Our Trip to Slovenia

After 7 years of my man owning "Saro Imports," the main importer of Slovenian wine to Israel, our family finally joined him and took a trip to Slovenia.

In 2016, after years in the wine and food industry, my man (aka Ido) started importing wine from Slovenia and the Balkans. At first, I didn't quite understand why Slovenia and what is unique about the wines there, but after tasting them, I discovered a rich tradition of great white and orange wines that are perfect for the Mediterranean climate. While Ido has been to Slovenia a couple of times, COVID and life prevented our family from being there before. This July, our family joined him for a couple of weeks. As we visited the wineries he is working with, our trip was a bit out of the regular tourist tour, however, it made us see different parts of this amazing country.

Days 1–2: Brda

We landed in Trieste, Italy, where we met Jure Štekar from the Štekar winery, our home for the next couple of days. Štekar is located in Kojsko, 30 minutes' drive from the border between Italy and Slovenia. We stayed at their beautiful house in the middle of the Brda hills.

Brda is a beautiful wine region located in the western part of Slovenia. The region is known for its unique microclimate, which is ideal for growing a variety of grapes that produce exceptional wines. Its evergreen hills are home to more than 150 family-owned wineries.

After a fun day in the pool and a great tour around the villages of the area, we visited Ščurek winery. Its location right off the border allows you to enjoy great wines with a beautiful view of both Italy and Slovenia.

Days 3–7: Karst & the Mediterranean

From Kojsko, we drove through Koper and on to our home for the next few days, Casa Oasa in Marezige. During our 5 days in Marezige, along with visiting more wineries, we also explored two of Slovenia's most well-known caves, enjoyed a delightful lunch and views in Vipava, made a short but enjoyable visit to Istria, Croatia, and ended our journey in the beautiful town of Piran.

Marezige is a small village located 10 km from Koper, up the hills. It offers a magnificent view of the Slovenian coast and is just a 45-minute drive from both Postojna and Škocjan Caves. At the end of the village, atop the hill, you can find the wine fountain, where you can enjoy a glass of local Malvasia or Refošk while watching the breathtaking sunset.

We stayed at Casa Oasa, a family-owned hotel with a swimming pool and wonderful owners. Barbara and Borut were incredibly friendly and helpful, and we spent a couple of enjoyable nights drinking and talking with them.

A lot has been written about these beautiful places created by nature. The only thing I have to add is that both caves are magical, each one in its own way, and they are completely incomparable! The visit to the fairytale castle, Predjama, was also amazing. It was great to see how the human-built castle is embraced by the rock.

The beautiful Vipava Valley is known for its biodynamic agriculture and natural wines. We visited the valley before attending a few meetings with wineries and enjoyed an outstanding lunch accompanied by some local wines. We only had a few hours there, but Vipava Valley is definitely a must stay for biodynamic wine lovers.

On our last day in the area, we spent half a day in the beautiful old city of Piran. Situated right by the beach, Piran is one of the three oldest towns in Slovenia. Its narrow streets, galleries, and the charming old town square made it a great finale for this part of our trip.

Days 8–12: Bled Area & Triglav

Probably the most touristy part of Slovenia, or at least the one I have heard of the most, this area of Slovenia definitely lives up to its reputation. We spent a magical five days here, with unpredictable weather that forced us to be flexible and spontaneous, and sometimes soaking wet!

We chose to stay outside of Bled itself and found our beautiful home for the next few days in Zgornje Gorje, just a 10-minute drive from Bled. We stayed at Apartments Perla, a house with three fully equipped apartments and a terrace with views of the area. This area is less hectic than Bled center, and that's exactly how we like it. Domen, our host, was super nice and helpful, providing us with some excellent recommendations for food and suggestions regarding the weather.

During our time in Bled, we explored the city, took a walk around the lake, visited the beautiful Bled Castle, and hiked through Vintgar Gorge. We spent half a day in the charming medieval town of Radovljica and hiked to the stunning Zajamniki in Pokljuka. The weather was a bit unpredictable during our stay, so we adjusted our schedule accordingly. This sometimes resulted in getting wet to the bone, but it also led us to discover magical places we otherwise wouldn't have visited.

Lake Bohinj and Kranjska Gora are part of Triglav Park and offer beautiful views of the Alps as well as freezing water lakes and some extreme attractions for kids and adults. We had two very enjoyable day trips to them, and we were a bit sorry that we couldn't stay longer. On the first day, we took the cable car to Mount Vogel and its spectacular views, hiked to the powerful Savica waterfalls, and enjoyed a freezing dip in Lake Bohinj.

On our half-day at Kranjska Gora, a town nestled in the Julian Alps of Slovenia, we went on the thrilling 1.5 km mountain coaster that took us on a wild ride through the majestic alpine scenery. After a couple of rounds, we took some rest at the peaceful shore of Lake Jasna.

Days 13–14: Ptuj

Located in eastern Slovenia and close to the Austrian border, Ptuj is one of the three oldest cities in Slovenia. Similar to Piran, its old alleys and castle are a lot of fun to explore, and we enjoyed spending a couple of peaceful days there. Ptuj is the main city in the Styria wine region, and there are great winemakers in the area, producing white wines from authentic grapes.

During our time in Ptuj, after walking all over the old city, its small galleries and coffee shops, we visited our favorite wineries, enjoyed great food in the Open Kitchen market, and had a fun half-day in the Terme Ptuj water park.

We stayed at the very cool Muzikafe that offers comfortable rooms, a delightful breakfast, and a charming outdoor garden for evening drinks.

Days 15–16: Ljubljana

Our visit to Slovenia ended after spending a couple of days in Ljubljana, Slovenia's charming capital. During those days, we wandered around the city, walked in the beautiful Tivoli Park, climbed to Ljubljana Castle, and visited the House of Illusions. In between, we enjoyed some great meals at the restaurants along the Ljubljanica River.

We stayed at Neu Residences, in a fully equipped apartment right in the center of the city, within walking distance from everywhere. The place offers apartments in different sizes, a coffee shop in the lobby and a rooftop bar with a small pool and a great view of the city.

Those two weeks in Slovenia were magical for us. We enjoyed everything in this country: the nature, the hospitality, the food, and the wine. These are all great reasons to come back, which is exactly what we plan to do!

Until next time, na zdravja!