Slovenia, a nature destination (page 2 of 2)

Hi Anne,

So glad to see everyone again! Thanks for the travel journal.

I just discovered it—it looks amazing, such beautiful nature! 🙂

Hi Pascale! So nice to see you too! It’s great to recognize so many familiar names 🙂 Welcome to Slovenia 😉

Day 9 - Tuesday, May 3

The day was dedicated to visiting the Postojna Caves and Predjama Castle. We had bought the tickets online the day before, which gave us a small discount. The price is still steep since we paid 111.6 € for the four of us to access the caves, the vivarium, and a butterfly exhibition. Adding the castle visit would have brought the total to 150 €. The cave tour starts on the hour; we chose the first slot at 10 AM. The tour begins with a small train ride for several kilometers. I found the train too fast—we didn’t really have time to admire the cave. The last kilometer is on foot, with explanations from a guide whose voice, broadcast through speakers, was hard to hear over the large group of tourists. The cave is quite different from Škocjan; the chambers are less gigantic and spectacular, but the formations as a whole are impressive.







After the cave tour, we went to the vivarium, which tells the story of the olm, Proteus anginus, a salamander-like creature that lives in the Postojna Caves.





The butterfly exhibition also features fossils.

After a lunch break, we headed to Predjama Castle, nestled in a cliff. We didn’t have an opinion on the interior since we didn’t visit it, but the exterior is still pretty, and its secluded setting reminded us of the Panayia Hozoviotissa Monastery on the island of Amorgos in the Cyclades.









We returned to our accommodation around 4 PM and rested before leaving for the bear excursion. We set off a little before 5 PM for about an hour’s drive. Marko made a stop and gave us some explanations about the region’s intermittent lakes and the history of Slovenia (at birth, his great-grandfather was Austrian, his father Yugoslav, he himself Italian, and his son Slovenian, due to the successive changes in nationality of this territory).



During the trip, he gave us information about the bears and the rules to follow (don’t talk, walk quickly but without running, no noise once in the shelter, etc.). We were very lucky—a mother bear and her three cubs were already on site when we arrived. We watched them in awe as they ate the cereals that had been left out for them. These are wild bears, even though food is provided for them.





After some time, the mother bear and her cubs became alert, and we saw a second mother bear with her cub join the spot. They all coexisted and shared the food.







We stayed for about an hour and a half, enjoying this unusual spectacle for us.

Day 10 - Wednesday, May 4

Today we head to the Vipava Valley, a wine-producing region, as Slovenia is a wine producer. Following Marko’s advice, we stop in Goče, a village compared to Venice for its canals. Meh, apart from one or two bridges, there’s little resemblance to Venice—we leave a bit disappointed by the place. Next, we go to Štanjel, a pretty village with some ramparts and a lovely park.

After a one-hour walk, we head to Nova Gorica, near the Italian border. We have lunch there and then do some wine shopping before returning to Pivka.





Day 11 - Thursday, May 5

Last day in Slovenia. We chat with Marko, who is definitely great company. During our stay, he let us taste some homemade liqueurs, and we bought some honey from him, produced by his father.



We then visit the military museum near Pivka. Planes, trucks, tanks, and other war machines.







We wander along the way before reaching Ljubljana around 4 PM after a detour to a gas station. The car was returned without any issues; the rental company tells us we’ll be charged 36 € since we mentioned leaving the country. The return flight goes smoothly, and we’re home by 9 PM.

Summary

We loved our trip to Slovenia: the country is clean, the people are kind and welcoming, and the landscapes are beautiful. We’re happy we chose to spend about ten days discovering this place instead of a month in the summer. Even if we’d added Croatia or even Montenegro, those European landscapes, as stunning as they are, wouldn’t have satisfied our craving for something completely different. That’s where Mexico, our July destination, really delivered 😎

Total budget for our vacation: 3400 €, including: - France-Slovenia flight: 600 € - car rental: 300 € - accommodations: 1400 € (all booked via Booking except for the last one in Pivka) - meals: 600 € - miscellaneous (fuel, visits, other purchases): 500 € Happy to help if I can 🙂

Thanks Anne for this lovely travel journal.

Unlike the Škocjan Caves, it doesn’t look like photos are banned in the Postojna ones—lucky for me, since I might be heading there soon, and I can’t imagine visiting without my camera! On the other hand, they’ve banned tripods, unfortunately (I just read that on their site), but hey, if I can still get a few shots, that’s better than nothing...

About the bear family, I’m not usually into feeding wildlife, but wow, those plantigrades in your photos are gorgeous! Great job.

Lolo

Thanks Anne for this lovely travel journal.

Unlike the Škocjan Caves, photography doesn’t seem to be banned in the Postojna Caves—lucky for me since I might be heading there soon, and I can’t imagine visiting without my camera! On the other hand, they’ve banned tripods, unfortunately (I just read that on their site), but hey, if I can still bring back a few shots, that’s better than nothing...

As for the bear family, I’m not usually into feeding animals, but wow, those plantigrades in your photos are stunning! Great job.

Lolo

Thanks for your kind message, Lolo. When it comes to the bears, I agree with you. That said, I can’t help but draw a parallel with wildlife parks—visited on safari, equipped with watering holes, and designed by humans. Yes, humans intervene to allow animal observation. Good... not good...?? A big debate!

Anyway, thanks for the compliment on the photos—I’ll pass it on to the photographer! 🙂

Hi Anne. Well, the verdict is that like the travel journal, 10 days in Slovenia is too short ;) Thanks for this little escape to the Balkans—it makes me want to go back. Bruno We’re waiting for Mexico! 😎

Thanks Anne for this new share, with original destinations and varied discoveries. Just to clarify, Slovenia is one of the most athletic countries in the world, with at least two-thirds of the population practicing a sport. I saw that in a documentary. A calm and serene country, where even the capital feels like a provincial town.

Great post, very detailed—it’s making me even more excited about going! We’ve decided to spend a week there in August 2025. We’ll be staying 2 nights at Pension Torok near Bled, 2 nights in Ljubljana, and 3 nights on the coast—I’m not sure where yet. Thanks for sharing!

Hi Anne. Well, the verdict is that, like the travel journal, 10 days in Slovenia is too short 😉 Thanks for this little escape to the Balkans—it makes me want to go back. Bruno We’re waiting for Mexico! 😎

Oops, looks like I’ve got some messages to catch up on Thanks so much, Bruno, for your message! Happy to share this travel journal 🙂 Mexico—I’ll admit I’m feeling lazy (stole the expression from my teens ). But I promise, I’ll do one on Jordan, which I’ll be visiting this summer!

Thanks Anne for this new share, with original destinations and varied discoveries. To clarify, Slovenia is one of the most athletic countries in the world, with at least two-thirds of the population practicing a sport. I saw that in a documentary. A calm and serene country, where even the capital feels like a provincial town.

Like with Bruno, sorry Joël for the unusually long time it took me to reply Thanks for your message on my travel journal 🙂

Great post, very detailed—it’s making me even more excited about going! We’ve decided to spend a week there in August 2025. We’ll also stay 2 nights at Pension Torok near Bled, 2 nights in Ljubljana, and 3 nights on the coast—I’m not sure where yet. Thanks for sharing!

You’re welcome, Dali! Let me know if you need anything.

Thanks Anne! Where did you go to see the bears?

Thanks Anne Where did you go to see the bears?

The bear spot is about twenty kilometers east of Trnje, where we were staying. I wouldn’t recommend going solo for sightings though 🙂