Slovenia Vacations

Keeping things in Ljubljana because it’s the cultural centre of the nation, know that there are some neat things to see here, and you could easily fill a few days.

Metelkova City is a former military barracks, now an unusual and self-declared town within Ljubljana. Its eclectic and avante-garde character showcases a unique alternative youth culture with awesome street art, bizarre buildings, bars, and clubs. Everyone is welcome here and the creative ambience brings a relaxed atmosphere where no one cares what you look like or where you’re from – designers, hippies, and students all hang out here. While you’re here, check out the Museum of Contemporary Art and the National Museum of Slovenia for further examples of the thriving arts and culture scenes in the city.

The gorgeous Art Nouveau Urbanc House is an extraordinary piece of the early 20th century flamboyance of architecture complete with floral motifs, and intricate details. Hauptman House and Mayer Palace are also expressions of the Art Nouveau movement, popular in the early 20th century.

Heading out of Ljubljana, visit the Skocjan Caves where massive underground chambers will leave you wondering about the meaning of life. The 12th century Ptuj Castle overlooking the town of Ptuj and the Drava River has been a museum since 1945 and tells of its regional history, including its defensive encounters with the Hungarians.

Slovenia has 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Skocjan Caves, the Idrija Mercury mine, and the Ljubljana Marshes. With a population just over 2 million, there are many Roman Catholics, and Orthodox Christians, and there are also Eastern Orthodox, Protestants and Muslims present across the country. Slovene is the official language, but Hungarian and Italian are also common.

Lucky for everyone, the natural beauty and Slovenia’s biodiversity and outdoor environments have been exceptionally well preserved. One-tenth of Slovenia’s territory is protected under nature conservation laws and the first natural park in Slovenia was established in 1924 –  Triglav National Park in the Julian Alps is the largest Slovenian park named after its highest summit. If you ever wanted to step into a place of heavenliness on earth, Slovenia competes.

Lake Bled is a beautiful emerald-green lake with a pretty church on an islet in its centre. You can hike around the lake’s 6 kilometre circumference in a couple of hours with spectacular panaramic views and vistas. The medievel Castle Bled sits on a rocky cliff overlooking the lake and features a drawbridge and a moat and its background is filled with some of the highest peaks in the Julian Alps. Lake Bled is Slovenia’s most popular resort for enjoying the scenery. Rent a boat, a traditional wooden boat called pletnas, operated by standing pletnars, or row it yourself – these little skiffs have been taking visitors to the quaint island in the middle of the lake for centuries. Also look out for fun watersports like the floating water park, and nearby exhilarating whitewater rafting tours.

The Skocjan and Postojna Caves have extensive underground limestone caverns to check out if you’re into subterranean exploration. Not far from Ljubljana, Postojna has a 5 kilometre miniature train ride into the mountainside. It’s the most visited cave in Europe because of the natural phenomena of stalactites and stalagmites threaded with underground rivers. Plus, there are eyeless salamander-like creatures called olms, once believed by locals to be baby dragons – they are nearly translucent, can live up to a hundred years and survive for twelve without food.

On the Adriatic coast, Piran is a charming picture postcard town rich in history and culture. 

Piran is the country’s major seaside resort, sitting on a peninsula. Reminiscent of Dubrovnik, it’s one of the best preserved historical towns on the Adriatic with Venetian Gothic architecture and cool winding alleyways. Piran’s outstanding buildings include the red mid-15th century Gothic Venetian House, and the Cathedral of St.George built in the Baroque style of the 17th century, complete with its silver-plated imagery of St. George slaying a dragon.

Over two-thousand years Slovenia has seen undulating rule – the Romans occupied Slovenia for 500 years and when they left in the 5th century, the Huns, Slavs, Avars, Caratanians, Bavarians, and others arrived, rebelled, battled, and ruled until the 11th century when the medieval Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation took over. This was followed by the Hapsburg Monarchy and then the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with a brief stint under Napoleon’s French Empire that lasted until 1814.

With the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after WWI, Slovenes joined the Serbs and Croats under Serbian King Peter, then Alexander who made himself absolute rule and renamed the kingdom Yugoslavia. In 1941, Germany invaded and occupied until the end of WWII when Slovenia became a part of Communist Yugoslavia led by General Tito. Life under Tito improved living standards but Slovenes didn’t love seeing their resources syphoned off towards less prosperous regions.

Tito died in 1980 and by the late 1980s Yugoslavia was breaking up. A referendum in 1990 showed the people were in favour of an independent Slovenia, which was then established in 1991.

In December of 1991 Slovenia gained a new constitution Slovenian independence was recognized by the EU in 1992. Like many eastern European countries, Slovenia faced a difficult transition from Communism to capitalism but became a member of the EU and NATO in 2004. In 2007 Slovenia adopted the Euro as its currency.

The National Gallery contains the nation’s largest collection of fine art from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The gallery is divided into sections according to historical periods. With 600 works by Slovenian and European artists, it also houses works by Zoran Music (1909-2005), a famous modernist painter. 

And the City Museum is dedicated to the history of Ljubljana and its inhabitants from 4500 BC to modern day. Several excavations have taken place at the museum itself and revealed artifacts from the Roman and the Late Medieval periods.

The cuisine of Slovenia is something special, and has been influenced by neighbours Austria, Italy, and Hungary, and geography in its Alps, Mediterranean coastline, and Pannonian Plain. Many Slovenians think fondly of their grandmother’s cooking, and her insistence on making sure you’ve eaten. Locals cook with fresh ingredients of the season like trout, tarragon, and wild mushrooms, and people still can and jar foods for use in winter.

Idrijski zlikrofi, hailing from the town of Idrija, is a spiced pork and potato stuffed dumpling. Prsut is a yummy home-cured ham often served with paski sir (a famous cheese) as a starter. Potica is a pastry served as part of traditional Slovenian Easter breakfast. Sauerkraut is a common side dish, prazen krompir are pan-fried potatoes often served with onions and bacon, and there’s a fresh fish soup called ribja juha, popular by the shores of the Adriatic. Karst prosciutto and Tolminc cheese have received a Protected Designation of Origin by the European Union.

Prekmurska gibanica is a layered dessert pastry with poppy seeds, cottage cheese and apples.

Honey from Slovenia is known to be of very high quality and is featured in many traditional dishes and desserts. Ajdovi zganci are sweet buckwheat dumplings with walnuts

Maribor is the second largest city and the centre of Slovenia’s wine region, which produces excellent wines. Wines in Slovenia are tasty. The western Primorska and Podravje regions are popular and produce some amazing bottles. Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc do well, and also Teran, a red from the Refosco grape variety. Slovenia is also a major producer of hops that is grown in the Savinja Valley in the east – it tastes a bit like lemongrass. 

The main local beer brands are Lasko and Union Beer in a variety of styles, and rakija is a strong fruit brandy from distilling fermented plums, apricots or grapes. Lots of Slovenians make this themselves at home.

The drinking age is 18, and tips are included in most services. For large groups an additional 5-10% is appreciated.