For all of you who still think that Slovenia is Slovakia, I may have to correct you.
Situated in the central europe, Slovenia is one of the smallest countries in the world, with its 7,827 sq, you can see the entire country in just few days.
The nature of Slovenia is amazing, with Alps in the northwest, mediterranian on the southwest, Cities that are not too big, but have everything what people need during a stay.
During the summer months i suggest you to go to the sea side and discover the beauty of the Adriatic sea coast, which under Slovenian flag measures 46.6 kilometres and is covered with abundant vegetation. Here is a natural reserve with a rich supply of marl and sandstone and the unique Strunjan cliff which ascends 80 metres above the sea and is the highest flysch wall on the Adriatic coast. Here are the Sečovlje saltworks,
first mentioned in the 13th century. Due to their extremely abundant natural and historical heritage they were named a regional park and are a rich sanctuary of plant and animal worlds. They play a very important role in the world of ornithology, because they offer ideal conditions for birds due to the warm climate and abundance of food in the saltwork pools. So about 200 bird species have been seen at the saltworks and they provide a natural habitat for about 80 bird species which nest there.
Here the towns of Piran, Izola and Koper attract visitors with their medieval image. Koper with its historical core represents one of the most picturesque parts of the northern part of the Istrian Peninsula. Water sports are very important; there are many regattas in the Bay of Koper and the town has built a small marina. It also organises the Summer Festival of Primorska. The town’s surroundings and the countryside are exceptionally attractive: the steep rock walls by Črni Kal and Osp provide an ideal place for lovers of free climbing and the countryside “ boasts” specific culinary and wine offers.
Izola is a coastal town with a rich fishing tradition. Most of the tourism is concentrated on the eastern side, at the bay Simonov zaliv, where there is a seaside resort with swimming facilities, hotels and restaurants. On the western edge of the town is the marina of Izola.
The old seaport of Piran lies at the end of the Piran peninsula; it was surrounded by walls in the Middle Ages (200 metres of the city walls are still preserved). The whole town is protected as a cultural and historical monument and it has preserved its medieval layout with narrow streets and compact houses, which rise in steps from the coastal lowland into the hills and give the whole area a typical Mediterranean look. Today it is an administrative and supply centre and also an important coastal tourist resort with hotels, restaurants and holiday houses, the Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum and an aquarium, cultural institutions and events.
Portorož, a tourist town which boasts the longest tourist tradition in Slovenia and offers comfortable hotels and modern swimming pools, restaurants and events. It is a popular conference centre – various conference and meeting facilities can accommodate up to 1500 visitors. Portorož has a casino, a sport airport and marina. It is a town visited by tourists from all over Europe and other countries as well. It is an internationally known holiday centre and climatic health seaside resort.
In the Šavrinska Hills in the hinterland of Portorož lies a number of old Istrian settlements (Padna, Krkavče, Koštabona, Pomjan, Gažon), and not far from the coast there is the picturesque village Hrastovlje with its Church of the Holy Trinity which is adorned by late gothic narrative frescoes. Due to these Hrastovlje is considered as a real treasure of medieval frescoe arts in Slovenia.
If you like to spend your time on a bike, there are numerous routes all over the countryside. Choose from mountain biking, or take an easier ride in the country.
The Alps hide many charmingly beautiful pecularities among which is also The Solčava district. This word denotes the flatlands of Solčava, Logarska Dolina, Matkov kot, Robanov kot and the kingdom of the mountain farms, called 'celec', dispersed high up under Olševa and Raduha, above Matkov and Robanov kot. (Janez Bizjak)
The Solčava district lies at the most upper end of the Savinja river, surrounded by mountains. To the east it is bounded by the mountain ridge of Raduha, to the north by the Karavanke range and the Olševa group; to the south and west this territory is enclosed by the more than 2000-metre high summits of Mrzla Gora, Rinke, Brana, Skuta, Planjava and Ojstrica, which form part of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps.
These highlands and valleys have a rather marked Alpine climate. Winters are usually fairly long and cold, whilst summers are hot. Snow generally covers the mountains from the beginning of November and lasts into May; in the lower lying areas snow is usual between late November and April. The vegetation hereabouts is adapted to relief and climatic conditions. Lower slopes are covered by forest, mostly spruce and beech, but also here and there with fir, pine and the larch which grows right up to the tree line; one can also find patches of dwarf pine growing above this line.
The Solčava District is also the habitat of numerous interesting species of plant, including some rare and protected ones, such as lady's slipper orchid, garland flower daphne, queen of the mountain, stemless trumpet gentian, primula auricula (bear's ear) and edelweiss. The oldest traces of human habitation in this region reach back into the Paleolithic era, a fact vindicated in 1928 by Srečko Brodar when bones belonging to Stone Age man and cave bear were discovered within the Potočka Zijalka Cave under the Olševa ridge.
The colonization of this territory by modern man, however, occurred during the 11th and 12th centuries when Slovene settlers established the first farmsteads on the south-facing slopes above the valleys. Further to this, the highest lying farm in Slovenia (Bukovnik, 1,327 metres) is to be found just a few kilometres to the northeast of Solcava. Indeed, even today, this district is still characterised by its solitary farmsteads and small mountain hamlets; Solcava village remains the only settlement of any size. Therefore it is the geographic and administrative center of the district.
The only major road in the district, which facilitates access to the rest of the Upper Savinja Valley, runs beside the Savinja river. However, there are minor road connections with Eisenkappel in Austria, via the border crossing at the Pavličevo Sedlo Pass and a gravel road to Crna na Koroškem.
The population of this district are primarily engaged in forestry, animal husbandry and most recently tourism, the prosperity of which is largely supported by this area's great natural beauty. An unspoiled natural environment, coupled with the fact that this region had not been overdeveloped, has worked to the advantage of the local community. However, the people of the Solcava District are well aware that this pristine environment must be preserved at all costs; for this reason they have chosen to develop high quality tourism which emphasizes the individual, offering him peace as well as the opportunity to enjoy an active holiday in harmony with nature.
A city by the river on which the mythological Argonauts carried the Golden Fleece, a city by a moor where the crannog dwellers once lived, a city with the rich heritage of Roman Emona, a city that was once the capital of the Province of Carniola and the capital of Napoleon’s Illyrian Provinces, a city of Renaissance, Baroque, and especially Art Nouveau facades, a city that boasts the greatest exhibition of the architecture of the master Jože Plečnik—all this is Ljubljana.
The capital of Slovenia is a political, cultural, scientific, educational, business, and transportation center that in its own way combines the characteristics of Slovenia’s eastern and western, northern and southern regions. The city nestling below the hill with Ljubljana Castle has a lively cultural life created by numerous theatres, museums, and galleries, one of the oldest Philharmonics in the world, cinemas, more than ten thousand cultural events each year, as many as ten international festivals, including the Ljubljana Summer Festival, the Ljubljana Graphics Biennial, the Ljubljana Jazz Festival, the LIFFE Film Festival, and the Druga godba Festival of Alternative Music, and much more.
Ljubljana is an important congress city. Still today, it is proud of the Congress of the Holy Alliance, which brought the most prominent European statesmen of the time to Ljubljana at the beginning of the 19th century, and can offer first-class congress capabilities. In the centrally located Cankarjev dom Cultural and Congress Center as well as in the city hotels and nearby protocol buildings, world meetings, conferences, and congresses of the highest level are held every year.
As Slovenia’s business and commerce center, Ljubljana hosts numerous trade fairs, and like any capital city it also offers numerous shopping temptations, from smaller shops and boutiques in old city core to large shopping centers on the outskirts. At every step, there are friendly cafes, pastry shops, and restaurants, as many serving distinctly Slovene cuisine as those with the offer of foreign horizons. During a visit to Ljubljana, which is linked to the world by road, railway, and Brnik Airport, visitors can chose among accommodations at a hotel, motel, or pension, in private apartments and rooms, at a campground, and at a youth hostel.
Because of the University of Ljubljana, daily life in the city is marked by a challenging and lively youthful character but also by the charm of enjoying a tranquil and relaxing boat ride on the Ljubljanica River, a stroll in Tivoli Park close to the very center of the city, a visit to the Botanical Garden with more than 4,500 plant species, a walk in the Ljubljana Zoo, a guided tour of Plečnik’s Ljubljana, or the trails to nearby Rožnik Hill, Šmarna gora, or many of the other friendly peaks in the city surroundings.
Among the nearby places that invite visitors into the surroundings of the city are Iški Vintgar, a gorge with picturesque river pools; the climatic health resort on Rakitna, a plateau with a lake and an attractive walking circuit; Pekel Gorge and its waterfalls near Borovnica; the karst springs of the Ljubljanica River near Vrhnika, the former monastery in Bistra that now houses the Technical Museum of Slovenia, Zbiljsko jezero, lake with its diverse recreation offer, Stična with its famous Cistercian monastery and Museum of Religion... Many places in the surroundings of Ljubljana are particularly inviting because of the unique nature found on the Ljubljansko Barje Moor.
For my opinion the most beautiful place I have visited while staying in Slovenia, was
Bled, Predjama castle and Postojna cave.
Bled is one of the most romantic places I have ever been, so I suggest you take somebody with you when you visit it.
Slovenia has only one island, but even this one is much more precious then a lot of other islands, you may have heard or seen of.
In the front of breathtaking mountains it is sitting like a king in the middle of a lake called Bled. With its beauty all year round, it calls tourists from all over the world, to come visit it again for the second or third time.
The lake was formed after the recession of the Bohinj glacier. It is up to 2120 m long and up to 1380 m wide, its maximum depth being 30.6 m and tectonic in origin. After the last Ice Age, the Bohinj glacier deepened the natural tectonic hollow and gave into its present form. The basin was filled with water when the ice melted. The lake has no large natural tributaries; it is fed only by a few springs.
Towards the coast again, lies a town called Postojna, and this town is famous for 2 things, Predjama castle and Postojna cave.
The Predjama castle has perched proudly in a rocky cliff over 100 metres high: powerful and defiant – an impregnable fortress for more than 700 years. Today’s castle dates from the Renaissance period, but the date of its construction is confirmed by a coat of arms of its owners, the Kobenzl family, from 1583. Concealed behind it is an older nucleus – the original cave castle. A symbol of defiance, the refuge of the bold, wilful and rebellious knight Erazem of Predjama.
Old depictions and descriptions – particularly from the last 200 years – prove that Predjama Castle was even then visited and admired by large numbers of travellers. It is still worth a visit today.
Postojna Cave in western Slovenia is a 20-kilometre (12-mile) labyrinth of subterranean passages, filled with fantastical stalagmites, stalactites and other rock formations. It is considered by experts to be one of the finest examples of karst landscape, where limestone rock has been heavily eroded to form underground streams, a phenomenon that has created several other caves in the area Postojna Cave is also home to the Proteus Anguinus, a unique creature with no eyes, which can grow up to 30cm (1ft) in length and feeds on snails and worms. Speleological equipment can be provided at the cave for caving enthusiasts, and special interest tours can also be arranged.
Situated in the central europe, Slovenia is one of the smallest countries in the world, with its 7,827 sq, you can see the entire country in just few days.
The nature of Slovenia is amazing, with Alps in the northwest, mediterranian on the southwest, Cities that are not too big, but have everything what people need during a stay.
During the summer months i suggest you to go to the sea side and discover the beauty of the Adriatic sea coast, which under Slovenian flag measures 46.6 kilometres and is covered with abundant vegetation. Here is a natural reserve with a rich supply of marl and sandstone and the unique Strunjan cliff which ascends 80 metres above the sea and is the highest flysch wall on the Adriatic coast. Here are the Sečovlje saltworks,
first mentioned in the 13th century. Due to their extremely abundant natural and historical heritage they were named a regional park and are a rich sanctuary of plant and animal worlds. They play a very important role in the world of ornithology, because they offer ideal conditions for birds due to the warm climate and abundance of food in the saltwork pools. So about 200 bird species have been seen at the saltworks and they provide a natural habitat for about 80 bird species which nest there.
Here the towns of Piran, Izola and Koper attract visitors with their medieval image. Koper with its historical core represents one of the most picturesque parts of the northern part of the Istrian Peninsula. Water sports are very important; there are many regattas in the Bay of Koper and the town has built a small marina. It also organises the Summer Festival of Primorska. The town’s surroundings and the countryside are exceptionally attractive: the steep rock walls by Črni Kal and Osp provide an ideal place for lovers of free climbing and the countryside “ boasts” specific culinary and wine offers.
Izola is a coastal town with a rich fishing tradition. Most of the tourism is concentrated on the eastern side, at the bay Simonov zaliv, where there is a seaside resort with swimming facilities, hotels and restaurants. On the western edge of the town is the marina of Izola.
The old seaport of Piran lies at the end of the Piran peninsula; it was surrounded by walls in the Middle Ages (200 metres of the city walls are still preserved). The whole town is protected as a cultural and historical monument and it has preserved its medieval layout with narrow streets and compact houses, which rise in steps from the coastal lowland into the hills and give the whole area a typical Mediterranean look. Today it is an administrative and supply centre and also an important coastal tourist resort with hotels, restaurants and holiday houses, the Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum and an aquarium, cultural institutions and events.
Portorož, a tourist town which boasts the longest tourist tradition in Slovenia and offers comfortable hotels and modern swimming pools, restaurants and events. It is a popular conference centre – various conference and meeting facilities can accommodate up to 1500 visitors. Portorož has a casino, a sport airport and marina. It is a town visited by tourists from all over Europe and other countries as well. It is an internationally known holiday centre and climatic health seaside resort.
In the Šavrinska Hills in the hinterland of Portorož lies a number of old Istrian settlements (Padna, Krkavče, Koštabona, Pomjan, Gažon), and not far from the coast there is the picturesque village Hrastovlje with its Church of the Holy Trinity which is adorned by late gothic narrative frescoes. Due to these Hrastovlje is considered as a real treasure of medieval frescoe arts in Slovenia.
If you like to spend your time on a bike, there are numerous routes all over the countryside. Choose from mountain biking, or take an easier ride in the country.
The Alps hide many charmingly beautiful pecularities among which is also The Solčava district. This word denotes the flatlands of Solčava, Logarska Dolina, Matkov kot, Robanov kot and the kingdom of the mountain farms, called 'celec', dispersed high up under Olševa and Raduha, above Matkov and Robanov kot. (Janez Bizjak)
The Solčava district lies at the most upper end of the Savinja river, surrounded by mountains. To the east it is bounded by the mountain ridge of Raduha, to the north by the Karavanke range and the Olševa group; to the south and west this territory is enclosed by the more than 2000-metre high summits of Mrzla Gora, Rinke, Brana, Skuta, Planjava and Ojstrica, which form part of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps.
These highlands and valleys have a rather marked Alpine climate. Winters are usually fairly long and cold, whilst summers are hot. Snow generally covers the mountains from the beginning of November and lasts into May; in the lower lying areas snow is usual between late November and April. The vegetation hereabouts is adapted to relief and climatic conditions. Lower slopes are covered by forest, mostly spruce and beech, but also here and there with fir, pine and the larch which grows right up to the tree line; one can also find patches of dwarf pine growing above this line.
The Solčava District is also the habitat of numerous interesting species of plant, including some rare and protected ones, such as lady's slipper orchid, garland flower daphne, queen of the mountain, stemless trumpet gentian, primula auricula (bear's ear) and edelweiss. The oldest traces of human habitation in this region reach back into the Paleolithic era, a fact vindicated in 1928 by Srečko Brodar when bones belonging to Stone Age man and cave bear were discovered within the Potočka Zijalka Cave under the Olševa ridge.
The colonization of this territory by modern man, however, occurred during the 11th and 12th centuries when Slovene settlers established the first farmsteads on the south-facing slopes above the valleys. Further to this, the highest lying farm in Slovenia (Bukovnik, 1,327 metres) is to be found just a few kilometres to the northeast of Solcava. Indeed, even today, this district is still characterised by its solitary farmsteads and small mountain hamlets; Solcava village remains the only settlement of any size. Therefore it is the geographic and administrative center of the district.
The only major road in the district, which facilitates access to the rest of the Upper Savinja Valley, runs beside the Savinja river. However, there are minor road connections with Eisenkappel in Austria, via the border crossing at the Pavličevo Sedlo Pass and a gravel road to Crna na Koroškem.
The population of this district are primarily engaged in forestry, animal husbandry and most recently tourism, the prosperity of which is largely supported by this area's great natural beauty. An unspoiled natural environment, coupled with the fact that this region had not been overdeveloped, has worked to the advantage of the local community. However, the people of the Solcava District are well aware that this pristine environment must be preserved at all costs; for this reason they have chosen to develop high quality tourism which emphasizes the individual, offering him peace as well as the opportunity to enjoy an active holiday in harmony with nature.
A city by the river on which the mythological Argonauts carried the Golden Fleece, a city by a moor where the crannog dwellers once lived, a city with the rich heritage of Roman Emona, a city that was once the capital of the Province of Carniola and the capital of Napoleon’s Illyrian Provinces, a city of Renaissance, Baroque, and especially Art Nouveau facades, a city that boasts the greatest exhibition of the architecture of the master Jože Plečnik—all this is Ljubljana.
The capital of Slovenia is a political, cultural, scientific, educational, business, and transportation center that in its own way combines the characteristics of Slovenia’s eastern and western, northern and southern regions. The city nestling below the hill with Ljubljana Castle has a lively cultural life created by numerous theatres, museums, and galleries, one of the oldest Philharmonics in the world, cinemas, more than ten thousand cultural events each year, as many as ten international festivals, including the Ljubljana Summer Festival, the Ljubljana Graphics Biennial, the Ljubljana Jazz Festival, the LIFFE Film Festival, and the Druga godba Festival of Alternative Music, and much more.
Ljubljana is an important congress city. Still today, it is proud of the Congress of the Holy Alliance, which brought the most prominent European statesmen of the time to Ljubljana at the beginning of the 19th century, and can offer first-class congress capabilities. In the centrally located Cankarjev dom Cultural and Congress Center as well as in the city hotels and nearby protocol buildings, world meetings, conferences, and congresses of the highest level are held every year.
As Slovenia’s business and commerce center, Ljubljana hosts numerous trade fairs, and like any capital city it also offers numerous shopping temptations, from smaller shops and boutiques in old city core to large shopping centers on the outskirts. At every step, there are friendly cafes, pastry shops, and restaurants, as many serving distinctly Slovene cuisine as those with the offer of foreign horizons. During a visit to Ljubljana, which is linked to the world by road, railway, and Brnik Airport, visitors can chose among accommodations at a hotel, motel, or pension, in private apartments and rooms, at a campground, and at a youth hostel.
Because of the University of Ljubljana, daily life in the city is marked by a challenging and lively youthful character but also by the charm of enjoying a tranquil and relaxing boat ride on the Ljubljanica River, a stroll in Tivoli Park close to the very center of the city, a visit to the Botanical Garden with more than 4,500 plant species, a walk in the Ljubljana Zoo, a guided tour of Plečnik’s Ljubljana, or the trails to nearby Rožnik Hill, Šmarna gora, or many of the other friendly peaks in the city surroundings.
Among the nearby places that invite visitors into the surroundings of the city are Iški Vintgar, a gorge with picturesque river pools; the climatic health resort on Rakitna, a plateau with a lake and an attractive walking circuit; Pekel Gorge and its waterfalls near Borovnica; the karst springs of the Ljubljanica River near Vrhnika, the former monastery in Bistra that now houses the Technical Museum of Slovenia, Zbiljsko jezero, lake with its diverse recreation offer, Stična with its famous Cistercian monastery and Museum of Religion... Many places in the surroundings of Ljubljana are particularly inviting because of the unique nature found on the Ljubljansko Barje Moor.
For my opinion the most beautiful place I have visited while staying in Slovenia, was
Bled, Predjama castle and Postojna cave.
Bled is one of the most romantic places I have ever been, so I suggest you take somebody with you when you visit it.
Slovenia has only one island, but even this one is much more precious then a lot of other islands, you may have heard or seen of.
In the front of breathtaking mountains it is sitting like a king in the middle of a lake called Bled. With its beauty all year round, it calls tourists from all over the world, to come visit it again for the second or third time.
The lake was formed after the recession of the Bohinj glacier. It is up to 2120 m long and up to 1380 m wide, its maximum depth being 30.6 m and tectonic in origin. After the last Ice Age, the Bohinj glacier deepened the natural tectonic hollow and gave into its present form. The basin was filled with water when the ice melted. The lake has no large natural tributaries; it is fed only by a few springs.
Towards the coast again, lies a town called Postojna, and this town is famous for 2 things, Predjama castle and Postojna cave.
The Predjama castle has perched proudly in a rocky cliff over 100 metres high: powerful and defiant – an impregnable fortress for more than 700 years. Today’s castle dates from the Renaissance period, but the date of its construction is confirmed by a coat of arms of its owners, the Kobenzl family, from 1583. Concealed behind it is an older nucleus – the original cave castle. A symbol of defiance, the refuge of the bold, wilful and rebellious knight Erazem of Predjama.
Old depictions and descriptions – particularly from the last 200 years – prove that Predjama Castle was even then visited and admired by large numbers of travellers. It is still worth a visit today.
Postojna Cave in western Slovenia is a 20-kilometre (12-mile) labyrinth of subterranean passages, filled with fantastical stalagmites, stalactites and other rock formations. It is considered by experts to be one of the finest examples of karst landscape, where limestone rock has been heavily eroded to form underground streams, a phenomenon that has created several other caves in the area Postojna Cave is also home to the Proteus Anguinus, a unique creature with no eyes, which can grow up to 30cm (1ft) in length and feeds on snails and worms. Speleological equipment can be provided at the cave for caving enthusiasts, and special interest tours can also be arranged.
Visit Slovenia, on a budget via Ryanair; which flies from London to Graz, Klagenfurt, Trieste and Pula, or Easyjet which flies to Ljubljana, or Adria airways that also flies to Ljubljana.
