Slovenia may just be Europe’s best kept secret. An abundance of incredible natural landscapes, rich history and unwavering charm is in store for those that veer off the major tourist track and take a little detour to the east.

Despite its small size, Slovenia packs a serious punch. The impressive variety of terrain and the changes that are seen from season to season make it a place you can over and over again and yet still find something new. From colorful cities to snow-capped peaks, and coastal towns to lakeside villages, the options are endless. Slovenia’s offerings also extend far below the surface with a staggering number of caves - among the most on earth, including the largest in all of Europe.

While I look forward seeing it in all its summer glory (and not literally being the only person in each place I stayed), I am wholly satisfied with my two weeks among the fluffy white snowflakes.

About Slovenia

Before diving too deep, let’s take a moment to hash out a few important details about this pint-sized country, starting with the proper pronunciation of its capital city, Ljubljana. To the English speaker’s tongue, “Ljubljana” looks like a jumble of letters, which to be fair, it is. My first attempt was something along the embarrassing lines of la-joob-la-jana and la-jubbal-janna. Cute, right?

Here is the proper pronunciation: lyoo-bleh-yana. Or, for simplicities sake, you can take those pesky j’s out and say loo-blah-nah, which I’ve been told by a local works just as well. (If he lied to me, my deepest apologies in misleading you.)

Where is it?

If you can’t say where it is located with any certainty, take solace in the fact that you are not alone. Sure, I could provide the general region (central/eastern-ish Europe), but I couldn’t pinpoint precisely where it was. In fact, my lack of Slovenian knowledge is what largely what drew me to visiting in the first place.

In terms of size, Slovenia is tiny. Like, tiny tiny. Like, the size of the state of Vermont tiny, which for those of you unfamiliar with the size of Vermont, take my word for it here when I say it is, in fact, tiny.

To get oriented, it shares borders with Italy to the west, Croatia to the south, Austria to the north and Hungary touches a smidgeon of the east. It has a very small portion of land along the Adriatic Sea (not too far from Venice) and the Julian Alps run through the northwestern part of the country.

A LITTLE HISTORY

Poor Ljubljana was round-housed by European empires like a bottle of vodka at a frat party. First by the Italians, then the Germans. The Austrians took a turn (for nearly one thousand years) and later Napoleon came in on his high horse. The Austrians were having none of Napoleon’s tomfoolery and pushed him back out, to which he dispersed with a tail between is legs (presumably). Most recently Yugoslavia took a stab at it, but then in 1991 Slovenia finally had their time to shine and became an independent nation. Go Slovenia!

WHAT IS it known FOR?

Well, to be frank, not a whole lot. Slovenes feel a bit overlooked, and rightfully so. When they do have something that puts them on the map they run with it, which in their case is winter sports. There is also a lady you may be familiar with by the name of Melania Trump (whether this is a point of pride is yet to be determined). Also, the oldest known musical instrument in the world, the Divje Babe flute, was found in Slovenia. How this divine music-maker hasn’t helped increase tourism and popularity is beyond me. 

Road trip Highlights

My two weeks of exploration began in the capital, Ljubljana. From there, I ventured west to the Alps for a winter escape, took what was supposed to be a sunny detour to Croatia (the sun is deeply elusive I would later learn), and then made my way back north with stops at villages and famous landmarks along the way. Despite activities being in limited supply during the winter, compounded by the fact that I swear I was the only tourist there, I still fell more and more in love with the teensy little country with each passing mile.

Ljubljana

With its castles, bridges and cobblestone streets, Ljubljana is at the top of the list for charming cities to explore. Its European-meets-soviet style buildings have a colorful twist and there is no shortage of cafes to pop into. It was the ideal way to bookend the road trip due to its proximity to the airport and car rental pick up locations.

My few days in the capital were spent frolicking between coffeeshops, exploring Ljubljana Castle and enjoying the funkiness that is Metelkova Art Center. Its a city that is best strolled through at a leisurely pace, which I did dutifully.

Read More: Ljubljana Travel guide

Skofja Loka

A number of small towns dot the map outside the border of Ljubljana and Skofja Loka, to the northwest, is where I headed. This quiet medieval village is built along a river and boasts Bavarian-influenced architecture. Its most famous sight is the Capuchin Bridge, a stony semi-circle that is very photogenic.

the julian alps

I then ventured to the northwest corner of the country to visit Triglav National Park. It is a paradise of hiking trails and dazzling alpine lakes in summer and a wonderland of snow sports in winter. My two days included an afternoon of snowboarding, an (attempted) hike to Tromeja (where Italy, Hungary and Slovenia meet), and chilly hangs on the icy lake with the stunning mountains as a backdrop.

Lake bled

This is easily the most photographed place in all of Slovenia. In fact, you’ve probably already seen photos of the lone island on the lake and didn’t realize it was Slovenia at all. Surrounded by mountains, Lake Bled is a scene made for postcards and I’m convinced that there is a beautiful view from every possible place you can stand.

While I didn’t visit the island, I did stroll around the lake, enjoyed a hike to view sunset, and relaxed into the laidback atmosphere.

Predjama & Postjona

For a day trip, I headed to Postojna Cave, one of Slovenia’s largest and most popular attractions. Inside, I hopped aboard a small train and was whisked into the darkness and met the olm, a translucent and eyeless “human fish,” which was kind of cute but mostly creepy.

Nearby is Predjama Castle, an impressive fortress built into the side of a mountain. It even has secret tunnels that go into Postojna Cave! Instead of going inside, I enjoyed a simple lunch at a small cafe at its base.

THE food scene

It wouldn’t be fair to talk all about a destination and neglect the food scene - so what exactly does Slovenia offer? Well, they don’t necessarily have a certain type of food they are famous for but instead are influenced by other cultures around them.

There are handfuls of risottos and pastas to be had (thanks, Italy) and goulash (shout out to Hungary), as well as schnitzels (that’d be the Germans). Plus, they really like to throw truffles in things (here’s to looking at you, Croatia). Generally I found their main food groups to be meat, cheese and coffee.

It’s also important to note where they eat, which is outside. All. Year. Round. Originally I thought they were an absolutely insane bunch because it is capital-C Cold there, however, I have since concluded that they aren’t entirely crazy because I eventually gave in to the outdoor eating culture as well. In fact, I came to love it. Most restaurants have outdoor heaters and nearly every place has blankets. There is also something refreshing about sitting on the riverside and seeing your breath but still feeling cozy and warm with a hot coffee in hand.

The Language

Making plans to head to Slovenia? Good on you, I highly recommend it. Before taking off, it is handy to know a few survival phrases first. Being a Slavic language, Slovenian sounds a bit like Russian but luckily this is Europe so nearly everyone speaks a bit of English. That really helped since I am unable to pronounce 97% of the words here. How am I supposed to pronounce krk or dvanajst. I need more vowels to work with, guys.

• Please | Prosim (pro-seem)

• Thank you | Hvala (sounds like a mix of “koala” and “voila!”)

• I’ll take a beer, please | vzel bom pivo, prosim

• Where is the Nutella? | Kje je Nutella?

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