In the fall of 2024, towards the end of my sabbatical year, we did a three week driving trip from Amsterdam to Slovenia and Croatia. We stayed for a week in the Slovenian Julian Alps, in Kranjska Gora and explored the mountains around. Then we spent a week in the Croatian coastal town of Zadar. The last week was spent in the Slovenian coastal town of Portoroz exploring the coastal towns of Slovenia, Croatia, and Italy. And then I drove back to Amsterdam.
I loved the travels and wished I could have spent more time at each of these locations - I enjoyed every moment of it. The lakes, the small towns, the beaches, the rivers, the beauty - everything was like the perfect dream. We crisscrossed many countries during this trip, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Italy. Here is the itinerary of what we did where (as well as all that we didn’t get time for!).
Day 1: Drive (7 hours) from Amsterdam to Erlangen (Germany) with a lunch stop in Limburg (Germany); 1 night stay at Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Erlangen
Day 2: Drive (6.5 hours) to Kranjska Gora in the Julian Alps (Slovenia) with a lunch break at Hallein (Austria) and a short hike in St Johann im Pongau (Austria) on the way; 6 nights stay in Apartment Kotnik in Kranjska Gora
Day 3-7: Exploring Triglav National Park and Julian Alps around Kranjska Gora
- Slemenova Spica hike near Vrsic pass (30 mins away)
- Lake Jasna (5 mins away)
- Walk and swim at Lake Bohinj (1 hour drive)
- Lake Bled area (45 mins drive): Walk around Lake Bled, mountain biking till Vintgar Gorge, 2 hour walk in Vintgar Gorge along the Radovna River, boat ride in traditional pletna boats to visit the Island and the Church of the Assumption, and a swim in the lake
- Hike to Mountain Home Tamar (30 mins away)
- Visit to Laghi di Fusine and the town of Tarvisio-Boscoverde (Italy) (20 mins away)
- Things we couldn’t do:
- Visit Mojstrana (Peričnik Waterfall), Radovna Valley and Radovljica Old Town (20 mins away)
- Hike the Path of The Pagan Girl around Hrvic pass (30 mins away)
- Lake Bled area: Hike up to Bled Castle, hike up Osojnica, meal at Bled Castle restaurant (45 mins away)
- Lake Bohinj area: Hike to Zajamniki Hut on Pokljuka plateau (a shepherd village), taking the Vogel Cable Car, and hike to Savica Waterfall (one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Slovenia) (1 hour drive)
- Scenic drives to Sorica and Škofja Loka (1.5 hour drive)
- Soča River Valley including the towns of Bovec and Tolmin (1.5 hours drive)
Day 9-12: Exploring beaches and the Croatian coast near Zadar
- Swimming in Starigrad-Paklenica
- Exploring Zadar Old Town and Borik beach (45 mins away)
- Boat to Ugljan Island and swimming at some beaches (45 mins drive and boat to the island)
- Hike in Plitvice Lakes National Park (2 hours drive)
- Things we couldn’t do:
- Kolovare Beach, Marina Borik and Zadarska sfinga within Zadar
- Visit to Sibenik town, and kayaking from Vodice to Prvic Sepurine island (1 hour drive)
- Visit to Pag island (1.5 hour drive)
- Boat ride to Kornati islands and Kornati national park
- Trip to Krka National park (1 hour drive)
Day 14-18: Exploring Istrian towns and vineyards
- Rovinj (1 hour drive)
- Piran and Portoroz
- Trieste (Italy) (40 mins away)
- Izola (20 mins away)
- Kabola Winery (Croatia) (20 mins away)
- Places we couldn’t visit:
- Nearby Croatian towns of Motovun and Pula (1 hour drive)
- Dolphin watching in Rovinj (1 hour drive)
- Skocjan Caves (45 mins away)
Day 20: Drive (7.5 hours) from Greding to Amsterdam with lunch stop at supercharger on the way
I absolutely loved this road trip and have become a huge fan of both Slovenia and Croatia. Both these countries seem amazing for tourists. The highlights from the places we visited were:
- Around Kranjska Gora, the visits to Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj, Vintgar Gorge and the Spica Hike (basically everything we did 😂)
- Around Zadar, the swims around Ugljan island and the day in Plitvice National Park
- From Portoroz, I enjoyed the visit to the town of Rovinj and the day in Kabola winery
Map
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