A fortnight in Slovenia, from the Alps to the Pannonian plain

Days 1 to 7, the Alps to the sea

The first two days are for Ljubljana and a trip out to Kamnik, about 24 km away, with Velika Planina, the herders’ village. Then come the two Alpine lakes, with Vintgar in between if your dates fall in season. On day five I’d climb to Vršič from Kranjska Gora and drop down through Trenta to Bovec, and day six goes on the Soča Valley. Day seven heads down to Brda, and days eight and nine are for the Karst, with Štanjel, Škocjan and Lipica, and the coast at Piran. If you’d rather a shorter trip, this part is condensed in Slovenia in 10 days.

Day 8, Postojna between the two weeks

On day ten I leave the sea, visit the great cave of the inland Karst and the castle in the cliff, and pass by Lake Cerknica, the country’s largest intermittent lake at 26 km² according to the government, before sleeping in Ljubljana. It’s the day that divides the two halves of the trip.

Days 9 and 10, the Logar Valley and Celje

On day eleven I set off for the upper Savinja valley. About 71 km from the capital lies the Logar Valley, which the Tourist Board ranks among the loveliest Alpine valleys on the continent, and whose landscape park won CIPRA’s award for the best-managed in the Alps. At its head falls the 90-metre Rinka waterfall. Later the road descends to Celje, about 71 km on, the city of the Counts of Celje, with its castle and the remains of Roman Celeia. The valley has its own page, the Logar Valley.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Maribor for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

Days 11 to 13, spas, Ptuj and Maribor

Day twelve is for unwinding at Podčetrtek, about 38 km from Celje, with Terme Olimia and Olimje monastery, which according to the Tourist Board keeps the third-oldest pharmacy in Europe. On day thirteen I’d carry on to Ptuj, about 49 km, with its castle, medieval streets and big bird-filled artificial lake, and finish in Maribor, 30 km away, by the Drava and its centuries-old vine. The spas are compared in spas in Slovenia.

Days 14 and 15, the Mura

On the last day I cross into Pomurje, about 57 km from Maribor, with Murska Sobota, the spas of Moravske Toplice, Plečnik’s church at Bogojina and the vine-covered Jeruzalem hills. The Mura, which the Tourist Board calls Europe’s Amazon, is protected by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve. The drive back to Ljubljana is about 178 km, the longest of the trip. The region is covered in Pomurje. Several villages on this route, Štanjel among them, feature in the prettiest villages in Slovenia.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Maribor on GetYourGuide.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Maribor for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.