INCREDIBLE Places to Visit in Slovenia 🇸🇮 💚 – What Makes Slovenia So Special? Find Out!

With so many stunning places to visit in Slovenia, this small but stunning country will absolutely blow you away! 🇸🇮✨

On our Slovenia road trip itinerary, we explored the vibrant capital Ljubljana, wandered around the fairytale setting of Lake Bled, discovered the natural beauty of Lake Bohinj, drove through the breathtaking Soča Valley, and finished off by relaxing on the charming Slovenian coast.

Whether you’re planning a full Slovenia itinerary or just looking for the best things to do in Slovenia, this video has you covered. From mountain peaks to turquoise rivers, castles to coastal towns, Slovenia is truly one of Europe’s hidden gems.

In this video, we’ll show you:
🌍 The top places to visit in Slovenia
🚗 Highlights from our unforgettable Slovenia road trip
✨ Why Slovenia should be on your Europe travel bucket list

If you’re dreaming of your next European adventure, this Slovenia travel guide will give you plenty of inspiration and practical ideas for your trip.

👉 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe if you love travel content — and let us know in the comments: Which place in Slovenia would you visit first?

For more travel details on Slovenia and other amazing travel destinations, check out our travel blog: http://www.bootsandsandals.com

💬 Have questions? Drop them in the comments—we’d love to share our experiences and help you along the way!

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#placestovisitinslovenia #sloveniatravel #thingstodoinslovenia

Looking for a destination that has 
it all—mountains, turquoise rivers, epic waterfalls, caves, beaches, and 
even a Mediterranean vibe? Well… that place actually exists, and it’s called Slovenia.
And yes, the color of the Soča River is so blue, it honestly doesn’t look real.
Normally, we spend our summers chasing the best beach destinations, but 
this year we wanted something cooler, less crowded, and a little different. 
That’s how we ended up in Slovenia. And let me tell you, even though it’s smaller than 
both the Netherlands and Croatia, it’s overflowing with things to see and do. We actually struggled 
to fit all the highlights into just two weeks. But yes—we swam in Lake Bled, hiked through Triglav 
National Park, and even chased some waterfalls. So in this video, we’re gonna show 
you the ultimate Slovenia itinerary, how much it really costs, all the things you 
should—and maybe shouldn’t—spend your money on and tips that will make your trip way smoother.
You can roughly divide Slovenia in 4 regions. First, you’ve got the Julian Alps with the 
famous Lake Bled, Bohinj, the Soča Valley, and of course Triglav National Park. 
It’s basically a nature lover’s dream. Then there’s the Karst region, which is all about 
dramatic landscapes and insane caves—like the Postojna Cave and the UNESCO-listed Škocjan Caves. 
Seriously, these caves are on another level. If you head east, you’ll find Pannonian Slovenia. 
Picture rolling hills, endless vineyards, wide open plains, and some of the best natural spas 
and thermal waters you can imagine. Perfect spot if you love wine… or just need total relaxation.
And then there’s Mediterranean Slovenia—the little stretch of coastline. Towns like Piran look 
like they’ve been lifted straight out of Italy, with colorful houses, narrow streets, 
and that laid-back seaside vibe. Totally different from the rest of the country.
Oh, and right in the middle you’ve got Ljubljana, the capital. It’s small, charming, 
and honestly, you can’t skip it. So, we did a road trip through Slovenia—and 
honestly, that’s the way to do it. The country looks small on the map, but the roads 
wind through mountains, so getting from A to B takes way longer than you’d think.
A lot of people just stay in Ljubljana, and that’s fine if you’re only doing quick stops like 
the caves or Lake Bled. But if you really want to see all the different regions, you’ve got to move 
around. Otherwise, you’ll spend half your holiday stuck in the car instead of actually exploring.
Now, don’t get us wrong—the east of Slovenia must be amazing too. But for our trip, and the 
itinerary we’d recommend, we mostly focused on the areas northwest and west of Ljubljana.
Also, While it’s great to have a set itinerary, it’s just as important to stay flexible. 
We were initially planning doing a loop, but because of bad weather in the second week 
we but ended up spending 5 days in Soca Valley, the 3 at Bohinj Lake, passing Ljubljana towards 
the coast for another 4 days only to drive back via Ljubljana to back Lake Bled area. As you can 
tell, we ended up zig-zagging across the country just to dodge the heavy rains.
Matt So based on our travels in there, 
we put together what we think is the ultimate 7–8 day Slovenia road trip.
The road trip starts in Ljubljana, the capital. But you can start from any other 
point along the itinerary of course. We only spent a morning and afternoon in Ljubljana while 
heading from Bohinj to the coast, but wow—we loved it. The colorful buildings, the relaxed vibe, and 
that river flowing right through the center… it’s just such a nice place to wander around. And the 
best part? The city center is pedestrian-only, so it’s perfect for strolling, grabbing 
an outdoor lunch, and people-watching. Make sure you check out the bridges, walk 
along the river, and if you’ve got time, head up to Ljubljana Castle for the views.
If you want to use Ljubljana as a base then it’s super easy to take day trips by bus—Lake 
Bled is the classic one. You can also hop out to the Postojna Cave or the Škocjan Caves.
Next up, we recommend heading north towards one of the lakes—Lake Bled or Lake Bohinj. 
They’re only about 30 minutes apart, but honestly, they feel like 
two totally different worlds. Lake Bled has been a tourist hotspot since the 
19th century—back then it was all about “healing waters” and fresh air. Nowadays, it’s packed 
with hotels, restaurants, and tour companies. Meanwhile, Bohinj feels way calmer, there 
isn’t much action around the lake giving it a chilled vibe. Perhaps that is why we 
enjoyed Lake Bohinj more than Lake Bled. Our advice? If possible, spend 
at least one day at each. In Bled, we rented bikes and cycled around the 
lake, went for a swim, and of course—tried the famous Bled cream cake. Totally worth it. Then we 
headed out to the parking lot of Vintgar Gorge, dropped the bikes and boarded the free shuttle 
bus to the gorge. Vintgar Gorge is one of the most popular gorges in Slovenia. It was 
busy, but with the strict time slots it was well organized. It’s a 2.5-hour walk through, 
and absolutely stunning. Definitely worth it. Cycling around lake Bled was so easy and 
relaxing—we wish we had made time to hike up to one of the viewpoints too, so if you go, 
don’t miss that. And if you’ve got more days, you can rent a rowing boat to the island, take a 
tour through the castle. explore hiking trails, drive up the vrsic pass and visit lake Jasna.
Over in Bohinj, we started our day with a hike through Mostnica Gorge—probably one of our 
favorites. The water, the rock formations, the forest… it was all so natural and peaceful. On 
the way back you walk along the other side of the gorge, so you get a whole new perspective. 
If you go all the way, you’ll even find a waterfall, so give yourself enough time.
After that, we headed back to Bohinj Lake, rented a SUP, and just paddled around the 
clear waters—it was amazing. You can also opt for a boat trip around the lake or 
grab a rowing boat to explore yourself. Later, we tried to visit Savica) Waterfall. 
We actually tried various times to visit this waterfall but rain always decided 
otherwise. At our third attempt: success, but… honestly? We found it a bit overrated. The 
path was too structured, and once you get there, you’re kind of stuck behind a fence on a narrow 
staircase. Beautiful waterfall? Yes. Worth the hype? Eh, not for us. If it’s crowded, it 
would’ve been even worse. Instead, we’d recommend heading up the Vogel cable car—you’ll 
get absolutely epic views over Lake Bohinj. From the lakes, we suggest heading to 
the Soča Valley—an absolute must. Make sure you take the scenic route of 2,5 hours 
along the Vrsic Pass to get to Soca Valley. Popular bases at Soca Valley 
are Bovec , Kobarid or Tolmin. Bovec is the adventure hub—kayaking, rafting, 
canyoning, paragliding—you name it. We spent a day in Bovac by visiting the SlapVirja, went for an 
incredible Kayak tour down the river and towards the end of the day, headed north of town to Soca 
Gorge. A stunning spot where daredevils literally jump into the icy-blue river from crazy heights.
The Boka Waterfall- slovenia’s highest waterfall is just outside town and we could have easily 
added this to our day in Bovac. But our son was having too much fun jumping in the water, so we 
had to let that one pass as it was getting dark. Kobarid, on the other hand, is a smaller, super 
charming town with easy access to gorges and waterfalls. We spent the morning hiking the trail 
to Koseška Korita. There are a few waterfalls along the way, so you can spend a whole day 
hiking through this nature park searching for waterfalls. We stopped at the first one 
for a quick snack and even a little plunge before heading back to town for lunch.
One of the highlights in Kobarid is the Napoleon Bridge, where you get this stunning 
view of the Soča River and the surrounding mountains—it’s definitely worth a stop.
From there, it’s just a short walk to the parking for the Kozjak Waterfall. The trail 
itself is beautiful, winding through the forest and along the river, and the waterfall at the 
end is really unique. The only thing is… you can only view it from a platform. And honestly, 
if it had been busier when we were there, I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed it as 
much—especially after already experiencing some of Slovenia’s other incredible waterfalls. 
Still, it’s one of the most popular ones for a reason. Other less popular waterfalls that 
you can visit are Slap Krampez and Slap Svino. When visiting Kozjak waterfall we still 
recommend bringing your swimming gear with you. On the way back, at the bridge you 
can go for a swim in the incredible water. Our base in Soca Valley was a campsite 
right at the river near the town Tolmin, which is best known for the Tolmin Gorge. This was 
actually the first gorge we visited in Slovenia, and we really loved it. But to be completely 
honest—if you only have time for one or two gorges, we’d say Vintgar or Mostnica Gorge felt 
a bit more special. Still, if you’re in the area, Tolmin Gorge is absolutely worth a stop.
If you visit the gorge in the morning, you’ve still got plenty of time to explore 
more nearby. You can head to the charming town of Kanal for a coffee or lunch, continue 
on to Most na Soči for a swim in the lake, and then check out either Slap Beri 
or Slap Sopota. Both are beautiful waterfalls where you can actually swim. 
We loved Slap Beri—maybe because it was our first one and the pool was bigger—but 
Sopota was lovely too. If you can, do both! And honestly, the best part of this whole area is 
just the Soča River itself. It’s unbelievably blue and clear—we couldn’t get enough of it. We camped 
right by the river and spent hours swimming, chilling, and just enjoying the views. But 
even if you don’t camp, you’ll notice lots of cars parked along the main road with little 
trails leading down to the water. It’s a must-do. This region has so much to offer that you could 
easily spend an entire holiday just here. Besides the gorges and waterfalls, there are incredible 
trails too. For something more adventurous, there’s the five-hour hike up to Lake Krn, which 
sits at almost 1,400 meters, or you can take on the Mangart Mountain Pass—the highest mountain 
road in Slovenia with incredible viewpoints. And for the hikers watching, the Soča Trail is an 
absolute dream. We only did a small part of it, but it’s stunning. If you’ve got more 
time, there’s also the Juliana Trail—a 267 km trek circling the Julian Alps. That one’s 
definitely on our bucket list for the future. After the mountains, we drove down to 
the coast. Slovenia’s coastline is short, but the towns are very charming—think colorful 
buildings, cobblestone streets, and Mediterranean vibes. We stayed nearby Izola, a cute little town 
which is like most along the coast, we ofcourse visited the popular and picturesque Piran, 
and even popped over to Trieste in Italy for gelato and italian pasta and Rovinj in Croatia.
But a heads-up: beaches aren’t the highlight here. A lot are concrete, or just rocks. We saw 
people sunbathing between boulders in Piran and Isola! Still, we did find a small sandy beach 
near our campsite and ended up spending a few evenings there, which was perfect.
On the way back to Ljubljana, you’ve got to stop at one of the caves. We 
visited Škocjan, and it was one of the most impressive things we experienced on our trip. The 
scale of it is insane, but cameras aren’t allowed, so you’ll just have to take our word for it.
Postojna is the bigger one, complete with a train running inside, plus there’s Predjama 
Castle nearby. We went for Škocjan because we got this idea that it was small scale and more 
natural. I think the train ride at Postojna Cave put us off. If you’ve been to both, let us 
know in the comments—which one did you prefer? From the caves, it’s only about an hour 
back to Ljubljana—traffic depending. And that’s the route! Mountains, 
lakes, rivers, coast, caves—you really do get a little bit of everything.
For all these destinations, we’d recommend at least one night in Ljubljana, and a minimum of 
two nights in the other spots. So you’re looking at roughly a week. But of course, it all depends 
on your vibe and how much you want to explore. We personally love hiking, but for this trip, we 
focused more on hikes to gorges and waterfalls. Die-hard hikers? You could easily spend 
days just exploring all the trails in Triglav National Park or along the Soča Valley.
We also missed out on the stunning Vršič Pass, which is popular among hikers but can be reached 
by car as well. It’s about an hour drives from Bovec or Lake Bled. And like we said, we didn’t 
head to the eastern part of Slovenia known for its rolling hills and beautiful vineyards. So there 
is definitely more to explore than we have shown. We just want to give you an idea of 
what you can do in a week—it’s a kind of blueprint to help you plan your own 
trip, depending on what you love to do. Okay, before you start packing your bags, 
let’s be real—one of the first things we asked ourselves was: is Slovenia expensive?
Honestly… it wasn’t as cheap as we expected. We thought it would be a little more budget-friendly, 
but here’s what we actually spent: We went camping, and paid an average of €65 a 
night for the three of us. We checked hotels and guesthouses too, and in high season expect to 
pay at least 100 euro’s a night for a comfortable place.
Monico Food? Well… this is where it gets tricky. 
We don’t eat meat, so maybe that’s why it wasn’t great for us. Most meals were pizza, 
surprisingly pizza is served almost everywhere, gnocchi, or stews. On average, we spent €60 
for the three of us per meal at restaurants. Supermarkets? Pretty similar to the 
Netherlands and Germany. We usually spent around €20 a day stocking up 
for lunches or dinners on the go. As for Activities: this was our big surprise. We 
were hoping to try kayaking, rafting, and maybe even ziplining. But each activity was around €70 
per person. So we picked just one—kayaking—and it was amazing. Honestly, worth every cent.
We drove our own car, but if you’re renting, expect to pay around €30+ per day, depending 
on the season and the type of car. You need a vignette to drive on the toll roads in 
Slovenia. You can easily arrange that online, and it’ll save you a lot of hassle. This 
costs 8,50 a week or 32 euros for 4 weeks. Entrance fees: gorges and waterfalls varied 
a lot. Some were just €4 per person, others like Vintgar Gorge were up to €15 per person. 
Postojna Caves including Predjama caves is 46,50, while Skocjan caves is 22 euros. And parking? That 
was all over the place. In Bled, we paid a painful 4 euro an hour, but in Izola, we found a spot for 
just €1 an hour. Oh, and Savica Waterfall had a minimum €5 parking fee, which just added to our 
disappointment there. So it basically depends on the popularity of the destination and how 
close you want to park near the center.. So overall? Slovenia isn’t the cheapest 
destination in Europe, but it’s also not crazy expensive if you plan smart. For us, 
it was totally worth it for the landscapes, the hikes, and the outdoor experiences.
So in total, you’re looking at anywhere from €120 a day on a budget (camping, self-catering, 
free hikes) to around €250+ a day if you mix in hotels, restaurants, and some activities.
Okay, so before you go booking those flights and packing your bags, let’s go over a 
few final tips that will save you stress and make your Slovenia trip even better.
First of all—driving. Overall, driving in Slovenia feels super safe. The roads are really 
good. But every now and then, you’ll get tested. Especially when the streets get narrow in little 
towns, or if you—like us—take the wrong turn. For example, when we were looking for Slap Beri, 
Google decided to send us straight into the mountains on the most ridiculously narrow road, 
only for us to end up at a dead-end farm. Luckily, the farmer’s daughter spoke English and 
told us: “Oh, you should be searching for Slap Beri Parking instead.” Which, in 
hindsight, makes total sense. But man, that drive was stressful. It even made us decide 
not to try the famous Mangart Mountain Pass, which is also known for its crazy narrow roads.
Next up: money. Cards are widely accepted, but we noticed that a lot of tours 
and smaller places really prefer cash. So definitely keep some euros on you.
Also, book the big attractions in advance. When we were there in August, the Škocjan Caves 
were fully booked for two days, and the Vintgar Gorge had limited time slots. So plan ahead.
And here’s a big one: you don’t need to see every single gorge or waterfall. Entrance fees 
add up quickly, and honestly? The less famous, free waterfalls were our absolute favorites. 
Especially the ones where we could actually swim. Now, packing tips: bring good shoes and a rain 
jacket. Even if you’re not planning on big hikes, you’ll end up walking a lot. And yes, it 
rains quite a bit, so definitely bring that raincoat. But hey—Slovenia’s lush green nature 
doesn’t grow without a little rain, right? As for crowds—we were there in the high 
season, and it definitely didn’t feel like some underrated hidden gem. 
It was busy. But here’s a trick: most sights are open until 8 p.m. in summer, and 
they get really quiet after 4. Some of our best experiences were late in the afternoon 
when we had places almost to ourselves. Finally, Slovenia is a super active destination. 
Everywhere you look, people are hiking, biking, kayaking… moving! It’s the perfect place to 
immerse yourself in nature. We went in summer, but honestly, I think spring and autumn 
would be just as amazing. And winter? Imagine those mountains, rivers, and forests 
covered in snow. That must be stunning. So if Slovenia wasn’t on your travel list 
before, I’m pretty sure it will be after this. With its mountains, rivers, and coast all 
packed into one small country—it really does have a little bit of everything.
If you’ve been to Slovenia, let us know your top tips or favorite places in 
the comments. And if you’re planning a trip, tell us what’s at the top of your Slovenia bucket list.
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