Weekend Getaway in Slovenia

Four Days in Slovenia

Nestled between Italy, Austria, and Croatia, Slovenia is a small country full of mountains, rivers, lakes, caves, castles, wine, and thermal waters.

Looking for an early springtime getaway girls trip, I put together an itinerary for a four-day, city-break itinerary full of both relaxation and adventure in Slovenia with my best friend, Ashley, to explore a country neither of us had ever been to before. We decided to get one Airbnb for the entire stay and to rent a car for daytrips outside of the capital of Ljubljana, including Lake Bled, Rimske, and Predjama. Little did we know, our itinerary would expand with the recommendations of locals who wanted to share the magic of their country with us.

Day 1:

Ljubljana

The trip started with our Airbnb host, Miro, in Slovenia’s capital city, Ljubljana. I arrived to the city center late on the first evening and overpaid for a taxi (there is a bus you can take from the airport that is a much cheaper and equally direct option). In the crisp evening air, I buttoned my coat up to the top, bundled myself in my scarf, and checked the directions to the Airbnb. Tucked beside the funicular leading up to the historic castle that overlooks the city, our Airbnb had a historic charm with its old stone walls. It was cozy with warm lighting, a bathtub with stone decorations (which was somewhat impractical for showers but very fun), a hammock, an extra sofa bed, and a fully equipped kitchen.

Ljubljana

After settling in, our host took me for a welcome drink at the local student bar only minutes away from our stay, while I waited for Ashley to arrive the following day. There are limited flights to Slovenia and we were coming from different airports, so this part was a bit difficult to coordinate. We had to arrive and leave one day apart.

Klub Daktari

Our host, Miro, offered me a welcome drink at the nearby bar called Klub Daktari. Over a drink in the dimly lit bar with the same characteristic stone arches of the Airbnb stay, he told me of his work as a professional calligrapher for historic recreations of documents in Ljubljana Castle. Over another pint of beer for only four euros, our host introduced me to some local students who were curious to hear why a Californian had chosen to visit their country. Each person I met made me feel welcome, readily offered to pay for a round, and were excited to tell me about their favorite historic facts about Slovenian culture and recommendations for the rest of the trip. I stayed a bit later than expected surrounded by the bar’s bookshelves and its atmosphere that welcomed philosophic debates over cigarettes in the back room.

The next morning, I wandered around Ljubljana as I waited for Ashley to arrive. First, I stopped at the open air market just outside of the Airbnb with fresh local produce and artisanal crafts. Then I posed for a picture at the famous Dragon Bridge with its many statues that, according to legend, represent how the founder of Ljubljana and his Argonauts slayed a dragon. Wandering around, I passed by families ice skating in the city center. Music was sprinkled throughout the city with its many buskers playing guitar and accordion in the streets, as well as the magical sounds coming from the Academy of Music. I sat outside in the sunshine on heated terraces for a coffee in the afternoon.

Day 2:

Lake Bled

The next day, Ashley had settled into the Airbnb, so we headed off to pick up our rental car in the city center and started our road trip to visit the picturesque Lake Bled. I highly recommend renting a car in Slovenia to explore the country more fully, and the rental services are cheap, easy, and very accessible. The drive from Ljubljana to Lake Bled takes roughly an hour and the route we took passed through some winding, wooded roads in a forest.

Wine shop in Bled Castle

Once we arrived in Bled, there were only a few options for lunch, as we were there in the off-season. Bled is a more bustling town in the late spring and summer months, as they offer kayaking, paddle boarding, and boat tours. With the snow-capped mountains surround the lake, it was still very beautiful in the winter, but I would've prepared sandwiches for the trip had I known how few restaurants would be open. We ended up finding a cute local spot for a lunch and ate traditional hearty winter meals of sausage and breaded chicken. After lunch, we walked the path around the lake and hiked up to Bled castle that overlooks the lake from a mountain top with an amazing view of the church on the island in the middle of the lake. After hiking up to the castle, we stopped to taste some local wines in the shop within the castle walls.

After touring the historic castle, we headed back down the mountain and walked the lake path. Benches were spread out along the path throughout the trail, so we could pause to take breaks. There were small streams and lizards crawling along the path. We got some breathtaking photos of the small church island midway through the walk. In the summer, there are boats that take you to visit the church on the island, but this is not available during the winter months. The walk took us around two hours with many breaks in between. It was a relaxing, brisk winter day in this beautiful setting.

Day 3:

Spa Day at Rimske Terme

As I had heard about Slovenia’s thermal waters in the Pannonian region, I wanted to spend a day at the spa on our trip. After chatting with some locals, I found a spa called Rimske Terme an hour and a half away from Ljubljana by car. Full access to the spa facilities, including towels, sauna, and steamroom, only cost us about thirty euros for four hours. The spa had an amazing indoor thermal water with a circuit leading outdoors with a view of the surrounding mountains. Since we were there during the off-season, the spa was not crowded and there was plenty of space for us to swim without feeling disturbed by anyone else. We did the thermal circuit for an hour, enjoying the sun outdoors in the crisp winter air in the warm waters.

Rimske Terme indoor thermal waters

After swimming the circuit indoors and outdoors several times, we went to the sauna and steam room section. This part of the spa is nude only, so no bathing suits in that section. They have several different saunas, some of which you access from an outdoor terrace. They also have several different types of steam rooms and hot tubs. There is a cold dip and a snow machine to cool down after the sauna, steam, or hot tub. They have underwater couches with bubbles for sore muscles. Overall, the spa was very relaxing and well organized with a quiet atmosphere. The spa is part of a larger hotel with a restaurant surrounded by mountains and hiking trails.

Rismke Terme Hotel and Spa

Day 4:

Predjama Castle and Postojna Cave

On our last day of the trip before preparing to fly back home, Ashley and I took another daytrip outside of Ljubljana to Predjama Castle and the nearby caves in Postojna. Our first stop was to the Predjama Castle—a medieval castle built into a mountainside that used natural caves as part of its architecture. We did an audio tour of the castle, which was a stronghold for a legendary knight, Erazem of Predjama. It is rumored that the castle has a series of escape routes through tunnels in the caves and that the knight Erazem was able to escape capture through using the secret escape routes in the tunnels leading to the surrounding mountains. The caves of Predjama are also home to a large colony of bats that can be see flying around sunset during the summer months, but the bats hibernate during winter.

The caves of the Predjama Castle are also connected to another series of caves that you can visit called the Postojna Caves. There are tours that take you into the caves by a small train car. After the train ride, the rest of the tour is on foot and opens up into a huge series of illuminated caves to show the magnificent formations of stalagmites and stalactites. We were in complete awe of the size of the caves! After a long day touring the caves in Predjama and Postojna, we decided to head back to Ljubljana for an extra special meal to celebrate our last night in Slovenia.

Dinner at

Landerik

I had heard a lot about the wonderful gastronomy of Slovenia with cuisine renowned for sustainability and innovation, as well as Michelin starred restaurants. After speaking with locals on my first night in Ljubljana, I discovered more about the country’s long history of foraging. Our Airbnb host, Miro, even told me that he would sometimes go camping without any food and he would find his food in the woods from wild raspberries to wild mushrooms. With a special connection to a sense of knowing the land and its many fruits, Slovenia is full of gastronomic experiences that reflect this connection to nature.

We decided to eat at Landerik on our last night in Slovenia to get the full experience of the flavors of the country. Each course presented signature flavors and ingredients of the country through an elevated take on traditional dishes; each dish was paired with a specific wine from Slovenia. Although Slovenian wine is less well known than Italy or France, they had some great selections. One of my favorite wines that I tried during the dinner was a white wine called Ferdinand, which was a Ribolla Gialla. The meal was delicious and I highly recommend Landerik to anyone looking for gastronomic discovery of Slovenian cuisine.

We really enjoyed our short trip to Slovenia. Since it’s such a small country, it’s easy to see and do a lot in a short amount of time without having an overwhelming or chaotic experience. Unlike a lot of other short trips I’ve done, there were no hiccups along the road, no unpleasant unexpected surprises, everyone we met was super friendly and helpful, and the trip was super relaxing because the country is really well organized with a welcoming culture.

Since we were there in the off-season, it was not at all crowded, but it was a bit cold and we definitely needed to bundle up to spend time outside. I would love to go back in the spring and summertime to explore the rivers and lakes by kayak, go wine tasting at a vineyard, and explore some hiking trails in the Julian Alpes.

The spa day was perfect for the cold weather and we were really happy to experience both the spa day and cave tours without too many other people. Places like Lake Bled would be worth seeing in the summer months, as I am sure it is a completely different atmosphere.

If you’re looking for a small, inexpensive, and quaint getaway with friends or a partner, Slovenia should be on your list. I will be back to discover more Michelin starred restaurants (at a reasonable price) and to discover all the best glamping this country has to offer. To be continued…