Check out our adventure in Slovenia for the New Year's eve and discover our itinerary and practical info that can be useful to inspire you in organize your travel !
"To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries" - Aldous Huxley
Sometimes we are tempted to consider only far countries for our travels. When we first thought about Slovenia we couldn't imagine how many amazing places and possibilities could offer this small but awesome country.
We suggest you to rent a car and enjoy a relaxing self-drive tour in this small but beautiful land; distances from one leg to another are not so far, and it is perfect also for families.
Our itinerary in a nutschell
29/12/2017: Miramare castle, Piran
30/12/2017: Skocjan caves, Predjama castle, Krizna caves
31/12/2017: Ljubljana
01/01/2017: Bohinj lake
02/01/2017: Bled lake
Day 1 - Getting there
Our adventure starts with a visit of the Miramare Castle (http://www.castello-miramare.it/) few kilometers far from Trieste (Italy). The castle dominates the promontory of Grignano and it is surrounded by a lovely garden. There is a small park area along the street from which we can start our visit. The interior of the castle requires a ticket but the rooms inside with its original furniture worth the price.
Our next stop is Piran, an enchanting village on the Slovenian coast. We park our car in one of the big park areas along the coast right before the small city center and we walk toward to harbor, where nice small boats create a relaxing atmosphere.
We can not miss Tartinijev trg (the characteristic oval square), but the real beauty of this place can be perceived strolling about the alleys of the ancient city, up to the lovely church on top of the village. The view from the Saint George Cathedral is amazing: from here it is possible to take some nice pics of the square and enjoy a beautiful sunset.
Day 2 - The karst area and the caves
Early birds catch the worm, so our second day in Slovenia starts with an early wake up.
After a short drive of 50 km we get to the Skocjan caves (http://www.park-skocjanske-jame.si/en), a great cave system listed from UNESCO and formed millions of years ago. Most of the tourists don't know these caves and only visit Postojna caves: we can ensure that for us it is one of the most exciting and spectacular cave we have ever seen in our life!!! Walking along the path you may have the perception of living in the Lord of the Rings movie..
The guided tour starts from the visitor centre and do not require any specific training.
Excited from this visit we point to the famous Predjama Castle (https://www.postojnska-jama.eu/en/predjama-castle/), approx 30 km far from here. This fortress is part of the Postojnska Jama park and has probably one of the most scenographic location (it really seems unassailable). We take some nice pics along the road and have a rest in one of the small cafè right before the main entrance. The interior rooms of the castle are not refurbished, but the audio-guide gives us a lot of interesting info and some nice anecdotes.. don't miss the story of Erazem Lueger ;-) !
It is time to drive again to get to the Krizna cave (https://krizna-jama.si/en/) for the last activity of the day. The last part of the road is a small icy route into the wood and we are thankful of having a car equipped with winter tyres.
This small cave is absolutely a little jewel and the experience is completely different from all the other large caves in the region. You can visit them only taking part of a small guided tour, and wearing a headlamp you can walk in the pitch black of the cave accompanied only by the voice of our guide. What is really amazing is the last part of the tour: riding with a small boat in one of the lakes, something you can not miss!
Day 3 - The enchanting Ljubjana
It's New Year's Eve, it's our wedding anniversary and we couldn't choice a better location to celebrate it with our best friends!
Our day starts with a short drive (around 50 km) to get there. Forget the busy capitals of Europe: Ljubjana is very quiet and the small center is almost entirely a pedestrian area.
We decide to head immediately to the castle hill to have a panoramic of the city; there is a funicular but we prefer to have a walk and enjoy the fresh air of the morning. Some workers are setting up the firework show for tonight.. the night is very promising!!
After the ritual shots we move to the old city where we can enjoy the Christmas atmosphere in all the lovely typical shops and stands; the area along the river is full of beautiful restaurants and inviting street food spots.
Time flies and after dinner we head to the Zvezda Park for the party. Hundreds of people are celebrating the New Years singing and dancing and we join them with our friends. The atmosphere is really positive and we have very good vibes.
Happy New 2018!!!
Day 4 - the lakes, part 1
Not exactly early in the morning we greet Ljubjana and we drive direction Bled lake. The weather is foggy and rainy, so we decide to try and visit Bohinj lake and to stop in one of the restaurants along the river for a rest.
After lunch we come back to Bled for a resting afternoon in one of the various SPA.
Day 5 - the lakes, part 2
It's our last day in Slovenia and we get up early for a stroll all along the small charming Bled lake. Unfortunately the fog doesn't allow us to fully appreciate the colors, nevertheless the atmosphere is incredibly suggestive. We take the characteristic pletna (local boat) and in 5 minutes we are in the islet in the middle of the lake with its lovely Chiesa dell'Assunzione and the bell tower.
To discover more about these places, have a look to our posts and stories dedicated to Slovenia dated December 2017/January 2018 on our Instagram page @2intour
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