The Sunny Side of the Alps of Slovenia

DAY 1 – LJUBLJANA – arrival

Arrive in the political and cultural heart of the Slovenian nation, Ljubljana. Slovenia’s capital and largest city also happens to be one of Europe’s greenest and most live-able capitals. Indeed, the European Commission awarded Ljubljana with the coveted Green Capital of Europe title for 2016.

Slovenia’s master of early-modern, minimalist design, Jože Plečnik, graced Ljubljana with beautiful buildings and accoutrements; attractive cities are often described as ‘jewel boxes’, but here the name really fits. And bringing life to these historical riches, the city’s 50,000-odd students support an active clubbing and cultural scene, and the museums, hotels and restaurants are among the best in the country. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Ljubljana.

DAY 2 – LJUBLJANA

After breakfast at the hotel you will meet with your local guide for a 3 hour guided tour of Ljubljana. The Ljubljanica River dissects the city, leaving the leafy banks of the emerald-green Ljubljanica River flowing through the city’s heart. In summer, cafes set up terrace seating along the river; it almost feels like a nightly street party. You will see many bridges that cross the Ljubljanica river, most famously the Tromostovje also known as the Triple Bridge. The main tourist attraction of the city is the enchanting “old town”, lying between the river and the castle hill with the castle wall and clock tower offering spectacular views of the city and the Alps. Drive to Sevnica village, birthplace of the first lady Mrs. Melania Trump or day at leisure for individual visits. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Ljubljana

DAY 3 – LJUBLJANA – BLED – BOHINJ – LJUBLJANA

After breakfast at the hotel you will depart for the beautiful Alpine lakes. You will drive for  approximately 1 hour to reach Bled where you will meet the local guide. Bled, a Slovenian resort town in the foothills of the Julian Alps, is set along the glacial Lake Bled. With its emerald-green lake, picture-postcard church on an islet, a medieval castle clinging to a rocky cliff and some of the highest peaks of the Julian Alps and the Karavanke as backdrops, Bled is Slovenia’s most popular resort. You will visit the 11th-century Bled Castle, perched atop a steep cliff above the lake. Bled Castle is how most people imagine a medieval fortress to be, with towers, ramparts, moats and a terrace offering magnificent views. The castle houses a museum collection that traces the lake’s history from earliest times to the development of Bled as a resort in the 19th century. After Bled proceed to Bohinj. Lake Bohinj, covering 318 hectares, is the largest permanent lake in Slovenia located within the Bohinj Valley of the Julian Alps. People come primarily to chill out or to swim in the crystal-clear, blue-green water, with leisurely cycling and walking trails to occupy them. There are lots of outdoor pursuits like kayaking, hiking and horseback riding if you’ve got the energy, and the charming villages to the lake’s northeast, remarkably, have remained faithful t

o traditional occupations like dairy herding and farming. After the visit return to Ljubljana for dinner and overnight.

DAY 4 – LJUBLJANA – MARIBOR – PTUJ – LJUBLJANA

Breakfast at the hotel and depart for a full-day visit to Maribor and Ptuj where you will meet with your local guide. Maribor oozes charm thanks to its delightful Old Town, Glavni Trg, along the Drava River. Pedestrianized central streets buzz with cafes and student life and the riverside Lent district hosts a major summer arts festival. Maribor is the gateway to the Maribor Pohorje, a hilly recreational area to the southwest, and the Mariborske and Slovenske Gorice wine-growing regions to the north and east.

Visit the Renaissance-style Town Hall that dates back to 1515 in The Old Town’s main square and the 15th-century Maribor Castle which houses a frescoed Knights’ Hall and the Regional Museum of Maribor with extensive displays of regional artifacts.

After Maribor, proceed with your driver to Ptuj where you will have a guided tour of the beautiful Ptuj castle, a majestic sight sitting high on the hill overlooking the red-roofed houses of Ptuj and the Drava River. The castle was built in the mid-12th century to defend the local people from the Hungarians. It currently houses the Ptuj-Ormož Regional Museum but is equally worth the trip for the views of Ptuj and the Drava River. Return to Ljubljana. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Ljubljana

DAY 5 – LJUBLJANA – LIPICA – POSTOJNA – LJUBLJANA

Breakfast at the hotel and depart for a full-day visit to Lipica. Upon your arrival, you will enjoy a tour of the farm. Lipica is the oldest European stud farm continuously breeding one of the oldest cultural horse breeds. As such it is of remarkable significance both for Slovenia and Europe because it preserves the cultural, historical and natural heritage of horse breeding.

Leave Lipica for the Postojna caves. In Postojna, you will also join a guided tour. A legendary tourist train takes you to the underground network of karst tunnels, galleries and halls. Karst Cave at Postojna Cave is one of the largest in the world and is among Slovenia’s most popular attractions. For 140 years, it has been taking visitors to see stalactites and stalagmites and other features created by the water. During an hour and a half long guided tour, you will learn about the most important karst features, see the largest, 5-metre-high stalagmite known as Brilliant, visit the oldest underground post office in the world and the most famous underground animal – the human fish. Return to Ljubljana for dinner and overnight.

DAY 6 – LJUBLJANA – departure

Airport transfer and departure.