West loop
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Description
This is a great four days journey for those who want to see the most of Western Slovenia.The pace is pleasant and easy-going with so many different panoramas to experience along the way.
We pass by a giant Postojna cave and take a photo of a wonderful Predjama castle, have a view to Venetian architecture at the coast, be able to taste local wines and olive oil in Brda and see Alpine mountains, crystal clear Bled Lake and the island in the middle of it.
Loopy tip:
A true exploration with a touch of improvisation.
Instagram photos feed
Program (4 days)
Day One
Postojna is home to the first and the most visited show cave in the world.
The visit lasts for an hour and a half.
At the beginning and the end, you have 15 minutes of driving.
In between, 1 hour of walk. Easy, with stops and explanations.
Just a short drive along a beautiful forest road is all we need to find the unique castle in the middle of the rock.
The scenery is simply breathtaking.
The walk through the castle is semi-difficult, as there are some steep staircases leading to the top.
For both sites, you can buy tickets online.
Possible to do some drive to nearby Cerknica Lake, Rakov Skocjan natural bridges, Babno Polje village where the lowest temperature in Slovenia was measured, or Bloke plateau (more info on Inner Carniola Journey).
Suggested overnight in Postojna or surroundings.
Day Two
We will have stops in the three coastal towns of Slovenia - Piran, Izola, and Koper.
We will drive to the surroundings of the towns, around Savrini Hills to the villages like Hrastovlje, with the church and the famous Danza Maccabra fresco from the 15th century.
It is one of the best-preserved in the wider region, thus a national cultural monument.
Danza Maccabra's motive is common to the time of the Plague or Black Death. It depicts the circle of life, the same for all of us regardless of the status we live.
We will find out why this region, once under Venetian rule, is so different from the rest of Slovenia either from an architectural or natural or cultural point of view.
If the rest of Slovenia was more under Germanic influence from this aspect, this area was under strong Venetian influence.
With distinguished architecture styles the two empires, the Holy Roman Empire and the Venetian Republic, symbolically defined their power in the cities.
Suggested overnight in Piran or surroundings.
Day Three
The day is favorable to wine lovers.
Wine roads of southwestern Slovenia will take us through two wine districts.
Karst limestone region is home to Teran wine, one of the thickest reds you can taste around the world.
The wine gets well accompanied by the local dried ham.
Both are possible to try in one of the wine cellars on the so-called Karst wine road.
Karst with its rough rocky relief is one of the wonderful spots where to have a wine tasting in Slovenia.
The road trip ends after some 100 km (about 62 mi) in the Brda Wine Region.
At the gate to the Soča Valley, we enjoy a real Mediterranean atmosphere, surrounded by vineyards, olive groves, and fruit orchards.
Brda wine region is recently known as one of the European top wine regions.
Every year some of the wines from this region end up among the 100 top world wines declared by the magazines like Wine & Spirits or Decanter.
You can even choose a fine lunch with an excellent selection of wines beside.
Loopy knows this kind of place, no worries.
Suggested overnight in the Brda Wine Region.
Day Four
After a panoramic drive, we reach the Alps and Bled Castle, one of the top sights of Slovenia, with the magnificent view over the Bled Lake and the island in the middle of it.
In the nearby Vintgar Gorge the Radovna River carved an astonishing canyon through the rocks.
The walk is easy, about an hour and a half.
For admission check here.
It's possible also to extend our journey to the Bohinj area, some 25km / 15mi from Bled.
The villages of Bohinj are popular starting points for the hikes to the Triglav National Park.
Lake Bohinj is the biggest Slovenian Lake when the seasonal Cerknica Lake is empty.
The Studor village is known for the 'kozolci' or hayracks.
These vertical structures were made to dry the crops and are found chiefly in Slovenia.
Overnights are not arranged by Loopy Slovenia.
You can extend your stay in any of the destinations to have a day or more at leisure without additional costs.
For information and suggestions please send an email.
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1
Postojna Cave
Town of Postojna is located on Slovenia's highest altitude and it made its fame abroad due to the most visited cave in the world. -
2
Predjama Castle
Impregnable medieval stronghold was built into the side of a cliff, with secret cave passages behind it. -
3
Brda Wine Region
Region full of vineyards, olive groves and fruit orchards recently is becoming a European hotspot for wine lovers. The products of the area are of excellent quality. -
4
Lake Bled
Reportedly one of Slovenia's most beautiful places to visit. A pearl at the gateway to the Alps. -
5
Koper
The capital of the coastal region, so called Slovene Istria. The Port and University City, a vibrant combination of modern and historic. -
6
Izola
A calm fishing town between two more known Mediterranean towns of Slovenia with local fish market and small butiques where you can have a chat with the artist while waiting your souvenir to be done. -
7
Piran
Piran is a treasure of medieval Venetian art of building. One of the most visited destinations of Slovenia. -
8
Portoroz
A former port of roses which in the last hundred and fifty years developed to a thermal resort, where you can be treated with salty mud from nearby salt fields.
What is included in this tour?
- Pick up and drop off at your hotel
- Parking fees, local taxes, insurance
- Professional tour guiding
- Travelling in comfortable air-conditioned vehicle
- Bottled water on the way
Location
Reviews
We were so excited to see Slovenia but found it difficult to find a tour that would take us to the less discovered areas of Slovenia and give us a more authentic view of the country without having to pay through the nose for a private tour. Loopy Slovenia was the answer!
We did both the East Loop and the West Loop tours with Jernej. Right after booking the tours we communicated with Jernej about what we were looking to see and experience on our trip. He really went out of his way to ensure that we had a memorable experience focused on our passions.
The East Loop was our favorite. We saw a local's side of Slovenia. The countryside and the people out there were wonderful! We enjoyed great wine, history, and scenery. We did the excursion in Rogatec. After visiting the outdoor museum, we had to opportunity to sit down with the woman who ran the museum and really speak with her about past and modern life in Slovenia. It was very interesting to speak with a local about her culture and a memory we will always treasure.
The West Loop is a bit more touristic but extremely beautiful! Jernej took us along a mountain pass that is off the beaten track and it took our breath away. We then stopped by a little cafe where a local woman treated us to some local brandy and spoke with us about what it means to be Slovenian. The highlight though was our meal in Smartno, Brda. We paid for the extra excursion and were not disappointed. Everything about our experience with Loopy Slovenia was a true pleasure.
We can't thank them enough for making our honeymoon so wonderful and memorable!
We did the Western Loop with Jernej.
We chose the MultiDay option as we wanted to hop off the tour and stay over night in Smartno, Brda to visit with relatives. We rejoined the tour the next day and continued on.
This was a great option for us as travelling by public transport would have been difficult and time consuming. The places we visited were great and Jernej was very knowledgeable.
Don't go crazy travelling around Slovenia. Go Loopy!
There was no other guest that day, so we enjoyed a wonderful private tour. We were taken to both popular and less travelled places, tasted delicious local produce and wine, and was shown how to fully enjoy a vacation despite unfavourable weather.
Slovenia is splendid, and well deserves more than just a day or two.
Our guide Jernej is friendly, knowledgeable and humourous. He was eager to make our entire trip in Slovenia, not just the West Loop we paid for, memorable. He even offered to take care of our luggage and give us a brief tour for free in Koper a few days after the West Loop trip. We didn't take the offer due to change of plans, but we eventually met twice for drinks and pizza in Ljubljana!
We heartily recommend Loopy Slovenia to anyone who would love to see the true colours of Slovenia.
By email exchange from Australia with Jernej, who was to be our guide
and driver, we put together a private multi day custom tour of eastern
Slovenia.
Collecting us (2 people) from our hotel in Zagreb we were
driven to Ljubljana , then to Lake Bled via Vintgar Gorge. Our tour took
in the Vrsic mountain pass, Soca River, Brda wine region ( staying in
Smarto), Kobarid War Museum, Predjama Castle, Skocjan Caves Lipica Stud
Farm ( staying in Piran) and finally transferring to Rovinj via Istrian
hill towns.
In all our travels, Jernej selected routes that showcased
the wonderful landscapes and small villages in Slovenia. Most of the
roads were through the rural farming areas with little road traffic.
This enhanced our experience and appreciation of Slovenia.
Jernej,
with his many connections gave us some wonderful insights into everday
life in Slovenia that a tourist is rarely afforded.His extensive
knowledge and experience stimulated many interesting discussions. In
addition we were treated to an improptu lunch and wine tasting in the
wonderful Jelenic Winery, another lunch and farm tour with one of his
cousins (Viljem) and his family, and even a brief visit to his mother's
80th birthday party. And we can't help but mention our off road forest
experience. This was a real bonus!
The multi day tour arrangements
went seamlessly .Both the transport and accommodation were excellent.The
tour was very well organized and efficient.
Jernej's personal
approach was very engaging and stimulating throughout our tour
exhibiting his extensive knowledge and experience of Slovenia and his
great sense of humor.
For us this delivered a wonderful and memorable experience of Slovenia.
We would highly recommend this company led by the remarkable manager Jernej Zakelj.
Many, many thanks to Jernej for the fantastic tour yesterday.
We
arranged for a private tour, and we hoped to see my grandparents’
hometowns.
No only did Jernej find the hometowns, he found their
baptismal records, my grandpa’s twin brother’s grave, and even some long
lost cousins that I’ve heard about but never met! We not only met them,
but had dinner with them, and their families!
Again, thank you, Jernej!
Your went over and above our expectations.