"All because of VT............." Slovenia by leics

Slovenia Travel Guide: 7,885 reviews and 20,096 photos

If I hadn't met Ursa then I doubt if I'd have visited Slovenia, at least not for a very long time. To be honest, I was extremely hazy about where it was (actually, it's tucked between Italy and Croatia) and even more hazy about what it was like. But it seemed a good idea to visit, and the flight price was good (one Easyflight per day from Stansted) and..............well, I'm really pleased to have discovered Slovenia before the tourist hordes do (as I strongly suspect they will).

I've been back three times now, twice in early Spring (lovely) and once in August. I've begun to explore the country....it has a huge variation in landscape and culture for such a small place.........and will definitely go back again.

Alpine view (Bled)

My visits have been unusual for me; being with Ursa, and visiting her ultra-hospitable parents, is always great fun and absolutely fascinating. Normally I spend my visits anywheer by myself, walking for miles, wandering around and looking, people-watching and history-spotting but here I have the luxury of a car (and driver!) and people who speak the language, know where things are and how things work. So it is always a very different experience in so many ways.

Slovenia seems to have taken into itself the best parts of the surrounding cultures, particularly with regard to food. One can see the Italian influence (superb pizza, as good as any I ate in Italy itself), the Austrian (cakes!), the Slavic ('mangold' potatoes, meat) but there are also regional specialities such as the hugely delicious pumpkinseed oil.

Slovenians are friendly and helpful and pleasant, their towns and countryside clean and tidy, their driving sensible and steady (even on the motorway........it's the first place I have visited where I feel I could cope with driving on the 'wrong' side of the road!).

And the country, although tiny, has such a huge range of scenery; the Alpine areas, and the vineyard areas, and the coast . Because the population is small (2 million or so) everything is small-scale, and nowhere seems crowded......and I like that very, very much.

Vineyards near Obrez

On my first visit we stayed in Ljubljana, but thanks to Ursa and Milan managed to visit not only Bled but also Ptuj (in the east), as well as eating far too much wonderful food (and drinking far too much wine) with Ursa's parents in Obrez (and visiting the local vineyards).

On my second, longer, August visit I explored Maribor, Piran, Kog (though that was more of an eating-and-drinking exploration!) and the Skocjan caves, as well as a bit more of Ljubljana.

This year's visit included side-trips to Croatia (Cakovec ), Hungary (Lenti ) and Austria (Bad Radkersburg)! Crossing Slovenia is easy by motorway, and the borders of all these countries are only an hour or so from the Maribor area.

There's so much to see in such a little place (rather like England in that respect, but far, far less crowded and stressy) that more visits in future are essential. Next time, I'm seriously thinking of hiring a car ...and that tells you how safe I felt the roads to be! :-)

Last visit to Slovenia: Apr 2007
Intro Updated Jul 4, 2009
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Reviews (6)

The wine-roads. Off The Beaten Path (1)

I suspect many people miss these, focusing instead on the Ljubljana/Portoruz/Julian Alps parts of Slovenia. I'd never... more travel advice

Crime and driving Warnings and Dangers (2)

You may well feel, as I do, that Slovenia is the safest country you have visited. Yes, there may be the odd... more travel advice

Food and drink. Warnings and Dangers (2)

Be warned: Slovenian food is exceptionally good, and Slovenians really care about the quality (they aren't into the... more travel advice

Visit Ptuj Things to Do (3)

Ptuj ('puhtooey') is one of Slovenia's oldest towns, and rather a nice place to explore. Plenty of Roman remains, the... more travel advice

Travelogues (1)

Written Jul 4, 2009

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Slovenia views.............

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Comments (3)

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diosh Mar 2, 2009 at 12:52 PM

I loved Slovenia when we visited several years ago, especially Lakes Bled and Bohinj.Loved that church on the island in the middle of the lake:-).Camped beside the lake. Then took flight from Ljublijana to Split- then to Hvar...those terracotta buildings.
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mtncorg May 25, 2007 at 8:34 AM

It is a nice discovery, no?!
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Anchovy56 Apr 11, 2007 at 10:49 AM

Thanks Jane. Actually I had little clue to its whereabouts as well. Now I know right?