Discovery Tour in The Best of Slovenia's Julian Alps

Our base for the week is worth exploring in its own right. We’ll take a stroll directly from the hotel along the lake path, visiting Bled Castle along the way. A ride across the lake in a pletna (traditional boat) brings us to Bled Island and the Church of Assumption which has become an icon for the area. Once we’re back on the mainland, you can easily explore Bled at your own pace or visit Vintgar Gorge which is a short distance away by public transport.

Slovenia’s capital can easily be explored on foot and we’ll spend a full day here, visiting both the Old and New Towns as well as the Castle. The Old Town is home to many of the city's historic sights - not least the Castle and St Nicholas' Cathedral – and is connected to the New Town by a number of bridges. The New Town is home to a number of places of interest, such as the Orthodox Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the University Quarter and the striking Art Nouveau facade of the Cooperative Bank.

The towns of Skofja Loka, Kranj and Kropa are all wonderfully historic and today we will visit each of them on our magical ‘history’ tour! We can explore the warren of tightly-woven streets in Skofja Loka and take in the enchanting blend of Gothic and Renaissance architecture in Kranj, Slovenia’s fourth-largest settlement. We also call in at Kropa, a blacksmith’s village with evidence of its metalworking past scattered for all to see.

On our 7-night holidays, we allow one free day where there is no organised excursion. This is an ideal opportunity for you to relax, enjoy the hotel facilities or explore the area independently. Some options for your free day might include:

Wellness Centre: The hotel has a wellness centre, located on the first floor. It offers concessionary rates to guests, details of which can be found in your room. Treatments include various types of massage, manicures, facials, sauna and a plunge pool.

Cycle hire: The hotel has bikes for hire. Explore the quiet side roads and farming villages around Bled. Please book this at reception. Current rates are from €4 for an hour.

Land train around Lake Bled: A land train follows the lakeside path. It leaves the town every 45 minutes from late April until mid-October; however it doesn’t run in poor weather.

We’ll spend some time in and around Slovenia’s National Park today. We visit Radovljica, one of the region’s best-preserved old towns where we can find out more about the Slovenian folk tradition of bee keeping. We then journey into the National Park and to Lake Bohinj; here, we can enjoy the views from the lakeside before taking a cable car to Vogel which, at 1,992m (6,306 feet), offers breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and valley below.

Today we discover the Upper Sava Valley which forms the geographical border between the Julian Alps and Karavanke Mountains. We’ll discover more about the history of the area at the Russian Chapel on the Vrsic Pass before returning to spend time in the winter sports town of Kranjska Gora, pausing at the stunning Jasna Lake on the way. Later we'll visit a beautiful waterfall and the Slovenian Alpine Museum near Mojstrana.

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before making your way home.