Slovenian winter, from Ljubljana's Christmas lights to Planica's ski jumps

Skiing in winter, twelve resorts

The Tourist Board counts roughly 230 km of piste across twelve main resorts, mostly reds (114, against 85 blues and 27 blacks), with four resorts of more than ten lifts. Mariborsko Pohorje is the biggest by length, 41.5 km. Kanin, above Bovec, wins on altitude and keeps natural snow long after the valleys have moved on to spring. Vogel, at Bohinj, has the longest run, although the cable car’s website announced maintenance work that would keep it shut until December 2026. And Krvavec is about ten minutes from the airport. Most of them share a season pass, Ski Pass Slovenia. I compare them all in skiing in Slovenia.

Christmas in Ljubljana

For me, this is the big winter city plan. The lights go on at 5pm on 27 November 2026 in Prešeren Square, and from then until 14 January 2027 the city runs its festive December, with a Christmas market and free events across the old centre. On the coast, Koper hosts Fantazima from early December to 10 January, and in Idrija the Perkmandlc festival livens up Advent from 29 November. At Postojna, the Tourist Board describes a living nativity scene inside the cave with more than 500 people taking part. Everything for those weeks is in Christmas in Ljubljana.

Kurentovanje and Planica

February has its own party. The 67th Kurentovanje in Ptuj, the country’s biggest carnival, fills the week from Wednesday 3 to Tuesday 9 February 2027, according to its official website, with the kurenti, whose door-to-door rounds are on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list. If you like your sport, Pokljuka hosts the IBU Open European Biathlon Championships at the end of January 2027 and the IBU Cup in the first week of February. And in March, Planica gathers the ski flyers from Thursday 18 to Sunday 21 March 2027, with women flying the Gorišek brothers’ hill for only the second time. The carnival has its own page, Kurentovanje. And the end of the season, with the Planica ski flying, is in Slovenia in March.

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Cold, snow and winter driving

Official statistics give a January average of 0.4°C in Ljubljana and -3.8°C at Rateče, near Kranjska Gora. If you’re driving, the FCDO points out that during the legal winter season (15 November to 15 March), or on snowy or icy roads, you must carry winter equipment, meaning winter tyres or chains and at least 3 mm of tread, with a €125 fine otherwise. To avoid driving, the Tourist Board mentions winter coaches from Ljubljana to Krvavec, Vogel and Kranjska Gora, and a free ski bus in Kranjska Gora.

Winter things to do if you don’t ski

There’s plenty of winter without skis. The spas open all year, and the biggest for pools, indoor and outdoor, is Terme Čatež in Brežice. Bled puts on its «Winter Fairytale» in December and, if the lake freezes, people skate on it. I’d pair three days in Ljubljana with one in hot water, as I explain in spas in Slovenia. If you’re going in the coldest month, it’s covered in Slovenia in January.

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