Slovenia is the country that was first independent from Yugoslavia, and it went without big wars. The country feels more European than other former Yugoslavian countries. The country offers some fantastic nature in several ways and has some cool cities as well. This is a lovely country to enjoy scenery in, so if you want to know more about Slovenia, take a look at the highlights:

Feel like in Italy in Piran

Piran is a fantastic, relaxed village at the coast that offers places for swimming, good restaurants, and cute alleys. Wander around through the city and see the sights present in the cute town. Here are some sights to see:

• See the harbour 
• Hop on the city walls
• Have a swim and maybe spot a beautiful jellyfish
• St George cathedral
• See the Tartini square
• Wander the streets

Tourist occurrence: High

How to get here: You can come here by bus from both Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, maybe by stopping at Koper. Ljubljana is 3 hours away by bus.

How much time needed: 1 Full day is sufficient, as the sites are very close to each other and the village is small.

Find bears from Postojna

This was my absolute highlight of the month in former Yugoslavia. From Postojna, there are some options to go bear watching. We had a tour, got picked up from our hostel, got brought to a farm, and had some homemade berry juice. Afterwards, a hunter (who looks after nature) picked us up and brought us to a hide, where we went in for 2 hours. We saw several foxes, birds, and 2 bears on different occasions. This was so amazing and so real! I loved this; seeing a wild bear after some tries was something I really wanted to do.

Price: Depending on tour, but good chance that it is pricy (but so worth it)

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How to get here: Postojna is one hour by bus from Ljubljana and 2 hours from Piran. 

How much time needed: 4 hours

Be amazed by Postojna caves

Yes, it is crowded, and yet it is touristy, but the caves are so impressive. First, you will go by train and see many cave rooms. When walking, you can even see the better details of the stalagmites and stalactites. The caves are one of the biggest in the world. This is a fantastic stop. 

Price: €40 in combination with Vivarium

Tourist occurrence: Very high

How to get here: Postojna is one hour by bus from Ljubljana and 2 hours from Piran.

How much time needed: 1.5 hours

Find cave wildlife in the Vivarium

Find some cave animals (mostly insects or small fish, but also olms) in this Vivarium right next to the Postojna caves. It is never good to keep animals in a closed environment, but they show it is pretty cool. The walk into a cave and seeing these animals was a nice experience.

Price: €40 in combination with Postojna caves

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: Postojna is one hour by bus from Ljubljana and 2 hours from Piran.

How much time needed: 1 hour

Have a look at Predjama castle

Predjama Castle is a beautiful castle coming out of a rock. Note that I did not enter the building but saw the view. Have a walk up close there and see the beauty of the outside. This is a perfect stop in combination with Postojna.

Price: €17,50 

Tourist occurrence: High

How to get here: Get to Postojna caves and take a shuttle bus to Predjama

How much time needed: 1 hour

Find Dragons in Ljubljana

Ljubljana is the pretty capital of Slovenia, with beautiful bridges, a lot of restaurants, and a nice castle. The city of Dragons is a very clean city and has a relaxed vibe. Walking around is the best thing to do here. Ljubljana feels like a very Western European city, and the small city will make you feel happy as it is a very walkable city.

Tourist occurrence: Very high

How to get here: Ljubljana is easily reachable by air, but due to its central location in Europe, public transport is easy from a lot of international destinations.

How much time needed: 1-2 days

If you want to know more about Ljubljana, check out:

Observe beauty at Lake Bohinj

While most people stay at or around Lake Bled (see further), I thought Lake Bohinj was prettier. The serene lake, surrounded by mountains, is a perfect place to stay for a couple of days at the end of this fantastic trip. There are fish and ducks around in the clear water, where you can do some water activities. Swimming is a great option, and the water temperature is perfect. On the west side are the best camp locations (book in advance, although we could come by foot with a tent), and on the east side is some more culture. A boat is going to and from both sides.

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: Ljubljana is 2 hours by bus and 40 minutes from Bled.

How much time needed: We stayed here for 3 nights, relaxing and wandering around. If you visit without staying a couple of hours is sufficient. 

Hike to the Savica waterfall

From Lake Bohinj, there is a hike to the Savica waterfall. The hike from Camp Bohinj (where I stayed) is around 1.5 hours one way. The hike is easy at the beginning, but close to the waterfall, it is a bit rougher. The view is great at the waterfall and also at the lake. This is a great thing to do, especially when you like to walk almost alone.

Price: €3 

Tourist occurrence: Low

How to get here: Walk 1.5 hour from Camp Bohinj or 10 minute drive (but you still have to hike then)

How much time needed: 3.5 hours, including the hike.

Enjoy nature at the Vintgar Gorge

Close to Bled, this gorge is an amazing hike in fantastic nature. This can be a bit crowded, but it is worth visiting. When we came here, we saw that you needed a reservation and could do it on the way here. At the end, there is a waterfall, and that is gorgeous. We walked from Bled, and that can be a bit long but also nice.

Price: €10 

Tourist occurrence: High

How to get here: It is a 1 hour hike, 12 minutes by car and there are some buses from Bled.

How much time needed: 1-1.5 hour

Visit Slovenia's most popular spot Bled

Bled is a fantastic place to visit, as it is one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen. The island with the church on it is incredible and will always be in your memory. Unfortunately, it can be very crowded around the lake. There are many things to do, but I did not do everything.

• See the Bled Castle
• Have a swim in the lake
• Head to the island in the middle
• Have the best view at the the sights at the Southwest part of the lake (see picture above)

Tourist occurrence: Very high

How to get here: 1 hour bus ride from Ljubljana. There are also international buses from here, for example to and from Munich.

How much time needed: half to full day

Have amazing views and hikes at Vogel

From the beautiful Lake Bohinj, you can take the Vogel cable car and enjoy the amazing views from up there. Walk around in the area and hope to spot an ibex (unfortunately, we could not). Then we took another ski lift to go higher and hiked that one down. This is a beautiful area to hike. There are one or 2 restaurant options at both levels. The views everywhere are great. You are very high, so the mountains change in winter to skiing areas.

Price: The cable car costs €29,50 for a return and then the skilift is free.

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: 10 minute walk from Camp Bohinj

How much time needed: 3-4 hours

Things I have not done, but can be interesting

• Hike the Soča River Trail (and have a raft)
• See the city of Maribor
• Have a wine at a local winery
• See the Skocjan caves - we were there, but it was fully booked, so book in advance

Final thoughts

Slovenia is an absolute nature destination with many beautiful mountains, lakes, forests, and animals. The scenic views are impressive everywhere you go. The crowds are coming more and more, but that is for a reason. Maybe try to go in the shoulder months, when it is less crowded and temperatures are perfect, so you can enjoy the beautiful country to the fullest. Overall, Slovenia is a country that can be visited all year.

If you want to know more about the countries of former Yugoslavia, check out: