Slovenia tours

Slovenia is one of those places that keeps us guessing season-wise because, well, it really does have it all. The French like to claim this accolade, with a combination of both Alps and Mediterranean influences, lakelands and winelands. However, Slovenia has these too, but in a country that covers just over 20,000km². We have Slovenian adventure holidays from March until November, which covers three seasons perfectly. 

If you’re planning a March or November visit, temperatures will likely be in single figures and dipping under zero in the evenings. Which is why it’s our cycling holidays that take centre stage during those times, with fewer peaks but a lot more base layers. By April, temperatures are getting into double figures, and although there’s still snow on the high peaks, our more chilled (and less chilly) Lakes and Valleys of the Slovenian Alps holiday is an early opener, in mid-April. You’ll need a blanket at night, but will also have blankets of wildflowers during the day. 

For many people, May is the best month to go to Slovenia, because you start to bask in the Balkan warmth, but also the higher trails start to open up in the Alps and Triglav National Park. Our walking holiday in the Karawanken, Kamnik and Julian Alps opens in mid-May, as the snow cover has melted enough. Same goes for our small group, guided walking holiday in western Slovenia opens. Here are all our other cycling tours in May, some of which include Lakes Bled and Bohinj, where daytime temperatures can be as high as 21C but still dip to single figures in the evenings. 

Slovenia is a joy in June, when temperatures have average highs of 19C in the Julian Alps and average countrywide temperatures are pleasant rather than oppressive, with the capital around 23C and the Lake Bled region averaging 19C. For high peaks, July and August are the months for more challenging hikes, such as hiking the summits of the Julian Alps guided or self-guided, staying in mountain huts, and exploring other peaks and the Seven Lakes Valley. If you want to summit Mount Triglav, the highest peak of the Julian Alps, you can do so on this privately-guided tour, which is open from the beginning of July to mid-September.

Things are cooling down in September with daytime temperatures dipping as low as 10C by the end of the month. Lakes Bled and Bohinj are still a balmy 20C ish and, in addition, the trees that envelop them are starting to turn around 20 colours too. Autumn is awesome in Slovenia, and these are all our holidays that are open in October and November.  Feel the crisp in the air and crunch underfoot on our Lakes and valleys of the Slovenian Alps holiday, and fall in love with the larches’ golden hues in the Karawanken, Kamnik and Julian Alps, in particular from Pokljuka high plateau (1,280m).

You definitely can, and we always recommend train travel in Europe to experience the icing on the slow travel cake. The national rail operator is Slovenske zeleznice (or SZ for short). There is, for example, a station at Lesce-Bled for Lake Bled, which is on the main international line between Ljubljana and Austria or Germany, followed by a short bus or taxi journey. In addition, there is a station called Bled Jezero, which is on the other side of the lake, and is part of the Bohinj scenic railway journey. If you are keen to travel across Europe to Slovenia, and make the most of an Interrail Pass for example, then these holidays are all cross-border, but include Slovenia en route. So you can start and end your holiday by train pretty easily, in whichever country. 

Read more about Slovenia’s fine train journeys in this Guardian article by one of the world’s greatest train travel writers, Nicky Gardner. With a lot more information on the iconic Man in Seat 61’s site. In addition, there is also a very good bus service in Slovenia, serving Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Jezersko or Kranjska Gora, which are the start or end points of many of our tours. The main companies are Nomago (covering the east and parts of the west) and Arriva Slovenija (serving the west of the country).

Family life is central to Slovenian culture and so you will always be welcomed with your little ones, or indeed with your family elders. We have one bespoke family adventure, which is a small group walking holiday in western Slovenia, where families are more than welcome In addition, it’s worth checking out our easy/moderate level walking or easy/moderate cycling holidays, to see if they appeal to all family members. If you have older teens, for example, who have walking experience, you may want to explore more moderate level hiking or cycling holidays. Our adventure specialists are here to cater for your needs, and we can often adapt a day’s itinerary if you think it’s going to be too hard or too easy.

It’s the euro, or €, the same currency that’s used across most countries in the European Union.

It falls pretty much in the middle which works well, given that it’s a central European country. However, most adventurers in Slovenia just want a good three course meal at the end of the day of hiking or cycling, and some great picnic food for their backpack. For lunch, a simple čevapčiči sausage or a slice of pizza are around €4–7, or the omnipresent burek, a local pastry with cheese or meat, is €2-3. A two-course meal at a mid-range restaurant costs €12–25 per person. Slovenian beer is €2–3 for a pint, and its wine, which you can’t miss, is a mouth-watering €2–3 per glass. Finish it off with coffee, at a mere €1.50–2, even in cool Ljubljana hangouts.

Long gone are the days when solo travel was seen as saddo travel. Independence is in and it’s here to stay. Many of us live chaotic lives where we are either constantly plugged in or peopled out, and escaping on our own is like a spa for the mind, body and soul. We have a wide array of Slovenian holidays that are suitable for our solo travellers and, like all of our holidays, we provide 24/7 support on the ground, a carefully-crafted itinerary that guides you safely throughout your journey, and welcoming hosts to greet you at the end of the day. Please note, however, that a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared.

It’s as clear as their mountain streams, and they are proud of the fact too. Many towns have drinking fountains and, interestingly, it’s one of few countries to have the right to drinking water written into their constitution. According to the tourist board, who will usually go for the positive rather than the negative, the quality does vary per region, however, and in some areas there is very hard water. They even state, “Especially after heavy rainfall, it is advisable to avoid tap water, as it can be turbid [cloudy]. In these instances, the public is alerted via the media.”

When the weather is fine, however, we’d recommend asking for tap water in restaurants, and filling up your reusable bottles at fountains or at taps in your hotels. And if you are hiking in mountain areas, and want to drink from streams, where there can be a risk of harmful runoff, we recommend investing in a filtered water bottle to ensure water is free of any toxins.

Slovenia has excellent healthcare with no major health risks and it is also rabies-free. No vaccinations are required, but the WHO recommends routine vaccines such as tetanus, measles, mumps and rubella before travelling. Ticks can be a problem when hiking, so you do need to take precautions. Wear long sleeves and trousers, and tuck your trousers into hiking socks when possible. Lyme disease and Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) are both tick-borne, so always check yourself fully after hiking and carry a tick remover with you too, so that you can catch them quickly. 

Many of our hiking holidays in Slovenia are in elevated landscapes, and so you do need to be aware of precautions to take when hiking in the mountains. We have a detailed blog on mountain safety while hiking, so please take a look, and never hike without the right conditions, equipment and communications in place. 

Always make sure that you have suitable health insurance to suit your adventure travel and Slovenia also has an excellent pharmacy system, or lekarna in Slovenian, all recognisable by a green cross. As with all international travels, it’s always worth getting up to date information at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for UK travellers or similar foreign office advice in your home country.

Of course, this depends on the region that you are visiting but as with most of our adventures, you may be exploring remote terrain where weather conditions may be unpredictable. For that reason, we have some detailed blogs on packing, which may be of help: What to pack for a cycling trip and What to pack for a hiking trip. As well as that, don’t forget to pack your sense of adventure, plenty of sunscreen and a phrase book.

Overtourism is an issue in many parts of the world, and although we are all for people having adventures, we’re aware that some places just need to put the brakes on. Which is why we aim to take you off the beaten path, and also encourage travel outside of the peak seasons. Luckily in Slovenia, there are only two main cruise ship destinations, in the aptly named Koper, and also Piran on the Adriatic. And if you can’t copy with cruises in Koper, don’t worry, as our adventure holidays don’t go there. You can check this Cruise Timetable to see times of big ship arrivals in Koper and Piran, although Koper gets the biggies. We do have a few adventure holidays that take you through Piran, so you may want to avoid the main holiday periods for this one, although our itineraries are also crafted to take you into the hills or lesser-known spots pretty quickly. 

The other popular tourist spots in peak season are the world-famous and ravishing Lakes Bled and Bohinj, which do feature on our holiday because, well, you’d be mad not too. However, as our holidays run between March and November, there are plenty of opportunities to see these natural havens without the hordes.

As our holidays in Slovenia start in March and run to November, which aren’t officially winter months (although it might feel like it on some days), we put Slovenian adventures into sleep mode in winter. Neighbouring Austria and Italy, however, have some excellent adventures for going slow in the snow.

We always endeavour to ensure that your accommodations are aware of any dietary needs when we book your trip. However, Slovenia is a foodie nation with strong traditions, so although your needs will be catered for in bigger towns and cities, it’s not always the case in more remote areas. Slovenia has made huge progress in catering for people who can’t eat gluten, however, and asking for food without gluten (brez glutena) is seen as the norm now. You will often see products with gluten-free symbols, such as the cross through a piece of wheat. 

With a country that loves its cheeses, it can be trickier to find dairy-free (brez mleka) or vegan (vegansko) products, but there are a growing number of options. For vegetarians and vegans, you will still find a lot of meat, hearty stews and cured meats on the menu.