S❤nia, the only country with the word LOVE in its name!
Slovenia lies at the crossroads of Italy, Austria, Croatia, and Hungary. Despite its small size, it is quickly gaining recognition for its rich culture, quality food, and breathtaking landscape. It is also a very safe destination that will instantly impress you and become one of your favorites. The country is perfect for experiencing a mix of European landscapes and recharge yourself during our Slovenia soul tour! You can spend time on the coast in the morning and enjoy the views of the Julian Alps in the evening Slovenia will make sure you experience the best of both worlds!
Highlights of the tour
We will start our journey in the beautiful city of Trieste with a typical Italian dinner. Then, we will visit the ‘little Tuscany of Slovenia”, right on the Italian border. We will try some local delicacies and taste the wines of Goriška Brda. After that, we will move towards Croatia and stop in the lovely historic town of Grožnjan. Back to Slovenia, where we will stop to check the world-famous Postojna Cave in the Karst region. Finally, we will start to move towards Alpine Slovenia. First stop will be the famous town of Bled and its characteristic lake with an island and a church. After that, we will discover the Alpine town of Kranjska Gora. This lively resort is very popular for sports lovers during winter, as well as summer months. At the end of our tour, we will mount the magnificent Vršič pass and head down towards the adventurous town of Bovec. There, we will explore the magnificent Soča river and relax and enjoy the cold mountain breeze of the Julian Alps.
Soul dining
This trip is also about great local food and spectacular wines of Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia. A carefully chosen tasty meal and a cozy room await you at the end of every day. You can put your mind at ease and simply enjoy the care of our professional guides.
- You will visit four European countries combined in one awesome package: Italy, Croatia, Austria and, Slovenia.
- There is no other destination where you can see and do as much in such a short period of time as in Slovenia.
| TOUR DATES 2020 | Aug 15-22 2020 / Sep 12-19 2020 / Sep 26-Oct 3 2020 / Oct 3-10 2020 / Oct 17-24 2020 | |||||||||
| DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION | Venice airport (Italy) | |||||||||
| DEPARTURE TIME | As per request | |||||||||
| RETURN TIME | As per request | |||||||||
| WEAR | Comfortable athletic clothing, sports shoes, jacket and sunscreen | |||||||||
| INCLUDED |
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| NOT INCLUDED |
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Additional information
| Duration | 8 days |
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| Location | Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Croatia |
| Dates | May-Oct |
Day 1: Arrival to Venice airport
Upon arrival to Venice airport, you will be met by Bike Hike Tours representative and driven to Trieste, an Italian coastal town on the border with Slovenia. Your accommodation here will be a comfortable boutique hotel. After checking into the hotel our guides will run a short briefing so you’ll know exactly what to expect in the days to follow. Then we will go for a short stroll around the city center and have a dinner in a local Italian restaurant with traditional Mediterranean specialties. Our first day will be a relaxing one to help you adjust to the time zone.
Transfer time: 1.5 hours
Highlights: Trieste (Italy)
Day 2: The vineyards of Slovenia
We’ll leave the city of Trieste behind us as we move towards the wine regions of Slovenia, following the Italian coastline. After we leave Trieste, the flatlands of Italy will soon be replaced by small hills full of vineyards as we approach Goriška Brda, the wine region of Slovenia, famous for spectacular wine and food. We’ll visit some of the prominent wine cellars and taste the incredible locally produced wines. We’ll be staying in one of the many small hotels in the region, overlooking the beautiful countryside.
Transfer time: 1.5 hours
Highlights: Trieste, Goriška Brda; we like to call it the little Tuscany of Slovenia
Day 3: Croatian Istria
While the Goriška Brda region alone could keep you occupied for a few days, there is still plenty to see on this trip. We’ll drive through the Karst region of Slovenia, famous for delicious prosciutto and red wines. We’ll stop in the famed Lipica stud farm and admire the beautiful white Lipizzan horses, leaving the views of the distant mountains behind us for a while. We’ll then head towards Istria, where the vineyards will get replaced by olive trees and the empty roads will lead us to the Slovenian coast. We’ll cross the Croatian border and find ourselves in Grožnjan, a picturesque typical Istrian stone village. After we get settled we’ll do some easy hiking near the old part and enjoy the views that the Croatian Istria has to offer.
Transfer time: 1.5 hours
Highlights: Karst region, Slovene and Croatian Istria, Grožnjan (Croatia)
Day 4: The heart of Karst
After breakfast it’s time to head back to Slovenia and visit the world-famous Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle. After guided tour we’ll have some time for a quick lunch before leaving for Ljubljana. We’ll get to Ljubljana in the afternoon and have plenty of time to explore the city center and visit the best cafeteria in town. Our day ends with a tasty dinner in a small restaurant with a great selection of local wines.
Transfer time: 2 hours
Cave and Castle visits: 3 hours
Highlights: Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle, Ljubljana
Day 5: Goodbye city life, hello The Alps
It’s time to head for the mountains! We’ll leave Ljubljana after breakfast and drive towards Bled; another “must see” when visiting Slovenia. Bled is famous for beautiful scenery as well as for the tasty Bled cake. We’ll go for a short walk and take a boat ride to the lake island. After enjoying the Bled cake, we will head on to Kranjska Gora. You will see how the landscape and architecture changes as we progress deeper into the mountains. Our accommodation for the day will be a nice hotel in a small village just outside of Kranjska Gora, where we’ll also enjoy our dinner and wake up to amazing mountain views.
Transfer time: 1.5 hours
Highlights: Lake Bled, Bled Island, Kranjska Gora
Day 6: Three countries, three lakes
This is the only time on this trip that we’ll be spending the night at the same place for two nights in a row. You can get some extra rest and enjoy the mountain views. After breakfast, we’ll cross the border into Austria to visit Faaker See and have a taste of Austrian culture. A short drive will then take us to Italy and to the Predil Lake, where there will be plenty of time to relax and enjoy a light meal and Italian style coffee. Our last lake for the day is located just outside of Kranjska Gora and it is also the smallest one of the three. Jasna Lake is ideal for a short walk or just relaxing with the view of the mountains.
Transfer time: —
Highlights: Faaker See (Austria), Predil Lake (Italy), Jasna Lake (Slovenia)
Day 7: A meal to remember
We saved the very best for last. After breakfast, we’ll drive over the Vršič Pass, rising just above Kranjska Gora. It is the highest mountain pass in Slovenia and offers amazing views of the Trenta Valley. The WWI has heavily affected this area and our guides will gladly tell you more about the history and the interesting facts. After a short stop for photo opportunities, we’ll continue our way towards Bovec, following the emerald Soča river, a whitewater activity enthusiasts’ paradise. After we get to the valley you’ll be free to spend a couple of hours exploring the area or even do some white-water activities like rafting or canyoning. If you feel like having an adventure, ask our guides and they will help accommodate any of your wishes. A spectacular dinner to end an amazing trip in style.
Transfer time: 2 hours
Highlights: Vršič pass, Bovec, Soča River
Day 8: Return home or additional three days in Austria or Venice-Italy
If you also wish to visit the famous city of Venice (Italy) known by its labyrinth of canals, bridges and spectacular architecture or Vienna (Austria) let us know at the time of the booking.
