Autumn in Slovenia, the season I'd pick

September, summer minus the crowds

September keeps a 15.6°C average in Ljubljana and 17.9°C at Portorož, with every seasonal sight open. The catch is that it’s the rainiest month across much of the centre and west, 179 mm in the capital. I’d deal with that by keeping one day flexible and having the caves as plan B. The detail is in Slovenia in September.

October, food and forests

October drops to 11.5°C in Ljubljana and is the last month for Vintgar Gorge and Bled Castle’s long hours. It’s also, for me, the most food-focused month, and in 2026 the official calendar proved it with Restaurant Week, Radovljica’s culinary autumn and Ptuj’s Wine Is Not Water festival. The clocks change on the last Sunday and the 31st, Reformation Day, is a day off. The whole month is in Slovenia in October.

November, St Martin’s Day and new wine

November is cold, averaging 6.8°C in the capital, but it has St Martin’s Day on the 11th, the new-wine feast, celebrated from west to east, from Brda and the Karst to Maribor. Ljubljana gives the month over to food with November Gourmet. 1 November is work-free, and from the 15th your car has to be fitted out for winter. The festival calendar is in Slovenia in November.

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

Where to see the autumn colours

The organisers of Bohinj’s flower festival note that when the forests take on their autumn colours, the valley still has flowers. I’d look for colour at Lakes Bohinj and Jasna, in the Soča Valley and the Logar Valley, and for vineyards, in Brda and the Jeruzalem hills in the east. The statistics do warn that the high mountains cool fast, with Kredarica averaging 2.9°C in September and -3.3°C in November. The lake I’d pick is Lake Bohinj.

How I’d plan an autumn trip

Ten days between mid-September and mid-October, with a base at Bohinj or Bled, another on the Soča and a last one in Brda or on the coast. If wine is the main draw, I’d move the dates to the first half of November and split the trip between west and east to catch two festival weekends. Either way, put Vintgar and Bled Castle early in the trip, because their season and long opening hours finish with October, and from mid-November make sure any hire car comes with proper winter tyres fitted.

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

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