Ljubljana Archives - VK Travel by Victoria Kokka

Slovenia the finest and most elegant of the Balkans, a blend between West and Eastern Europe, a country that is famous for its amazing nature, lakes, rivers, mountains and Adriatic beaches. We visited it at wintertime and had the chance to visit some of its extraordinary places which we loved at first sight! Let’s discover them!

Ljubljana: the cosy capital

Although half covered with snow, Ljubljana has impressed us with its beauty and charm and we had the chance to see some of its beautiful spots. The famous Dragon Bridge and its Castle, also the traditional center of the city with its cosy streets and nice buildings and the walk along the Ljubljanica river. We just parked at a central underground parking and walked carefully the avenues to reach the old city! The snow didn’t allow much of walking and exploring and we really saw the city from a different angle.

We took the funicular to the Castle and the ride was so fabulous! The view of the city covered with snow was outstanding, especially if you are not used to this kind of views. Then, waking around the pedestrian part of the old city and admiring the beautiful buildings was the joy of that day. We had luck at a very nice and cosy restaurant…. Trying local food and beer, and felt so lucky we …

Just loved the local food at this cute little restaurant, Julija, where we enjoyed lunch and also watching the city vibes and the people passing by. Salads, main dishes and deserts were delicious, it’s a Don’t miss, from us!

We stayed at a very good and warm bed and breakfast, Dvor Tacen, just a few kilometres outside from Ljubljana center and we have experienced a very good level of hospitality. The rooms are spacious with nice decorations and big bathroom and we also liked very much the choices to the breakfast. It’s located near the river and at the main road which connects you to the main cities of Slovenia so it was very convenient and had 1-2 places near to eat some local food, in case you don’t wish to return to the city at night!

Lake Bled: how to describe it?

One of the highly photographed lakes in the world, a real masterpiece of nature, was there for us! In fact, we didn’t expect so much snow, and we had dreamed of many walks and boat rides at the lake, but the weather had other plans.

The lake is just amazing, its beauty is undoubtedly so captivating, you just stand there and look at it. We had a really nice and slow car ride around it, but no chance to go higher and admire it from the nearby hills. The tour of the lake takes just minutes and you can see the small characteristic island in the middle of it, from different angles. I hope to visit it again another time at spring or summer and enjoy all its beauty and some of the activities offered.

We stayed at magnificent Hotel Triglav Bled,which offers so many things to the guests: beautiful spacious rooms with breathtaking view to the lake, warm and professional hospitality, just delicious a la carte breakfast , spa and indoor swimming pool, it is a real gem at the area.

At the restaurant, the cooking team with chef Aleš Fende at the helm is modern and passionate at what they do. They recreate some really traditional Slovenian dishes with love. Every dish has a modern twist, carried out with fresh, local, seasonal ingredients. Healthy ingredients are supplied from local farmers, while herbs are growing on the hotel’s very own garden.

The aim is to enable every visitor with a supreme culinary experience, therefore the menu changes daily. From the daily menu, guests can choose anything between 1-6 courses, so we did, and we had some extremely creative and delicious food, which we still remember.

Nearby cities: Radovljica and Skofja Loka

the snow didn’t allow much exploration as we could not move freely to other sight like the famous caves Postonja, but we spent some time at beautiful Radovljica and picturesque Skofja Loca, they both deserve a walk and a visit. Slovenian towns are cute and they have colorful buildings in the old center, they offer cosy eateries like the one we had lunch, called Pr Pepet, and the food in every place is very good. No worries if you find yourself in a small town, you will find some good place to enjoy local tastes.