Information on Slovenia and its regions
Roughly the size of Wales, Slovenia is the only country in the world to be shaped like a chicken! At Think Slovenia we divide the country into 14 regions, each of which has something to recommend it and very often its own distinct feel. Click on the map below for information on each of these regions or click on the key to scroll through all mountain or coastal regions.
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| Mountains & Lakes |
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| Kranjska Gora and around |
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| In a nutshell: |
The king of Slovenian mountain resorts. |
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| Description: |
On the border with Austria & Italy, Kranjska Gora is the most famous mountain resort in Slovenia, hosting annual world cup skiing and ski-jumping events. The skiing is the main draw for many people – Kranjska Gora is a superb resort for families and beginner – intermediate level skiers, with pistes easily accessible from the village. But with stunning mountain scenery, great access to the Triglav National park and a host of Summer and Winter outdoor pursuits (walking, mountain biking, horse riding, cross country skiing, mountaineering & ice skating) it remains very popular all year round. The town itself is a pretty alpine affair, very family friendly, with lots of lively restaurants, bars and a couple of swimming pools / spas. Around Kranjska Gora are a number of extremely pretty villages (Podkoren, Rateče, Mojstrana, Dovje), jumbles of traditional Gorenjska style farmhouses usually focused around excellent local gostilnas (inns). |
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| The Lakes: Bled & Bohinj |
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| In a nutshell: |
Two of the most beautiful mountain lakes in the Alps. |
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| Description: |
Lake Bled is a world famous destination and not without good reason – surrounded by mountains and with a fairytale castle perched on a crag overlooking a 17th century island church, it is about as beautiful as you can imagine. The town at one end is fairly developed with lots of bars, restaurants, hotels and other tourist facilities, whilst at the other end it is quieter and generally less built up.
Bohinj is only half an hour’s drive away but has an altogether more remote and tranquil feel – the serene lake, surrounded by beautiful mountains and quiet villages is a superb place to rest and unwind.
The lake region is bursting with opportunities for outdoor activities from walking, mountain biking and boating / swimming in the lakes in Summer to skiing in Winter - the popular ski resort of Vogel is perched on a mountain overlooking lake Bohinj and the small ski resort of Kobla, lies between Bled & Bohinj in an attractive town call Bohinjska Bistrica. In all a wonderful area to enjoy Slovenia’s great outdoors all year round.
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| Bovec and the Upper Soča Valley |
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| In a nutshell: |
One of Europe’s most lovely alpine rivers running through the beautiful Julian Alps |
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| Description: |
The “Emerald” Soča is a remarkably beautiful river valley with its source in the heart of the Triglav National Park and running down to the Italian Adriatic. The upper stretch of the valley runs through the beautiful Julian Alps and is a mecca for adventure sports lovers – offering an abundance of river activities (rafting, kayaking, canyoning and swimming) and mountain activities (plenty of excellent hiking, mountain-biking and skiing at Bovec Kanin, Slovenia’s highest ski resort).
Bovec is the main town in the area, a charming little place with lots of good restaurants, bars and places to stay. Kobarid is the other main town of interest, half an hour’s drive down the valley from Bovec, a tiny but beautiful town boasting some of Slovenia’s finest restaurants. Further down the valley is the spectacular Tolminska Korita (Tolmin gorge) and a pretty lake at Most na Soči. |
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| Kamnik & the Savinjske Alps into Koroška |
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| In a nutshell: |
An appealing medieval town, gateway to some of Slovenia’s most rugged and beautiful mountains and best skiing. |
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| Description: |
Kamnik is a very pretty and well preserved medieval town with castle, just a stones throw from Ljubljana and the gateway to the wonderful Savinjske Alps, stretching from Tržič in the West to Slovenj Gradec in the East. Less visited by foreigners than other mountains in Slovenia, but popular amongst Slovenians, the Savinjske Alps have more than their fair share of attractions with picturesque mountain villages, such as Mozirje and Šentanel, excellent hiking and cycling trails, a number of thermal spas, skiing at Krvavec and Velika Planina, the little known medieval town of Slovenj Gradec and the exceptionally beautiful Logar Valley in the far North – one of the most perfect valleys in the Alps. |
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| South Triglav, Škofja Loka and Idrija |
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| In a nutshell: |
A delightful alpine and sub-alpine area with pretty rivers, skiing at Cerkno and the historic town of Škofja Loka. |
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| Description: |
The triangular area enclosed by Tolmin in the West, Škofja Loka in the East and Idrija in the South is dominated by peaceful, picturesque and often remote feeling valleys, rivers and mountains. East of Tolmin is the wonderful Baška Grapa valley following the Baca river and South of Tolmin to Idrija runs the beautiful Idrijca river, both popular for fly-fishing and offering the possibility of swimming in the Summer. Midway between Idrija, Tolmin and Škofja Loka is the ski resort at Cerkno, which is endowed with the best lift systems of any Slovenian ski area. Škofja Loka itself is one of Slovenia’s most appealing historic towns with medieval streets, squares and castle. |
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| The Pohorje Massif |
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| In a nutshell: |
The easternmost end of the Alps – home to two of Slovenia’s best ski areas. |
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| Description: |
The Pohorje Massif is really an extension of the Julian and Savinjske Alps further west. A little lower than its westerly neighbours the area is a lovely natural environment peppered with lakes, including the beautiful Lovrenc & Black lakes, criss-crossed by a multitude of hiking and cycling trails and home to of Slovenia’s best regarded ski resorts. Rogla is accessed from the small spa town of Zreče and is a relatively small resort offering more challenging skiing that many other Slovenian resorts. Mariborsko Pohorje is a much larger affair, with plenty for beginners and more advanced skiers. One of its major benefits is its accessibility just at the edge of Maribor, with city buses going directly to the lifts. |
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| The Coastal Region |
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| The Lower Soča valley |
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| In a nutshell: |
Slovenia’s answer to Tuscany with easy access to both coast and mountains |
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| Description: |
Following the Soča river from Tolmin down to Nova Gorica the rugged peaks of the Julian Alps gradually give way to softer wooded hills, and the influence of the Adriatic and of neighbouring Italy becomes ever more apparent. The area bears more than a passing resemblance to well known areas of Italy such as Tuscany and Umbria. The river itself remains the focus of the area but in its lower reaches the adrenalin sports of the North are replaced by more leisurely pursuits such as swimming, sunbathing and fly-fishing and gradually more of the land is given over to wine-growing. The town of Kanal, midway between Tolmin and Nova Gorica, is a pretty Italianate place which makes a good base to explore many of the fantastic hilltop villages in surrounding area. Further South nestling between the Soča and the Italian border is a beautiful wine growing area called the Goriška Brda producing some of Slovenia’s best red and white wines. |
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| The Karst |
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| In a nutshell: |
Beautiful old stone villages and scenery above ground, some of the worlds most impressive cave systems below. |
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| Description: |
The Karst is a geographical term to describe the rocky limestone plateau that occupies the area of Slovenia just inland from the Adriatic between Nova Gorica and Trieste. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty with world class cave complexes at Postojna and Škocjan, not to mention the world’s deepest underground canyon also at Škocjan. Culturally it is also a fascinating place with a number of stunning stone built hilltop villages, notably Štanjel and excellent cuisine, of which Karst ham and Karst Teran red wine are the best known examples. One of the main attractions of the area is the stud at Lipica, home to the famous Lippizaner horses, a must see particularly for horse lovers. On the North Eastern edge of the Karst is the Vipava valley, an area of beautiful rolling hills and vineyards in every direction and ample opportunities for tasting! |
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| Piran and the Coast |
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| In a nutshell: |
A short but sweet coastline, with a strong Italian influence pervading, above all at stunning medieval Venetian Piran. |
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| Description: |
Slovenia’s Adriatic coast is just 46km long – but like the rest of the country punches well above its weight in the number and quality of attractions it offers. The main draw is Piran, a magnificent medieval Venetian town on a peninsula jutting into the Adriatic centred around the lovely Tartini Square and overlooked by an imposing and beautiful hilltop cathedral. The town is a compact maze of charming medieval streets and alleys and offers a good range of places to eat as well rocky beaches outside of town. A few kilometres from Piran in one direction is Izola another charming Italianate seaside town with the tiny picturesque town of Strunjan between the two with its beautiful coastal views and famous cliffs. A few kilometres in the other direction is Portorož, a cheerful town with all the trappings of a busy seaside resort. Further North the port of Koper is initially unappealing but actually conceals an attractive medieval old town that is well worth a visit. All along the coast you can find excellent Italian influenced cuisine and plenty of fresh seafood. |
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| Southern & Eastern Slovenia |
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| Maribor, Ptuj & the Ormož wine route |
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| In a nutshell: |
Historic cities, an abundance of wine & pretty countryside. |
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| Description: |
The area between the Pohorje massif in the West and Prekmurje in the extreme East of the country is best known for its wine, its spa towns, rural tranquillity and the historic towns of Ptuj and Maribor. Ptuj is arguably the most attractive historic town and in fact the oldest continuously settled town in Slovenia. Situated next to the Drava river a jumble of medieval streets, squares and churches rise up to the picturesque castle that sits on top of the hill. It is a wonderful place to spend a day or two soaking up the history. Maribor is Slovenia second city with a pretty Austrian influenced old centre overlooking the Drava river. At the edge of the foothills of the Pohorje, skiing is in close proximity (see the Pohorje Massif above) and the town is also surrounded by a number of wine roads. The regions most attractive wine road, arguably also producing the best wine, is East of Ptuj on the Croatian border running between Ormož and Ljutomer – cycling along the route stopping off at the many wine cellars and pretty villages is a wonderful way to while away some time. |
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| Rural Dolenjska & the Krka River |
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| In a nutshell: |
Some of Slovenia’s most charming historic towns and castles mark the course of the pretty Krka valley |
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| Description: |
The source of the Krka river is just 30km South East of Ljubljana and from there it winds its way East towards the Croatian border. Along the way are a number of Slovenia’s finest attractions, including Pleterje Monastery, Otočec castle and the village of Kostanjevica na Krki both on islands in the middle of the river, and further east, the historic town of Brežice, Mokrice castle (and golf course) and several spas including Slovenia’s largest at Čatež and one of its most elegant at Dolenjske Toplice. The river itself is also something of a draw, with activities such as rafting and kayaking, not to mention swimming possible at many places along the picturesque valley. |
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| Lake Cerknica to the Kolpa Valley |
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| In a nutshell: |
Pristine rivers, valleys and lakes and little visited mountains. |
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| Description: |
25km due South of Ljubljana is the wonderful and mysterious Lake Cerknica, which fills up between October and June, freezes during the Winter and empties during the height of Summer. It is an outstanding spot for birdwatching and when full for fishing as well as a variety of water sports. South of the lake lie two of Slovenia’s wildest and most untouched mountain areas – the Snežnik mountains, home to beautiful Snežnik castle and the Kočevski Rog further to the East, both of which offer outstanding hiking and cycling. Between these two mountain areas lies the magnificent Kolpa river valley which forms the border with Croatia. The Kolpa is a wonderful place for kayaking and rafting not to mention swimming and sunbathing in Summer months |
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| Prekmurje |
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| In a nutshell: |
Pretty villages and churches in tranquil rural settings characterise Slovenia’s most Easterly region |
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| Description: |
Prekmurje is the Eastern most corner of Slovenia, geographically and, to an extent, culturally distinct from the rest of the country and with a strong Hungarian influence and some of the best cuisine in the country. It consists mostly of tranquil flat agricultural land dotted with pretty villages, vineyards and churches. The best known attraction centres around the spa at Moravske Toplice, with plenty of modern family friendly sports facilities and a golf course. Close by is the lovely village of Bogojina, with a beautiful church designed by Slovenia’s most famous architect, Jože Plečnik. To the north of the region lie the lovely rolling Goričko hills, home to a regional park and the town of Grad, meaning simply “castle”, where, as the name suggests, you can find the largest baroque castle in Slovenia, currently under renovation. |
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| Ljubljana and around |
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| Ljubljana and around |
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| In a nutshell: |
One of Europe’s most elegant and easy to explore capitals with a vibrant café culture |
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| Description: |
Ljubljana is a delightful city – vibrant, great to look at and small enough to get to know in just a couple of days. The Ljubljanica river dissects the city and in the last ten years a lively café and bar culture has sprung up along it its banks. The centre of town is full of elegant squares, pretty churches and lovely baroque and Hapsburg architecture. At the core of the city is the enchanting “old town”, lying between the river and the castle hill with its crenellated castle and clocktower offering spectacular views of the city and the Alps beyond. Ljubljana is increasingly well endowed with first class shops, restaurants and nightlife and being situated right in the centre of the country it makes a fantastic base for exploring, with the Alps, the lakes, the coast and a host of other attractions less than 90 minutes drive away. |
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