Discovering Slovenia

Full day tour of Ljubljana, exploring the city and Old Town on foot including: the medieval fortress, which dominates the town; the Baroque Chapel of St. George; the Castle and Pentagonal Towers; the pink 17th century Franciscan Church; the lovely Art Nouveau buildings of Prešernov Square; the exquisite Tromostovje (Three Bridges); the Town Hall with its double Gothic courtyard and Baroque arcade; the Baroque Robba Fountain; the Cathedral of St. Nicholas with its Baroque interior and frescoes; the Schweiger House with its exquisite façade; the ‘Shoemaker’s Bridge’; the Ursuline Church; the National Library and the Plecnik House Museum.

Lunch and dinner a local restaurant.

A full day’s excursion the Adriatic Coast. En-route, visit the Postojna Caves with their spectacular caverns and underground canyons filled with magnificent stalactites and stalagmites. Continue to the coast and the city of Piran, a gem of Venetian Gothic architecture set on a peninsular, its ancient heart surrounded by walls that are still visible.

After lunch at a local restaurant, enjoy a walking tour of Piran including the Old Town, Church of St. George, which has wonderful frescoes, the adjoining early 17th-century Campanile and Baptistery, Minorite Monastery, Port area and City Walls. Return to Ljubljana. Dinner at a local restaurant.

Visit Ljubljana’s Zalet Cemetery before continuing on an excursion to Ptuj, the oldest city in Slovenia renowned for its rich cultural heritage, its wine cellars and its restorative thermal waters. Walking tour of the old town encompassing the attractive and varied architecture, and sights such as the ancient Roman Orpheus Monument and Mithras shrines, the museum and the 12th century castle, which overshadows the town.

After lunch at a local restaurant, enjoy a tasting of Slovenian wines at one of the cellars lying under the town, before returning to Ljubljana. Dinner at a local restaurant.

Leave Ljubljana and drive to Skofja Loka, a beautifully preserved medieval city dominated by Loka Castle. Explore the old town centre, which has two main squares, one with beautiful old Renaissance and Baroque town houses, and see Homan’s House – a restored manor house, the Capuchin Bridge and the 15th century Gothic Church of St. John. Continue to Crngrob to visit the famous Romanesque pilgrimage Church of the Annunciation, which is an architectural masterpiece, and its interior a treasure house.

After lunch at a local restaurant in Radovljica, visit the Museum of the Bee, before continuing to Bled in the Julian Alps. Two nights are spent here at the Hotel Park on the shores of Lake Bled, which has spectacular views over the lake and a panoramic thermal pool. Dinner a local restaurant.

Today, explore area surrounding and including Bled. Begin with a visit to the medieval Castle of Bled, which sits high up on a rock towering above the town. Return to the town and board a pletna (a large gondola, hand-propelled by the boatman), to cross the lake – the tall white belfry of the Baroque Church of the Assumption rising above the trees on an island, framed by the lake and surrounding mountains, is a magical sight.

After lunch at a local restaurant enjoy a walk at the nearby Vintgar Gorge. Dinner at a local restaurant.

Morning at leisure with the option to walk around Lake Bled including (for the most intrepid) the Ojstrica Viewpoint.

Lunch at a local restaurant. Transfer back to Ljubljana. Dinner at a local restaurant.

Morning at leisure with option to visit the Central Market which consists of an open-air market and a covered market, a series of small food shops in a colonnade designed by Joze Plecnik. Lunch under own arrangements.

Group transfer to Ljubljana Airport for suggested flight (not included) British Airways flight BA 691 departing at 17.55 hrs arriving London Heathrow Airport at 19.20 hrs.