Slovenia holidays

Slovenia is Central Europe's most-naturally-rewarding small country — a country that packs Alps, Karst, Mediterranean and Pannonian Plain landscapes into an area smaller than Wales. The headline experiences: Lake Bled (the iconic small lake with the Bled Castle perched on a cliff and the small island church reached by pletna gondola — the country's most-photographed scene); Lake Bohinj (the larger, wilder lake 30 minutes from Bled, less-developed and more-rewarding for hiking and quieter swimming); the Vintgar Gorge wooden boardwalk (the iconic short hike near Bled); the Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle (the Postojna Cave is the most-visited cave in Europe at 24km of mapped passages, the train ride inside the cave is a unique attraction; Predjama Castle is the most-dramatic castle-in-a-cave in the world); the Adriatic coast at Piran (the Venetian-era walled town that is Slovenia's only proper Mediterranean small-town); the Soča Valley's emerald-green river for white-water rafting and the WWI Isonzo Front history (Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" is set here); the Logarska Valley and Triglav National Park's alpine landscapes; and the capital Ljubljana with its Plečnik-designed architecture (the world's only city designed almost entirely by one architect), the Dragon Bridge, the Central Market and the Ljubljana Castle.

A 7-10 day Slovenia trip: Ljubljana (2-3 nights — Old Town walking, Dragon Bridge, Central Market, Ljubljana Castle for the city panorama, the Plečnik-designed Three Bridges and National Library, dinner at Atelje, Strelec or Dvor Jezeršek, the Open Kitchen Friday-summer street-food market) → Lake Bled (2 nights — pletna gondola to Bled Island, the Bled Castle, Vintgar Gorge boardwalk, the cream-cake at Park Hotel, optional Lake Bohinj day-trip and the Mostnica Gorge boardwalk) → Soča Valley at Bovec or Kobarid (2-3 nights — emerald-river white-water rafting, the Kobarid WWI Museum, the Boka Falls hike, the Kluže Fortress) → Adriatic coast at Piran (1-2 nights — Venetian-era walled town walking, the Sečovlje salt pans, optional fresh seafood at the Piran restaurants) → optional Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle as a day-trip from Ljubljana or en-route to Piran (1 day).