Day 1 - Arrive Ljubljana

Today you are met by your driver upon arrival at Ljubljana airport and privately transferred to your hotel.

Overnight: Intercontinental Hotel

Day 2 - Ljubljana

Today enjoy a half-day walking tour of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, with your expert local guide. Ljubljana has been the capital city of Slovenia for almost 200 years and is characterized by its beautiful Baroque architecture. Visit the Three Bridges area, the cathedral, the Plecnik open market, Prešern Square, Ljubljana Castle and Congress Square.

Optional activity:

After lunch at leisure, embark on an easy hike to the nearby Roznik Hill for an impressive vantage point and walk through Tivoli Park with your guide.

Overnight: Intercontinental Hotel

Meal Plan: B

Day 3 - Ljubljana

Drive to the medieval town of Kamnik, a town embraced by the Kamnik-Savinja Alps. It is considered one of the most beautiful medieval towns in Slovenia. Take a stroll along the street and have a cup of coffee or tea, before continuing with a visit to the Volčji Potok Arboretum or a short hike on Velika Planina:

Option 1) Visit Volčji Potok Arboretum

The largest botanical gardens in Slovenia, Volčji Potok Arboretum is considered one of the most important architectural heritage gardens in Europe. The pearl of the Slovenian garden culture stretches along the streams and meadows south of the town, creating a wonderful atmosphere in all seasons with its 5000 tree and plant species. Each spring, special attention is given to the tulips, which make the park especially vivid and colourful. Visitors can admire many other stunning exhibitions, including orchids, cacti, tropical butterflies, and much more. Enjoy a truly peaceful and tranquil stroll through the arboretum.

Option 2) Hiking Velika Planina

Visit this easily accessible plateau, which offers magnificent views of the highest peaks of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and the Ljubljana Basin. The mountain offers numerous possibilities for walks and hiking, which can be combined with the visits of the natural and ethnological sites of interest. You can choose between two routes when you exit the cable car. Continue the drive by the Šimnovec lift or set off to the top of the mountain by foot. Visit the herdsmen’s settlement, Mala Planina, full of interesting sites and the chance to sneak into one of the herdsmen cottages and try homemade dairy products!

Option 3) Underground Biking through Mount Peca

Take an innovative approach to mountain biking by going through a mountain, rather than over it! Pick up your bikes and meet your guide in Glančnik to begin your subterranean adventure, entering the abandoned mine of Igrčevo to discover an enchanting underground world. Over three miles of former mining trails have been converted into leisurely cycling paths, which you explore in the company of your knowledgeable guide, who shows you where to stop and find out more about the stories hidden here.

Overnight: Intercontinental Hotel

Meal Plan: B

Day 4 - Ljubljana

The hilly Slovenian countryside with scenic roads takes you through deep forested valleys and extremely steep slopes. Picturesque little villages lie in the meadows and the views in this part of the country are unforgettable. The hilly region between the Alps and the Adriatic shows you not only natural but cultural and historical heritage as well.

Begin your excursion this morning with a visit to the Pasice Gorge where you find the hidden Franja Partisan Hospital, with its wooden huts still standing as a memorial to the Slovenian Resistance during WWII. Next, you move on to the town of Idrija, which boasts a 500-year-old mine tradition, interestingly presented at one of the best technical museums in Europe where you learn the history of the mercury-mining town and admire the beautiful laces that it is also famous for producing. Before returning to Ljubljana stop off at Škofja Loka to witness one of the nicest and best preserved old towns in Slovenia.

Overnight: Intercontinental Hotel

Meal Plan: B

Day 5 - Ljubljana - Bled

Depart Ljubljana this morning by private vehicle and head toward Lake Bled. En-route stop in the beautiful medieval town of Radovljica, which is not only known for being the beekeeping capital of Slovenia, its numerous museums, galleries, festivals and events, but also as the home of gingerbread! Enjoy time at leisure here to discover the village at your own pace, visit the gingerbread museum and have lunch (payable locally) at one of the traditional restaurants. Continue to your hotel for your stay overnight.

Overnight: Grand Hotel Toplice

Meal Plan: B

Day 6 - Bled

Visit Bled Castle, the former seat of the Bishops of Brixen and the oldest medieval fortress in Slovenia. This 11th-century castle towers over Lake Bled atop a rocky cliff providing a spectacular view of the surrounding area. The castle’s museum has a large collection of weapons and armoury from the 16th to 18th centuries. Take a boat ride to Bled Island in the middle of the lake to see the lovely Baroque Church of the Assumption.

After lunch at leisure, join a local guide for a walk-through part of the scenic Vintgar Gorge, where the Radovna River thrashes loudly against its rocky confines. The walk takes you along paths, galleries and bridges constructed in the rock.

Overnight: Grand Hotel Toplice

Meal Plan: B

Day 7 - Bled

Enjoy today at leisure in the beautiful surroundings.

Overnight: Grand Hotel Toplice

Meal Plan: B

Day 8 - Bled

Today travel out to Bohinj, a region which sits in a valley stretching from Soteska to Ukanc. On the south side, it is enclosed by the Lower Bohinj Mountains, and on the north by the Triglav mountain range, which boasts Slovenia’s highest mountain: Mount Triglav (2864 m). Bohinj is divided into the Upper and Lower Bohinj valleys which are home to 24 villages. In the morning take a ride up the Vogel cable car for fantastic views (another option is to go on an easier hike to the nearby summit of Visoki Orlov rob). Enjoy lunch in a traditional mountain hut (payable locally), where you can try traditional dishes, take a cable car back to the valley and walk to Savica, one of the most beautiful waterfalls around.

Overnight: Grand Hotel Toplice

Meal Plan: B

Day 9 - Bled

Today’s excursion takes you to the coastline of the Slovenian Mediterranean, which is small but delightful. You drive through Portorož ('The Port of Roses'), a modern holiday-making resort with the largest sandy beach in the country. Close by, Piran is a picturesque Mediterranean town with a distinctly medieval feel, much loved by locals. In the middle of this tightly packed town with narrow streets is the unusual Tartini Square, surrounded with different styles of building, from Venetian Gothic to the 20th century, and dominating the skyline above the town the Church of St George is another building that links Piran with Venice.

In the afternoon visit Lipica to see the white Lipizzaner horses, best known for their performances in Vienna's Spanish Riding School. Here you are taken through the stables learning the history of the stud farm before enjoying a typical riding school performance from these majestic creatures.

Overnight: Grand Hotel Toplice

Meal Plan: B

Day 10 - Bled

The Julian Alps are Slovenia's largest mountain range with high peaks, deep valleys, and beautiful views. Explore the heart of the mountains, driving over Vršič, the country's highest mountain pass, to reach the beautiful valley of the River Soča. Admire the wonders of the Triglav National Park on your journey and visit the museum in Trenta where you learn more about the park's cultural and natural heritage. You enjoy lunch (payable locally) in the small town of Bovec, before ascending the Predil mountain pass to briefly cross the border with Italy and stop at the Lago del Predil, en route back to your hotel.

Overnight: Grand Hotel Toplice

Meal Plan: B

Day 11 - Bled

Covering dozens of miles of rolling hills between the Soča River and Italian border, Brda is one of Slovenia’s foremost wine-growing areas. Often described as a miniature version of Tuscany, every hill seems to be topped with a large church surrounded by a charming little village, while the hillsides and valleys in between are blanketed with vineyards, orchards and winding country roads.

Today go on a full-day excursion to explore this stunning area. Visit Dobrovo Castle and the most picturesque village in Slovenia – Šmartno, which is surrounded by medieval walls with five preserved towers. Finish the day by climbing up the Gonjače Lookout Tower from where you can see all the way to the Gulf of Trieste and Dolomite Alps on a clear day. Enjoy a lunch of traditional food (payable locally) and a wine tasting in one of the local wine cellars.

Overnight: Grand Hotel Toplice

Meal Plan: B

Day 12 - Depart Bled

This morning you are met by your driver at your hotel and privately transferred to Ljubljana airport for your departure flight.

Meal Plan: B