8-Day Slovenia Itinerary for Outdoor Lovers

Arrive in Ljubljana. If arriving via bus or train, it’s a relatively easy walk to the city center, and if arriving via plane, it’s a quick 20-minute taxi ride.

Drop your bags at your hotel and start exploring the city! I recommend getting some burek (a traditional flaky meat pie) at Nobel Burek, and heading to the Prešernov trg, the main city “square” (it’s more of a circle). Enjoy your burek and people watch, with river views in the background.

For dinner, find a restaurant along the river and enjoy some local Slovenian food.

Spend another day exploring Ljubljana, starting with the Ljubljana Castle. You can purchase tickets to visit the inside of the castle, either via a tour or on your own, or you can simply wander the grounds. There are beautiful walking paths with sweeping views of the city, as well as lovely gardens to enjoy.

After visiting the castle, head over to Central Market for lunch, where one of the city’s squares is taken over with local vendors selling everything from clothes and home goods to local produce and prepared foods.

Right next to Central Market is the iconic Dragon Bridge (Zmajski most)—snap a photo in front of the dragons guarding the bridge!

For the afternoon, rent an e-bike and head over to Tivoli Park! There are miles and miles of biking trails that wind through the park, passing lush gardens and picturesque ponds. There are multiple restaurants and cafes throughout the park to stop for a coffee and ice cream.

It’s time to head to Lake Bled! For convenience, you can pick up a rental car at the train/bus station, and it’s only about an hour drive to Lake Bled.

Either drop your bags at your hotel or leave them in your car, and head straight to Straza Bled (the toboggan slide!). Park at the bottom, take the chairlift up to the top, and pretend you’re a kid again as you slide alllll the way down, with breathtaking views of Lake Bled the entire way. (I definitely recommend buying the double pass so you can ride twice. I regret only going once—it’s that fun!) There’s a lovely coffee shop at the bottom of the toboggan with a few small bites if you’re feeling hungry.

After the toboggan ride, it’s a choose-your-own-adventure day at the lake! There are lots of options for activities. I love walking along the perimeter of the lake, renting a kayak or SUP to get out on the water, going for a moderate hike to the Ojstrica for insanely gorgeous views from above, or visiting the Bled Castle. You can also take a boat ride out to the island on the lake, which houses a church, or you can simply find a spot by the shore and jump in for a relaxing day!

Wake up and have breakfast, then head out to Vintgar Gorge. It is recommended to purchase tickets for Vintgar Gorge ahead of time, as the days do fill up quickly in the summer months. Vintgar Gorge is about a 20-minute drive from Lake Bled.

It’s a relatively easy walk through the gorge, and once you’ve made it through, you’ll be rewarded with your first Slovenian waterfall: waterfall Sum! After the waterfall, there are multiple options to continue hiking through the Slovenian countryside, or to head back to the main parking area. I recommend continuing the hike—it’s not too hard and the views are great.

Depending on the timing, I’d recommend visiting one of the local towns in the area, such as Zasip or Radovljica, to get dinner before heading back to Lake Bled.

With Lake Bled still serving as your home base, head over to another, and in my opinion, underrated lake in the area: Lake Bohinj! It’s about a 30-minute drive from Lake Bled, and there are hotel options around it if you’d prefer to not drive back to Lake Bled at the end of the day.

While at Lake Bohinj, you can rent a kayak or SUP to venture out on the water, or simply sit by the lake and go for a swim. It’s a great spot for a picnic, and you can pick up supplies around Lake Bled before heading out. There’s also a four-mile walking trail that goes around the lake and has some great views. It’s not too challenging.

Savica Waterfall is to the west of Lake Bohinj, and it’s worth a visit to see what they call the “secret waterfall.” There’s a small admission fee, and it’s accessible via car or a long hike from the lake.

It's finally time to depart Lake Bled and start the drive to the Soca River Valley area, making a few stops along the way!

The first stop is at Waterfall Pericnik. It’s a huge waterfall, with access to actually venture behind the water itself. It’s a safe trail, and it’s quite a thrill to stand behind the falling water.

Next stop is Lake Jasna, another highly underrated lake in Slovenia. The waters are crystal clear and with the mountains rising behind the lake, it’s nearly impossible to beat these views. I recommend packing a picnic lunch and lounging by the lake. When I was there in July, the waters were still pretty cold—but it made for a nice cold plunge! There’s also a cafe or two around the lake if you’re not in the mood for a picnic. Either way, it's worth grabbing a scoop of ice cream and enjoying the views before finishing the drive to the Soca River Valley.

After the lake, you'll complete the drive to the Soca River Valley region, either staying in Bovec or Svino. Bovec is a larger town with more hotel options, while Svino is a quiet little mountain town that is walking distance to the Soca River.

No matter whether you’re staying in Bovec or Svino, a rafting trip down the Soca River is a must! Definitely reserve this ahead of time as it fills up quickly in the summer months.

In addition to a rafting trip, there are countless nature preserves to visit if you’re more into walking along the river, or you can stop at one of the many river viewpoints or bridges to see the bluest water from above. If you’re itching for more waterfalls, Waterfall Kozjak is nearby Svino.

If you’re staying in Svino, a local gem for dinner is Hisa Polanka. Try all the traditional Slovenian dishes—you won’t regret it!

Start your day on the early side and travel down to Postojna to visit the famous caves and the Predjama Castle.

I recommend purchasing tickets to the Postojna Caves ahead of time, and arriving at least 30 minutes before your entrance window to accommodate for parking and the lines to enter the caves. You can also purchase bundle tickets to include entrance to the Predjama Castle, which I recommend as well!

Once you’ve entered the cave, you’ll take a train ride into its depths. It’s since been upgraded, but it’s the world’s first underground railway built in a cave! After the train ride, you’ll be guided on about a mile walk through the caves, seeing all sorts of stalagmites, stalactites, and other rock formations. There’s also an exhibit to see the baby dragons—an interesting creature that has evolved to live in the dark caves.

After the cave visit, grab lunch at the cafe. The traditional Slovenian desserts were surprisingly tasty!

Then, drive over to Predjama Castle, a castle literally built into the mountain face. With your entrance ticket, you can walk the halls and rooms of the castle and explore a bit of the grounds.

From Postojna, it’s about an hour-long drive back to Ljubjana, or you can stay in the town of Postojna as well.