Today we will explore Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, with a local guide. It is a fascinating little city, we meet in reception at 09.30 for a guided walk. First, we will visit the castle, via the funicular, that overlooks Ljubljana and the River Ljubljanica which flows through this picturesque city of beautiful bridges and Baroque townhouses. Our tour will end at the quayside where we join our boat for a river cruise on the Ljubljanica. We will have “welcome” lunch on board. The rest of the day is free for your own relaxation or perhaps a visit to the railway museum.

A superb scenic railway journey today as we head east along the Sava river valley to Dobova, which is near the border with Croatia. We alight here and take our road coach to the nearby wine cellars of Najger’s Repnice. Repnice are caves, dug in the flint-stone which was washed up by the Pannonian Sea millions of years ago. They got their name after turnips, because the locals stored turnips and other vegetable produce in them. At the top of the Graben valley Jozica and Martin Najger open for us their remarkable Repnice, dug by Martin’s great-grandfather in the 19th century. We have a wine tasting and some savoury specialties in the main room of the cave and see one of the other dug out rooms where the wine is aged. After this we go for a very special late lunch served in a nearby farm. We then return by rail to Ljubljana.

A short walk to the main railway station where we catch our train through the mountains to Postojna. On arrival, we have a short road transfer to Predjama Castle, just 10 kilometres from the Postojna Cave. For more than 700 years it has perched proudly on its 123-metre high cliff: powerful, defiant and impregnable. After our visit we will break for lunch before our visit of Postojna Cave. The caves are a network of 20 kilometres of passages, galleries and chambers. It is Slovenia’s largest cave in the “classic karst” and the most visited show cave in Slovenia. In 1872 railway lines were laid in the cave; electricity arrived in 1884. We begin our visit aboard the cave train; the electric lighting allows you to admire the size and splendour of the underground world on an amazing 4 km ride. We will also see a collection of different cave dwelling creatures including the “Human Fish”, a kind of Salamander. Later we return by train to Ljubljana and onward to Lake Bled (arriving 7:30pm) for our first of 4 nights in this stunning location.

Today we take the train to Bohinjska Bistrica where we will be met by our coach for our visit of Lake Bohinj and the Vogel cable car. The cable car travels 1,535m above sea level to a winter ski resort where you will have the most spectacular views (weather permitting). As we travel in the cable car you can see Lake Bohinj and surrounding mountains. There will be time for a light lunch here before we return to our coach for our transfer to Lake Bled. Lake Bled is over a thousand years old and is by far the country’s most popular tourist destination because of the fairytale lake and island, dramatically sited castle and high mountains. Lake Bled is extremely picturesque with its small island in the middle of the lake where many people travel by boat to get married.

The whole day is yours to explore, our programme so far has given us little time to walk around the lake, visit the castle, ride the ski lift, take a horse drawn coach or just relax and enjoy our visit of Lake Bled.

Alternatively

This morning we will have a transfer to the Vintgar Gorge, where we take a walk and feel as if we are in another world. We see crystal clear waters, lots of different river fish, a waterfall and for some of us the most important, we will walk under the stone railway bridge that we travelled along only yesterday. Don’t forget your cameras and comfortable shoes. After our walk we transfer to the little town of Radovljica. Built upon a seventy five metre high outcrop above the River Sava. Here we have time for lunch, a visit to a most unusual museum (of gingerbread) and a guided (short walk) through the streets of Gothic and Renaissance architecture.

We then return to Lake Bled for a short visit, via a boat called a Pletna to the little island in the lake.

Today we take the local train to Most na Soci. Located on a rocky crest above the confluence of the Soca (once again you will be amazed by the beautiful colour of the river) and Idrijca rivers. Due to the nearby Doblar Hydro Plant, the basins of the rivers were entirely inundated and below the settlement a vast lake was formed which now attracts both fishermen and visitors. We will go on a two hour cruise on the river. Time to relax, have lunch and enjoy the views from the boat. Mid-afternoon return by rail to Bled.

Heathrow and Gatwick Departures

The morning and early afternoon are free before our coach takes us back to Ljubljana airport for our evening flights back to the UK.

Return by Rail or Flights from Munich – London St Pancras, Birmingham, Manchester or Edinburgh

Take the morning train from Bled to Munich for overnight stay before flights back to Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh on Monday 23 September. If returning all the way to London by rail, departure from Munich is at 10:46 travelling via Mannheim and Paris to arrive into London at 19:39. If enough people choose the rail to London option then Marion will escort the group through to London.

This is a moderately active tour.  To fully enjoy this program, participants should be able to climb a flight of stairs and walk at least a half-mile on uneven ground during several of the sightseeing trips (or be happy to opt out).