A Long-Awaited Trip to Slovenia
A couple WT adventurers shared their recent experience on our Hiking in Slovenia journey where they discovered small towns steeped in Roman history, sampled unique wines (and even tried wine grapes right off the vine), and hiked along wild rivers in dramatic mountain settings. Take a look at their photos below.
We had been planning our Hiking in Slovenia trip since 2019, but due to the Covid pandemic, our adventure was canceled in 2020, then again in May, 2021. The number of other travelers were fewer and fewer, but we were committed to explore this small country and had some friends in Wilderness Travel who persevered in the planning. The waiting paid off and we embarked on our journey with a very small group (only three of us!) on a September 2021 departure.
When we finally arrived in Ljubljana after two years of anticipation, we could barely believe it. The walk around the town with Nena, our Trip Leader, was like a wonder for us. We visited this atmospheric castle during one of our walks.
Our first trip with a small bus steered by Nena took us to the northeast town of Ptuj, a very old Middle Age town full of Roman history. After a lengthy walk through the Roman and medieval castle and museum we had an extra guide who took us on our first hiking day through a fantastic wine region. It was not only a beautiful place with far views to several counties visible from the vineyard, but what was more interesting was our knowledgeable guide who encouraged us to try different wine grapes directly from the vine. We could actually the type of wine each grape would create!
After leaving from Ptuj, we drove to Logarska Dolina, an area known for its alpine splendor. Now we were really in the mountains. We hiked near a beautiful mountain river with wild waters, and loved it. We were also joined by a second guide, Tomo Petek, who became a wonderful friend to us.
One day we explored the Radovna River leading up to the Sum waterfall. We were not alone here. There was a large number of local hikers who obviously loved the mountains of their own country.
Moving further northwest, we arrived in the city of Bled, which is beautifully positioned around Lake Bled. We had a most wonderful hotel for three days. Above is the view from the balcony of our hotel room.
We took a gondola to the island to explore and take a look to the 17th century church. We even got to ring the church tower bell while making a wish. It’s supposed to come true, they say.
The historic castle directly on the lake is situated about on a rock about 1,000 feet or so above the lake. The climb up is steep, but well worth it, the views are spectacular! The castle itself contains a museum with fascinating items.
From Bled we drove to the town of Kobarid on the northwest edge of the country. This is another historic site where terrifying battles took place during the first World War. We visited an interesting museum to help us understand how this country endured the war.
South of Kobarid we took a wonderful hike into the Vrata Valley with its huge mountains and the most memorable hike through the valley. This area is also an important base for a large number of mountain trails explored by mountain climbers. This monument here, the Giant Piton, is in memory of the partisan mountaineers who lost their lives fighting in World War II.
On one of our hikes near Kobarid we followed the Triglavska Bistrica River up to the most picturesque Pericnik Waterfall. It is cut deeply into the rock and the area near the fall is hidden from the sunlight.
This is our last view from our Slovenia trip. Piran is such a wonderful town set on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea with a close view of Italian Trieste, and so much to see when wandering through the streets and along the water line. What a place to hang out and rest!
—Text and photos by seven-time WT adventurers Bettina and Peter Rosenbladt, Hiking in Slovenia.
February 4, 2026
December 16, 2025
