Emona and the Old Town with its medieval castle, Reneissance and Baroque facades, ornamented portals and uneven roofs. The mosaic is complemented with the bridges over the Ljubljanica River and the vast Tivoli Park which stretches into the very centre of the city.
The present image of Ljubljana is generated mainly by the Italian Baroque, and partly by two hundred year earlier Secession period, which is reflected in the style of numerous buildings errected immediately after the eartquake in 1895.
In the first half of the 20th century the famous architect Joze Plecnik placed a strong personal stamp on his native city while also taking European standards into consideration. The city's image was later shaped by his disciples, who were a little more liberal than him, and the Art Nouveau creations of other renowned young Slovene architects.
Ljubljana is a city of culture, home of many theatres, museums and galleries and it also boasts one of the oldest philharmonic academy in the world. More then 10,000 cultural events take place in the Slovene capital – top quality musical, theatre and fine arts performers as well as alternative and avant-garde performers – which can be discovered in 14 international festivals.
In the warmer months of the year numerous cafes and restaurants move outdoors, to the banks of the Ljubljanica and the squares of the city centre. Here the people of Ljubljana meet for a morning coffee after our Saturday visit to the market or our Sunday visit to the flea market or for an evening chat with friends. The first impression of Ljubljana obtained by the visitor is that it is an exceptionally young city, because here there are more than 50,000 students giving it a special pulse of youth.
Distance from Ljubljana: 80km (45 min. drive by car)
Facts:
- Caves are open to visitors every day and month of the year
- Protected by UNESCO World Heritage since 1986
- All visits are guided
- Duration of guided visit: 1,5 hrs
- Parking near information centre in free (no fee)
- The tour is approximately 3 km long
- The trail’s lowest point is 144 metres beneath the surface
- The cave temperature is around 12 °C
- Sport footwear and a warm sweater are recommended
In Skocjan caves you can:
- Walk through the labyrinth of subterranean passages and enjoy beautiful stalagmites, stalactites and other rock formations.
- Admire magnificent and unspoiled nature.
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The Skocjan Caves Regional Park lies in the south-west of Slovenia, on the main Karst plateau, from which the word Karst originates. The park encompasses 413 hectares and is 15 km from Italy (Fernetici by Trieste), 80 km from Ljubljana and 12 km from the Lipica Stud.
The Skocjan Caves, with the vastness of their underground halls and gorges, hold a special place among the seven thousand caves in Slovenia. They comprise a network of eleven caves, with hollows, swallow holes, natural bridges among them many geological features.
Because of their unique natural features and cultural heritage they have been on the UNESCO world heritage list since 1986, and in 1999 were put on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance as the world’s largest underground wetlands. You will marvel at the beauty of both the underground world and the surrounding karst world above.
The temperature in the cave is constant 12°C.
Visitors are led on a tour of the Skocjan Caves by fully-qualified guides. The tour takes an hour and a half and explanation is given in English language.
Distance from Ljubljana: 103km (1h drive by car)
Facts:
- Lipica stud farm enjoys a worldwide fame with the breeding of Lipizzaner horses.
- The only unified, intact medieval farm estate in Slovenia.
- Fast and teachable Lipizzaner horse was bred for the needs of the court, military and the Spanish Riding School.
- Stallions are normally darker, and with age the horses take on their characteristic white colour.
In Lipica you can:
- See performance of classical riding school
- Take a tour of stud farm
- Take riding class
- Also play golf and visit sport/SPA facilities
Additional tourist facilities: a new golf course (with 9 holes, a driving range and pitch and putt), fitness, tennis, cycling tracks, SPA facilities, hotels, casino.
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Lipica is a settlement with a stud farm on the karst plateau south of Sezana. It gained worldwide fame with the breeding of Lipizzaner horses, named after Lipica, which is an original Slovenian name (lipica - a small linden tree). The stud farm is the only unified, intact medieval farm estate in our country. The breeding of karst horses and the Lipizzaner breed started more intensively after 1580, when the Habsburg Archduke Charles bought the older estate of the bishop of Trieste.
The foundation of the Lipizzaner breed is the indigenous Karst horse, refined with Spanish, Napolitan and Arabian horses. A fast and teachable horse was bred for the needs of the court, military and the Spanish Riding School. The stallions are normally darker, and with age the horses take on their characteristic white colour. In Lipica there are six basic bloodlines of stallions: Conversano, Favory, Maestozo, Neapolitano, Pluto, Siglavy, and more than a dozen bloodlines of mares.
The Stud Farm is open regularly for visitors. There are scheduled performances with the horses, especially in the summer season.
PIRAN
Distance from Ljubljana: 123km (1,5hrs drive by car)
Facts:
- Slovenia’s most beautiful coastal town
- part of the Venetian empire from 13th - 18th century
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In Piran you can:
- Take a stroll among Piran's narrow streets. Get lost. Find a little cafe or bar and relax.
- Visit one of popular restaurants and try delicious fish specialties.
- Visit Piran Aquarium.
- Swim in the sea or take diving school lessons.
- Climb to the top of the city walls to take in the view of the peninsula.
- Cimb up the rickety stairway to the belltower on St Geroges church for views to Croatia and Italy.
- Walk along the coastal path from the Church of St. George to Fiesa (about one kilometer each way).
- Take a full day trip to Venice by boat.
- See the sunset over the Adriatic sea.
Places to visit: Tartini square,Venetian House, Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum, Church of St. George ect.
Piran is probably the most beautiful of Slovenia's coastal towns, perched on a tiny piece of land jutting into the sea. It feels more like an Italian coastal town, without all the Italian tourists, and for good reason: Piran was part of the Venetian empire from the late 13th century to the end of the 18th century. Piran is very small. The only way to get around is to walk, but it's probably only 30 minutes maximum from one end to the other.
A short drive to the south lies the Istria region of Croatia with beaches, more Venetian towns and Roman ruins.The Italian cities of Trieste and Venice are approximately 1 hour and 2.5 hours away respectively.
