A road trip round Slovenia, stage by stage

Before you set off, the DARS e-vignette

Slovenia doesn’t charge cars by the kilometre. Instead there’s the DARS e-vignette, compulsory on motorways and expressways for vehicles up to 3,500 kg and tied to the registration. A weekly one for a car costs €16 and a monthly one €32, which is the one you want for a ten-day trip. DARS is blunt about it, without one you can’t use the toll road, and the fine runs from €300 to €800. Fake websites sell it too, so I’d only buy from the official shop, as I explain in the Slovenia vignette.

Stages 1 to 3, Ljubljana, Bled and Vršič

Stage one, Ljubljana to Bled, is 50 km according to the Tourist Board. Stage two is the best of the trip, because after the 40 km from Bled to Kranjska Gora the road climbs over Vršič at 1,611 metres and drops into the Soča Valley, with Bovec 45 km from Kranjska Gora by the Tourist Board’s count. It’s a mountain road with tight bends, and since I haven’t found an official date for its snow closure, I’d drive it in summer and check the day before. Stage three follows the Soča to Tolmin, about 37 km, then Nova Gorica, about 39 more.

Brda, the Karst and the coast

From Nova Gorica, Brda is right there, about 15 km to Šmartno, and the Karst begins about 40 km further on at Štanjel. The Škocjan Caves are about 29 km from there, and the sea another 49 or so. I’ve worked these distances out from OpenStreetMap data, so they’re not official, but they show no leg is daunting. In Piran, park outside the old town and walk in. Heading back inland you pass Postojna, about 74 km from the coast, with its cave and Predjama Castle.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Bovec before prices climb.

The east, the part most people skip

Most road trips end in Ljubljana, and if you have the time I think that’s a mistake. From the capital, Celje is about 76 km and Maribor about 55 more, with a vine over 400 years old down by the Drava. Ptuj, about 30 km from Maribor, rounds things off with its castle, and the drive back to the capital is about 128 km. The whole east is covered in Maribor.

Rules worth knowing

Dipped headlights stay on all the time. You may drive with up to 0.5 grams of alcohol per kilo of blood, but zero for anyone under 21 or with less than two years behind the wheel, with fines from €150 to €950. Using your phone at the wheel costs €120. From 15 November until 15 March, and any time there’s snow or ice, winter equipment is compulsory. If you break down on a motorway, ring 1970 and be wary of tow trucks without the DARS logo. There’s more in driving in Slovenia, and if you’re in a campervan, where you can sleep is explained in Slovenia by motorhome. The same roads, split into days, are in Slovenia in 5 days and Slovenia in 10 days.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Bovec and choose by the reviews.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Bovec before prices climb.