Slovenia is so much more than a quick route through Croatia. Masses of tourists drive from the Netherlands to Mediterranean Croatia every year and the route often leads through Slovenia. Unfortunately, hardly anyone takes the time to explore this country as well. Such a shame, because Slovenia has a lot to offer. I’d love to show you how you can combine a trip to Croatia with Slovenia. Take a look at my route through Slovenia to Croatia.
Route through Slovenia to Croatia
Route through the interior of Slovenia
The most beautiful and practical road to Croatia runs through western Slovenia. You enter this country via Austria or Italy and the route through Slovenia starts there. Many people then choose to cross the country as quickly as possible via the main roads. This is a real shame, because if you drive inside, your holiday in Slovenia can already start! If your holiday schedule allows it, I would definitely reserve a few days for this route. There is really a lot to see in Slovenia and because the distances are small you can see a lot in a few days.
First stop: Lake Bled
Bled is probably the most famous part of Slovenia. This is of course not for nothing. Lake Bled seems to come straight out of a fairytale: in the middle of the water is a small island with a church on it. I have to admit that this is a beautiful sight and I definitely recommend that you stop at Bled for some photos. On the shores of the lake, a beautiful castle towers above the waters and the surrounding mountains are intensely green in summer. There is not much to do in Bled itself. Therefore, I would not necessarily advise you to spend the night in Bled. Instead, you better continue to the next stop, Lake Bohinj.
Travel time from the Netherlands: 11 hours
Hotel: I did stay in Bled for one night and stayed in Hotel Golf, a very neat hotel located on Lake Bled.
Lake Bohinj
On this route from Slovenia to Croatia you pass Lake Bohinj immediately after Lake Bled. These two famous lakes are only half an hour away from each other. Personally, I found this more a lot nicer than Bled. Admittedly, there is no romantic-looking church in the middle of the lake, but beyond that the area is even more beautiful. There is more nature and much less buildings. The lake is completely enclosed by green rocks and there is a relaxed atmosphere. On Lake Bohinj you can kayak and SUP very well. There is a rental company on the water and if you want you can also book a lesson here. In addition, you can also hike very well through the mountains in Bohinj. All in all a very nice place in Slovenia for a longer stopover.
Travel time from Bled: 30 minutes
Accommodation in Bohinj: Hotel Jezero
View from Vogel Mountain
In addition to Lake Bohinj, you will find many more beautiful things in this region that you should not miss if you choose to spend the night in Bohinj. With the ski lift of the Vogel winter sports resort you can go up to the mountains for a few euros. From there you have a fantastic view over the Julian Alps. If you look closely, you can still see the snow on the tops. You can also go hiking on the ski slopes in the summer and in good weather you can paraglide from Vogel.
Savica waterfall
Another sight that you should not miss in the Bohinj region is the Savica waterfall. Via a steep path, you can walk to the waterfall in less than half an hour. If you’re lucky like me, a rainbow appears in the water here.
Tolmin
From Bohinj you drive to Tolmin. You can choose to take the long way through the mountains or take a short cut. There is a train running under the mountains, which you can simply drive on by car. You stay in the car yourself and after about half an hour you are on the other side of the mountain. This saves you about 2 hours of travel time.
An absolute must see in Tolmin is the park Tolminska Korita, in other words, the Tolmin Gorge. This gorge is one of the most beautiful pieces of nature in Slovenia and you can enjoy walking here. The emerald green water, the lush vegetation and the narrow passages between the rocks are truly breathtakingly beautiful.
Travel time from Bohinj: 1.5 hours
Accommodation in Tolmin: Počitniška hiša Pologar
Soca river
The famous Soča river also runs through the region. This river is normally intense green in color. Unfortunately, it had rained a lot in the weeks before my visit, which made the Soča river more milky blue. Despite that, I still found him very beautiful and special. You can practice all kinds of water sports on and around the river. Most outdoor organizations are located in Bovec. I went rafting myself and that was super cool. The water is generally quite calm, making it a fun activity for families as well. If you prefer to feel a little more adrenaline flowing through your body, it is recommended to go in May. Then the river seems to be at its wildest. You can book a rafting tour.
Travel time from Tolmin: 50 minutes
Accommodation by the Soca River: the beautiful Nebesa.
Brda
From the Soča River you continue your route through Slovenia to Croatia by heading to Brda. This region really surprised me. Brda is a typical wine region and sometimes you really feel like you’re in Tuscany. Rolling hills, countless vineyards and picturesque farms form the landscape here. It is great fun to discover Brda with an electric bicycle or scooter. You can rent these at the local tourist office. Brda is really a must visit for people who love good wine. Among other things, I visited Klet Brda winery, a wine producer with 400 local vineyards affiliated. Here you can book a tour and do a wine tasting. Highly recommended for wine lovers.
In Brda you can stay in different places in a so-called tourist farm. If you have more time I would definitely recommend booking a night here.
Travel time from the Soča river to Brda: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Accommodation in Brda: I stayed in the village of Smartno in Hotel San Martin. The hotel is set up in an ecologically responsible manner, which means that it is partly self-sufficient.
Postojna
The second last stop on the route is the Postojna caves and Predjama castle. The Postojna Caves are world famous. To date, over 40 million people have visited it and I can see why. I have seen many stalactite caves in my life, but these should not be in the shadow of Postojna. With an open train you drive 3 kilometers into the caves and my mouth fell open several times in amazement along the way. Here you see enormous spaces full of stalactites and sometimes you don’t know where to look: everywhere is equally beautiful. After the train ride, you will cover the last 1.5 kilometers on foot. Don’t forget to bring warm clothes. The temperature in the caves is only 8 degrees.
Near the Postojna caves is Predjama castle, a medieval castle built against the rock face. Especially if you love history and castles in particular, you should not miss Predjama.
From Postojna it is another hour’s drive to the Croatian border. Many people drive to Croatia via the coastal road. I would advise you to go inland. In the summer, there can be up to 3 hours of traffic jams for the border crossing on the coastal road, while inland you often only have to wait 10 minutes. The route inside is about 40 kilometers longer, but in the end this saves you a considerable queue at the border. I took a picture of this card in Poreč, Croatia. The leftmost route (marked with the red-white circle) is the road most people take and the road next to it seems to be a lot quieter according to locals. This means that you have to follow the road towards Buje. I don’t speak from my own experience as I drove here at the beginning of June and it was not busy on the road anyway.
Practical information
This route is written for people who go to Slovenia by car from the Netherlands. I think the car is the best means of transport when you go to Slovenia. If you drive through you can be there in a day and of course you can take as much luggage as you want.
Would you rather fly? Of course that is also possible. You can fly cheaply to Ljubljana from Amsterdam with Transavia. If you have some time left before your flight, go for lunch or dinner at Jezeršek. This restaurant is a 5 minute drive from the airport. You can take a seat here for a tasty meal in the beautiful, peaceful garden. In addition, interesting cooking workshops are given here where you can learn more about Slovenian cuisine.
Rent a car in Slovenia or Croatia
Are you going to Slovenia by plane? Then you need a rental car for this route. We ourselves have good experiences with the Dutch company Sunny Cars. All insurances are included here and a second driver is also included in many cases. This allows you to rent a car carefree.
Slovenia is an amazingly beautiful country and it’s a shame to just race through it on the way to Croatia. By following this route, the journey itself becomes a holiday.
