Slovenia is a beautiful country split between the Alps and the Balkans. As such, it contains a mix of the two cultures. When traveling to Slovenia, you will experience a bit of all of that. Slovenia has a reputation for being underrated, cheap, pretty, or maybe just unknown to most. I went recently to discover the country for myself and learned a lot. Here I’m going to share some of my observations about traveling to Slovenia.
Traveling to Slovenia is best done on the roads
Slovenia does have trains, but to get to most of the better-known attractions, you’re going to want to travel by bus or personal vehicle. When I traveled there, I decided to go via bus. Rides were cheap (less than 5 euros, usually), but I found the busses to be less than punctual. My first bus was on a route which came every hour, and it was 35 minutes late. Pretty much every bus I rode was around 20-30 minutes later than it’s posted time. You just never knew when it would be on time so we ended up standing around waiting for it until it came.
The main reason for this I believe is the process of getting people on board. The Arriva busses don’t take card, so many travelers are caught off-guard with no cash ready. Even if they do have cash, it can take some time to count out the proper amount and get everybody ticketed and on the bus. Besides that, the busses were great. Well connected, large, comfy, you name it.
Another great option is to rent a car or a motorcycle. Cars would be very convenient, and it seemed like parking was abundant through most of the country that I saw. In addition, we saw lots of motorcyclists touring through the Julian Alps in the northwest corner of the country.
Bled is one of the biggest draws for people traveling to Slovenia
Bled is the tourist capital of Slovenia. In the mid 19th century, the town’s tourism started to be built due to the town’s reputation as a health resort. Since then, it has grown up around Lake Bled. The Cathedral on an island creates a unique scene that many lakes don’t have. This combined with Bled castle, and Bled cream cake, have drawn visitors for the better part of a century. In the last 10-20 years, it has also become a popular destination for western visitors, particularly Brits. Bled is also home to Europe’s longest zipline
The town itself is nice, full of hotels, hostels, and activities centered around the outdoors and the lake itself. It is usually used as a starting point for places like Lake Bohinj, Triglav National Park, and Vintgar Gorge. To me, it didn’t feel that crowded, but it is one of the most crowded places in Slovenia. If you want to escape the crowds and experience similar lakes, get further into Triglav and visit places like Bohinj. Plenty of tours (like this one) will take you if you don’t want to deal with busses or renting a car.
You will likely need cash, particularly in the smaller areas
Traveling to Slovenia marked the first time in 4-5 years that I felt the need to really have cash on me most of the time. This was less the case in Ljubljana than the smaller areas, but still something I felt.
When I first arrived, I was told the busses would require cash. As I went a few places in Bled and Bohinj, I found that some of the stores and cafes also required cash. In Ljubljana, I mostly just found it useful for transport or small snacks, but it was not as necessary.
Ljubljana is small, but very pleasant
Most people traveling to Slovenia will go through Ljubljana one way or another. We stayed there for one night and had the better part of a full day to explore. To be honest, there was definitely things we didn’t see, but this was enough time to see the highlights.
From our hotel, we were easily able to walk around old town and up to the Ljubljana castle. We ended up visiting the castle and the museums it included (Slovenian History Museum, Puppet Museum, etc.). Then, we walked around old town twice in between our meals. Once, in the afternoon and another at night. There was a talent show taking place in the town square which was really cool to see. Old Town Ljubljana is also devoid of automobiles for the most part. So, it is a nice place to stroll along the river, sit down at a terrace, and enjoy a nice meal or drink. If you’d like, check out a walking tour that includes the castle funicular, like this one.
My personal opinion is that you could spend a decent amount of time here, but I would personally prioritize the natural beauty of the country. Therefore, I would limit time in Ljubljana to one or two days for most travelers. If you would like to use Ljubljana as a base camp, there are many tours that will take you out to the areas of natural beauty. For example, check out this tour.
You can easily go to Italy, Austria, or Croatia when traveling to Slovenia
Slovenia is smack dab in the middle of some awesome destinations. Most travelers we encountered were also visiting Austria, Croatia, Montenegro, or Italy. My cousin that I met started her trip in Venice before heading to Bled via Trieste. We then went from Ljubljana to Zagreb to see the Croatian capital for a bit. If you had more time, you could easily go to Plitvice or some of the coastal destinations in Croatia as well.
There are plenty of day trips from Zagreb that bring you to Ljubljana and Lake Bled for example.
English is well-spoken in most of the major destinations
Usually, I try to learn some of the local language before I go. Phrases like “hello”, “thank you”, or “do you speak English”. I didn’t have much time to do it sufficiently before traveling to Slovenia. However, I never had any issues communicating as most of the people I encountered spoke great English. Thank you so much to the Slovenians for your hospitality!!
Conclusion
Slovenia is a fantastic country to visit in Central Europe. It is often overlooked when people think of the Alps. But, it has lakes, rivers and parks that rival those of Austria or even Switzerland. Not to mention, the price tag is generally lower than those places.
Slovenia seems to be unknown to many Americans, but it seems that the secret is out for European and British travelers. Have you ever been to Slovenia or thought about going? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks for reading this post. If you like this content, please check out some of my other posts below:
5 Emerging Places to visit in 2026
Exploring Tenerife – Mountains, Beaches, Forests, and Deserts
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