Slovenia 6-Day Road Trip: Lake Bled, Bohinj, Bovec & Piran — Suitcase Monkey's Trip

The most central hub in Ljubljana and the natural place to start.

Suitcase Monkey says the city is compact enough that it is perfect for exploring on foot.

The dominant building of the city, on the hill above the centre. Ticket with audio guide €19.00 (£16.30 / $22.40). Allow 1 to 2 hours.

Suitcase Monkey says the exteriors are free to roam and have enough to see without paying for entry, but full access worked out for them for the history, even if it felt a little pricey. On the 4D film and its 3D glasses, his verdict is that "you still feel such a fool for putting them on".

€3.30 (£3.00 / $4.00) for a two-minute ride up to the castle.

The alternative is a steep ten-minute walk. In Suitcase Monkey's words, taking it means you will want to justify why "you almost had a heart attack walking up here in the first place".

Traditional Slovenian dishes with outdoor seating, just down from the castle. Carniolan sausage €9.50 (£8.20 / $11.20), štruklji €6.50, ričet €6.50 (£5.60 / $7.60 each).

Suitcase Monkey calls it an affordable way to sample a variety of traditional dishes. The sausage lacked in presentation but made up for it with its juicy taste, the bread, mustard and horseradish were a perfect pairing, and it became the dish they reordered most across the whole trip.

An afternoon stop by the river for a glass of white wine.

The park on the way out to the museum.

Suitcase Monkey recommends taking the slightly out-of-the-way walk through it rather than heading straight there.

Timeline exhibits running from the First World War through to independence in 1991. €6.00 (£5.00 / $7.00). Allow 1 hour.

Suitcase Monkey calls it the best value for money spent that day, and says it gave a whole new perspective on Slovenia's timeline. Highly recommended.

Reached by car from Ljubljana.

Suitcase Monkey: "Lake Bled is Slovenias most iconic panorama, especially if you've ever seen an LG TV screensaver."

On the island church, he notes nobody knows exactly when one was first built there, but it is around a thousand years old, with the renovations that produced its current form happening in the late 1600s.

The classic elevated view over the lake and the island. Per Suitcase Monkey's own written guide the climb takes 15 to 20 minutes from the lake. You can keep going higher for a better view, but it takes a lot longer.

A wooden boardwalk stretch along the lake.

Watching the world go by from spots like this was, in Suitcase Monkey's word, magical.

The remote western end of Lake Bled, and the part Suitcase Monkey says he will remember: the peace and quiet.

Per his written guide they stopped here for an hour, and the Pletna boats depart from in front. The video labels it Zaka Bar and his guide calls it Lounge bar Plaža. Same place.

Kremšnita, the Bled cream cake, €6.50 (£5.60 / $7.60). This is the only place you can still get the original taste, because the recipe was first made famous right here about 70 years ago.

Suitcase Monkey describes it as similar to a mille-feuille but less crisp. Their visit was hit by a sudden rainstorm, and he warns the weather here changes fast.

Slovenia's largest lake, a 30-minute drive from Bled. Allow 4 hours or more.

Suitcase Monkey calls it "arguably most impressive", and says the open space was a welcome change of pace.

The western dock end of the lake, where the boat turns around.

Return ticket €29.50 (£25 / $35). They did not ride it.

The plan was to go up for Mount Triglav, but on local advice they checked the live weather cams, saw a heavy cloud build-up and skipped it. Suitcase Monkey's tip: check the cams before you pay.

The 2 km trail they walked instead of the cable car.

Suitcase Monkey calls it great for families, blending nature and storytelling with local fairy tales, characters and mini activities.

The stone-bridge church on the eastern side of the lake, back where they started.

Lakeside lunch. Two mains with drinks €39 (£34 / $46). Pasta and risotto, eaten under an umbrella in the rain.

Suitcase Monkey calls it a cosy rain hideaway. His written guide adds that it is cash only "if I remember correct", so treat that as a maybe and carry cash.

An alpine ski town, a short drive from the hotel.

Suitcase Monkey is candid about it. They were there out of season, so it obviously is not a must-visit, but it was nice enough to get acquainted with the area.

The destination at the end of that detour.

Suitcase Monkey calls it a small town you can walk across in about ten minutes, but the most condensed activity hotspot he has come across, with paragliding, white water rafting and more.

Around €79, allow 3 hours. Multiple operators run various activities here. Billed as Europe's largest zipline park: 10 wires across 4.5 km, rising 200 m above the Učja valley.

Suitcase Monkey liked it precisely because ziplines are normally short, and ten gave him time to take in the landscape. On-screen warning during the ride: do not drop your phone.

Pizza back in Bovec after the border crossing and the ziplines. No price given.

€5, allow 90 minutes. Boardwalks above the river.

From Suitcase Monkey's written guide: there are two car parks nearby. They used the more southern one because the bridge at the closer one was being rebuilt, so check whether that work has finished.

Reached on foot along the gorge from the viewpoint, into a cave-like chamber. Per Suitcase Monkey's written guide there is a €5 charge before the waterfall.

€8, allow 2 hours. Tunnels, suspension bridges and the gorge itself.

From Suitcase Monkey's written guide: there are P1 and P2 car parks. They walked from P2 because P1 was full, and the longer walk was pleasant anyway.

Cave admission with train from €33 (£29 / $39). Allow around 2.5 hours. Less than an hour from Ljubljana.

Opened in 1872, this is the world's first underground cave railway. Its almost 4 km of track is the entry point to a 24 km cave system 120 m deep, toured on foot with a guide.

Suitcase Monkey says it is well worth a visit for the 200 years of human history and the thousands of years that preceded it. His warning: this is one of Slovenia's most visited attractions, so book in advance to get a time slot.

Slovenia holds only 42 km of coastline and Piran is its most popular town.

Suitcase Monkey describes it as a mixture of medieval, Venetian and Mediterranean, and simply a joy to get lost in.

Park-and-ride for Piran. The town restricts car access, so you leave the car here and either take the shuttle bus, which runs every 15 minutes, or walk about 20 minutes in. Both details come from Suitcase Monkey's written guide.

The main square.

By this stage Suitcase Monkey says they were pretty exhausted, and being back in a populated, energetic town gave them everything they were looking for. They sat out with a beer and a cocktail.

Fish and potatoes by the marina at sunset. No price given.

Suitcase Monkey ended the evening at this "supremely tasty fish restaurant".