Today I’m sharing a few of my Instagram photos from a summer road trip in Slovenia this year.
I went to lovely Ljubljana for Ana Desetnica street theatre festival, and then with my co-blogger Kate, took a hire car to see what other things you can do in Slovenia. Turns out there is plenty! Including two UNESCO world heritage sites, and some really impressive places for green travellers.
What To Do On A Road Trip In Slovenia
If you’re planning a trip to Slovenia, here are the things I recommend you put on the itinerary.
You can tell I was enjoying myself because I made a tribute to the country while I was still in it!
Loving the journey we took, I also invented the #Feedbomb for Instagram, to show off some of beautiful Slovenia.
I’ve added context to all of the photos in this Instagram tribute in the post below.
The river Sava running past Trboje and other towns in Kranj, just outside the district of Ljubljana.
Starting from before you even land in the country, Slovenia is really pretty. If you’re flying in, try to get a window seat on a daylight hours flight!
Along the gorgeous banks of the Ljubljanica river, in the centre of Ljubljana
Ljubljana is a really pretty capital city, with a small centre that is easy to explore on foot. A lot of the bars, restaurants and cafes are along the river, which makes for a great lazy afternoon stroll.
Street art in Ljubljana by The Kids Gang
You won’t find too much street art in central Ljubljana – it’s so pristine that I imagine even the most committed urban spray-painter wouldn’t want to damage one aesthetic for the sake of another – but there is plenty of modern design and trendy shops. Just ask Frankie how the vintage shopping scene was…
Delicious horse steak sandwich with a glass of Radler
They have a great food market called Open Kitchen in Ljubljana during spring and summer, with food sellers from all over the world. Deciding between Turkish, Senegalese, Indian, Italian, and healthy smoothies was tough. In the end an Argentinian place won, with steak from Uruguay!
Ana Desetnica festival opened with a fiery performance from KDPM Street Theatre Company
Of course I was in town for Ana Desetnica which added a lot of excitement to exploring the city. The performances were all free so if you can come while it’s on then definitely do. Check out more photos of Ana Desetnica 2014 from me too.
Declaring my love for sLOVEnia with a #Feedbomb on Instagram
The next 9 photos are what I call a ‘feedbomb’ or an ‘instatakeover’. The idea is to put a message into your Instagram follower’s feeds and hopefully one they will enjoy! If it’s done correctly and with a little preparation, you can publish a string of images to your Instagram account, that should display in sequence together for people to read the message. Just like they appear now in this post!
I chose 9 images so that I could represent the colours of the Slovenian flag in a 3 by 3 grid later, which is also how they would display to anyone looking at my Instagram profile on a mobile device. Give me a follow on Instagram if you like my photos!
Gorgeous meadows, fluffy clouds, jagged peaks and wooden houses. This is the Slovenian countryside.
Get outside the capital. Slovenia is easy on the eyes!
L is for light and loveliness, wandering through the cobbled streets of Ljubljana.
Fall in love with winding streets and peaceful squares in Ljubljana by wandering without a map.
A pretty sample of Idrijan lace, an industry which evolved hundreds of years ago alongside their Mercury mines, and became much sought after in Italy and other parts of Europe.
See how Idrija used to be a the centre of fashionable textile design, and how locals are staging a revival on Etsy now.
The hills and valleys of central Slovenian towns – completely different to the coastal regions.
Let the lush green hills replenish your energy, going for a hike in the fresh air.
There is lots and lots to Eat in this country. This is a traditional cream cake from Lake Bled.
Try the local fare. This might be cream cake or river trout in Lake Bled for example. Ljubljana also has a few pubs serving beer from Slovenian craft breweries like Human Fish.
A little bit of #doorporn from Ljubljana.
Keep your inner Instagrammer happy with quirky photos from this cool town.
Ice-cream on the famous bridges in Ljubljana. They have several artisanal ice-cream shops which are very good.
Over-indulge in top quality ice-cream at Cacao or Vigo.
Looking down the steps of the island church at Lake Bled. Swimming in the water here was as good as it looks!
Take advantage of Slovenia’s warm weather and gorgeous lakes by going for a swim. Or try stand-up paddle boarding if you want something different!
A traditional Slovenian family house, hotel and museum, in the pretty town of Radovljica. It’s a short drive into the hills from Lake Bled, and was full of local food products, as well as having an interesting history.
Visit smaller towns like Radovljica for yet another taste of the simple, wholesome way of life in Slovenia.
If you’re not on Instagram yet, maybe it’s time to join. It’s the favourite social network for lots of people – simple and entertaining. Depends who you follow of course…
More photos from a Slovenian road trip
Islands, churches and mountains, at Lake Bled
Lake Bled is a really iconic part of Slovenia and great for holiday snaps. I was surprised to hear a few English voices here (although they were discreet, quiet ones) because it’s not a well-known destination for us Brits. The nearest church is on an island that you can swim or boat out to.
Taking a tour of Anthony’s Shaft in Idrija.
One of the most interesting parts of Slovenia for me was the history at Anthony’s Shaft, a UNESCO-listed world heritage site that is starting to bring more tourists to the town of Idrija. The locals have been mining Mercury here for over 500 years, long before much was understood about the dangers of it. Deposits here were so rich that they were able to extract as much as 10% of all the Mercury that has ever been mined. That alone is just incredible for a small town in Slovenia.
Treehouse cabins at Garden Village eco resort, Lake Bled
Another highlight of the trip was the impressive Garden Village eco resort that we stayed in at Lake Bled. Sleeping in a cabin in the trees, with all mod cons, amazing food, and with features like a naturally self-cleansing swimming pool, this place is worth writing home about.
Breakfast of Champignons at Garden Village
Obviously, as an avid instagrammer, I sometimes enjoying tweeting my breakfast and other meals. This one I shared because the fresh produce of Slovenian was so tasty, and also because the table mats were actually living grass lawns.
Church on a hill, overlooking Idrija.
I’ve been to Piran in Slovenia before, which you should also visit if you can. Driving along that part of the coast, the country feels very similar to Croatia. But further North and inland, Slovenia feels and looks a lot more like Austria, and this part of the country did used to be part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
Arriving to Lake Bled by car
Road trips in general can be quite exciting, but seeing my first glimpse of Lake Bled I knew I was in for a treat. The road leads right to the shore of the lake, where people were busy sunbathing and swimming.
Driving through farmland to accommodation at the airport
Even though we caught a few raindrops on our last day in Slovenia, the scenery was still gorgeous, with flat green farmland and jagged mountain peaks in the distance. If I hadn’t already taken over 1000 photos we probably would have stopped for more!
A crowd gathers for a performance from Ana Desetnica
Overall, Ljubljana is definitely Slovenia’s jewel in the crown. It’s so easy to explore, with great food and drink, cool bars, and plenty of culture – from live music and festivals to museums.
I recommend spending a couple of days here, and longer if you want to really explore and enjoy a festival. But if your travel plans have any flexibility at all… give yourself time to see more of Slovenia too.
Peter
My road trip with Kate was part of MustLoveFestivals, which you should check out if you haven’t already. We partnered with VisitLjubljana and the free street theatre festival of Ana Desetnica for this trip – thanks to you both, for a great visit! I retain full editorial control of what I say and that includes my usual No Bias guarantee. I’ve also published several videos from this summer on Youtube, so if you want to see those when they come out, subscribe to my channel. Thanks!
The post A Summer Road Trip In Slovenia & An Instagram Feedbomb appeared first on Travel Unmasked.
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