Slovenia and Croatia: 2025

Slovenia, a beautiful small country (pop ~2.1 million) nestled between Austria, Italy, and Croatia, prides itself on being green and eco-conscious. As a neighboring country to Hungary, Slovenia had to be on our Central European tour as well. We spent a day in Ljubljana, the capital, to explore urban life in this interesting city, and three days in Bled, in the nature-oriented northwestern part of the country. Along the way, we also had the opportunity to visit the Triglav National Park and the spectacular Soca River. Here are a few highlights:

Ljubljana

Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, is an old city that grew along the Ljubljanica River in the center of the country. After about 60 years of suppression under Nazi occupation and then communist rule, Slovenia feels free and happy in its freedom. It is enjoying a surge in tourism, with visitors touring its Old Town UNESCO sites, its castle on a hill, and its cultural opportunities. We toured the city on foot and by boat, found a fun concert featuring traditional and modern choral music, and enjoyed a few delightful restaurants, beautiful buildings and wonderful cityscapes. Pictured above: The Ljubljana Castle, the canal and the promenade by day

St Nicholas Church, where we stumbled across this group of choral singers from Budapest, providing a concert in Ljubljana

Franciscan Church of the Annunciation along the Ljubljanica Canal

Old Town Hall, Ljulbjana

Lake Bled

Bled is a touristy town northwest of Ljubljana that some interesting attractions of its own (a castle, a cathedral, a lake and a scenic island). It is also a gateway city to the Triglav National Park and outdoor adventure opportunities. Pictured above: Bled Castle and St Martin's Parish Church

Church of the Assumption on Bled Island. View from the castle

Triglav National Park

Triglav National Park is Slovenia's only National Park, and features beautiful mountains, alpine lakes, dramatic waterfalls and stunning rivers. We traveled with Nina, a tour guide who drove us to a half dozen spectacular sites around the perimeter of the park. We even managed to spend an hour or so hiking just across the border, at Lake Predil, near Tarvisio, Italy

Julian Mountains (part of the Alps) near Mangartom, Slovenia

The gorgeous Soča River, Triglav National Park, Slovenia

The Soča River, Triglav National Park

Kozjak Waterfall, Triglav National Park

Bohinj Lake, near Lake Bled

Croatia

We also had an interesting and fun visit to Croatia and its capital city, Zagreb. Croatia is one of seven countries, along with Slovenia, Kosovo, and others, that was formed when the country of Yugoslavia was dissolved in 1991-92. We explored Zagreb by tram, on foot, and on a guided tour, concentrating on the Old Town area, where we stayed. There was a lot of repair and reconstruction going on in town, aftermath of a serious earthquake that hit Zagreb in March of 2020. We found the people in Zagreb to be friendly and the city itself to be quite safe and easy to get around.

Zagreb

Zagreb Central Train Station

St Marks Church, Zagreb. Closed for renovation and repairs after the devastating earthquake of 2020

Jelačić Square is the main square in Zagreb . It is dominated by the statue of Ban Josip Jelačić, a 19th century leader who advocated for the independence of Croatia from Hungarian control.

Croatia National Theatre for opera, ballet, and plays

Fruits, veggies, and lots of socializing at the Zagreb Central Market

Maksimir Park, a large city park affectionately called "the Lungs of Zagreb"

Plitvice Lakes National Park

Plitvice (pronounced “pleet-veets-eh”) Lakes National Park is a park in central Croatia, south of Zagreb and near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is one of Croatia's oldest and largest national parks, and is the most visited park in the country. It is known for spectacular waterfalls that connect a series of sixteenbeautiful lakes.

We joined a tour to walk about five miles / 8 km from the top to the bottom of this set of lakes and waterfalls. They are generally grouped into 12 Upper Falls and 4 Lower Falls. The two sets are separated by a long lake. You can hike between them, or you can take a 20 minute ferry boat ride. As the pictures show, the waterfalls were incredible and the water colors were fabulous! Above: One of the Upper Waterfalls