TOP 5 THINGS TO DO IN SLOVENIA

During my trip with Trafalgar, we visited Slovenia, a hidden gem - picturesque scenery, beautiful food and hilarious locals full of sarcasm who will feed you shots of schapps in the morning. Slovenia was my highlight during my trip throughout the former Yugoslavia, mainly because I didn't know what to expect and BAM, serenity. Slovenia is slowly being discovered by tourism so get in quick!

Also important to note that NONE of the photos below are photoshopped or touched up. I had to increase the contrast of the photo above for Lake Bled due to terrible overcast. I hate seeing heavily edited and photo shopped travel photos in blogs cos when I go there, it looks nothing like the photo. So whatever you see below are untouched with natural lighting taken on my Samsung mobile.

Morning Blueberry Schnapp - Top of Mt Vogel

MT VOGEL


We took a cable car to Mount Vogel early in the morning, the mountain is 1922m high (our cable took us to about 1600m) and a part of the Julian Alps. Even though it was Summer in Slovenia, the snow caps were still visible. The view was breathtaking. In case you are curious, skiing is available during winter. There is a paranomic restaurant aligned with the cable stop. We didn't dine there but we sure got a shot of blueberry schnapp (pic above) to help with the chilly breeze up on the alps!

Mt Vogel

LAKE BOHINJ

This is the largest permanent lake in Slovenia, it's a 5 minute drive from Mt Vogel - if you are travelling to Mt Vogel you will pass Lake Bohinj. I didn't see any public transport in this part of Slovenia, so driving or going with a tour is your best bet. We saw lots of camps set up close to the lake. This view is a slice of pure paradise, we spent quite a bit of time here and didn't want to leave. We also saw a lot of trouts swimming in the crystal water.

LAKE BLED 

Our accommodation was in Lake Bled (Park Lake Bled Hotel), heavy overcast on the first day but it quickly cleared up. There were an abundance of tourists sitting by Lake Bled as well as holiday goers from nearby cities/countries. We saw a lot of people sun bathing and swimming by the lake. The lake freezes during winter allowing guests to walk across the lake to explore the medieval bled castle by foot. You will get a grand view of Bled from the castle and bell tower. There is an entry fee.

LJUBLJANA

Ljubljana is the capital city of Slovenia. We strolled around the city and markets, the cafes served baked goods, coffee and sandwiches (all very very affordable). At the market, you will find fresh blooms, fruit and vegetables. There were also a lot of university students in Ljubljana, apparently students make up 1/7th of the city population.  There is public transport in Ljubljana, you can also rent a bicycle to explore the city.

EAT YOUR HEART OUT

The infamous Cream Cake of Lake Bled is readily available around bled - A layer of crispy golden crust, a generous layer of cream followed by another generous layer of custard sitting on a crispy layer of thin buttery dough. It was heaven.We got ours from Restavracija Panorama, just a short walk from Park Bled Hotel. We didn't get time to go to Okarina but it was highly recommended and loved by Paul McCartney.   

The other thing that was mesmorising was their trout. Freshly caught, tender and flavoursome with a side of buttery garlic potatoes and spinach. If you a seafood lover you will love this.

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