Best time to go to Slovenia

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 all of those too, but in a country that covers just over 20,000km². To put that in perspective, that’s about the same size as New Jersey in the US, or Wales in the UK. You can drive from the southernmost city of Piran to Maribor in the north in around three hours. Not that you’d want to, because you can spend day after day hiking the Julian Alps or cycling around the lakes of Bled and Bohinj. To work out the best time to go to Slovenia for you, we have holidays from March until November, which is a big window for a teeny jewel of a country.

We have guided, small group holidays in Slovenia as early as May.

Slovenia in March

This is probably the quietest of all seasons and one of the best times to go to Slovenia for peace and quiet. It’s our cycling holidays that take centre stage in March, with trails that stick to the lowlands, and where you still get invigorating views of snow-covered peaks. This cycling holiday, for example, starts in Lake Bled where, although temperatures are still around 8C, they get warmer as you head south to the Mediterranean coast in Piran, where you can get mid-teen temps at this time of year.

For wine rather than all day sunshine, our Slovenian wine country cycling trail is open from late March, which takes you from Bled to the Med, through vineyards and valleys over the border to Italy, when Trieste, thankfully, is free of cruise ship crowds. We’ll raise a glass of Slovenian Teran wine to that alone. For total spring southern comfort, take on our cycling holiday from Trieste to Pula, or our Parenzana Trail, both of which start at the beginning of March, and take you into Croatia and Italy as well as Slovenia.

Cycling the Parenzana Trail is a five-day Istrian idyll that’s available between March and November.

Slovenia in April

Slovenia is arising from its slumber in April and, with the exception of the Easter holidays, when the lakes and cities will be busy, you’ll still have much of it to yourself. There’s still snow on the high peaks, so our trips don’t open there yet, but you do have some other walking holidays starting to open up. For views of the peaks, but for more laid-back walking, our Lakes and Valleys of the Slovenian Alps holiday is the earliest to open. It starts in mid-April in the ski resort of Kranjska Gora, in the shadow of the Western Julian Alps, and finishes at Lake Bohinj. This trip will definitely give you an early spring in your step, but be prepared for unpredictable conditions. What is predictable, however, is the sheer joy of the Julian Alps, where average highs are 13C and lows are 4C in April, accompanied by the early floral spread of snowdrops, crocuses and hellebores.

There are northern and southern cycling holidays opening up in April in Slovenia too. Such as the northern Ptuj to Moravske trail, where you stay in thermal spa hotels. They provide a warm treat on those cooler spring evenings, when temperatures can go from 17C average in the day to 5C at night. For southern cycling, our Venice to Pōrec trip has two nights in Piran, where the water is already between 13-18C, but you may want to pack swimming booties or gloves if you want to dip.

Seek out the wild crocuses in April on the Slovenian hills.

Slovenia in May

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. For the biggies, such as Mount Triglav, however, you have to wait a while yet. Our walking holiday in the Karawanken, Kamnik and Julian Alps opens in mid-May, for example, with the former two ranges being lower in altitude than the Julian Alps, although this trip does give you views across the latter. By mid-May the snow cover has melted enough in these ranges, with maximum temperatures of 14C in Jezersko, where the tour starts, but with good chances of rain too.

Although the area’s famous Karawanken gentian don’t bloom until August, you do get blankets of wild narcissi at this time of year and it’s a big attraction for local people, a bit like bluebell season in the UK and other European countries.

May is also when our small group, guided walking holiday in western Slovenia opens, with departure dates between May and September. This tour starts in Ljubljana and ends in Piran, where sea temperatures can hit 20C and air a perfect 25C. May also brings our new cycling holiday along the Habsburg Trail, from Vienna to Trieste, four days of which are spent in Slovenia. With several big cities along the way, including Ljubljana, May is a good time to avoid citybreak crowds. 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.

Wild narcissi in Slovenia create white blankets for a short window in May.

Slovenia in June

Slovenia is a joy in June, when temperatures have average highs of 19C in the Julian Alps, the capital city and the cultural highlight, Ljubljana Festival, opens its impressive summer programme. Average countrywide temperatures are pleasant rather than oppressive, with the capital around 23C and the Lake Bled region averaging 19C. All of the tours mentioned above are up and running throughout June, and it’s also the month when our Alpe-Adria circuit walking holiday opens up. This starts in Villach in Austria, follows the ridges of the Italian Alps, and then touches Triglav and the Julian Alps for two days. As it’s only available until mid-September, either side of peak season is one of the best times to take this on.

Just one of Seven Lakes in the eponymous valley in Triglav National Park.

Slovenia in July and August

We’re putting these two months together, because this is the period for peak Slovenia. It’s definitely the best time to go to Slovenia for its most challenging and colossal hikes, as the weather conditions suit high elevation excursions. So if you want to head into the highest parts of Triglav National Park, this is your time, with tours running up to mid-September. You can hike 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.

These are also flower fest times, when the Zois’ bellflower, endemic to Slovenia, and edelweiss come out to play. The region is also prone to summer storms, so always prepare before going hiking in the mountains, even when the temperatures are their average 15C, as they can quickly dip when rains come in. It’s always best to start hiking early in the morning for that reason. If you like to combine your jaunts with jazz, the Ljubljana Jazz Festival also takes place in early July.

August and September is peak hiking time in Slovenia’s Julian Alps.

Slovenia in September

Things are cooling down in September and the high-peaks holidays mentioned above are coming to a close, 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. It’s also the last chance to take on our new tour, cycling holiday along the Habsburg Trail, from Vienna to Trieste, four days of which are spent in Slovenia, having taken a break for August, as it’s just a bit busy (and boiling) on the trail. Same goes for our guided walking holiday in western Slovenia, with a few tours in September, and a perfect finale on the coast at Piran, where daytime temperatures still hit the high twenties. And the sea is around the same. Get in!

Piran, on Slovenia’s Mediterranean coast, is still sublime in September.

Slovenia in October and November

These are all our holidays that are open in October and November, with the most colourful ones proving to be the most popular. When autumn arrives at Lake Bled, for example, the foliage undergoes a stunning transformation. The trees that surround the lake include birches, maples, beeches and chestnuts, showcasing an array of hues that range from deep reds and oranges to vibrant yellows. The combination of golden foliage, emerald-green lake and the backdrop of the Julian Alps is a winning one. 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 can also raise a glass of Slovenian wine at this time of year on this cycling holiday around the wine region, which runs until mid-October. Slovenia is a country that shares the same mineral-rich terroir with neighbouring Italy, but much less of the international hoo-ha. It still has the ooh-ah factor though, as you will soon discover. The main wine growing areas are the Brda hills of the western Primorska wine-growing district, Podravje in the north-east and Posavje in the south-east. It’s a crispy 15C in this region in October, but still perfect for a crisp white.

If you thought Lake Bled in Slovenia was just for summer, think again.

One last shout to our cycling holiday between Lake Bled in Slovenia and Venice, which is available until mid-October. This means that you miss not only a busy Bled but also the vast Venetian crowds for a more peaceful finale. Do pack good waterproofs and layers though, as the chill is starting to kick in. For any more information, don’t hestitate to contact our adventure specialists.