TRAVEL TIPS FOR SLOVENIA
ABOUT
SLOVENIA BIKE ADVENTURE
DESCRIPTION: 300 miles with 19,600’ of climbing.
PURPOSE: Explore the bike routes from the Slovenia Green website.
TYPE: Solo ride on a fold up bike.
ROUTE: Panoramic Route and parts of the Wellness and Gourmet routes.
WEATHER: I was there in May, and it was perfect spring weather with some rain.
COMMENT: Slovenia calls itself the most sustainable county on the planet. It is a country with stunning landscapes, no trash anywhere and recycle bins everywhere.
TRANSIT
AIRLINES: United (fold up bike went as luggage)
DESTINATION: Joze Pucnik Airport, Ljubljana, Slovenia
TRANSPORT FROM AIRPORT TO HOSTEL: Mimi: Whats App - # +386 51 813 216
FIRST NIGHT: Hostel Celicia - the best! It has a fantastic vibe with friendly staff, and they host art and music events.
COMMENT: Hostel Celicia is owned by the city. It is an historic structure from 1882 that was originally a jail. Today, it’s a not-to-be-missed example of the great benefits of repurposing old buildings!
ROUTE
APPS USED: Ride with GPS
ITINERARY: See spreadsheet
TRANSPORTATION PLATFORM: Supplemented the biking with an occasional train ride and local buses.
TIME FRAME: 25 days in May
COMMENT: It was convenient having the fold up bike. In some places, I took a bus and it was super easy to fit the bike in with the luggage. I don’t do panniers, just a small backpack so not much dismantling was required. The bus drivers don’t like to load your bike! Best to do it yourself. The trains have bike compartments and charge a nominal fee - pay on the train.
SLEEP
ACCOMMODATIONS: Hostels and a guest house in Solcava for 2 nights.
AVERAGE OVERNIGHT COST: $30/night for hostels and $115/night for guesthouse.
BOOKING PLATFORM: Didn’t pre-book while biking. Used Google to locate hostels.
COMMENT: It was never a problem finding a hostel - except for the 2 nights in Solcava.
EAT
FOOD: Steam heated Struklji is addictive! Sweet or savory. One serving is a meal and it holds up well on a bike. Cheese filled Burek is also great, it is filling and travels well.
RESTAURANTS: Don’t miss the wonderful food in Ljubljana at Moji Strukji Slovenije.
GROCERY STORES: Farmers Markets and Local Groceries are accessible everywhere.
MISC.
BIKE SHOP: Loose Cycles - https://www.loosecycles.com/
CURRENCY: Euro
BUDGET: $98/day
INTERNET: WIFI available everywhere
ELECTRICAL: bring an EU plug attachment
SEE
LJUBLJANA:
Dragon Bridge, Triple Bridge, Ljubljana Castle, Central Market, Presenov Square, Church of St. Nicolas, Trivoli Park, the Metelkova Mesto Graffiti, and the Modern Museum of Art. FOR INFO ON THESE TOP ATTRACTIONS CLICK HERE
There is a weekly OPEN KITCHEN on Fridays.
You can take a ‘Free’ CITY TOUR for 10 EU at 11am or 3pm daily. Tour starts at PRESERNOV SQUARE and lasts 2.5 hours.
SLOVENIA:
MARIBOR has the countries oldest grape vine and an artistic town square.
SOFJA LOKA is the oldest, and considered the most beautiful, settlement in Slovenia.
BLED is a picturesque town with a castle overlooking the lake and an historic church on a island in the lake.
The PANORAMIC ROUTE and LOGAR VALLEY had spectacular long range views of the mountain ranges.
The SKOCJAN CAVES and POSTOJNA CAVES should not be missed. Its an artistic view of our geologic history.
PREP & INFO
Download route to Ride with GPS.
Download country in Google Maps.
No Visa required for U.S. citizens.
FALL WEATHER: Rain Gear and Warm Clothes for high elevations.
COMMENT: My 3 bag rule was perfect for this trip. As a solo traveler, I have to be able to carry all my gear up and down stairs, and sometimes in a hurry at transfers. I can carry the bike in one hand, the front bike basket in the other hand, and the backpack on my back. EZ PZ!
