A 7-Day Road Trip in Slovenia

How to explore Slovenia for a week by car

Jun 17, 2025

Two years ago I travelled to Slovenia for a week with a friend. Slovenia is a truly special place with incredible scenery - mountains, lakes, coastlines. If you are in the market for an adventurous holiday, look no further. We saw a ton of bikers and hikers (skiing is also popular in winter). We had no issue with any language barriers and felt very safe. Part of the EU, Slovenia is on the euro and I generally found it to be pretty affordable. Everyone we met was so also friendly.

Both of us were visiting the country for the first time and decided to rent a car to maximize our exploring. I found the driving to be easy enough, it was very doable to see a lot of different spots by car and none of our drives were longer than 2 hours.

We went in early May. In speaking to the locals, it seemed like things were about to pick up massively in the next week or two and be much more crowded. It was still a bit cold for swimming and we did not luck out with the weather sadly - it was a rainy trip, but beautiful nonetheless!

Day 1-Day 2: Ljubljana

Drive: Ljubljana Airport to Ljubljana city center → 30 mins

We spent 2 nights in Slovenia’s capital city Ljubljana (Loo-blah-na) and stayed at the Hotel Slamic. The Antiq Palace, Hotel Cubo and Intercontinental Ljubljana are also some standout hotel options in Ljubljana.

To get a lay of the land, we went on a free walking tour. The small city is very easily explorable by foot. The tour led us around the old town to check out the triple bridge, Dragon Bridge and Central Market. Later we ventured up to the castle which can be reached by funicular. I’d recommend visiting at dusk for some great sunset views. Other highlights of Ljubljana include the Museum of Modern Art and Plečnik House (architect who designed many of Ljubljana’s buildings and the triple bridge) and Tivoli Park.

I really enjoyed the food in Slovenia overall and the capital had some great restaurants - Sushimama for modern Japanese, Spajza, Landerik and Julija for local flavors, and trendy AFTR. We also had a nice coffee at Stow Cafe in the City Museum.

Day 3 - Vipava Valley Wine Region

Drive: Ljubljana to Vipava Valley → 1 hour

From Ljubljana, we headed to the wine region in Vipava Valley. Slovenia might not be a place that you associate with wine, the country does not export much of it but don’t sleep on Slovenian wine. Food and Wine magazine even called the country “the most underrated wine destination in Europe.” Orange wine has risen in popularity in the last few years but Slovenia has been producing it for centuries.

For accommodation, we selected the charming Majerija which is a family-run restaurant and hotel. The hotel is over 300 years old, only has 10 rooms and felt very homey.

We booked a wine tour via Winestronaut and it was such a positive experience. It was just my friend and I and a private driver. Our driver had great relationships with the local producers. We visited two wineries as scheduled and ended up tacking on a third near our hotel. For me, family-owned Lepa Vida was the star. Irena is a third-generation winemaker at the boutique winery and she set up a gorgeous tasting for us.

Day 4 - Piran

Drive: Vipava Valley to Piran → 1 hour

Next on our itinerary was the costal town of Piran on the Adriatic Sea. Very close to Italy, you can definitely feel the Italian influence - you can even see the Dolomites on a clear day. We stayed at Art Hotel Tartini, right off Tartini Square.

Piran is known for salt from the Sečovlje Saltpans, which is uniquely different sea salt with a different mineral composition. I purchased this salt in town and only just ran out 2 years later - I loved the smokiness. For a unique spa experience, Thalasso Spa Lepa Vida is located in the middle of the salt pans and offers treatments with salt and seawater.

For a small town, Piran packs a big restaurant punch. For seafood, I’d go to Fritolin Pri Cantini (cutest window in Piran), Pri Mari or Pirat Piran. Stara Gostilna is a great pick for a multi-course experience and Hotel Piran is a lovely spot for a drink and right on the water.

From Piran, it is also easy to visit other nearby towns - Koper, Izola or Portorož. If you make it to Portoroz, Kempinski Palace is a stunning hotel that’s worth a visit.

Day 5 - Bled

Drive: Piran to Bled → 2 hours

I was most looking forward to arriving in Bled after seeing so many stunning photos of Lake Bled. We selected Villa Bled to stay, which was a great location near the lake - you could catch a view of the island from breakfast!

There are a lot of activities centered around the lake. We walked on the path that encircles it (about 6K around) and visited Bled Castle, which offers great views. A trip highlight for me was taking a traditional pletna boat to Bled Island. You can also hike to the Mala Osojnica viewpoint or rent your own kayak to explore the lake.

Bled also has some great eats. Cheap and cheerful Pizzeria Rustika, Garden Village, steakhouse Penzion, and upmarket Julijana restaurant in the Grand Hotel Toplice. A must-have is the original Bled cream cake, check out Kavarna Park or Zima pastry shop to give it a try.

Day 6 - Lake Bled

We had some more time to explore Bled before heading to our final stop, and opted for a slow day. If you’re up for more adventuring near Bled, stop by Vintgar Gorge. Be sure to buy tickets in advance as entry to the gorge is staggered. Lake Bohinj was also recommended to us. Bohinj is about a 30 minute drive from Bled and it has a reputation for being less busy and more tranquil than Bled. This area is ideal for swimming, hiking and cycling.

Day 7 -Jezersko/Vila Planinka

Drive: Bled to Vila Planinka → 1 hour

On Day 7, we arrived to our final hotel Vila Planinka, which was without a doubt my favourite accommodation of the trip. The hotel had an alpine lodge vibe with cosy corners and fireplaces throughout as well as great amenities. We took advantage of the Finnish or infrared saunas and had an incredible dinner at the hotel restaurant.

The staff were so helpful in shaping our itinerary and provided a lot of suggestions and guidance on the area. We walked the to Planšarsko Jezero lake and explored locally before heading to the Rinka waterfall in Logar Valley, which was about 1 hour from the hotel. We had a great lunch at Hotel Plesnik in the valley. Logar Valley was amazing to explore and the greenest scenery I’ve witness since Ireland.

Day 8 - Jezersko to Ljubljana Airport

Day 8 was time to head home after a lovely week. The drive back was only 40 minutes to the airport. I loved our time in Slovenia and would love to get back there to see even more! I hope you enjoyed the guide and do the same.