Travel Information
Arrival, Weather, Food and Language
Getting to Slovenia by Air
The Retreat and the Farmhouse are on opposite sides of the Julian Alps making driving between the two quite an undertaking. Easiest Airports for the Farmhouse are Ljubljana (50 mins) and Klagenfurt (60 mins. You can also fly into Maribor which can be a lot cheaper but means a three hour drive. For the Retreat it's best to land at Trieste (60 mins).
Ljubljana is reachable from London Stansted with Easyjet and Gatwick with Adria. Adria also flies from Manchester, Birmingham, Dublin but as yet only during the Summer months. Indirect flights are available during the Winter through a variety of carriers. Their flights from Amsterdam to Ljubljana continue all year round.
Ryanair fly from Stansted to Klagenfurt weekly, Stansted to Trieste daily and from Stansted to Maribor three times a week.
If you need any advice on plane tickets, car hire or anything else, please ask us and we'll be happy to help.
Getting to Slovenia by Train
Direct trains to Ljubljana’s main station operate on these routes: Hamburg (overnight sleeper); Munich – 6 hours; Venice – 4 hours. It's worth looking at a dedicated website (such as seat61.com) or contacting a travel agent.
Getting to Slovenia by Car
Driving in Slovenia is a pleasure. The main routes are well maintained and the drivers are (mostly) polite. Off the beaten track, though, be prepared for lots of bends and some rough surfaces. There are good motorway connections to Villach in Austria and Venice in Italy. There is also a good motorail service from Düsseldorf to Villach (overnight) from German Railways.
Make it Part of your Trip
Fly to Venice, take in the sights, then drive across to Slovenia (about 3 hours to either the Farmhouse or the Retreat). Fly into Paris, stay a few days then fly direct to Ljubljana or if you're having a very romantic trip, take the sleeper train to Venice and then drive over to The Retreat for some alone time. Fly direct to Vienna before continuing on by car or perhaps fly into Croatia, spend some time exploring the coast and combine that with a trip up to see the fantastic Julian Alps around Bohinj. Slovenia is perfectly placed to be part of a two, three or four destination holiday.
Getting around in Slovenia
Having a car makes a big difference in Slovenia as it makes just about the entire country accessible within two hours. We have no affiliation with any of the car hire companies but often suggest guests use moneysupermarket.com to get the best rates on car hire from airport. Generally speaking a small car will set you back about £115 per week.
There are trains running around the country from most major towns and the bus services are also good but if you're going to do much travelling car hire is well worth it.
Weather
We love the weather in Slovenia. It's hot and sunny in the Summer (25 – 35C) and cold and snowy in the Winter (-5 – 10C) just the way a country should be. The sky seems to be clear all year round and when it rains it's usually a quick downpour and then back to sunny business.
Food
The food in Slovenia is excellent. A combination of rolling mountain pastures, local coastline and proximity to Italy and Austria means that everything from the calamari and pizza through to the steak and przut (Slovenian prosciutto- a favourite of ours) is among the best you'll find anywhere in the world. There are heaps of restaurants to choose from. In Bohinjska Bela the place opposite the train station is deservedly famous for its steak and trout and neighbouring Ribno's “Pri Dveh Petelinih” does the best calamari we've ever had. If you feel like a bit more hustle and bustle there are all kinds of restaurants in Bled, the fanciest being the one in the castle which offers food good enough to match the views.
We always make sure there's some beer, wine, bread, cheese, salami, eggs, milk, coffee and so on waiting for you when you arrive, but if you want to cook something more substantial stop at a "Mercator" (supermarket chain) to get some supplies. There's one in Bohinjska Bela for the Farmhouse (or if you want to go shopping crazy there's a huge Spar in Radovljica- 15 minutes drive) and for the Retreat there's one in Tolmin and Kobarid too.
It's worth knowing that most shops are closed on Saturday afternoons and Sundays so, make sure you stock up on whatever you need before the weekend, or use it as an excuse to eat out.
Language
Slovenian is a complicated language but fun to have a bash at. Don't panic if you get it horribly wrong because Slovenians are so friendly they'll just be pleased you're giving it a shot. The younger generation ALL speak excellent English and many of the older people do to. If not they invariably speak excellent German, or will find someone nearby to help them out.
Getting around in Slovenia with just English is a piece of cake but a couple of words just to be polite don't go amiss.
Hello – Dober dan.
Thank you – Hvala.
Goodbye – Nasvidanje.
Beer – Pivo (essential).
Wine – Vino (ditto).