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Friday Feature: Slovenia

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Slovenia

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Slovenia is a lesser known country in Central Europe but just as beautiful as all of it’s better known neighbors! For Europeans, it is a great place to spend a holiday with it’s beautiful mountains, lakes, ski resorts, and quaint coastal towns. While this town offers travelers more than just the great outdoors, Slovenia is especially great for adventure seekers and outdoor lovers. How do you get to this small country? The only international airport is located in it’s capital city of Ljubljana – Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport. However, due to it’s small size only two carriers fly into this airport, Easy Jet and Wizzair, making a layover in a larger European city necessary.

Best Times to Visit: The best time to visit Slovenia is different for everyone depending on what you want to do! The alpine northwest sees abundant snow Decemeber – March, while warm, dry conditions May – September are ideal for climbing, hiking, cycling and adventure sports.

Things to do:

Spend time in the capital city of Ljubljana. Since most of the country consists of countryside and mountains, this is a great first stop to get a “city fix” before exploring the more remote areas. This capital city is still rather small so exploring by foot is easy. Make sure that you don’t leave before exploring the Ljubljana Castle!

Explore Lake Bled. This is the most second most visited place after Slovenia.. which is easy to understand why. Lake Bled is home to crystal clear waters, dense pine forests, and the beautiful island church iconic in so many pictures. One of the most popular excursions for visitors is to take a trip in traditional wooden boats to the island, climb the 99 steps up to the church, and then ring the church bell. Legend says that anyone who rings the bell will have their dreams come true.

Go river rafting on the Soča River. The Soča River has beautiful emerald green waters, breathtaking mountain views, and some serious white water rafting along it’s path. The best waters are in the far northwest part of the country, in and around Žaga. If you are brave enough to take on the river, there are several companies offering organized trips down the river by raft.

Hit the beach. When you research this country, it’s hard not to find dozens of pictures of the beautiful rivers, mountains, and country… But this country truly has something for everyone, including a beach! The town of Piran rests on the Adriatic Sea and is home to the country’s most prestigious seaside resort of Portoroz. The elegant town is a great stop for some rest and relaxation!

For more information or ideas, click HERE.

Feature Hotel: Intercontinental Ljubljana, Vila Bled, Grand Hotel Sava Rogaska

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Things to know before you go…

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  • It is a melting pot. Slovenian is highly influenced by nearby countries of Italy and Austria, so you’ll find plenty of restaurants serving Wiener schnitzel or pizza!

  • It is relatively cheap to travel. Due to it’s smaller size, getting around the country is easy. But it is also generally less expensive than it’s nearby neighbors of Switzerland, Austria, or Italy.

  • Most speak English. The national language of Slovenia is quite simply Slovenian, but most locals speak English as well.

For more tips, click HERE.

Follow the adventure!

@explorateurtravel