This week-long Slovenia road trip itinerary guides you through some of Slovenia’s most stunning attractions. You’ll visit Lake Bled, Triglav National Park, Vintgar Gorge, the Soca Valley, and the capital city, Ljubljana.
Don’t worry about spending all week in the car though, because Slovenia’s small size means short travel times. This itinerary includes ample time to savour the local food and wine, as well as time to enjoy the breathtaking mountains and rivers.
One Week Slovenia Road Trip Itinerary
Your point of arrival to Slovenia is most likely going to be Ljubljana (LJU) airport. This airport is very small which makes it also very easy to navigate.
After arrival it’s time to pick up your car and hit the road in southwestern direction.
Tip: Use booking.com to compare and find your perfect rental car deal.
Day 1 | Predjama Castle | Skocjan Caves | Piran
The first day of your one week Slovenia road trip you will drive from Ljubljana airport to the coastal town of Piran. Total driving time of this route is about 2:45hrs.
If time allows your first stop is the town of Skofja Loka, otherwise drive directly to Predjama Castle.
Start you Slovenia road trip at Skofja Loka
One of the oldest settlements in Slovenia makes for a perfect first stop on your way to Piran. Park the car at Kapucinski Trg and cross the Capuchin Bridge into town.
Walk up to Loka Castle and down again to Mestni Trg. Along the street are some interesting houses, such as Homan House, that was built in 1511. There are quite a few art galleries to pop-in to too.
Head back to the car, but stop on Cankarjev Trg. Here you can eat some typical Slovenian cream cake (kremsnita) with views of the Parish Church of St James.
Stop at Predjama Castle
Next stop is Predjama Castle, a unique castle that basically sits inside a cliff. Talking about impenetrable, dramatic and impressive, this castle ticks all the boxes. Enjoy admiring the castle from the viewpoint, or from one of the restaurants. If you’ve been to castles before, honestly there’s no need to go inside.
Tip: Have some cash with you for parking at Predjama Castle, since cards are not accepted at the parking lot.
Explore the Skocjan Caves
The Skocjan cave system was entered into the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1986. And I must say the Skocjan Caves have surpassed even my wildest expectations. The caves are beautifully lit and the whole walk through the caves feels like a truly unique experience.
After an initial guided tour through the karst caves and back in daylight, you are left to explore the park by yourself. A visit to this expansive cave system takes about 90 minutes. Needless to say we totally loved our visit and it’s one of the highlights of our week in Slovenia.
Finish the first day in Piran
At the end of the day you arrive in the picturesque coastal town of Piran. We parked the car at our hotel, Apartments VIP Residence, at the top of the hill and walked all the way down to the tip of the peninsula.
Piran is very small and it doesn’t take up much time to see pretty much everything in this pastel-toned town. On your way into town first head to Tartinijev Trg. This square is the centre of the town and it used to be the inner harbour of Piran.
Continue your way to the Cathedral of St George and its Bell Tower. The latter is open till 8pm in summer, so if you have the stamina then climb to the top. Afterwards continue to Trg 1 Maja, a cute little square that was the main square until the Middle Ages.
The square is surrounded by a maze of little streets, so try to get lost a little here. Admittedly, it’s kind of hard to get lost though, because the peninsula is quite narrow.
Back on Trg 1 Maja, for dinner you could check out Cantina Klet, which is a popular wine bar with a take-out window. Get you plate of food here and eat it somewhere on the square.
Alternatively, continue your walk along the harbour front and have dinner at Pirat. This restaurant has a great selection of food, mainly from the sea and plenty of choice for Slovenian wines.
After dinner walk through town again and perhaps have some drinks, or head back to your hotel. A perfect first day on your Slovenia road trip!
Day 2 | Koper | Vipava Valley | Tolmin Gorge | Bovec
On the second day of your Slovenia road trip you leave Piran and finish your day in Bovec in the Julian Alps. Total drive time today is 3 hours.
Start the day in Koper
Start the day by driving 15-20 minutes to Koper and have breakfast at Kavarna Triglav. You can park the car at Ukmarjev Trg and walk from there.
Koper is the largest coastal town in the region, overlooked and also quite underrated. We enjoyed Koper more than Piran for its more authentic feel.
Besides having an industrial port, Koper also has a cruise terminal. So even though Koper is not as overrun my tourists as Piran, it does have its busy moments whenever a cruise ship docks.
After breakfast take the Tomazicev Trg and zig-zag the streets until you get to Titov Trg, which is the town’s main square. The main sights of town are on this Venetian influenced square, such as the Praetorian Palace and the Cathedral of the Assumption. Just like in Piran, you can climb the cathedral’s tower to the top for some great views.
Next head southwards towards Presernov Trg, but don’t walk in a straight line. Instead take a left or a right here and there. Exit through the Muda Gate and then make you way back via Pristaniska Ulica towards the car passing the market on your left.
Continue up to the Vipava Valley
Next up is the Vipava Valley, with a stop at a beautiful winery. But first drive to the town called Vipava for lunch at Faladur.
Faladur is a bistro, wine bar and shop and is an excellent place to get to know more of one of Slovenia’s leading wine regions. What’s more, the lunch here is absolutely delicious! I will let the picture speak for itself.
Continue your way further up in the Vipava Valley by heading to the town of Sempas, home to the Batic Winery. Call ahead to book a tasting, but remember to drive responsibly.
Explore incredible Tolmin Gorge
When you’ve expanded on your knowledge of wine and perhaps even took a few bottles along with you for later, it’s time to set the satnav to gorgeous Tolmin Gorge.
The Tolmin Gorges are home to a very scenic river confluence and is situated on the southern edge of Mount Triglav National Park. Your visit here takes about 90 minutes, which is enough time to take in all that this spectacular area has to offer.
Back at the car its time to hit the road again for the final stretch of the day. Destination Bovec!
Finish the day in Bovec
After a day full of activities it’s time to check in to your hotel. Most accommodations in town are apartments that didn’t really appeal to us, so we suggest checking in to either Hotel Mangart or Hotel Soca for two nights.
By now you are probably hungry. Enjoy a short evening stroll through town and sit down at Pizzerija Crna Ovca. This pizzeria has a stone oven that creates pretty good Napoli-style pizzas.
Tip: If you have longer than one week in Slovenia, your should definitely stay longer in Bovec, because there is a lot to do around this town. Activities include hiking, taking the cable car up into the mountains, visit Boka Falls, and a drive to the Mangart pass.
Day 3 | Soca Valley
Today is going to be a great day. A day to put those hiking boots to work, because today you’re hiking the Soca Trail. For us this was the highlight of our one week in Slovenia and I’m sure it will be yours as well.
The Slovenian name of the Soca Trail along the Soca River is Soska Pot. This well signposted and popular day hike takes up a full day, depending on how much of the total distance you decide to go. The trail starts at the spring of the Soca River and finishes in the town of Bovec.
If you want to complete the entire trail it takes about 8-10 hours. However, you can also choose to do a section of the trail. Whichever way you choose, it’s best to start early.
Highlights along the Soca Trail
Some spectacular highlights along the trail are the panorama viewpoint, the suspension bridge and the gorges. The terrain you’ll walk on could be dirt, stairs, forest, riverbed or a few short sections along the side of the road.
How to get to the Soca Trail
There are buses leaving from the bus station on the square in front of the Soca Hotel. Bus times could be inconvenient though, or they could become full.
So show up very early for that bus, or alternatively try to hitch a ride to the start of the trail. Don’t want to worry about a thing? Then ask your hotel to arrange a taxi to the start of the trail for you.
Day 4 | Vrsic Pass | Lake Jasna | Lake Bled
Hopefully your feet aren’t that sore after yesterday’s hike, but luckily today it’s mainly driving. You will spend around 2 hours on the road today. But it will be challenging for most of the way, since you’ll be taking the Vrsic Pass with 50 hairpin turns.
Take 50 hairpin turns up and down the Vrsic Pass
After breakfast take it to the car to start your drive up to the Vrsic Pass. You haven’t been on a Slovenia road trip if you didn’t take the Vrsic Pass. But beware: There will be quite some steering involved here.
To make it to the other side of the mountain there are 50 hairpin turns to tackle. Along the way up there are quite a few interesting stops, such as at the Kugy monument and the Supca viewpoint.
When you’ve almost reached the pass, park your car before you get to the car park, because it can get very busy, and without any spots available. With the car parked take some time at the look out point and then go for a 15 minute walk to the Postman’s Lodge.
At the Postman’s Lodge you can grab some tea or coffee with cake and a view, before getting back to the car to start your descent down the remaining hairpin turns.
On the way down make sure to stop at the Russian Chapel. The chapel is on your right, but the parking is on the left, so make sure to park before you’ve passed the chapel and need to make an impossible turn. When you’ve finished at the chapel head further down to Lake Jasna.
Turn up at Lake Jasna
After the last hairpin turn down from the Vrsic Pass, it’s only a little further until you reach beautiful Lake Jasna. It makes for a perfect stop on your way to Lake Bled.
You can park the car next to the Kozorog monument (the bronze ibex). Take 15 minutes to walk around the lake (it’s very small) and let your feet soak in the ice cold lake for a bit afterwards.
Enjoy the rest of the day at Lake Bled
Lake Bled is beautiful, but at the same time the lake is visited by many day trippers from Ljubljana and thus very touristy. Don’t expect to be alone here! Check in to your hotel, the Old Parish House if it has availability.
You can spend the afternoon walking along the lake’s waterfront and take the boat to the famous island on the lake.
Another thing to do in Lake Bled is to visit Bled Castle, where you could also have lunch or dinner with a view overlooking the lake.
And if you feel like it and have enough time you could also walk around the entire lake. The walk is easy and is about 6 km, which would take you roughly an hour and a half.
At the end of the day sit down for a glass of orange wine at Vinoteka Zdravljica, the town’s only wine bar. Afterwards have dinner in Gostilna and Pizzeria Pri Planincu, with good food, decent prices and friendly service.
Day 5 | Lake Bohinj & Lake Bled
Today you continue your Slovenia road trip by driving to Lake Bohinj. Drive time is about 45 minutes from Lake Bled. It’s quite a scenic drive through little towns, so stop along the way if you want to snap some pictures.
Start your day at Lake Bohinj
Another beautiful lake in Slovenia, and a gateway to some hikes high above or around the lake. Apart from hiking, the summer provides endless possibilities for activities such as boating, cycling, fishing, horse riding or swimming. During wintertime Lake Bohinj is also a great place to go skiing.
To get into the mountains you can drive to the Valley Station Cable Car of the Vogel Ski Resort. And then it’s up up up to the Vogel Ski Resort. As you go up you’ll have amazing views of the lake. When you’ve arrived at the top you can decide on going further up with one of the other ski-lifts, or just by using your own two feet. Pick up a free map with some routes in the cable car valley station.
When you decide to hike one of the routes, be mindful of the weather though, because it can change rapidly in the mountains. Also bring sufficient water with you.
Unfortunately it was very windy when we visited, so we didn’t hike any of the longer routes. Nevertheless we had an amazing time walking up to a few other viewpoints and exchange looks with some of the cows. Enjoy!!
Climb the steps up to Savica waterfall
A steep 500 stairs climb up from the car park takes you to the beautiful Slap Savica, or the Savica Waterfalls. Don’t expect to be alone here, but the climb up to this beautiful waterfall is worth it.
Head back to Bled at the end of the day
At the end of the day drive back to Lake Bled. If you have time you could still do some of the activities you haven’t been able to do on yesterday’s program.
Day 6 | Vintgar Gorge | Ljubljana
You are now well underway on your one week in Slovenia road trip. Today you will leave Lake Bled behind you and visit Vintgar Gorge and head to Ljubljana afterwards. Total time driving today is about 1 hour.
Follow the boardwalks through Vintgar Gorge
This morning you will drive to Vintgar Gorge. What makes the gorge here special is the 1.6 km long system of wooden bridges that take you through the gorge. The walk to the Sum waterfall at the end is pretty easy going, however the walk back to the car is a little boring, so keep that in mind.
Alternatively, if you’re up for it you could also leave the car at your accommodation in Lake Bled and go on a 45 minute walk from there to the entrance of Vintgar Gorge.
The whole experience would take about 3 hours in total this way. If you time it right you could even be back in time for your hotel’s breakfast.
Drive to Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana
When you’re done at Vintgar Gorge your next and final stop on this itinerary for one week in Slovenia is Ljubljana, the country’s capital. A large part of the city center is car free, so plan ahead for a place to park if your accommodation doesn’t have parking available.
We stayed in an Airbnb in the city centre and parked at the Kozolec parking garage (€20 per day) which was about a 10 minutes walk from the three historic bridges. With the car out of the way it’s time to explore all that Ljubljana has to offer.
Spend the afternoon at the Old Town and Castle Hill
For the afternoon today I suggest to walk around the Old Town and to take the funicular up to the Ljubljana Castle.
Ljubljana is a very compact city, so you can see and do a lot in a short amount of time. But even if you stay longer you’ll enjoy the Old Town’s cobblestone streets, the excellent restaurants, the lively atmosphere and Ljubljana’s green areas.
Walking up and down the same street here was just lovely during the three days we spent in the city.
Tonight have dinner at Julija
For the evening make reservations at Julija, our absolute favourite restaurant in Ljubljana. After dinner walk for a bit along the Ljubljanica river and enjoy some wines at wine bar Suklje.
Day 7 | Finish your one week Slovenia road trip itinerary in Ljubljana
Grab some breakfast from bakery Osem in the Old Town and a coffee to go from Cafetino. Caffeinated and with a full belly it’s time to explore more of what Ljubljana has to offer.
Spend the morning at a museum and the Metelkova District
There’s quite a few very good museums in Ljubljana. If you like contemporary art you can visit Cukrarna or +MSUM, the Museum of Contemporary Art. Afterwards you could also visit the excellent Slovenian Ethnographic Museum which is next to +MSUM.
All museumed out you can pass by the Metelkova District. An area of the city with quite a bit of history that you could read about in +MSUM. The area is the place to be for artists and most of the walls here are full of mural art.
Have Lebanese lunch, shop and go higher up in the afternoon
For lunch head to Lebanese restaurant Libanonske Meze for some of the best Lebanese food I ever had (I’ve never been to Lebanon yet though). After lunch make it to the cafe at the top of the Neboticnik Skyscraper for an excellent view of the city. Make time for an after lunch coffee or some afternoon drinks.
If you still have time you could visit the Museum of Modern Art or alternatively you can go shopping. For design shops you can go to id:doma or Kubus. For high street shopping visit the streets leading to Preseren Square and the Triple Bridge, or visit the Old Town cobblestone streets for souvenirs.
Finish your Slovenia itinerary with orange wine at Dvorni
If you’re flying back tomorrow I recommend to have dinner at Raw Pasta and finish the night at Dvorni wine bar. If you enjoy late night walks, do so through the Old Town, which is beautifully lit at night.
When you fly back tonight, then head back to the airport in time to hand in the car and fly home or travel onwards.
More vacation time after your Slovenia Road Trip?
We spent a little over two weeks on our vacation. After we finished our Slovenia road trip itinerary we flew to Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia.
Skopje was the start of our week-long Balkan Road Trip through North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. And on the way to Skopje we had a full-day stopover in Serbia, so we could visit Belgrade in One Day.
Accommodation on your Slovenia road trip itinerary
This Slovenia road trip itinerary is set up for 7 days and 6 or 7 nights, but of course you can add days if you are planning a longer trip.
I suggest to stay 1 night in Piran, 2 nights in Bovec, 2 nights in Lake Bled and 1, 2 or more nights in Ljubljana depending on your flight back home, or your onwards journey.
Below are my suggested hotels in each of these destinations. Click on the links below to book right away with booking.com or airbnb.com.
Piran – Apartments VIP Residences
We were thoroughly pleased with this hotel’s location, conveniently situated just outside of town. It offered free parking and a swimming pool, adding to the overall appeal. The room was incredibly comfortable, well-appointed with attention to detail, and featured a handy kitchenette. The bathroom in the Apartments VIP Residences was fully equipped with all the essential amenities.
Bovec – Hotel Soca
We had a hard time finding accommodation in Bovec that would suit our taste and level of comfort. There’s plenty of accommodation in Bovec, but most of what we found and experienced was outdated and simply not working.
We found Hotel Soca to be the exception. Hotel Soca has the best location of any hotel in Bovec, right in the centre of town. The rooms are comfortable and tastefully decorated and on top of that there’s a sauna and an outdoor pool. If it happens to be full also consider Hotel Mangart.
Bled – Old Parish House
This historic parish house turned into a hotel is right where you want to be when staying at Lake Bled. The Old Parish House is right next to St. Martin’s church, with views of the lake and includes free private parking. The included breakfast here is delicious with made-to-order eggs, fresh bread and jams, various types of cereal etc.
The rooms are functional, but comfortable and new. The Old Parish House is one of the oldest buildings in Bled, but is completely renovated and a real gem when choosing to stay somehere in Bled.
Ljubljana – Airbnb Old Town Gem
We found a fantastic Airbnb right in the Old Town of Ljubljana. It was a pleasure to stay here with everything Ljubljana has to offer on our doorstep. The room had everything we were looking for, such as a very comfortable bed, a spacious bathroom, a kitchen and tasteful decoration.
How to get around on your Slovenia road trip?
Slovenia is the perfect country for a road trip. The roads are all excellent, the petrol is affordable and we found the rental car to be very affordable. I always recommend to search for the best available deal through booking.com.
We paid €278 for 8 days in a Peugeot 2008 with Sixt in September through this website. You can decide to get car insurance with rentalcars.com right away as well. That way you won’t have to go through all the insurance hassle when picking up the car.
Slovenia Road Trip parking tips
Parking is quite easy everywhere you’ll go in Slovenia. Some exceptions are on the Vrsic Pass where you should not try and find the perfect spot. Park whenever and wherever you can.
Furthermore, large parts of Ljubljana are free of cars, mainly in the Old Town and the city centre. Plan ahead to park in a parking garage and install that on your navigation.
Tip: Bring a parking disc for your Slovenia road trip so you can use the free parking spaces in blue zones.
Final thoughts
Thanks for reading all the way to the end of this one week in Slovenia Road Trip itinerary. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments section below.
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Enjoy planning your Slovenia road trip!
