Are you planning a trip to Slovenia, but you’re not sure where exactly to go?

Slovenia is such an underrated country, home to the gorgeous little capital city, Ljubljana and an incredible amount of nature, that even if you’re expecting it, it’ll still surprise you with some wonderful food options.

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, then I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I really appreciate your support, as this is how I keep my content free <3

From the popular Lake Bled, to the country’s largest lake, Bohinj, to the incredibly gorgeous Lake Jasna and Zelenci Nature Reserve. Slovenia might be deceptively small, but what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in incredible views.

I’ve visited Slovenia twice, but recently spent one week travelling around and couldn’t believe how underrated it is.

Some of the spots were the most peaceful I have ever been to, and the views just blew me away.

In this post, I have put together my ultimate 5-day itinerary, ticking off some of the popular spots in Slovenia that you must visit, like Lake Bled, as well as some of the more underrated ones.

Keep reading to start planning your 5-day trip to Slovenia.

In a hurry? Here is our quick guide to visiting Slovenia

How to get here: Fly into Ljubljana, the capital
What language is spoken? Slovenian
What currency is used? The Euro
Where to stay: Sava Hotels & Resorts (in Bled), Hotel Bohinj (Bohinj), Boutique Skipass Superior Hotel (Lake Jasna)
When to visit: Shoulder seasons: Mid-May to June and September to early October
The eSim we use: SimLocal, use code MEMORIES to save 5% – Fast data & low prices
The best travel insurance for Digital Nomads: SafetyWing!

How to Spend 5 Perfect Days in Slovenia: The Ultimate 5-day Slovenia Travel Guide

Here’s a quick look at what this 5-day Slovenia itinerary will cover!

Day 1: Fly into Ljubljana and make your way down to Lake Bled for the day

Day 2: Travel to Bohinj and take the Vogel Cable Car for views over the lake

Day 3: Hike to Savica Waterfall

Day 4: Spend the day at Lake Jasna and the evening at Zelenci Nature Reserve

Day 5: Spend the day exploring Ljubljana before flying home

Here is a handy map to help you find each spot:

Before we dive into this Slovenia itinerary, I’ll cover everything you need to know to spend 5 days in Slovenia, including how to get there, the best time to visit, and where to stay. 

Everything you need to know to visit Slovenia

Where is Slovenia?

Slovenia is a deceptively small country in Central Europe, located between Austria and Croatia, where southeastern and Central Europe meet, and where the Eastern Alps border the Adriatic Sea between Austria and Croatia.

Slovenia also borders Italy to the west and Hungary to the northeast. It is mainly mountains and forests and covers 20,271 square kilometres (7,827 sq mi).

How to get to Slovenia

The main airport for travelling to Slovenia is to fly into Ljubljana Airport. It’s a fairly small airport, but it is well serviced for flights to other European cities and towns (26 countries in total currently).

If you are travelling around Europe, then another option is to cross via land into Slovenia; this can be a great way to explore other areas of Slovenia without having to visit Ljubljana (although I would recommend spending at least half a day there as it’s a lovely capital city).

For this Slovenia itinerary, you’ll fly into Ljubljana, which is what I did and is the easiest way to travel into the country.

When is the best time to visit Slovenia?

Slovenia can be beautiful all year round, but during the winter it can get very cold, especially in the mountains with heavy snowfall.

Summer, however, can get very hot and is also peak season, meaning it can be very busy, especially at spots such as Lake Bled.

Because of this, I think the best time to visit Slovenia is during the shoulder season. Specifically, mid-May to June and September to early October, I visited early June and found the temperatures to be perfect. There were also wildflowers everywhere surrounding the mountains, making for a perfect view.

Where to stay in Slovenia

As you’ll be moving around a lot with this Slovenian itinerary, I would advise that you also stay in multiple different places. Here is where I recommend staying in each spot that you’ll be visiting during your trip to Slovenia:

Where to stay in Bled: Hotel Park: Sava Hotels & Resorts
Where to stay in Bohinj: Hotel Bohinj
(I have written a whole guide on the best hotels to stay in Bohinj, which you can read here)
Where to stay in Kranjska gora (for Lake Jasna): Boutique Skipass Superior Hotel

How to get around Slovenia

If you’re able, then the best way to travel around Slovenia is by hiring a car. I travelled around using buses, and whilst the country is small, I found the buses to be unreliable and infrequent. It’s worth noting that they only take cash.

You can hire a car from Ljubljana airport. I recommend hiring your car in advance before you travel to secure one. You can do so here through Discover Cars.

I also recommend getting a Julian Card. These can be used in Bohinj and give you free transport, parking and access to certain activities and hikes, such as the boat across Lake Bohinj and entrance to Savica Waterfall and other hiking trails.

Day 1: Fly into Ljubljana and explore Bled

Morning: Catch an early flight and get the bus or shuttle to Bled

I recommend exploring Ljubljana on your way home and instead, heading straight to Bled from the airport. To get to Bled from Ljubljana Airport, you have three options.

How to get from Ljubljana Airport to Lake Bled

1. Get the public bus
2. Get a shuttle bus
3. Take a taxi

My immediate advice would be to take the public bus. It runs once per hour, on the hour during high season, and costs €10. However, I waited for two public buses, and both were full, leaving me unable to get on either of them.

It’s also worth noting that the bus only takes cash. If you don’t have any, there’s an ATM just outside the airport which costs €4 per transaction.

Because of this, I took a shuttle bus, which costs €20 per person (however, the more of you, the cheaper it is). The journey takes around 45 minutes, and it will drop you wherever you want around Lake Bled. They generally wait around 15 minutes until there are a few of you in it; however, I ended up being the only one in it, so it was effectively a private taxi.

Which brings me to the last option: a private taxi. A taxi costs around €40 from Ljubljana Airport to Lake Bled, so if there are a few of you, then this could work out as the best option for time and potentially even budget.

Afternoon: Hike up to the viewpoint over Lake Bled

There are a couple of viewpoints dotted around the western end of the lake that offer an incredible view over Lake Bled. These are Ojstrica and Mala Osojnica; the views from both are incredible. Both hikes are relatively short, but very steep!

Ojstrica takes around 20 minutes, whilst Mala Osojnica takes around 45 minutes. There are also two ways to get to Mala Osojnica, both are incredibly steep, but one is via a set of stairs and one a very steep gravel road.

I personally think that Ojstrica is the best out of the two, as it feels the most authentic and natural. It’s also conveniently the quickest to get to.

If you don’t fancy hiking, then some other options for things to do in Bled include:

– Walking around the lake, the full loop takes approximately 1.5 hours and is so beautiful the whole way around. You can also hire bikes if you prefer to cycle around..
– Take a boat trip on Lake Bled – a great way to see the lake from the water
– Go for a swim – there are designated swimming spots around the lake
– Go Canyoning around the Bohinj Valley from Lake Bled
– Go on a Lake Bled Stand-Up Paddle Boarding Tour
– Fly on Europe’s longest zip line over the Sava Dolinka River

Evening: Enjoy a local dinner and watch the sunset over the lake

There are plenty of spots to grab dinner around Lake Bled. I recommend Bled Castle Restaurant for some of the best views of Lake Bled. Bled Castle is also a wonderful spot to watch the sunrise over Bled, as is Ojstrica viewpoint, if you didn’t come here in the afternoon (or, if you don’t mind hiking up twice). 

Check out my guide on the 12 best places to stay in Lake Bled for all budgets!

Day 2: Head to Bohnij and ride the Vogel Cable Car

Morning: Travel from Bled to Bohinj

While Lake Bled is the most famous lake in Slovenia, Bohinj is actually a much larger and more remote lake located within Triglav National Park. The distance between Bled and Bohinj is just 20 km and takes around 30 minutes by bus or car, and it is absolutely gorgeous, through the mountains.

If you are planning on spending longer in Bohinj, then you can read my full 3-day guide on visiting Bohinj here.

Afternoon: Ride the Vogel cable car

Once you’re in Bohinj and have checked into where you’re staying (I recommend Hotel Bohinj), either take the Panoramic boat across the lake to the other side, or drive to Vogel Cable Car, from here, take the cable car up to the top for the most incredible views across Bohinj.

The cable car journey takes just 4 minutes and costs €29.50 for a return journey.

Once you are at Vogel, you can go even higher via the “Orlove glave” chairlift to Orlove glave (1682 m), which offers views of the Bohinj mountains. This was free when I visited, and you could just walk onto it; however, I’m not sure if this is the case usually.

There’s also a restaurant at the top, and of course, gorgeous views over the lake and mountains.

Evening: Enjoy dinner at Hotel Bohinj

While you can’t see the sunset directly over the lake, it is, of course, absolutely gorgeous during golden hour. I recommend enjoying dinner at Hotel Bohinj, as their food was incredible. I ate here multiple times, and every dish was exceptional.

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, then I highly recommend the vegan steak. I you can’t decide where to stay in Bohinj, then I highly recommend reading my guide here.

Day 3: Hike to Savica Waterfall or Mostnica Gorge and Voje Waterfall

For day 3 of your 5-day Slovenian itinerary, you have two options, both are hikes, but one is far easier than the other; however, both offer incredible views of unspoilt nature. Of course, if you have an extra day, then you can easily add on an additional day and complete both of these hikes.

Morning and Afternoon option 1: Hike to Savica Waterfall

Savica Waterfall is a gorgeous double waterfall located in Komarča at the end of Lake Bohinj and is said to be the most famous waterfall in the whole of Slovenia.

To get here, you can either hike from the campsite in Ukanc or drive to the car park that is around a 20-minute walk from Savica Waterfall.

If you opt to hike (which is what I did), the walk is fairly easy and flat and takes around 1 hour to arrive at the car park. There is also a restaurant here where you can stop for a drink or some lunch. From here, the walk is around 20 minutes up 553 stairs to Savica Waterfall.

It can get fairly busy at the waterfall, but there’s a spot to sit and enjoy the views from, so I recommend going with enough time that you can relax at the top and wait for a few moments when you have it all to yourself. I spent about 1 hour here and enjoyed taking in the incredible views before heading back down and grabbing a beer before my hike back (maybe not recommended, but the view was too good to pass up).

Savica Waterfall is one of the highlights of visiting Bohinj and of any Slovenia itinerary. If you’re searching for more information on Savica waterfall, read this full post on it, including various hiking trails.

Practical information about the Savica Waterfall hike:

Distance: 1.8 km return/ 1.11 miles return
Elevation: Roughly 140 m / 459 ft. elevation gain
Type: In and out trail
Length: If driving 20 minutes one way, if hiking 1 hour one way
Difficulty: Easy-moderate
Fee to enter: €3 for adults (free with a Julian card) + parking if you choose this option

Morning and Afternoon option 2: Hike to Mostnica Gorge and Voje Waterfall

Your second option is a hike to the beautiful Mostnica Gorge and Voje Waterfall. The trail is absolutely gorgeous and will take you past many waterfalls, gorges and through the fields that, when I visited (early June), were covered in wild flowers.

This hike starts from Stara Fuzina (the ‘main’ side of Lake Bohinj). 

There is also an option to drive up to the trailhead of the Mostnica Gorge; there’s a parking lot in Stara Fuzina where you can park. You can also walk from Lake Bohinj, which adds around 30 minutes each way on top of the hike. This is what I did as I was staying at the start of the trail at Apartmaji Triglav.

The hike is beautiful and twists and turns along the water; be prepared to stop every few minutes to take photos and take in the views.

You can opt to hike ‘just’ to Mostnica Gorge or continue on to Voje Waterfall.

If you continue to Voje Waterfall, you’ll pass by a little mountain cottage (Slap Voye is the name)  where you can stop for a drink or some food.

The Voje Waterfall is only a few minutes past the cottage, so you can decide if you want to stop before or after you see the waterfall.

This is the perfect spot to take a little break, enjoy the waterfall, and relax before you make the journey back down to Stara Fuzina!

The hike from Mostnica Gorge to Voje Waterfall is generally pretty flat through the mountains and wildflowers. I was personally more impressed with Mostnica Gorge than I was with Voje Waterfall; however, I would recommend continuing your hike, as overall it’s still really beautiful and peaceful.

Practical information about the Mostnica Gorge and Voje Waterfall hike:

Distance: 11.7 km return/ 7.3 mi
Elevation Gain: 345 m/ 1,125 ft elevation gain
Type: Loop trail
Length: 3 – 4 hours in total
Difficulty: Moderate, mainly easy forest paths, but some muddy/slippery areas and two short uphill sections (to the hut & waterfall) 
Elevation: Trail varies from 600 m at Stara Fužina to ~750 m at its highest (Voje Valley) 
Summer/peak: €4 for adults/ Off‑season: €3 for adults (free with a Julian Card)
Fee to enter: €4 during peak season, or free during off-season

Day 4: Spend the day at Lake Jasna and the evening at Zelenci Nature Reserve

Morning: Travel to Kranjska Gora

On day 4 of your 5-day Slovenia itinerary, we’re going to head even further up to the north side of Slovenia to Kranska, home to the stunning Lake Jasna and Zelenci Nature Reserve for some of the most incredible views in Slovenia.

The drive from Lake Bohinj to Kranjska Gora takes just over 1 hour. There are also buses that run once per hour.

I recommend leaving early so that you have the majority of the day to explore Lake Jasna and Zelenci Nature Reserve. I caught the 8:53 AM bus from Lake Bohinj to Kranjska Gora, which involves one change in Jesenice and costs €8.20, paid in cash only.

Of course, if you’re driving, then this will be a nice, short one-hour drive for you through the mountains.

Afternoon: Explore Lake Jasna

Once you arrive, drop your bags off at your hotel and head straight to Lake Jasna. It’s around a 25-minute walk from Kranjska Gora (depending on where you stay here).

Compared to Lake Bohinj, Lake Jasna is pretty small. You can walk around it in about 20 minutes, but it’s absolutely gorgeous, backed by the mountains.

There’s a restaurant at Lake Jasna (where I enjoyed a lovely mushroom soup), a frozen yoghurt stand, where you can choose your flavour and toppings and public toilets. You can also swim in the lake or hire paddleboards.

Entrance to the lake is free.

Evening: Visit Zelenci Nature Reserve

Just a 4-minute drive or a 1-hour walk away from Kranjska Gora is Zelenci Nature Reserve, a beautiful spot that’s a must-see on any Slovenia itinerary.

Public transport here isn’t great; there isn’t a direct bus, but instead you have to get one past the reserve and then walk back on yourself for 30 minutes. There also aren’t many taxis about (there’s one local taxi which services the whole area). So, if you’re not visiting with a car, then you don’t have much option but to walk. However, trust me, the view is worth it.

Set on 15 hectares of pristine Slovenian wilderness, the reserve is famous for its emerald green lake. There’s a viewing platform from above where you can spend some time taking in the incredible views and capturing beautiful photos.

There are also various types of birds and animals here, so be aware not to disturb them..

From the car park, it’s a short 5-10 minute walk to get to the nature reserve. There’s also a restaurant near the car park where I enjoyed a lovely dinner of homemade mushroom Gnocchi, and the owner kindly gave me a lift back to Kranjska Gora when the local taxi was full!

Day 5: Spend the day exploring Ljubljana before flying home

Morning: Travel back to Ljubljana

I, once again, recommend leaving early so that you have the whole day to explore Ljubljana. If you were looking for a relaxing Slovenia itinerary, you might want to go elsewhere (or just add in a few more days)…

I caught the 7:20 AM bus from Kranjska Gora to Ljubljana, which meant I arrived in Ljubljana at 9:15 and quickly put my suitcase into storage at the bus station (which costs €6 for a medium locker and only takes cash).

I then made my way to Stow Coffee, who offer speciality coffee (I was craving a coconut milk latte) before a day of exploring!

Afternoon: Explore the city of Ljubljana

Ljubljana really surprised me, I don’t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t a city as vibrant and aesthetic as this one.

A few things that I recommend doing are visiting the Postojna Cave & Predjama Castle, the interior is really unique and impressive. You can opt to go on the afternoon tour here, which leaves at around 1 PM and lasts for 6 hours, so make sure that you have enough time to get back in time for your flight.

Another option is to visit Ljubljana Castle. You can take the funicular to Castle Hill and explore the castle, travelling back through the ages and learning about the history of Ljubljana.

Ljubljana itself is also just a really gorgeous city; it’s fairly small, so I recommend walking around and exploring. If you have time, visit: Dragon Bridge, Central Market and Tromostovje.

I also had a super tasty and affordable meal at Abi Falafel. They offer a selection of falafel, mezze, dips, etc., all at a really good price. I had a mezze/ falafel board and side for around €10. If falafel isn’t your thing, then don’t worry, there are plenty of spots to enjoy dinner in Ljubljana, either along the water or on one of the side streets.

Evening: Fly home! (or move on to your next destination)

And that concludes your 5-day Slovenia itinerary. It’s now time to either fly home or travel onwards to your next destination. I recommend Switzerland, Albania or Italy.

If you are travelling to the airport, then it’s worth noting that the buses only run once per hour and only take cash. The airport bus from Ljubljana to Ljubljana Airport costs €3.90. I missed the bus by one minute because I was trying to get some cash to pay for it (don’t be like me), so ended up getting a taxi, which cost me €35, bartered down from €55, (which also didn’t except cash, but the nice taxi driver let me pay for his fuel instead).

In short, if you want to catch the airport bus, arrive at the bus station with enough time!

Final thoughts on your 5-day Slovenia itinerary

As you can see, there is so much to see in Slovenia. The natural beauty is really breathtaking, and it’s such a small country, making it easy to see many different parts. There are tons of activities to enjoy when visiting Slovenia for 5 days!

To be honest, 5 days in Slovenia barely scratches the surface of what this incredible country has in store, but it’s the perfect amount of time to get to know the country, beyond just Lake Bled (as beautiful as Bled is). I hope that you’ve found this Slovenia itinerary helpful and you fall in love with the country just as much as I did!