Driving Slovenia makes for a great vacation... but first... Do you know where the Republic of Slovenia is? It's different from Slovakia, you know. Slovenia is also in Central Europe, but this Slavic state was part of Yugoslavia until independence in 1991.
You'll find this little country nestled between Austria and Croatia. The capital is Ljubljana. That looks like a tongue-twister doesn't it? It's pronounced "lyoob-lyee-AH-nah" according to travel guru Rick Steves.
You can reach the country by plane. Flights arrive from several European capitals. There is also the train, but we thought driving Slovenia was great fun. We started our trip in Munich. There are several little Bavarian towns worth exploring on the way, but this is about driving Slovenia, so we'll pass those for now. You will drive through Austria on your way, and with great discipline you can leave Salzburg just off to your left as you head for the border.
The first little town you'll come to is the mountain resort town of Bled. If you drive straight through from Munich, this is an easy day drive, getting you to Bled in the afternoon. There are plenty of towns and castles and beautiful mountains and valleys that may tempt you to stop.... It's your trip, so take as much or as little time as you want.
The setting for Bled must be part of a fairy tale. The town sits on Lake Bled where the Alps start to tumble down to the Adriatic. There is a little tree covered island topped with a cute, romantic looking church. You can visit the island... row yourself on a "pletna" boat or hire a boatman to take you over.
Fairy tale island not enough? Bled Castle hangs from a cliff above town. There isn't a lot to see in the castle, but you can get a great view of town. There is a little wine cellar where you can taste some Slovenian wine, and you could grab a bite in a little restaurant or you could take a picnic and enjoy the view back over that romantic island.
It is a resort town, so you'll have many hotels to choose from. It's definitely worth at least an overnight stop.
Leaving Bled you can drive on to the capital in the middle of the country. Ljubljana is an easy city to drive into. The historic center of the city has a very small town feel.
Head straight for the leafy riverside promenade in the middle of Old Town. The Ljubljanica River is lined with cafes and restaurants... full of fun loving locals. There are several distinctive bridges that let you wander back and forth across the river to explore boutiques and the riverside market. Don't miss the Triple Bridge (Tromostovje). This city also has a castle on a hill. While the city is short on big museums, it's definitely worth a stop for the ambience.
At this point, you could drive on south to Croatia as we did, or you could retrace your steps back north.
Two other possibilities.... You could drive north-east to Maribor which is Slovenia's second largest city and near the wine making region before circling back to Munich. The other possibility for driving Slovenia is to head south-west to the little Adriatic town of Piran... which some say is Slovenia's answer to Venice. I don't know about that, but it is cute. That circle would take you through Trieste and some of Italy before heading back to Munich.
One thing to note if you make this drive is that even passing through Austria on their highways requires you to have a "freeway sticker" called a vignette. You can purchase these at gas stations at the border.
There is so much to see that we're sure, if you choose driving Slovenia for part of your trip, you won't be disappointed.
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