From the Alps To the Adriatic: A Slovenia & Croatia Road Trip – Part 1

by Dawn · Published November 5, 2026 · Updated November 5, 2026

Place: Europe

Country: Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, & a bit of Austria

Towns/Cities: Zagreb, Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Logar Valley, Trieste, Piran, Motovun, Rovinj, Rastoke, Plitvice

Time of Year: Sept- Oct 2026

How we got there: Plane & Road Trip Combo

When we plotted a route from the rugged mountains of Slovenia to the historic shores of Croatia, we knew it would be beautiful – but nothing prepared us for how epic the drive would actually be! We hit 4 countries in 10 days and it was incredible!

Our journey from Phoenix to Zagreb, Croatia was a 3 legged trip with the longest leg on a double decker Airbus. This was our first time on a double decker! PHX > DEN > MUC > ZAG.

Joining us on this trip were Cesar’s brother Alex and his wife Lisa! You may remember them from our Lisbon/Madeira trip last year! You can read about that here: https://dawntillduskaz.com/in-love-with-lisbon/ OR here: https://dawntillduskaz.com/mad-about-madeira/.

Zagreb, Croatia

We arrived in Croatia’s capital city, Zagreb at noon, picked up our rental car, and checked into our Airbnb to freshen up.

And because we had to stay awake, we hit the city for a quick bite to eat and some sightseeing!

Nothing like beer and charcuterie to get us going! Instead of worrying about parking, we opted to leave our rental parked safely at the Airbnb and Uber to the city center. It was about $6 and well worth it!

Starting in Jelacic Square we spied Zagreb Cathedral hidden behind tall scaffolding. Apparently we didn’t think it was picture worthy in its state of construction!

Continuing on the cobblestone streets in search of Lotrscak Tower and Saint Mark’s Square, we stumbled upon a secret tunnel system! Built in 1943 during WWII, it was meant as an air raid shelter and was abandoned after the war. Rediscovered in the 1990’s is was again used as a shelter during the Croatian War of Independence. By 1993, it was famous for hosting the “Under City Rave” which was covered by MTV. Now it is a really cool pedestrian walkway used as a shortcut around the city.

The tunnel took us right to the Strossmeyer Promenade that lead to Lotrscak Tower and city views!

Starting in a courtyard, we climbed the 116 step spiral staircase to the top of Lotrscak Tower, the iconic landmark built in 1266. Everyday at noon the Gric Cannon (housed in the tower) fires a single blank shot to synchronize the city’s clocks! Unfortunately we missed the cannon that day!

Lotrscak Tower is a great spot to view the city and Saint Mark’s Square. St Mark’s Church is visible with is multicolored glazed tiled roof! The mosaic tile design represents two historic symbols. One for the Kingdom of Croatia and the other for the City of Zagreb.

Right outside the tower is the Zagreb Funicular which connects Gornji Grad (Upper Town) to Donji Grad (Lower Town). It is the shortest funicular in the world used for transportation!

We needed a closer look at St. Mark’s Church’s tiled roof, so we headed over and on the walk passed several historians dressed in traditional clothing. We stopped to hear their stories while examining the mosaic roof up close.

I was really interested in The Museum of Broken Relationships located between the tower and the church, however we were running out of steam and had to pass it up.

We had one more place to check out. Tkalciceva Street is the heart of the social scene in Zagreb. Once the “Red Light District” it is now a beautiful street filled with cafes and gorgeous restored colorful buildings. Gelato was on our radar!

Lake Bled

The next morning after coffee, hot chocolate and croissants from a local cafe, we were packed and ready for the roadtrip to begin! Destination: Lake Bled Slovenia! Only 2 hours drive, we crossed the border into Slovenia right away and made sure to purchase our vignette online which is required for driving in Slovenia. Instantly, we were among rolling green hills and countryside.

Lake Bled is one of the most popular destinations in Slovenia which is why I planned our arrival on a Monday! Parking is not cheap nor is it easy to find. We got “lucky” and found someone pulling out so we grabbed the spot for 20 Euro!

First order of business was lunch and then our exploring could begin. We found a little cafe right on the lake and sampled the famous Lake Bled Cream Cake! It was originally invented by a pastry chef right there at Hotel Park in Lake Bled. Now you can get it just about everywhere in Slovenia!

I am all about tasting desserts from the regions we visit!

Right outside the cafe, Lake Bled was waiting for us!

Bled Island is the iconic island that sits in the glacier fed Lake Bled. There are two ways to visit the island: you can row yourself over, or you can take the traditional Pletna boat. We choose the Pletna boat hoping for a little history and less work! Cash Only, €20 each!

Imagine the muscles you would build rowing this boat back and forth everyday!

Perched in the center of this teardrop shaped tiny island is a fairytale church (you are going to hear me say “fairytale” a lot in this post)! The Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Mary dates back to the 17th century and features a “wishing bell” that you can ring.

We arrived on the northeast side of the island and made our way up 78 steps before realizing that these were not the famous 99 steps!

The time limit of 45 minutes kept us from touring the church itself, as I was very interested in the 99 steps which we found on the southern side of the island.

The water surrounding the island is a beautiful turquoise blue and the stone steps lead right into it! There is a local tradition where a groom must silently carry his bride up all 99 steps to guarantee a happy marriage! Since we have been happily married 31 years, I didn’t make Cesar carry me up the steps! No sense risking a heart attack!

These stone steps were built in the year 1655!

At the top of the steps is a cafe called Potičnica, serving the island’s own traditional cake, Potica!

A path around the island leads us back to our Pletna for a ride back to shore.

High on the hill overlooking the lake sits Lake Bled Castle, which we planned to visit later in the day.

One thing we noticed about hotels and airbnb’s is that there is a check in window of time in this area. So, we took a little break to meet our host and get settled into our cute airbnb where we would be staying for 3 nights. I just loved the idea that this multi generational family all lived here with the daughter’s medical practice in the lower section of the house. Grapevines and gardens and grandkids! All within walking distance of Lake Bled. What a dream!

After getting settled, we drove to a Bledec Sports Park Lot just under Bled Castle then hiked a short trail to the castle. You can drive all the way up but parking is limited and why miss a hiking opportunity?!

Once at the castle walls, you can purchase an entrance ticket for about €19.00 each.

The medieval Bled Castle is situated high on the limestone cliffs above Lake Bled providing incredible views of the lake and Bled Island. Built before the year 1011, it is the oldest castle in Slovenia!

Behind the castle walls you will find the Castle Museum, The Gutenburg Printing Works, a gothic chapel and wine cellar and if you are hungry, you can eat at the upscale restaurant!

The best part of all was watching the sunset from this vantage point over the lake!

Bled Castle seemed to be visible from anywhere in Lake Bled! It was especially beautiful all lite up in the evening!

Triglav National Park and the Julian Alps

Our 2nd day in Bled was a hiking day! First on the day’s itinerary, Vintgar Gorge! I purchased our early morning tickets from their website https://tickets.vintgar.si/ a few weeks in advance. Now a days, they have a park and ride shuttle system and the parking lot is just a few minutes from Bled.

Once at the gorge we entered during our time slot but not without getting fitted for a fashion statement orange helmet!

We said a little prayer that no rocks would fall on our heads!

We made our way along the one way boardwalk admiring the deep sapphire blue waters that carved their way through the walls of limestone.

The Radovna River was low during our visit but still stunning!

The 1 mile boardwalk trek ended at the Sum Waterfall where we dropped off our safety helmets.

From here we had to choose a hike back to the shuttle bus. We choose the River of Trees Trail (Red Route) through the forest.

But somehow ended up on the King of Triglav Trail ( Green Route) back to the shuttle station. Even though it was the long way back, we did enjoy the views and the animals!

Once back at our car, we drove 30 minutes to Lake Bohinj which is in Triglav National Park within the Julian Alps.

Lake Bohinj is just a gorgeous place for a peaceful picnic by the water. You can also take a boat across the lake and hike back.

From here we drove to the Slap Savica Trailhead where we hiked to the waterfall up 556 stone steps. There is an entrance fee for the trail which is about €4 each paid at a little hut.

Slap Savica is the setting to the epic poem The Baptism on the Savica by France Prešeren and is deeply rooted in Slovenian literature and history.

This is a very unique “A” cascade waterfall that drops 256 feet into a turquoise pool!

Back at the trailhead you will find a restaurant where you can get a beer or the popular Prekmurska Gibanica ( layered cake). Unfortunately, they had sold the last piece of the season the day before so I would have to wait to find in elsewhere! Bummer!

The next stop in Triglav National Park was Mostnica Gorge. This also has a fee however when we arrived at the booth, it was unoccupied.

I just loved the cute little outhouse in the parking lot!

We hiked the gorge loop just under 4 miles. If you are looking for something similar to Vintgar Gorge without all the crowds, this is your spot.

The entrance to the trail is Devil’s Bridge which was built back in 1777! Incredible how things were built to last!

The hike takes you along unfenced channels of turquoise blue waters carved from limestone.

The Little Elephant is a natural rock formation that you might miss if you aren’t looking for it!

Our first encounter with slovenian wildlife! A Slovenian snake!

This is how they mark trails in Slovenia!

There is so much more to see in Triglav National Park and the Julian Alps and with only one more day left in the area, we missed so much. That just means we will have to came back one day!

Before the day was over, we had to find the Prekmurska Gibanica cake! We remembered a little bakery in Lake Bled called Confectionery Zima, so we thought we would give it a try and what do you know, they had what we were looking for!

I really wished at we would have taken the picture from the front of the cake instead of the back so you could see all the layers! More than 10! Another regional dessert checked off the list!

Logar Valley

Our last day in the area would take us to Logar Valley which was my most anticipated day and boy did it live up to my expectations! My most favorite day of the entire trip!!

We started with a long drive from Lake Bled to Solčava, Slovenia. This drive takes you through tight winding mountain roads through villages and farms and you often wonder if google maps is leading you astray! An hour and 45 minutes later we arrived at Center Rinka ready to hop on the E Bikes I had rented online.

Inside was a cute little coffee & gift shop.

Outside, a lovely church.

After grabbing our map and our Ebikes(stored in a barn behind the center) we were on our way to the best day of our entire trip!

There are two options: The 6 mile ride straight to Logar Valley or the 25 mile panoramic ride through the mountains. We choose the later!

Just to be clear, this is a strenuous ride even on E Bikes, but oh so worth it! High season had just ended so there were no other bikes most of the way. Right away we were climbing: past farmhouses and rolling green hills with cows and sheep and goats!

Narrow paved roads lead us right into the slopes of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps before turning to gravel!

Huffing and Puffing up 3100 ft of elevation!

A cute little honey stand seemed to appear out of nowhere!

With a 10% incline we were working hard when the Church of the Holy Spirit of Podolseva came into view! One of the best views of the day was right before the church where we found rolling hills and a pond with views of the church in the distance!

A stop at the Mineral Water Spring is a must! Rich in iron, this fizzy water was not to my taste!! You can take a sip with the tea cup hanging on a hook or you can use the funnel to fill your water bottle! Local folklore says it has healing powers but my guess is that you would have an upset belly if you drank too much!!

During the high season, the farmhouses welcome riders to stop in for lunch. In preparation of winter, they stop serving lunches at the end of September. With the weather we had, you would have never known that it was the off season! We were happy to trade our farmhouse lunch for a crowdless ride through the alps and a picnic with a view!

A wooden deck at the summit made the perfect picnic spot complete with a vending machine filled with fresh cheeses and sausage! Down below we spotted our destination: Logar Valley!

We were ready for the downhill now that most of the climb was done! We passed more farmhouses and another freshwater fountain. Most of the farmhouses were stacking firewood for the winter. I can imagine it gets pretty cold here in the Alps!

We had finally reached the valley floor and were entering Logar Valley. Remember that you can ride straight to the Logar Valley from Center Rinka and avoid the alpine ridge climb but who wants to do that?!

Its free to enter the Logar Valley on a bike!

The entrance to the valley is a vibrant green meadow nestled below towering limestone walls. It is known for being the most picturesque valley in Europe.

Through the meadow and into the forest of beech and fir trees, we started to get our first up close views of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps.

At the very end of the valley sits the trailhead to Slap Rinka, the most anticipated view of the day! We parked our bikes near the snackbar and began the short rocky climb to the falls.

There in the distance we spotted the single drop 295 ft waterfall! Cascading down to a rocky base and then disappearing! In Slovenia, a waterfall is called a slap!

The best part of all is the tiny wooden cafe built right into the cliff face! Orlovo Gnezdo or Eagle’s Nest wasn’t supposed to be open on this day having limited hours on the off season, but to our surprise, it was!

It’s a bit of a scramble to reach the Eagle’s Nest but that is part of the fun!

What more can you ask for than a beer and a view!

Pictures do not do this place justice!

On the way back through the valley, we were held up by a helicopter rescue. We found out later that the only other group that had rented bikes that day had fallen off the bike and had to be airlifted to the nearest hospital. We wish them the best and hope for a quick recovery!

So long trusty E Bikes, you gave us sore legs and so many memories!!

At dinner in town we decided that we could take another route back to Lake Bled via Austria!

Although we were only in Austria for 30 minutes before crossing back into Slovenia, it was super fun to cross another country off the list. Cesar and I had been to Austria when we were younger, however Alex and Lisa had not!

Ljubljana

There never seems to be enough time to see and do everything before heading to the next destination, but I was not willing to leave Lake Bled without hiking to the Ojstrica Viewpoint. So early in the morning we made the short climb to the viewpoint to see the most famous view in Lake Bled!

The short hike is rocky and has a small rope section.

Ojstrica Viewpoint is a must especially in the morning light! From this view it appears that Bled Island is right in the center of the lake.

There is a longer hike you can add on to reach Mala Osojnica Overlook, however we did not have enough time. We did stop for another quiet morning view right on the water!

The next leg of our journey would take us away from the mountains and lakes and into the city of Ljubljana. Within a 45 minute drive, we were in the heart of the old capital city of Slovenia. Nestled between the Alps and the Adriatic, Ljubljana is a charming medieval, but urban city.

The bronze dragons perched on Dragon Bridge over the emerald green Ljubljanica River protect the city.

We strolled through the local farmers market for fresh fruit and souvenirs.

Looming high above us sat the 900 year old Ljubljana Castle. Castle Hill is covered with old forest and a funicular delivers you to the top! What’s an old town in Europe without a funicular?!

Right behind the central market, you will find Kerk Square where you can purchase tickets and an audio tour for the castle. The Funicular is included!

We were blown away by the contemporary architectural design of the modern amenities mixed in with the Gothic style castle.

We picked up our audio tour and explored every nook and cranny from the tower and rooftop views…

To the Museum of Puppetry!

Take your time looking around because the design here is just incredible!

In the mood for some traditional Slovenia food, we headed to the oldest continuously running tavern restaurant recommended by our family run hotel. Established in 1776, Restaurant Šestica was just what we were looking for!

The warm comfort food hit the spot! So good!

Here are a few of the dishes we tried!

After dinner we strolled the river and spotted Ljubljana Castle all lite up in the night sky!

Along the water we could smell chestnuts roasting over an open fire and had to stop for a taste! I had never actually had them before! What a treat!

Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle

When I was 15 years old living in Italy, my family took a trip to Yugoslavia to visit Postojna Caves and that’s where we would be headed next only now this part of the country is called Slovenia!

Postojnska Jama is such a popular place to visit so you must purchase advance tickets with a chosen time slot. The caves, carved out by the Pivka River over millions of years are so massive that you need to ride an electric underground railway before you reach the main walking tour.

If you have never toured a cave before, this would be almost overwhelming! So may stalactites and stalagmites!

Using an audio tour and a tour guide, we learned so much while exploring the Red Hall, White Hall and the Spagetti Hall!

Outside the caves are several lunch spots including this one! Anyone up for a pork sandwich?!

Next up was the Predjama Castle! Of all the castles we have visited, this has to be my favorite! Not only is it the world’s largest cave castle, it is so stunningly beautiful jutting out of the limestone cliffs where it is nestled!

We just couldn’t stop taking pictures!

Inside was just as cool! With another audio tour (be sure to bring your own headphones for the best experience) we learned of secret passageways, the bat colony and a cave network running under the castle.

Built somewhere around 1274, the history is so fascinating!

Although the idea of building a castle into a cliff for protection was genius, it was not very warm or dry during the winter months! I can imagine how grumpy everyone must have been!