We have 4 nights/3 days in Slovenia with a car and there's too much we want to see! What to do?
Nov 23rd, 2006, 08:37 AM
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We have 4 nights/3 days in Slovenia with a car and there's too much we want to see! What to do?
We will be spending 4 nights/3 days in Slovenia in early May. We are flying into Ljubjlana from Paris, arriving at 7 in the evening on Wednesday, May 2 and must be in Zagreb by noon on Sunday, May 6 for our flight to Dubrovnik. We are renting a car and will drive to Zagreb on the Sunday (we know there's a one way drop fee with Budget but that's okay, we're paying for the convenience of not having to drop the car in Ljubljana and train it to Zagreb). Anyways, as I read through my Rough Guide to Slovenia more and more, I'm starting to realize that there's way to much to see in Slovenia and we have to make some hard choices. I narrowed it down to the following "musts":
-Ljubljana
-Skojcan or Postojna Caves (a must for my husband, who loves natural wonders)
-Soca Valley (we love to Whitewater raft and hope to spend a day rafting the Soca)
So my questions are these:
1. Do we need more than a day in Ljubljana?
2. Which caves are better - Skojcan or Postojna?
3. Regardless of which caves one picks, is it advisable to do them as a day trip from Ljub or is there somewhere interesting to stay near one of these?
4. If we want to do the rafting, what town should we base ourselves in? Bovec looks a tad bland from what Rough Guide says, is there another option?
5. Is it a crime to skip Lake Bled? Other than it's beauty, is there much to do there? If it's just a matter of a pretty lake in the mountains, we have seen much of that because we live a few hours from the Canadian Rockies...
6. Is border control between Slovenia and Croatia a long process when crossing by car? I'm trying to sort out how long to give us to get to Zagreb on the Sunday morning (also depends where we're coming from, I suppose)
Any advice would be greatly appreciated...
-Ljubljana
-Skojcan or Postojna Caves (a must for my husband, who loves natural wonders)
-Soca Valley (we love to Whitewater raft and hope to spend a day rafting the Soca)
So my questions are these:
1. Do we need more than a day in Ljubljana?
2. Which caves are better - Skojcan or Postojna?
3. Regardless of which caves one picks, is it advisable to do them as a day trip from Ljub or is there somewhere interesting to stay near one of these?
4. If we want to do the rafting, what town should we base ourselves in? Bovec looks a tad bland from what Rough Guide says, is there another option?
5. Is it a crime to skip Lake Bled? Other than it's beauty, is there much to do there? If it's just a matter of a pretty lake in the mountains, we have seen much of that because we live a few hours from the Canadian Rockies...
6. Is border control between Slovenia and Croatia a long process when crossing by car? I'm trying to sort out how long to give us to get to Zagreb on the Sunday morning (also depends where we're coming from, I suppose)
Any advice would be greatly appreciated...
Nov 23rd, 2006, 12:28 PM
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I'll try to answer:
1. Ljubljana is worth a day or two.
2. Can't say about both caves; Postojna are very enjoyable.
3. There are hotels near the caves, and I would stay in one there.
4. I wouldn't worry about basing in a specific town that is more trendy; I would go for what's convenient to the rafting.
5. Lake Bled is indeed beautiful, but it sounds as if you don't need to go there unless it's for their great dessert.
6. You should have no problem with border control. Just make sure you have all your passports and other paperwork (like rental car documents) handy.
1. Ljubljana is worth a day or two.
2. Can't say about both caves; Postojna are very enjoyable.
3. There are hotels near the caves, and I would stay in one there.
4. I wouldn't worry about basing in a specific town that is more trendy; I would go for what's convenient to the rafting.
5. Lake Bled is indeed beautiful, but it sounds as if you don't need to go there unless it's for their great dessert.
6. You should have no problem with border control. Just make sure you have all your passports and other paperwork (like rental car documents) handy.
Nov 23rd, 2006, 03:47 PM
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Wed.& Thurs.
jubljana
Fri.
kocjan a.m.(UNESCO Heritage site & less touristy)& Piran(charming)p.m.
Sat.:Get up early & drive to Plitvice(can see it in approx 3 hrs.)
Sun.a.m.: Drive to Zagreb for flight
I'm also Canadian & surrounded by beautiful lakes.That's why Bled isn't a priority.As per mts & rafting, why spend time in the mts of Slovenia when you have it so close to your home. Plitvice is spectacular & a must see.If you do decide on rafting, I'd recommend going to Bled for the all day trip with www.3-glav adventure.com.
jubljanaFri.
kocjan a.m.(UNESCO Heritage site & less touristy)& Piran(charming)p.m.Sat.:Get up early & drive to Plitvice(can see it in approx 3 hrs.)
Sun.a.m.: Drive to Zagreb for flight
I'm also Canadian & surrounded by beautiful lakes.That's why Bled isn't a priority.As per mts & rafting, why spend time in the mts of Slovenia when you have it so close to your home. Plitvice is spectacular & a must see.If you do decide on rafting, I'd recommend going to Bled for the all day trip with www.3-glav adventure.com.
Nov 23rd, 2006, 08:07 PM
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That's an interesting thought, Syl, about trading in Bled for Plitvice. We were regretfully not able to include Plitvice in our Croatia itinerary due to time constraints so that would certainly give us a chance to see it, I've heard it's wonderful...
However I would still like to hear other opinions as well before making any decisions....anyone else?
However I would still like to hear other opinions as well before making any decisions....anyone else?
Nov 23rd, 2006, 11:49 PM
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Ljubljana is a very charming town, however, if you're time restricted you can see the main things in 1 day.
I agree on Skojcan being less touristy and supposed to be more beautiful, although I have only seen Postojna and while touristy, it was beautiful.
While Piran is lovely, if you're going to Dubrovnik afterwards, I don't really think it's a must.
As for the Soca: yes, you can probably do rafting at home as well, but it's unbelievable how aquamarine blue this water is in the middle of the very green alps. It was my first time on a raft, and I wasn't too scared, so you can probably do more spectacular rafting elsewhere, but I though the scenery was perfect! The Soca valley is also used a lot for paragliding, etc. I was there on a student exchange trip and slept in my sleeping bag in a sports hall, so can't recommend on accomodation.
Lake Bled was nice, but didn't really impress me. I mostly noticed that there were a lot of elder people there and lots of ugly communist architecture in the hotels etc.
Enjoy your trip! I love Slovenia and its people !
I agree on Skojcan being less touristy and supposed to be more beautiful, although I have only seen Postojna and while touristy, it was beautiful.
While Piran is lovely, if you're going to Dubrovnik afterwards, I don't really think it's a must.
As for the Soca: yes, you can probably do rafting at home as well, but it's unbelievable how aquamarine blue this water is in the middle of the very green alps. It was my first time on a raft, and I wasn't too scared, so you can probably do more spectacular rafting elsewhere, but I though the scenery was perfect! The Soca valley is also used a lot for paragliding, etc. I was there on a student exchange trip and slept in my sleeping bag in a sports hall, so can't recommend on accomodation.
Lake Bled was nice, but didn't really impress me. I mostly noticed that there were a lot of elder people there and lots of ugly communist architecture in the hotels etc.
Enjoy your trip! I love Slovenia and its people !
Nov 24th, 2006, 05:43 AM
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We just returned from Croatia and Slovenia and had a wonderful time.
We loved Slovenia; it truly is a lovely country. We "did" Ljubljana in about 6 hours and felt that was enough to see the main sights. I think it could easily be done in a day.
The border crossing fro Croatia to Slovenia was very simple and with hardly a wait. I don't think you will have too much of a problem.
Lake Bled was beautiful, but honestly after coming from the Croatian coastline I was a little dissapointed. We've spent time elsewhere in the Alps, and I thought lakes such as the Konigssee in Schonau, Germany were prettier than Bled. So I don't really think its too much of a crime to skip it. That being said, we visited both Bled and Ljubljana on the same day and it worked out fine for us.
Unfortunately we didn't get to the caves as it was November and quite chilly so we passed on the caves. They sound terrific though.
Tracy
We loved Slovenia; it truly is a lovely country. We "did" Ljubljana in about 6 hours and felt that was enough to see the main sights. I think it could easily be done in a day.
The border crossing fro Croatia to Slovenia was very simple and with hardly a wait. I don't think you will have too much of a problem.
Lake Bled was beautiful, but honestly after coming from the Croatian coastline I was a little dissapointed. We've spent time elsewhere in the Alps, and I thought lakes such as the Konigssee in Schonau, Germany were prettier than Bled. So I don't really think its too much of a crime to skip it. That being said, we visited both Bled and Ljubljana on the same day and it worked out fine for us.
Unfortunately we didn't get to the caves as it was November and quite chilly so we passed on the caves. They sound terrific though.
Tracy
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Nov 27th, 2006, 09:25 AM
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Hi Amanda, In regards to your questions, please find my answers below:
1. Do we need more than a day in Ljubljana? No.
2. Which caves are better - Skojcan or Postojna? Both are good, but Postojna may be easier from a tourist perspective and you can combine it with Predjama castle.
3. Regardless of which caves one picks, is it advisable to do them as a day trip from Ljub or is there somewhere interesting to stay near one of these? Day trip unless you choose Skocjan.
4. If we want to do the rafting, what town should we base ourselves in? Bovec looks a tad bland from what Rough Guide says, is there another option? Bovec is the center but I like Kobarid better. Plus it has a great WW1 museum as well as a ww1 hospital (nearby) that is amazing. As far as rafting goes, why not try canyoning. It is even more exciting and they do a very good job of it in the Soca.
5. Is it a crime to skip Lake Bled? Other than it's beauty, is there much to do there? If it's just a matter of a pretty lake in the mountains, we have seen much of that because we live a few hours from the Canadian Rockies... YES! The Canadian Rockies have nothing that compares. It is like a fairytale and it is the church combined with the island combined with the mountains and the color of the water.
6. Is border control between Slovenia and Croatia a long process when crossing by car? It is very easy in May unless you are crossing out of Slovenia on a friday evening and into Slovenia on a Sunday afternoon.
Hope that helps!
Jan in Ljubljana
1. Do we need more than a day in Ljubljana? No.
2. Which caves are better - Skojcan or Postojna? Both are good, but Postojna may be easier from a tourist perspective and you can combine it with Predjama castle.
3. Regardless of which caves one picks, is it advisable to do them as a day trip from Ljub or is there somewhere interesting to stay near one of these? Day trip unless you choose Skocjan.
4. If we want to do the rafting, what town should we base ourselves in? Bovec looks a tad bland from what Rough Guide says, is there another option? Bovec is the center but I like Kobarid better. Plus it has a great WW1 museum as well as a ww1 hospital (nearby) that is amazing. As far as rafting goes, why not try canyoning. It is even more exciting and they do a very good job of it in the Soca.
5. Is it a crime to skip Lake Bled? Other than it's beauty, is there much to do there? If it's just a matter of a pretty lake in the mountains, we have seen much of that because we live a few hours from the Canadian Rockies... YES! The Canadian Rockies have nothing that compares. It is like a fairytale and it is the church combined with the island combined with the mountains and the color of the water.
6. Is border control between Slovenia and Croatia a long process when crossing by car? It is very easy in May unless you are crossing out of Slovenia on a friday evening and into Slovenia on a Sunday afternoon.
Hope that helps!
Jan in Ljubljana
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