Slovenia & The Art of an Intrepid Alpine Escape

Ever since I went to Slovenia, I haven’t stopped dreaming about it. It’s just that sort of place. It becomes a part of you and also potentially ruins future places you will travel to. You have been warned, fellow travellers.

Logarska Dolina

It was a photo of Logarska Dolina (pictured above) that drew me to Slovenia in the first place. I stayed in a little hut by the river, went tubing down icy waters and spent many a lazy day on hammocks. The absolute highlight, however, was the roughly 28km bike trail that takes adventurers through valleys, local farms, views of misty alpine mountains and lush meadows. There’s an option to rent electric bikes from the visitors centre and that makes the journey so much easier.

Stop for delicious picnics en route and, if you’re still looking for more adventure, go hiking up to Okrešelj past Slap Rinka, the source of the Savinja River and the second highest waterfall in Slovenia. The 30-minute (if you’re quick) vertical ascent up Hobbiton-like paths leads all the way up to a flowery meadow with an alpine bar next to it.

From the mountains, I headed to Ljubljana, Slovenia’s tiny capital, which packs quite a punch. Ljubljana’s vibe is more of a small town instead of a capital. Restaurants serving local fare, ancient castles and talented buskers dot the entire city. My favourite spot was Metelkova, an art community run like a collective which organises regular parties and events.

The city is a charming introduction to Slovenia, but it’s the landscape beyond Ljubljana that really stays with you. For instance, the gorgeous east of Slovenia with the Julian Alps, which make their way in from Italy. The emerald-blue Soča River flows through this region and beautiful alpine towns dot the landscape. There’s one haunting mountain near Vršič Pass where you can spot quite clearly the face of a woman.

Drive through this stunning region yourself or do a tour with the very responsible and intrepid company called 3Glav Adventures. I highly recommend their Emerald Tour — it’s a great introduction to the region. The highest mountain here in Slovenia is Triglav and, if you have the time, you can organise an overnight hike.

And then there is Lake Bohinj.

Bled is the most beautiful lake town in Slovenia — that’s what postcards and most people will tell you all the time — but my favourite is Bohinj. The lake is gorgeous and the surrounding mountains even better.

In the summer you can take the ski lift up to Vogel and then choose one of the many trails to hike on. The highlight - beautiful little cafés dotted all around serving delicious local cuisine. To say that I was surprised and amazed by the food in Slovenia would be an understatement.

I loved the quality of the ingredients and the ease with which less meat and vegetarian food was available. Some of my favourite dishes were the jota (barley and vegetable stew with meat), potato salad, mushroom bread soup (hot soup served in a hot hollowed-out bun), fresh trout with Trieste sauce (olive oil, parsley and garlic) and my favourite discovery — pumpkin oil. It might look like motor oil but tastes delicious!

To have to list out just a few reasons for one of my favourite countries felt like a crime. I haven’t even gotten to the wonderful people, festivals and wineries yet.

But that’s for another post.