Lonely Planet Slovenia , livre ebook

Slovenia

Contents

PLAN YOUR TRIP

Welcome to Slovenia
Slovenia’s Top 14
Need to Know
What’s New
If You Like
Month by Month
Itineraries
Outdoor Slovenia
Eat & Drink Like a Local
Travel with Children
Regions at a Glance

ON THE ROAD

LJUBLJANA
Sights
Activities
Tours
Festivals & Events
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
LAKE BLED & THE JULIAN ALPS
Škofja Loka
Radovljica
Lake Bled
Lake Bohinj
Triglav National Park
Kranjska Gora
Vršič Pass
Soča Valley
Bovec
Kobarid
Central Primorska
Idrija
Cerkno
SOUTHWESTERN SLOVENIA
Slovenian Karst
Postojna
The Green Karst
Škocjan Caves
Lipica
Western Wine Regions
Vipava Valley
Goriška Brda
Slovenian Coast
Koper
Izola
Piran
Portorož
Sečovlje
SOUTHEASTERN SLOVENIA & THE KRKA VALLEY
Dolenjska
Ribnica & Around
Žužemberk
Dolenjske Toplice
Novo Mesto
Otočec & Around
Bela Krajina
Metlika
Črnomelj
Kolpa Valley
Posavje
Kostanjevica na Krki
Brežice
Bizeljsko-Sremič Wine District
EASTERN SLOVENIA
Kamnik-Savinja Alps
Kamnik
Kamniška Bistrica & Velika Planina
Upper Savinja Valley
Celje
Kozjansko Region
Podčetrtek
Rogaška Slatina
Ptuj
Around Ptuj
Maribor
Pohorje Massif
Maribor Pohorje
Rogla & Zreče Pohorje
Koroška
Slovenj Gradec & Around
Prekmurje
Murska Sobota & Around
Moravske Toplice
Spas & Thermal Resorts
Exploring Slovenia’s Wineries

UNDERSTAND

Slovenia Today
History
Slovenian Way of Life
The Arts

SURVIVAL GUIDE
Directory A–Z
Accessible Travel
Accommodation
Bargaining
Customs Regulations
Discount Cards
Electricity
Embassies & Consulates
Emergencies
Food
Health
Insurance
Internet Access
Language Courses
Legal Matters
LGBT+ Travellers
Money
Opening Hours
Post
Public Holidays
Safe Travel
Telephone
Time
Toilets
Tourist Information
Visas
Volunteering
Work
Transport
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Entering the Country
Air
Land
Sea
GETTING AROUND
Air
Bicycle
Boat
Bus
Car & Motorcycle
Hitchhiking
Train
Language
Behind the Scenes
Our Writers
Welcome to Slovenia

A paradise of snowcapped peaks, turquoise rivers and Venetian-style coastline, Slovenia enriches its treasures with harmonious architecture, rustic culture and sophisticated cuisine.

A Matter of Taste
Slovenian cooking borrows a little something from each of its neighbours – Italy, Austria, Hungary and the Balkans – synthesising and reinventing dishes that emerge both familiar and unique. Slovenes have an obsession for using only fresh and locally sourced ingredients. The result is a terrific foodie destination, where you’ll sample dishes in unusual combinations, featuring items like scrumptious pasta dumplings of potato, chives and bacon, salads drizzled with nutty pumpkinseed oil, and multi-layered gibanica, a wildly decadent dessert. Slovenian wine is an unheralded strength, and regional whites and reds pair well with local specialities.

Astounding Natural Beauty
From the soaring peaks of the Julian Alps and the subterranean magic of the Postojna and Škocjan caves to the sparkling emerald-green lakes and rivers and the short but sweet coastline along the Adriatic Sea, tiny Slovenia really does have it all. An incredible mixture of climates brings warm Mediterranean breezes up to the foothills of the Alps, where it can snow even in summer. And with more than half of its total surface still covered in forest, Slovenia does more than simply claim it’s ‘green’.

Architectural & Cultural Treasures
You might be forgiven for thinking that anything of beauty in this greenest of green lands is, well, all natural. But it isn’t necessarily so. Where humakind intrudes is often to good effect, such as at Lake Bled, where a tiny baroque chapel on a picturesque island and a dramatic castle looming above complete a harmonious whole. The architecture is wonderfully varied: from the Venetian harbour towns of the coast and the rustic Hungarian-style farmhouses of Prekmurje to the Gothic churches of the Julian Alps and the art nouveau splendours of Ljubljana.

Outdoor Pursuits
Slovenia is first and foremost an outdoor destination. Local people favour active holidays, and you’ll be invited – even expected – to join in. The list of activities on offer is endless, with the most popular pursuits being skiing, walking and hiking in the mountains, and increasingly, cycling. Fast rivers like the Soča cry out to be rafted and there are ample chances to try out more niche activities like horse riding, ballooning, caving and canyoning.

Soča River | TARDIGRADE8/500PX ©

Why I Love Slovenia
By Mark Baker, Writer
Slovenia was the first guidebook I ever wrote more than a decade ago, and even back then I knew I was smitten. The location is hidden away just enough to be off the well-worn path yet still at the heart of Europe. Ljubljana strikes that ideal balance between urban energy and liveability, and who can forget the electric blue-green waters of the Soča River? Slovenes themselves seem to take all of the natural beauty, the unhurried pace, the food and the wine in stride. We visitors know how special and rare this unspoilt place really is.
For more, see our writers
Slovenia’s Top 14

Climbing Mt Triglav
They say you’re not really a Slovene until you climb Mt Triglav and get ‘spanked’ at the summit. And it’s all but stamped in locals’ passports once they’ve made the trek up the country’s tallest mountain. The good news for the rest of us is that Triglav is a challenging but accessible peak that just about anyone in decent shape can conquer with an experienced guide. There are several popular approaches, but whichever path you choose, the reward is the same: sheer exhilaration.

ENRIQUE UGARTE/GETTY IMAGES ©


Top Experiences
Ljubljana
Slovenia’s capital city effortlessly achieves that perfect pitch between size and quality of life. It’s big enough to offer lively clubs, theatre, exciting exhibitions and great concerts, yet small enough to walk – or better yet, cycle – around at a leisurely pace. And no place in Slovenia waltzes through architecture so adroitly as does the capital, from its ancient hilltop castle and splendid art nouveau buildings to all of those wondrously decorative pillars, obelisks and orbs found everywhere designed by local boy Jože Plečnik.

JUSTIN FOULKES/LONELY PLANET ©


Top Experiences
Piran
Venice in Slovenia? That busy merchant empire left its mark up and down the Adriatic coast, and Slovenia was lucky to end up with one of the best-preserved medieval Venetian ports anywhere. It’s true that Piran attracts tourist numbers on a massive scale in season, but the beautiful setting means it’s never less than a constant delight. Enjoy fresh fish on the harbour, then wander the narrow streets and end up for drinks and people-watching in a glorious central square.

JUSTIN FOULKES/LONELY PLANET ©

Top Experiences
River Adventures
Rarely does a river beckon to be rafted as convincingly as does Slovenia’s Soča . Maybe it’s that piercing sky-blue-bordering-on-green – or is it turquoise? – colour of the water, or the river’s refreshing froth and foam as it tumbles down the mountains. Even if you’re not the rafting type, you’ll soon find yourself strapping on a wetsuit for that exhilarating ride of the summer. Outfitters in Bovec, Bled and Kobarid specialise in guided rafting trips. For gentler floats, try the Krka River.

MICHAEL THALER/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences
Lake Bled
With its sky-blue lake, picture-postcard church on a tiny island, a medieval castle clinging to a rocky cliff and some of the country’s highest peaks as backdrops, Bled seems to have been designed by the very god of tourism. But Slovenia’s biggest draw is more than just a pretty face. There’s a lively cultural calendar during the summer months and a raucous adventure scene too, with diving, cycling, rafting and canyoning, among other active pursuits. The town is blessed with excellent campgrounds, hostels and hotels.

ZM_PHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Postojna Cave
The cave system at Postojna is Slovenia’s biggest subterranean attraction. The rather innocent-looking entrance might not look like much at first, but when you get whisked 4km underground on a train and only then begin exploring, you start to get a sense of the scale. The caverns are a seemingly endless parade of crystal fancies – from frilly chandeliers and dripping spaghetti-like stalactites to paper-thin sheets and stupendous stalagmites, all laid down over the centuries by the simple dripping of mineral-rich water.

ALEXANDER PINK/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Ptuj
Its name might sound like a cartoon character spitting, but Ptuj is no joke. Rather, it’s one of Slovenia’s richest historical towns. Everyone since the Romans over the centuries has left their mark here, and the centre is still a maze of red roofs and medieval streets, dotted with churches, towers and museums, as well as street cafes to enjoy the passing scenes. Ptuj has great hotels and restaurants and is within easy reach of some of the country’s best wine-producing regions.

HBPRO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Top Experiences
Crossing the Vršič Pass
Making your way – whether by car or (yikes!) on bike – across this breathtakingly scenic Alpine pass that zigs and zags through peaks and promontories, it’s hard not to think of the poor Russian WWI POWs who were forced in the dead of winter to build the road – now called the Ruska cesta (Russian road) in their honour. This summer-only roadway links Kranjska Gora with Bovec, 50km to the southwest, and includes a number of photo-op rest stops and several mountain huts along the way.

JAN GREUNE/LOOK-FOTO/GETTY IMAGES ©


Top Experiences
Predjama Castle
Slovenia is over-endowed in castles and caves, but one inside the other? No