Slovenia
Slovenia with a child
Last year, I accidentally came across a travel blog with an travelogue about Slovenia and when I saw the beautiful photos, the next destination was clear. Moreover, it is not very far from Brno. We decided to go by car in August for 11 days. Well, I decided. My husband doesn´t like travelling (unfortunately), so he would prefer not to go anywhere. It was actually our first family vacation with our 6 year old son.
Date: 1.8.2019 – 11.8.2019
Itinerary
- Day – Travelling by car from Brna to Bled
- Day – Gorge Vintgar, island on Bled lake
- Day – Lake Zelenci, Kranjska Gora, Jasna Lake, pass Vršič, Trenta, Soča – Mala Korita, Velika Korita, Log pod Mangartom
- Day – Waterfall Peričnik, Bled – view point Ojstrica, Bled castle
- Day – Bohinjsko lake, Korita Mostnice, Waterfall Savica
- Day – Postojnska cave, Predjama castle
- Day – Tolminska Korita, Waterfall Veliky Kozjak, Slap Virje
- Day – Radovljica
- Day – Škocjanské cave, Ljubljana
- Day – Bohinjsko lake
- Day – Travelling by car from Bled to Brno
Visited places
Trip planning
When planning the places we could visit, I was inspired mainly by the following 2 websites (Czech)
https://www.objevuj-slovinsko.cz
http://www.sblondynounacestach.cz/2018/08/30/slovinsko/
Since it was a holiday with our 6-year-old son and my husband, I had to adapt the program and this holiday didn´t include any longer hikes. But even so it was great and we managed to see a lot, everything I had planned. Slovenia is ideal for a holiday with a child, you don´t need to go far to see many attractive places, many times they are close to the parking. This of course corresponds to the number of tourists. If we didn’t arrive in the morning, there were really a lot of tourists everywhere. The only thing I would change is the timing – none of us are lovers of warm weather, rather the opposite, so next time I would not come here in July or August but rather out of season, so that it was not so hot. In the beginning it was ok, but later it used to be 29-32 ° C.
As for the length of the stay, so 1 week seemed to me too short and I also didn´t want to leave on Saturday, so I chose on purpose the stay of 11 days from Thursday to Sunday so that there is also a chance to avoid traffic jams. And I chose well, neither there nor back, we had no traffic jam.
I will not describe in detail the places we visited you can find such information on the internet and in the links you can find websites and travel blogs I was using for planning. As always, I will focus on practical advice, tips, useful information, prices, trails and restaurants tips. For trails, I usually mention mapy.cz that I use the most because they have hiking routes and can be used when you are offline. I always state the time and number of kilometers that mapy.cz show, of course it always takes a little longer when you take pictures etc.
As for the entrance fee for a 6-year-old child, many places were free up to 6 years included. They didn´t as us anywhere to prove the child´s age.
Accommodation
I decided for a private accomodation in Bled. I tis true Bled is very touristy but I wanted to have a supermarket and restaurant close to our accomodation, so I decided for Bled. I booked the accommodation as usual through Booking and I chose Renata Rooms, a family house that offers 4 rooms, only one of them has 3 beds.
I recommend booking accommodation for the summer holidays well in advance to have a large choice and decent prices. When I was looking at Booking shortly before our vacation, practically everything was sold out or there were really crazy prices. I really like planning to have something to look forward to, so I made a reservation in September 2018, almost a year in advance.
We had a 3 bed room, it was large enough, air conditioning was for free although the leaflet in the room said it was for 5 EUR / day. The bathroom was also spacious and there was a large kitchen with a table for 6 people and a sofa. It was written on the website that the kachen is shared but we were told that we had it for ourselves, even though the other rooms were occupied. The kitchen was well equipped, so who would like to cook, there would be no problem. There was enough dishes, pans etc. It was not like elsewhere where e.g. the number of mugs and plates corresponded to the maximum number of people in the apartment … Some basic stuff such as tea, sugar, salt, oil was there as well. But I was not going to cook, for lunch we went to restaurants and for dinner we just bought something in the supermarket.
Mrs. Renata was very nice, she didn’t even forget my birthday (she probably noticed in my passport) and I got a box of chocolates. Then she celebrated with her husband the 30th wedding anniversary, so we got their typical kremnitsa dessert and my son got chocolate bars when we were leaving. There was also an outdoor seating in the pergola. It was a great stay and I can definitely recommend this accommodation.
Renata rooms web – http://www.sobe-renata.com/index.php?id=2&L=1
Address – Rooms Renata Ljubljanska 31, 4260 Bled, Slovenia
Price for 10 night – 660 EUR + 62,60 EUR city tax (i.e.) 626 CZK/day/person including city tax)
Supermarket
Supermarket Mercator was a short walk from our accommodation, about 350 meters. Prices of food and fruit seemed to me quite similar to those in the Czech Republic.
Mercator – https://mapy.cz/s/3xQus
Parking
Lots of parking lots were paid, sometimes we had to pay to a person, sometimes there was a machine, or we paid via Easy park mobile application (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.easypark.android&hl=cs).
For the first time, the car number and credit (debit) card had to be entered for the application. Then we marked the parking lot we were standing on, parking time and then clicked on Start parking. When you finished parking, you just had to click on Stop parking. It did not require a credit card and license plate for further parking, so it was quicker than looking for coins in a wallet. If the parking was paid, I mention the price at the end of the paragraph.
Slovenian cuisine
I must say that Slovenian cuisine really did not excite me because it is very similar to our cuisine and I like the most Mediterranean cuisine – Greek, Spanish, Italian… Especially in most restaurants where we were, the menu was very monotonous, always the same – schnitzel, chicken slice with cheese, ham and mushrooms, pleskavica, skewer, ribs, pizza and pasta. Soups were the same everywhere – beef, tomato and mushroom soup. The food was quite ok, it was rather monotonous, I was really satisfied just in the last 3 restaurants. You could eat mostly for 10-12 EUR + side dish 2.5 EUR (somewhere side dish was already included in the price). For each trip you will find the restaurant we have visited and for an idea the price of each meal.
Day 1
Travelling by car to Bled
We left Brno at 7:00 and arrived in Bled at 15:30. We had 2 breaks, one 30 minutes for a snack, the second one 1 hour break for lunch near Bled in Bistrica pri Tržiču. So the journey took 7 hours of net time + 2 breaks.
We bought the highway vignette at a gas station close to Pohořelice. Here my planning was not very smart, after planning a vacation I found that the vignette in Austria is for 10 days. So for an 11 day trip we had to buy 2 vignettes. But it’s not expensive, so I didn’t think I’d change my accommodation reservation and cut it by one day … We didn´t buy the Slovenian vignette because it would be just a short part of highway from the border to Bled anyway, and in order to avoid possible traffic jam, we preferred to cross the border via Loibltunnel. The journey was good, no traffic jams at all. After we made a check-in in our accomodation, we went for a walk to Lake Bled.
The way back (Sunday) was even faster, we left Bled at 7:10 in the morning and we were in Brno at 14:40, i.e. 6.5 hours and 1 hour for lunch + snack. There was very few cars on highway, sometimes I felt like we were almost alone there.
Route from Brno – https://mapy.cz/s/kusahedote
Price:
Highway vignette – 10 day 247 Kč (2 x 10 day in total 494 CZK)
Lunch – 16 EUR (2x pizza + drink)
Day 2
Vintgar Gorge
On Friday they didn´t report good weather, it was supposed to rain, so I didn´t want to go on any long trip, so we decided to visit the Vintgar Gorge. In the morning we got up quite early and arrived to the Vintgar gorge at the parking before nine o’clock. They are open from 07:00 to 20:00 in July and August. Parking is available for a fee of 5 EUR. At that time there were not many cars in the parking lot, actually it was worth getting up early every morning, in the later hours there were always many tourists and it was much harder to find a parking space. There was no queue for tickets.
On the way there the weather was quite ok, not raining at all, then a few raindrops but on the way back it was raining enough and most tourists did not even have a raincoat and walked as in the city with an umbrella and so it was more difficult to avoid people on wooden walkways. Vintgar Gorge was worth it, it is really beautiful, I definitely recommend a visit. It is a nice walk on wooden footpaths and bridges, it took us about 2 hours including taking photos.
Vintgar Gorge web – http://www.vintgar.si/?lang=en
Route by care to the gorge – https://mapy.cz/s/lojulotepe
Route – gorge – https://mapy.cz/s/nogojoguta (Trasa 3,3 km – 1:41 h)
Parking – https://mapy.cz/s/gefanofeco
Parking fee – 5 EUR (https://mapy.cz/s/gefanofeco)
Tickets:
Adult: 10 EUR
Child – 6-15 years: 3 EUR
Child up to 6 years: 1 EUR (they have it on the web like this up to 6 years and then from 6 years, so i tis a little confusing how much a 6 year old child should pay but when we said my son was 6 years old, we paid 1 EUR for him, they didn´t want to see any proof of age)
Island on Bled lake
It was raining in the afternoon, then fortunately the rain stopped, so I went with my son for a walk around the lake, back and forth around 7 km (https://mapy.cz/s/raguhesega ). There is a nice promenade around Lake Bled, so it’s a nice walk.
When we were returning back, I saw that one of the boats, the so-called pletna, which is going on the island in the middle of the lake, was almost full, we decided to go to the island too. I could see that the boat leaves once it is full (maximum 18 persons) and therefore I wanted to take advantage of the situation when the boat is almost full so that we do not have to sit in the boat and wait until it is full.
The boat costs 15 EUR, the child 8 EUR and the journey to the islet took about 20-25 minutes (we left approximately from here – https://mapy.cz/s/nedutejuhu ).
The rower waits for 40 minutes on the islet and then goes back. 40 minutes is long enough to explore the islet.
Pletna web – http://www.pletna.si/index.php
Pletna web http://www.bled.si/en/what-to-see/symbols-of-bled/pletna/Information
Price – traditional boat „pletna“ – 15 EUR/person(child 8 EUR/person)
Day 3
Saturday was supposed to be nice weather so we went on a longer trip.
Route by car – https://mapy.cz/s/hodoropoku
Zelenci lake
The first stop was Lake Zelenci, a beautiful turquoise lake with mountain views. The Sava Dolinka River springs in the lake and wooden bridges surround the lake. We arrived again before nine o’clock and there were only 2 couples with us, so there was no problem to take pictures without people. There is also a small lookout tower. It was a short walk from the parking lot, about 400 m and on the way back we met quite a lot of tourists already. So again, it is better to get up early so that there are not many people there. Parking was for free.
Route – https://mapy.cz/s/codalesuna (Route 800 m – 15 min)
Zelenci lake web – https://www.kranjska-gora.si/en/sightseeing/natural-sights/gorges-lakes-valleys-and-other-sights/zelenci-natural-reserve
Kranjska Gora
The next stop was the mountain town of Kranjska Gora. We stopped at a large free parking lot at the beginning of the town. We walked through the town, cht one cashe and decided to have lunch here, as there would be more choice of restaurants than later on the way. The restaurant we have chosen only opened at 12:00 but we thought we would wait and we went for a short walk
Parking (unpaid) – https://mapy.cz/s/fofedepafa (there is enough parking places)
Kranjska Gora – Restavracija Viktor – https://goo.gl/maps/epp6wb4f6qFeHmuy7
Jasna lake
Not far from Kransjka Gora, we stopped by Lake Jasna. The parking lot was almost full but we still found the place. Somehow we couldn’t find a parking machine and then we noticed a sign that the parking fee was paid via the Easy park mobile app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.easypark.android&hl=cs), or sms. So I downloaded the app, filled in the license plate and card number and chose the time we wanted to park. At the end of the parking, the mobile phone announces what time the paid parking should expire and when you leave, you just press Stop parking in the app. When we left, I found it strange that the app shows me 0 EUR. Only now I noticed on the photo sign that there was written in lower-case letter in Slovenian that the first hour of parking is for free which is enough to go around the lake as the lake is really small.
On the other two parking lots we came across a vending machine where you could pay by money or mobile applicatin. During the next parking the license plate number and the card number did not have to be filled and it was practically easier than looking for coins in the wallet. Maybe there was a machine as well and the app was just another payment option but we did not notice the machine.
The lake is quite small and can be walked around in a while. It was a nice easy walk, I definitely recommend to visit.
Jasna lake web – https://www.kranjska-gora.si/en/sightseeing/natural-sights/gorges-lakes-valleys-and-other-sights/jasna-lake
Parking – https://mapy.cz/s/nusugavatu
Parking price – first hour 0 EUR
Route – https://mapy.cz/s/masujupana – Route 801 m – 15 minutes
Vršič pass
We went further to the mountains through the Vršič Pass, through a total of about 50 hairpin bends. Up in the mountains we stopped about twice in the parking to take a picture of the beautiful mountains (https://mapy.cz/s/bohulesoro) and continued down on the road with hairpin bends. As soon as we were down, my son said that he was a bit sick – I already had experience from Tenerife that he was slightly sick with such hairpin bends even he had taken the pill Kinedryl. But here he fortunately felt better and stop in the parking lot was sufficient (https://mapy.cz/s/pesovetera ).
There was one more reason to stop – as we arrived at the parking, my husband noticed that something was smelling bad in the car. When he went out, he found out that the bad smell is coming from brakes which made him quite worried. However, at least we were reassured by the fact that we were not obviously the only one with this problem as every second driver who stopped in the parking was taking a sniff at brakes. We decided to stay about half an hour to let the brakes cool down and my son recover a bit and during this time we could see that the brakes of almost every car were smelling bad.
Vršič web – https://www.kranjska-gora.si/en/sightseeing/natural-sights/view-points/vrsic-pass
Trenta
The next smaller stop was the mountain village of Trenta where I took some more pictures of the mountains and we went on.
Soča river – Mala Korita, Velika Korita
Then we continued along the river Soča which is really beautiful. The beautiful turquoise color is indescribable. There are many small bridges over the river and they are swinging while walking. So it is up to you to chose one to take beatiful pictures of the river. My son particularly liked the way the bridge was swinging.
Then we visited Malá Korita, which is really worth a visit, it is a really beautiful walk around the river. The hiking trail around the Soča River is really long, so it is up to you how long you want to walk.
At Velka Korita we stopped here first – https://mapy.cz/s/hepolofose, then we drove to the next parking a few meters away (https://mapy.cz/s/pufahatena) and we took a little walk around the river (https://mapy.cz/s/lumajumade).
Many people were bathing in the river, of course the water was quite cold. We had still a long way to go, so after a short walk we set out again. Here the parking was free everywhere.
Mala Korita – https://mapy.cz/s/debonejubo
Mala Korita web – https://www.soca-valley.com/en/attractions/nature/gorges-and-waterfalls/2015121119060158/
Velika Korita – https://mapy.cz/s/nufubekoru , https://mapy.cz/s/kopocefaju
Velika Korita web – https://www.soca-valley.com/en/attractions/nature/gorges-and-waterfalls/2015121117121068/
Velika Korita web – http://www.slovenia-trips.com/eng/natural-sights/trip/945/Great-soca-gorge
Log pod Mangartom
I didn’t have other plans for this day and in addition before arriving to Bovec it began shower a lot, so I just bought something to eat in a Mercator supermarket and we set out on a journey home through Italy as it was closer from here and also we didn´t want to go back through the hairpin bends. I read on various websites that the village of Log pod Mangartom is very nice and because it stopped raining and the sky was blue again, we decided to stop there for a short walk. It is a really beautiful village with spectacular mountain views, I liked it much more than Trenta, definitely worth a visit.
Day 4
Peričnik waterfall
The next day we decided for something more relaxing, so we decided to visit the waterfall Pericnik, which is located near Bled. The waterfall is only about 300 meters from the parking but after we arrived in Mojstrana, my husband somehow felt that the parking lot near the waterfall would be full for sure and it will be better to walk. But after a while he realized that it would be far enough, so we drove a bit more and when he saw that there are already parked cars around the road, he also decided to park there and we went on foot approximately 2 km towards the main parking.
It wasn´t needed, although the main parking was full (paid parking 2 hours – 3 EUR) it was possible to park anywhere near the road where there was always some place. So I recommend to go to the parking lot and when not free, turn and park near the road. It obviously didn’t bother anyone here, and no one had the fines on their windows as they did outside the reserved parking lot at Lake Bohinj.
According to mapy.cz, there are 2 paths leading to the waterfall from the parking lot but at the first one there is a sign saying that the path is difficult to access and it is not recommended to walk this path for safety reasons (https://mapy.cz/s/mucubevoha) and they recommend to take the second path just a few meters from the first just behind the paid parking (https://mapy.cz/s/jemodubogu).
The waterfall is only a short walk (350 m). It is a path with the stairs and roots, nothing difficult. The waterfall is really beautiful, compared to the other we have seen, here you can go through a path just below the waterfall.
Route from parking to waterfal – https://mapy.cz/s/hotesezumu (route 696 m – 19 minutes)
Parking – oficial parking at waterfall https://mapy.cz/s/jovalerodu – 2 hrs. – 3 EUR (but it is possible to park anywhere for free)
Bled – View point Ojstrica
In the afternoon, my son and I went on a walk around Bled along the promenade and the viewpoint of Ojstrica (https://mapy.cz/s/nekasatoze).
The path to the viewpoint led uphill, at the end even a bit on stones but it was nothing extra demanding. Up there we sat down on the bench and we were waiting our turn to take Picture of a nice view without tourists. There were about 4-5 groups of tourists in front of us, taking pictures of each other there. Sometimes it is really horrible how some tourists are unregardful. The last group of about 5 boys in front of us, who could notice like the others that everyone wanted to take a picture at this place, also took a picture and then sat down on the rock and settled there for some 15-20 minutes. When we were tired of waiting, we went to search for the cache a few meters away, unfortunately unsuccessfully, we did not find the cache. Then they finally left and we could finally take a picture there. The walk was about 9 km long.
Route Vyhlídka Ojstrica – https://mapy.cz/s/hosehedabu (Route 8,3 km – 2:52 hrs)
Bled castle
(Blejski grad) – https://mapy.cz/s/lufozosoze
On our way back from the view point, we were waiting for my husband close to the pletna boats station and then we went together to Bled Castle, it was about 1.2 km. The kastle is open until 21:00 in August. Admission fee is 11 EUR, children under 14 years free. The castle is nice and there is a beautiful view of the lake.
Considering I wanted to have a rest day, it was not so relaxed, we walked with my son about 16.5 km. Fortunately, my 6-year-old son is able to manage such hikes without any problem and did not complain about sore feet. Actually, it’s his record so far, it didn’t even seem it will be so many kilometers that day. As in Tenerife, I decided to motivace him in advance by the fact that if he will walk without grumbling, he could choose a souvenir at the end of our stay. Surprisingly, this really works for him and it costs me just a few euros 🙂
Route Bled castle – https://mapy.cz/s/kavahunuce
Bledský castle web – http://www.blejski-grad.si/en/price-list
Price – 11 EUR/osoba (child 6 years old for free)
Day 5
The next day we decided for a porter trip, so we decided to explore Bohinj Lake and surroundings.
Korita Mostnice
Near the lake at the village Stara Fužina is located Korita Mostnice. The route leads around the river Mostnica where you can see interesting rock formations along the way. It was very nice undemanding walk, back and forth 3.5 km, very slow walking with taking photos took us 2 hours. There was hardly any cars in the parking at 9:00 in the morning, so it was easy to park. A narrow road leads to the parking lot, but fortunately it was a one-way road, so there was no danger of encountering an oncoming car. So it was necessary to go back on another road, and because the road was being repaired there, we could not pass and continue comfortably towards Bohinj Lake but we drove out with another road going to Bohinjska Bistrica(https://mapy.cz/s/gudorenozu).
Korita Mostnice web – https://www.bohinj.si/en/attractions/mostnica-gorge/
Korita Mostnice route – https://mapy.cz/s/cofaferudu (Route 3,5 km – 1:09 hrs)
Parking – https://mapy.cz/s/hulocasepu
Ticket Korita Mostnice – 3 EUR/person (child up to 6 years included for free)
Parking – 3 EUR/hour (2 hours are ideal to not be in hurry)
Bohinjska Bistrica – restaurant Gostišče – Picerija Zoisov Grad – https://goo.gl/maps/1soVsE8Mro1aAJ9b6
Bohinjsko lake
Then we went to Bohinj Lake. At first I thought I would leave my son with my husband by the lake and I would hike to the Savica waterfall but it was pretty hot and the idea of swimming in the lake won. The water was quite cold but it was nice in the hot weather. Unlike Lake Bled, swimming here is great, in many places there is nice access to the water and you do not even have to go to the official beach but also in many other places you can find a bathing place where you are almost alone. Access to the water is good everywhere, suitable also for children. Water shoes were not needed. We stopped at a camp in the village of Ukanc. Parking was paid again, and because the machine took only coins and 5 or 10 EUR banknotes, I was glad that there was also the possibility to pay through the application Easy park.
Parking Ukanc – https://mapy.cz/s/memuzenalo
Beach – https://mapy.cz/s/cacafoveha
Parking fee – 3 EUR/hour
Savica waterfall
After taking a bath, we went to the Savica waterfall. We were hoping that the parking wouldn’t be full this afternoon and we wanted to stop by a few cars close to the official parking but fortunately we noticed that all three cars had a fine on the glass and I remembered some info from some web site that it is forbidden to park outside the official parkings around Bohinj Lake, so we continued to the official parking at the Savica waterfall and fortunately there was no problem to park.
There is a path leading up on the stairs to the waterfall (about 860 m) but fortunately it was not so hot in the evening and the path was in the shade. The waterfall is very nice, it is definitely worth a visit. The way up took about 20-30 minutes.
Savica waterfall web – https://www.bohinj.si/en/attractions/savica-waterfall/
Route to Savica waterfall – https://mapy.cz/s/magovananu (route 1,7 km – 43 min)
Parking – https://mapy.cz/s/nacaveguce
Parking fee – 4 EUR
Ticket – 3 EUR/person (child 6 years old for free)
Day 6
Postojna cave
The next day we planned a trip to Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle. The original plan was the Skocjan caves but then I realized that we probably won’t manage it. We left Bled at about 8:30 and we were at the cave before 11:00. Since it was originally the only trip in this direction, we did not want to buy a Slovenian highway vignette so we went on smaller roads. So certainly you could save some time using the highway.
There are several large parkings so there was no problem to park. We didn´t buy tickets online because I didn´t know exactly when we would be able to arrive there, so we had to be in the queue with the others. It was quite long, but it took only about 15 minutes. We bought a tour of Postojna Cave and newly opened Vivarium. Just leave out the Vivarium, it wasn’t worth the money. The biggest attraction is about two aquariums with a rare olm called “human fish“, which lives up to 100 years and can be without food for up to 10 years. Furthermore, there were a couple of aquariums with some small beetle and similar creatures that could barely be seen. I wouldn´t mind to miss this visit. We bought the tickets after eleven and got a tour of the cave for 12:30. It was possible to go to Vivaria at any time, so we went there first and then we went for a quick lunch to the self-service fast food restaurant so that we knew we could make it before the tour. There were several restaurants between the ticket office and the entrance to the cave, so there was no problem to choose one.
We were supposed to be in the cave 10 minutes earlier. So we came to the train at the entrance to the cave at 12:20. The train goes through 2 km of caves with beautiful stalactite decoration, the cave is really incredibly huge. Then we got out of the train and walked with a guide 1 km. The guide mentioned many times that it was not allowed to take pictures with the flash and touch the dripstones and there was always someone who did not turn off the flash or touched the dripstones around every Conner. One lady even propped against one dripstone instead of grabbing the railing. There are no stairs in the cave, so it is easy to walk downhill and uphill along a paved path, we saw even someone with a baby carriage.
The cave has a constant temperature of about 10 ° C, so it is good to dress properly, so we took both a sweatshirt and jacket and we were just ok, on the way back by train I was almost cold, as the wind blew. But it was a pleasant chill compared to the heat outside. The tour took about 1.5 hours. The tour ended at 2 pm, so it was clear to me that we would hardly manage the Skocjan Caves.
Postojna cave web – https://www.postojnska-jama.eu/cs/postojenska-jeskyne/?gclid=CjwKCAjw44jrBRAHEiwAZ9igKHYjR0IFeQOf3y0KauZN8y-sbD73xfotFF_gjAYwZMj62fvJQNl67hoC7ZcQAvD_BwE
Ticket office – https://mapy.cz/s/muhavepoju
Parking – https://mapy.cz/s/gelolasono
Parking fee – 5,6 EUR
Ticket Postojna cave + Vivárium – 34,9 EUR/person (child 6 years – 20,9 EUR)
Ticket Postojna jeskyně – 27,9 EUR/person (child 6 – 15 years – 16,7 EUR)
Lunch – Postojna fast food – 21 EUR (gulash 8,5 EUR, meat balls – 8,5 EUR, French fries 2,5 EUR)
Predjama castle
Then we drove only 9 km away to Predjama castle, which is the largest cave castle in the world. It is a beautiful castle, the tour was with an audio guide, my son was excited that they even had it in Czech. There were quite a few stairs, so for someone with sore knees, it would be a bit more difficult. The tour was definitely worth it. After the tour we went back to Bled.
Predjama catle web – https://www.postojnska-jama.eu/cs/predjamsky-hrad/
Parking – https://mapy.cz/s/dogenejosu
Ticket – 14,9 EUR (child 6-15 years old – 8,90 EUR)
Day 7
Tolminska Korita
The next day we went on another long trip (car route – https://mapy.cz/s/kotavefure). The first stop was Tolmin and lunch at Gostilna in Pizzerija pri Martini.
Tolmin – restaurant Gostilna in Pizzerija pri Martini – https://goo.gl/maps/6wmSBkQiMn5pieYXA
Parking fee in Tolmin – 0,4 EUR
Then we went to the Tolmin Gorge. The parking is behind the village of Zatolmin and at the first parking the sign stated that the parking lot at the gorge was full, so my husband wanted to stop at the first one which was 1.5 km away from the gorge. I saw on the web that there should be a shuttle bus to the gorge, but we did not want to wait for it. I’d rather go on to see if we can park somewhere by the road or if someone leaves the parking in the meantime. We stopped at the first parking (it was unpaid) and headed towards the gorge. That day was really hot, so in a while my husband told me that he was not going with me and that he would wait in the restaurant. He also influenced our son, who also said he wouldn’t come with me. Then I was glad they didn’t go because I had a lot to do with the heat this time, and I wasn’t quite well, it was really damp, so it was more difficult to breathe.
So I went alone. From the map I saw that it was not necessary to go all the way on the road, so I turned to the path in the meadows and just went out at the parking at the entrance to the gorge. I glanced at the parking and we could really take the risk to go there, in the meantime 3 parking lots were available. Admission fee to the gorge cost 8 EUR and I got a map with the gorge route. The gorge was really beautiful, first it went down the river and finally led the way up the stairs to the bridge over the river, there was a beautiful view. It was a circuit, so you didn’t have to go the same way back. I recommend visiting Tolmin gorge, it was one of the places I liked the most.
As I approached the gorge entrance, I called my husband that I was done and wanted to check if they were waiting for me at the restaurant. My husband confirmed that they were waiting there. When I wanted to turn to the path that I had come to avoid having to go on the road, I was wondering if I should go down the road, if my dear husband might want to surprise me and wait for me in the parking lot so that I didn´t have to go on the road 1.5 km in the hot weather. Sometimes I blame my husband for never giving me any surprises … So this year he wanted to surprise me and wait for us at the train station when we returned from a holiday from Tenerife. After we got home with my son, I found out that my husband was not at home and when I called him to check where he was, he said with a sad voice “at the train station, I wanted to surprise you, but I guess I didn’t.” So I was wondering if this was another surprise attempt. It was. Behind the parking lot, I saw our car. Uff, good that I followed my intuition and I didn´t go back on the path, otherwise we would miss each other again and in the hot weather I was really happy that I don´t have to go on foot.
Web Tolminska Korita – https://www.soca-valley.com/en/attractions/nature/gorges-and-waterfalls/2017071210105218/
Ticket – 8 EUR/person
Parking 1,5 km from Tolmin gorge – for free – https://goo.gl/maps/Zwy7D6nkAvmkmFv67
Parking right at Tolmin gorge – 1,5 EUR/ hour ( https://mapy.cz/s/masovetuge )
Veliki Kozjak waterfall
The next stop was the Veliki Kozjak waterfall near Kobarid. There were several parkings and there was no problem to park, parking was for 1.5 EUR / hour, we paid one hour and so we were a little bit late.
The path to the waterfall is along the river, it is a nice walk. It is about 1.8 km from the parking to the waterfall. The waterfall was very nice, it is 15 meters high and below it is a beautiful turquoise lake. On the way some tourists were bathing in the river.
On the way across the river Soča there was another bridge where we took a few photos. My son enjoyed swinging the bridge so much that he wanted to walk on it both on the way there and back.
On our way back, we stopped at the Napoleon´s Bridge (https://goo.gl/maps/ynwMuqvDaP3aLx7UA), which offers a beautiful view of the Soča River. The bridge is located just a short walk from the parking to the waterfall.
Web Veliki Kozjak – https://www.soca-valley.com/en/attractions/nature/gorges-and-waterfalls/2016112913522332/
Route – https://mapy.cz/s/gupumakuso (Trasa 3,4 km – 1:25 h)
Parking – https://mapy.cz/s/favamenape
Parking fee – 1,5 EUR / hour (1 hour was sufficent)
Ticket Veliki Kozjak – 4 EUR/person (child up to 6 years old included for free)
Slap Virje
Then it started raining again, so I bought some food in Bovec again and we were going to go home, again through Italy. Fortunately, after a while it stopped raining and the sky was blue again, so we decided to visit the slap Virje as we had planned. It is located near the town of Bovec near the village of Plužna.
There was a quite narrow road where two cars could hardly avoid. Parking was paid again and the price was 5 EUR because it was paid for 120 minutes, it was not possible to chose a shorter time. Slap Virje is only about 5 minutes from the parking. We were lucky and we had free parking, because someone before us, who managed to visit slap Virje also faster than in 2 hours, left the ticket in the vending machine and the ticket was valid for more than one hour. We made it fast enough as well as it was close to the parking, so we left a ticket in the vending machine for another visitor as well. Slap Virje was also very nice. Although on the web I read that swimming in the lake under the waterfall is not allowed, a few people were bathing in the lake.
This was the last stop of the day and we went back through Italy again.
Slap Virje web – https://www.soca-valley.com/en/attractions/nature/gorges-and-waterfalls/2015090119071483/
Route – https://mapy.cz/s/kavafatopu – Trasa 875 m – 19 min
Parking – https://mapy.cz/s/lehozekava
Parking fee – 5 EUR/120 minutes (there was not other option than 2 hours)
Day 8
Radovljica
I had no big plans for Thursday and the weather forecast was not very good. So we decided to visit only the town Radovljica, which is near Bled. It is a nice picturesque town, it doesn´t take much time to explore. Then we went to lunch to the restaurant Grajska gostilnica.
The parking we chose was free for the first 3 hours
Radovljica – Restaurace Grajska gostilnica – https://goo.gl/maps/9qcw1aRYHePUNf4A6
Day 9
Škocjan cave
The next day we originally did not have much plans because we have already managed to visit everything I planned, so my husband suggested that we could still visit the Skocjan cave which we did not manage to visit before. So we left Bled in the morning and we were there at 11:00. When we arrived to the parking, we got information that the parking is full and we got a plan to find easily another parking about 3km away from where we were supposed to go with a shuttle bus. So were about to go there but on the main road near this main parking lot, there was one tiny free parking for a few cars (https://mapy.cz/s/regehetogo) and there were a few places, so we managed to park here. It was only a short walk to the ticket offices (380m) and when going there, we saw a lot of people crossing the road following the guide to the entrance to the cave. The group seemed to have no end.
We came to the ticket offices and there was a big queue, we were waiting about 35 minutes. Bad timing because there were just a few people behind us so then the queue was really small. We were wondering whether to take only tour 1, which was supposed to last 1.5 – 2 hours, or even tour 2, which was supposed to last another 1 – 1.5 hours. I was a little scared that it was lunch time and we won´t be able to go for lunch anywhere. We had some biscuits and croissants in case we would be hungry, so we decided also for tour 2 as well, price wise it was advantageous because when we bought the tour 2 at the same time, so it was only 4 EUR per person extra. We got the ticket right for 12:00. When I remembered how long was the group of people going to the cave, I thought it would be fine to be somewhere in the beginning, so we wouldn’t have to walk in the crowd of slow tourists somewhere in the end. So we walked around the building with information office and we were waiting at the pavement as we expected the guide would leave from here. And we did well, we were the first and we went right behind the guide.
The cave entrance was about 755 meters (https://mapy.cz/s/nudujuzone). In front of the entrance we learned about the approximate number of people in the group – about 300 people. In front of the cave, this huge group was divided into 6 smaller groups of 50 people and then the groups were entering gradually to the cave. Every group was waiting a little bit before entering to the cave so that the groups did not follow each other immediately. The first to go were people who had a tour in Slovenian, the rest had a tour in English. And because we were going to the cave as the first ones just behind the guide, we were the first in the second group. We were happy because we saved at least half an hour. Therefore it was written on the sign at the ticket office that the tour lasts 1.5 – 2 hours. The half-hour was for a group of 300 people to split into 5 groups and gradually walk through the turnstiles into the cave.
Although the dripstones decoration was not so rich in comparison with the Postojna Cave, this cave was also breathtaking, it was a giant canyon over the river which was called the River (Reka). There were quite a few stairs here. Here the temperature should be about 12 ° C but somehow we did not even manage to cool down, I only had a jacket because I forgot my sweatshirt in the car but still I was not cold and I even sweated, it was quite damp. Even my son was rather warm, only wearing a sweatshirt and still rolling up his sleeves saying he was warm… It was not allowed to take pictures until the end at the exit. It is a beautiful cave but they could play a little more with the lighting, compared to the pictures on the web it is much darker there.
We, who had paid also tour 2, went out with another exit and went through outside to the entrance of tour 2 which is going through the canyon along the river. This route was without a guide, so you could walk it at your own pace. This tour was also very nice and was definitely worth the few extra EUR. It is hard to say which cave is more beautiful. Because I like the rich dripstone decoration, so I personally liked a little more Postojna cave but definitelly it is difficult to evaluate because both are absolutely breathtaking and despite the higher admission fee they are definitely worth a visit. If you have time to visit both as we did, I definitely recommend.
Škocjan cave web – https://www.park-skocjanske-jame.si/en/read/tourist-information/skocjan-caves-guided-tours
Small unoffical parking – https://mapy.cz/s/regehetogo (for free)
Oficial parking – https://mapy.cz/s/foberonuka + https://mapy.cz/s/gugosokede
Ticket – tour I. (Through the udergound Canyon) 20 EUR/person(child 10 EUR),
tour I + II. (Following the Reka River underground) – 24 EUR/person (child 12,5 EUR)
Restaurace Gostilna pri Zotlarju – https://goo.gl/maps/AcxJgLiAsSDB15jr7
Ljubljana
We had still some time before going home, so we thought we could make a short visit of Ljubljana. I was wondering where we could park, the parking lot I chose from the maps was full, so we continued on the road looking for some parking. Fortunately, we encountered a parking house (https://mapy.cz/s/kokohupoka), where there were enough parking places. We walked to the center to the castle (just over 1 km) and when we saw that we were just at the cable car to Ljubljana Castle, we decided to go up with cable car to save some time. The cable car was really cheap. At the ticket office you can buy cable car tickets directly with the ticket to the castle but we did not want a return ticket for cable car, so we bought the ticket to the castle only at the castle ticket office. However, because the combined ticket for cable car and castle is at a discounted price, so the return ticket was practically the same price even if we didn´t use the way down. Upstairs we bought tickets to the castle, got an audio guide (this time only in English) and went through the whole castle.
We went down at the other side to walk along the river back towards the parked car (https://mapy.cz/s/loredafalo).
It was getting dark and the restaurants were really busy, they were really crowded. So we walked the center along the river and went back to the parked car and headed back to Bled.
Parking house – https://mapy.cz/s/kokohupoka , http://www.janez.si
Cable car to Ljubljana castle – https://mapy.cz/s/mocecazeho
Ljubljana castle – https://mapy.cz/s/kucesojako
Ljubljana castle web – https://www.ljubljanskigrad.si/en/visit-us/opening-hours-and-prices/
Ticket Ljubljana castle – 13 EUR adult (child 6 years old for free, 7-14 years old 9 EUR)
Cable car ticket – one way up 2,2 EUR/person (child up to 6 years included for free 7-18 years old 1,5 EUR)
Day 10
Bohinjsko lake
On the last day it was supposed to be around 30 ° C, so we decided to have a rest day at Bohinj Lake. We made a small walk around the lake, compared to the first visit at the beginning of the lake in the village of Ribčev Laz. It was still possible to park in the morning, there were still some free places in the parking lot. Parking was allowed for a maximum of two hours and could be paid either in the vending machine or again via the Easy park application. When we returned in 2 hours, the parking lot was totally full.
After a small walk around the lake we decided to spend the rest of our time bathing. We found a small unofficial beach where there were not many people and there was a good entrance to the lake for children as well. The water was no longer as cold as during the first visit of Bohinj lake.
Parking – https://mapy.cz/s/hokezosava
Parking fee – 3 EUR/hour (maximum period of parking – 2 hours)
Restaurants
Bled
Restaurace Gostilna Bled
After visiting the Vintgar gorge we went back to Bled and wanted to go to some restaurant for lunch. Since there was always enough traffic on the main road to Bled, we parked in our accommodation and walked for lunch. Because it was raining, we chose the first restaurant on the way from our accommodation – Gostilna Bled. The food was average. Photos on Google look like from some luxury restaurant, beautiful presentation, tempting dishes but they are rated only 3.4. We chose quite ordinary meals, so I do not know if the photo from Google corresponded to the fact because it was really rather average. My husband ordered tomato soup, schnitzel and I ordered a chicken slice with cheese, ham and mushroom sauce and French fries. Usually my son didn´t have a separate portion because the portions were always so big that the adult had a problem to eat it, so we always ordered him only extra French fries (at home I do it about twice a year, so I thought that during the holiday a little unhealthy diet would be ok and as he doesn´t have them at home, he did not reject it) and we shared the meat, the steak was over the whole plate and my chicken slice was also huge.
Gostilna Bled – https://g.page/Gostilna-bled?share
Price for lunch – 38 EUR in total (11 EUR schnitzel, 12 EUR chicken slice with chease, ham and mushrum, French fries 2,5 EUR)
Restaurant Grill Restaurant & Terrace
After visiting the Peričnik waterfall, we headed towards Bled for lunch. We chose a restaurant at Bled Grill Restaurant & Terrace near the lake. I had ribs with baked potatoes and my husband Caesar salad. The ribs were quite good but nothing miraculous, I ate many times better at home. There was such a small portion of mustard here that it was for 3 bites more or less. We had a local dessert of Kremshnita, which was very good.
Grill Restaurant & Terrace – https://goo.gl/maps/khxXsrJqLDozpsez8
Price – 41 EUR (Ribs 17, Caesar salad 12,9 EUR, Kremshnita– 4,7 EUR)
Radovljica
Restaurace Grajska gostilnica
After exploring the town, we went for lunch to the Grajska gostilnica restaurant which I found at Trip Advisor and looked pretty good and was a few meters from our parking. It was one of the 3 best restaurants we tried in Slovenia, they finally had different meals than in other restaurants, not even making fries and American potatoes from the freezer but really good baked potatoes. Even prices were not high. I had trout with celery mash and baked potatoes, it was really great. My husband had some pork with potatoes and sour cream, it was great too. We ordered a salad with chicken for my son, but he didn’t like it because he didn’t like the dressing and so my husband had almost double lunch.
Restaurant Grajska gostilnica – https://goo.gl/maps/9qcw1aRYHePUNf4A6
Price – 37,6 EUR (trout – File zlatovčice v ajdovi skorjici s kislo smetano, drobnjakom, krompirjem in dušeno zelenjavo 12,9 EUR, pork with potatoes and sour cream – Piščančji file v ponvici s pisano zelenjavo in zlato zapečenimi čompami 10,9 EUR, salad with chiken 8,9 EUR)
Kranjska Gora
Restavracija Viktor
The menu seemed almost the same to me as at the first restaurant in Bled. My husband again chose his favorite schnitzel and I chose a mix grill with French fries. It wasn’t bad but nothing exciting. The service was really below average, we had to wait long time to pay and when we reminded again, I was informed that we have to pay at the bar. I paid cash and when I saw how much the waitress had given me back, I was telling my husband with irony if she has taken automatically 1 EUR. I did not realize that she probably understood me and therefore gave me 1 EUR back then. When I’m not happy, I just do not give tips and keep automatically tip seems to me quite insolent.
Restavracija Viktor – https://goo.gl/maps/epp6wb4f6qFeHmuy7
Price – 34 EUR
Surroundings of Bohinj lake
Bohinjska Bistrica
Restaurant Gostišče – Picerija Zoisov Grad
After visiting Korita Mostnice we decided to have lunch in Bohinjska Bistrica. It is not so touristy there so I thought that the restaurants would not be so crowded as they would be definitely close to the lake. I chose the restaurant Gostišče – Picerija Zoisov Grad and I was hoping that they would not be open only from 12.00. Fortunately, they were already open and we were the first guests. I chose a pleskavica, a typical Slovenian meal (not bad but nothing that would excite me), and my husband was sticking to his “schnitzel diet”. I think I won´t be allowed to make schitzel for a long time after returning home. Because they didn’t have our favorite ice tea, my husband ordered lemonade. I did not realize that it would be like lemonade in Croatia and not our lemonade (pop). But here it was the worst lemonade I had tasted. Absolutely sugar-free and seemed they have put to this glass of water a very big lemon because it was so terribly sour that my whole face was curled. So after each gulp we refilled the glass with my water from my backpack and after I had poured out almost a half a litr of water, it was finally ok to drink.
Restaurant Gostišče – Picerija Zoisov Grad – https://goo.gl/maps/1soVsE8Mro1aAJ9b6
Price – 32,5 EUR (Pleskavica 8,5 EUR, schnitzel 8,8 EUR, baked potatoes 3,5 EUR)
Polje – Restaurace – Pr’ Pristavc Restaurant & Pizza
On the last day of our visit to Bohinj Lake, we did not want to have lunch directly at a lake because we expected the restaurants to be crowded and decided to find something along the way. On Google I found Pr ‘Pristavc Restaurant & Pizza and we stopped here. And as we say in Czech „the best in the end“, this was really the best restaurant for the whole holiday. The last 3 restaurants were very good, but here I really enjoyed the most. I had a veal back with mushroom sauce and strudel – a kind of dough twisted into a roll filled with cheese (Telečji’s back in a jurčkovi omaki with homemade sirlo strtrlji). My son was very hungry, so we ordered his own portion and he wanted a schnitzel, this time veal schnitzel. But the portion was so big again that the child had no chance to eat it. My husband had a Bohinj ponev – pork with mushroom sauce, cabbage and roasted potatoes. Everything we ordered was great.
Pr’ Pristavc Restaurant & Pizza – https://goo.gl/maps/RuYTn2AoAiJMzNgB6
Web – http://www.prpristavc.com/restaurant-pizzeria
Price – 59 EUR (veal schnitzel with French fries 13,8 EUR, veal back with mushroom sauce and strudel 18,7 EUR, Bohinjska ponev – 15,4 EUR including side dish)
Tolmin
Restaurace Gostilna in Pizzerija pri Martini
Before visiting the Tolmin Gorge, we went to lunch in the Gostilna in Pizzerija pri Martini restaurant in Tolmin. The service was absolutely terrible, nobody noticed us for a long time and although we waved at them several times, it still took a long time for the waitress to come. The food was quite ok, I had a turkey steak in a cream sauce with dumplings and my husband with my son had a schnitzel as usual, it was true that schnitzel was good everywhere, always huge across the whole plate. But the beef soup was horrible, I just tasted one spoon from my husband, it tasted like a watered down soup from a sack, into which they dropped a few more stocks so that at least some flavour.
Restaurace Gostilna in Pizzerija pri Martini – https://goo.gl/maps/6wmSBkQiMn5pieYXA
Price – 27,8 EUR (schnitzel and French fries 8,2 EUR, turkey steak with dumplings 9,8 EUR)
Škocjan
Restaurace Gostilna pri Zotlarju
After visiting the Skocjan caves, we were wondering where to go for lunch, we did not want to eat right close to the cave, so we thought that we would find something along the way. We chose the Gostilna pri Zotlarju restaurant right by the road, about 10 km from the cave at the village of Buje. And we chose well, the food was again very good and even very cheap. I had Zrezek Zotlar – a slice of meat with cheese and Parma ham, my son schnitzel and my husband boar goulash with gnocchi for only 6 EUR. I tasted and it was the best boar goulash I have ever had. So finally the second restaurant where I was really happy.
Restaurace Gostilna pri Zotlarju – https://goo.gl/maps/AcxJgLiAsSDB15jr7
Price – 36 EUR (schnitzel 10 EUR, boar goulash with gnocchi 6 EUR including side dish, Zrezek Zotlar 12 EUR including side dish)
Cost
How much did an 11-day vacation in Slovenia cost ?
In total – 1711 EUR (44 508 CZK) for 2 adults and 6 years old child (i.e. 14 836 CZK/person)
Accomodation – 722,6 EUR (18715 CZK – I had discount on booking.com thanks to a voucher – approx. 1700 CZK, so accomodation cost in total 17000 CZK, i.e. 566 CZK/person, when I count also the child…)
Petrol – approx. 192 EUR (5000 CZK)
Dalniční známka – 19 EUR (494 CZK) (2x 10 days)
Restaurants – 347 EUR (8997 Kč)
Food – 137,7 EUR (3566 CZK)
Entrance fees – 314 EUR (8140 CZK)
Parking – 35,5 EUR (1049 CZK)
Other (souvenirs) – 10 EUR (262 Kč)
Links
Web I used for planning the vacation (Czech) – https://www.objevuj-slovinsko.cz
Travelogue I used for planning (Czech) – http://www.sblondynounacestach.cz/2018/08/30/slovinsko/
Our accomodation – Renata rooms web – http://www.sobe-renata.com/index.php?id=2&L=1
Renata rooms Booking – https://www.booking.com/hotel/si/homestay-renata.cs.html?label=gen173nr-1DCAEoggI46AdIM1gEaDqIAQGYAQW4ARjIARXYAQPoAQGIAgGoAgS4Aur4iesFwAIB&sid=355369f2f9309725183192070eaa7d6c&dest_id=-
Vintgar gorge web – http://www.vintgar.si/?lang=en
Pletna web – http://www.pletna.si/index.php
Bled castle web – http://www.blejski-grad.si/en/price-list
Korita Mostnice web – https://www.bohinj.si/en/attractions/mostnica-gorge/
Savica castle web – https://www.bohinj.si/en/attractions/savica-waterfall/
Postojna cave web – https://www.postojnska-jama.eu/cs/postojenska-jeskyne/?gclid=CjwKCAjw44jrBRAHEiwAZ9igKHYjR0IFeQOf3y0KauZN8y-sbD73xfotFF_gjAYwZMj62fvJQNl67hoC7ZcQAvD_BwE
Predjama castle web – https://www.postojnska-jama.eu/cs/predjamsky-hrad/
Web Tolminska Korita – https://www.soca-valley.com/en/attractions/nature/gorges-and-waterfalls/2017071210105218/
Škocjans cave web – https://www.park-skocjanske-jame.si/en/read/tourist-information/skocjan-caves-guided-tours
Ljubljana castle web – https://www.ljubljanskigrad.si/en/visit-us/opening-hours-and-prices/
Easy park (mobile application for parking) – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.easypark.android&hl=cs).
Photo Gallery
3 Comments
ปั้มไลค์
Like!! Really appreciate you sharing this blog post.Really thank you! Keep writing.
แทงบอล
Hi there! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to
give a quick shout out and tell you I genuinely enjoy reading your
blog posts. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums
that deal with the same subjects? Many thanks!
Lenka cestou necestou
Hi, thank you 🙂 Happy you like my posts 🙂 Well, usually I read blogs in Czech language, so not able to give you much advice. But recently I discovered blog Journey Era and this one is very interesting, so hope you will like it as well 🙂 – https://www.journeyera.com/