Slovenia is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever been to. It has an incredibly diverse ecosystem ranging from mountains to lakes. The captial of Slovenia is Ljubliana, however I reccomend doing this as a day trip and staying around Lake Bled. While Ljubliana has the vibe of a college/uni town, Bled is definitely more of a backpacker town with almost a school camp vibe! Everyone in the hostel does everything together, they go out to the same pub each night and eat all together. While you are in Slovenia there are some amazing hikes to do however, unfortunately while I was there I didn’t have time to do any.

Where to stay?

Bled Hostel is by far the most popular hostel to stay in and I would definetly reccomend it. I didn’t stay here personally but I had a lot of friends who did and they absolutely loved it! The reviews on Hostelworld speak for themselves. This hostel boasts a bar, aircon, hot showers and a kitchen. It’s also got a great common room, perfect for meeting people while you are there! The location of this hostel is perfect right in the centre of town and just a short walk away from Lake Bled itself. You can use this hostel as a base and explore the rest of Slovenia from here!

How to get around?

Slovenia has plenty of buses connecting major hubs. The bus from Ljubliana to Bled was around 2 hours and it was a reasonable price. It’s super easy to book a bus just by heading to the bus station and booking it in person. You can pay cash or card and you will get a physical ticket. Ensure while you are getting off the bus you check you have all of your belongings and don’t leave your airpod case on there (like I did rip). Also, the bus at sunset has incredible views (as seen in the picture to the left).

What is there to do in Slovenia?

Slovenia has incredible nature and honestly just walking around is amazing in of its self, however there are some amazing and fun activities you can do in Slovenia on a budget, here are my top ones!

1. Visit the Ljubliana Castle!

   The Ljubliana castle has an amazing view from a castle on a hill (Ed Sheerann knows what he’s talking about) getting the funicular there honestly was just fun for me (because I love them), its around 15£ for a return ticket however if you chat with the people at the ticket booth there should be a student price! This price includes entrance into the castle. The castle has a museum all about Ljubliana and some really fun interactive exhibits. Up the top of the castle, is an amazing lookout where you can see right around Ljubliana!

2. Take a row boat out onto Lake Bled and visit the church on an island in the middle!

   Taking a row boat out to the isolated church is a must! This activity is slightly more expensive (around 40£ for an hour) so the more you can get in the boat the better! Depending on how quick you are at rowing you may need a bit more than an hour to get out to the island and back (we actually didn’t even make it bc our arms got tired lol). If you don’t make it out there don’t stress! Just paddling around the lake honestly feels like you are in a movie! The water is so incredibly blue and the scenery around it is just outstanding!

3. Take a dip in the beautiful aqua-blue Lake Bled!

   When it comes to swimming in the lake, there are a couple of rules! You aren’t allowed to swim wherever you want as there are signs up saying no swimming! However, there is a wide stretch of land that swimming is permitted, there is also an inflatable waterpark (which we sadly didn’t get to go on) and from experience with inflatable waterparks, they are ALWAYS worth it. Swimming in Lake Bled on a hot day was genuienly one of the best swims of my life (not to mention if you are feeling dusty from the night before this will fix you right up!) the water is so refreshing and my personal opinion it feels ‘crisp’.

4. Visit the Mostnica Gorge

   The Mostnica Gorge is an incredible gorge that you can take a tour to from Bled. There are plenty of tours to the gorge from Bled, however as a thrillseeker, my personal choice would definetly be canyoning through it! Canyoning is so muh fun, it usually includes abseilingg (or repelling) down waterfalls, cliff jumping and rock climbing all while wading through a body of water, in this case the gorge! With crystal clear water (if it has recently rained it may be slightly less clear)it's an amazing, picturesque spot the to the canyon! If you do go canyoning ensure it is with a tour as it can be unsafe doing it by yourself, make sure you have the proper safety equipment always (i mean always) have travel insurance (and read it to make sure it covers canyoning!!)

5. Visit the Alpine Coaster in Bled

   The alpine coaster is in Straza Bled, a short walk away from the bus station (although it is a bit hilly). This amazing experience is only around 10£ and this includes a chairlift up to a beautiful lookout of the whole Lake Bled. From the lookout, you take a toboggan like rollercoaster all the way down to the bottom of the hill! You can control how fast you are going on the toboggan (just make sure you don’t get stuck behind a slow person!). On the Straza site, there is also a super fun tubing experience! It costs around 3£ per ride, you get an inflatble tube and slide down a dry mat onto a big crash mat (totally worth it if you ask me)

Bar recommendations

Honestly, Slovenia’s nightlife wasn’t the best in Europe however it doesn’t really matter where you are it’s who you are with. So grab your hostel mates and head to these bars!

Bled:

1. Pub Bled - quite expensive however you can order a 3L cocktail for 40£ and honestly between a couple people (or yourself, you do you) its pretty awesome. This pub also has an amazing view of the lake!

2. Kult Pub Bled - again a pub, once again expensive (a common theme) but great view!

3. Rock bar - this bar is located next to a hockey rink (and there is a view of it from inside!) and they play rock music!

4. Club Stop - This is the only real club in Bled, I haven’t been personally however it has good reviews! Again it’s the people not the place!

Ljubliana:

1. Captians Cabin - this place is supposed to be the best cocktail bar in Ljubliana, apparently it gets very lively however I didn’t get a chance to get to this bar while I was there :(

2. Centralna Postaja - this popular lunch and coffee spot turns into a bar as soon as the sun sets. With live DJ sets the party stays unreal all night.

3. Parliment Pub - a great pub that has a huge dancefloor inside after around 10PM, it also has a big outdoor area for smokers or for people who are taking a break from dancing. Expect to pay European club prices for drinks but everytime I went it was free entry!