Slovenia has a wealth of attractions to rival a country many times its size. Resting between the Alps and the Adriatic and poised above – but not a part of – the Balkan peninsula, Slovenia has been blessed with incredible natural beauty and has welded a great number of outside influences - from Roman and Venetian to Germanic and Hungarian - onto its Slavic core. The result is a physical and cultural alloy that is wholly distinctive and distinctly precious.
Slovenia has been dubbed many things – ‘Europe in Miniature’, ‘The Sunny Side of the Alps’, ‘The Green Piece of Europe’ – and they’re all true. The place abounds in top-notch things to see – the stunning Julian Alps, the beautiful but busy Lake Bled and the more relaxed Lake Bohinj, the karst caves of Postojna and its lovely sliver of the Adriatic around Piran. Then throw in historic towns like Ptuj and cities like Ljubjana, both with unforgettable architecture, museums and a unique energy all of their own.
In the land of the great outdoors the list of activities on offer here is almost endless. Throughout the year you’ll encounter locals engaged in decidedly active pursuits – canoeing and kayaking in spring, swimming and water-skiing in summer, hiking and climbing in autumn, and skiing and snowboarding in winter.
And then there’s what I consider to be Slovenia’s greatest single attribute: the Slovenes themselves. The typical personality is quietly conservative but deeply self-confident, broadminded, tolerant and very friendly and hospitable.
In the land of the great outdoors the list of activities on offer here is almost endless. Throughout the year you’ll encounter locals engaged in decidedly active pursuits – canoeing and kayaking in spring, swimming and water-skiing in summer, hiking and climbing in autumn, and skiing and snowboarding in winter.
And then there’s what I consider to be Slovenia’s greatest single attribute: the Slovenes themselves. The typical personality is quietly conservative but deeply self-confident, broadminded, tolerant and very friendly and hospitable.
Our Top Picks For Slovenia:
1 Lake Bohinj
An idyllic unspoiled Alpine lake beneath Mt Triglav
An idyllic unspoiled Alpine lake beneath Mt Triglav
2 Logarska Dolina
The most beautiful Alpine valley, with flat meadows ringed by rocky peaks
The most beautiful Alpine valley, with flat meadows ringed by rocky peaks
3 Sempeter
An almost complete Roman-era necropolis with 1st century tombs
An almost complete Roman-era necropolis with 1st century tombs
4 Bogojina
A flower-bedecked village with a wonderful church designed by Jože Plečnik
A flower-bedecked village with a wonderful church designed by Jože Plečnik
5 Ptuj
A gem of a town, steeped in medieval history
6 Pleterje Monastery
An ancient abbey with silent monks
An ancient abbey with silent monks
7 Adlesici
enia’s folk ‘heart’ where you are most likely to hear traditional music
enia’s folk ‘heart’ where you are most likely to hear traditional music
8 Kocvski Rog
Virgin forest where bears and the ghosts of Partisans roam
Virgin forest where bears and the ghosts of Partisans roam
10 Predjama Castle
Perched in the mouth of a hilltop cavern is the most dramatically placed castle anywhere
Perched in the mouth of a hilltop cavern is the most dramatically placed castle anywhere
11 Skocjan Caves
A vast underground cavern with a raging river running through it
A vast underground cavern with a raging river running through it
12 Franja Partisan Hospital
The secret WWII Partisan hospital, a memorial to courage and humanity.
The secret WWII Partisan hospital, a memorial to courage and humanity.
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