Top places to visit in Slovenia 2

by Barbara

I talked about top 5 places to visit in my previous post, so today I want to give you some more ideas what to see during your holidays in Slovenia.
As Western Slovenia is most known to tourists, we will start there:

6. Karst region is not known only for its dried ham, pršut, but also for its caves and typical architecture that reminds you of Italian Tuscany. Štanjel and Goče are typical quaint villages of the region with narrow streets and stone houses.

There are more than 9000 karst caves in Slovenia, not all are open to the public.
If you visited Postojna cave, the biggest tourist cave and the most known, I suggest you explore also Škocjan caves situated in Škocjan Natural Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Lipica stud farm founded in 1580 is one of the oldest stud farms in the world. It is a home of Lipizzaner horses that are trained in classical riding school. During your guided visit you will also be able to see their training sessions or even their performance.

7. Driving from Kras region towards the Adriatic Coast, I suggest you stop at Hrastovlje village to see its church of Holly Trinity that dates back to 13th century. Inside the church you can admire the amazing frescoes including medieval Dance Macabre fresco.

Sečovlje salt pans natural parc is situated on the road from Portorož towards the Croatian border. These are one of the rare salt pans in the world where the salt is produced manually. If you are there on a hot summer day, you will probably see the men collecting salt from the salt basins wearing a traditional outfit.

8. Julian Alps: After visiting Bled, I strongly suggest you to drive, cycle or take a bus to the Bohinj Valley, about 30 km down the road. If you are sports fan or just enjoy nature, you will love walking around Bohinj lake, visiting the church of John the Baptist and an alpine museum in Studor village, taking a cable car to Vogle for a walk or skiing in winter or drive up to Pokljuka for a long walk in the forests.

Kranjska gora is a town situated near Italian and Austrian border and it is especially known for skiing in winter (world class alpine skiing competitions are organised there). This area is also a starting point for hikers to reach numerous mountain tops in the Julian Alps. With kilometrs of cycling trails, it is also popular among cyclists.

Radovljica is a small town just a few minutes before you reach Bled (if you are coming from Ljubljana). You will enjoy a walk through the town centre, its apiculture museum, baroque palace, the church and a ginger bread workshop.

9. Goriška Brda is a small wine growing region along the Italian border just above Nova Gorica. You can taste the local wine in numerous wine cellars all over this area. You will also enjoy a stroll around the village of Šmartno, a recently renovated traditional village.

Once in the area, I strongly suggest you visit also Nova Gorica Franciscan Monastery with the tombs of the last members of the French Royal Family, the Bourbons.

10. You can find Cerkljansko hills region North West from Ljubljana. You need about an hour drive to Idrija, old mercury mine town, Unesco World Heritage Site since 2012 and Europen Destination of Excellence in 2011. Museum inside the old mine and a lace collection also typical for this area are well worth a visit.

A few kilometres down the road you will find Cerkno partisan hospital, a complex of 14 wooden houses hidden in barely accessible Pasice Gorge founded in 1943 and renovated in 2010 after the floods a few years earlier.