Some trips are deeply planned. Some trips are deeply transformative. And some trips are just… close to Munich and your soul needs to go somewhere.
Slovenia was the latter. And somehow, it became one of those places that quietly lodges itself somewhere in your chest and refuses to leave.
Four days. A train ticket, a BlaBlaCar ride, and the kind of energy that only comes when you have been indoors too long. No car, no agenda, no apologies. Just me, a backpack, and the open road.
Ljubljana’s central station is not what you expect. Nothing about Slovenia is what you expect. And that, my friend, is precisely the point.
Day 1 – Hello There, Ljubljana
Getting there was half the adventure. I took the train from Munich to Salzburg on the Deutschland ticket, then switched to an OBB train from Salzburg into Ljubljana. Two trains, two countries crossed before I even arrived. Germany to Austria, Austria to Slovenia. That is the kind of thing that never gets old no matter how many countries you have been to.
The Flixbus might be cheaper but the train through the Austrian Alps? Worth every minute.
Ljubljana is small. Delightfully, refreshingly small. You can walk almost everywhere. The Ljubljanica river runs through the centre like it owns the place because honestly, it does. Cafés spill onto its banks, bridges connect old to older, and everyone seems to be in absolutely no hurry.
I dropped my bags and wandered straight to Prešeren Square, stood in front of the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation that perfect blush pink against a blue sky and just breathed. Travelling really is one of those things that nothing else quite replaces.
I wandered through the market stalls where Ljubljana dragon souvenirs watched me from every corner. The dragon is everywhere in this city on the bridge, in the shops, in the city’s own mythology. I did not buy one. I should have bought one. This is my official public regret, literally after every trip, and I still don’t buy souvenirs.
Day 2 Lake Bled. Just… Lake Bled.
There are places that make you question every life decision that kept you away from them for so long.
Lake Bled is one of those places.
I took the bus out from Ljubljana because, no licence and arrived at a scene so aggressively beautiful it almost felt rude. Emerald water. An island with a church in the middle of it. A castle perched on a cliff above. Mountains everywhere, doing what Slovenian mountains do, which is exist with complete dramatic confidence.
I stood at Lake Bled Castle and threw up a peace sign because what else do you do when you are standing in front of something that looks like it was rendered by someone who had never been told to be subtle.
The castle had a parade that day. Locals dressed in full medieval costume gowns, capes, the works wandering through the courtyard like it was completely normal.
Me being me, didn’t take a second to steal the opportunity to take a picture with them, and mannnn, didn’t I feel underdressed 🫣😂.
Day 3 Vintgar Gorge and Lake Bohinj
If Lake Bled is Slovenia showing off, Vintgar Gorge is Slovenia quietly pulling you aside and saying wait, there is more.
Wooden walkways built directly into the rock face, threading alongside a river that is a colour of turquoise that has no business existing in nature. Waterfalls. Moss on everything. The sound of water so constant it becomes its own kind of silence. Heaven on earth is not an exaggeration.
I walked the entire gorge alone. Just me and the sound of the water and the occasional gasp from other visitors who had also, apparently, not been warned about how beautiful this was going to be.
From there, Lake Bohinj. The quieter, less famous, arguably more beautiful cousin of Lake Bled. Fewer crowds. Bier gardens and peace.
Some moments just are.
Slovenia does wine. It does it seriously.
I ended up at a wine tasting in a centuries-old cellar, a sommelier pouring with the quiet reverence of someone who genuinely believes what he is doing is sacred and honestly, after the first glass, I agreed with him completely.
And then the night really began.
Ljubljana has a techno scene that nobody warns you about. I found myself at a club that was loud and warm and completely alive, dancing until the kind of late that makes the next morning difficult and entirely worth it.
One life yo. I stand by every decision, made carefully.
A note here, especially for women travelling alone: clubbing solo as a woman requires an extra layer of awareness. Know where the exits are. Keep your drink in your hand. Trust your instincts if something feels off, leave without explanation. Share your location with someone who knows you. The night can be brilliant and it usually is, but your safety is always the first decision you make, not the last. I had an incredible night in Ljubljana and I want you to have one too.
Day 4 Ljubljana Evenings and Goodbye
The last morning is always bittersweet. You have just started to figure out a city’s rhythms and then it is time to leave.
I walked through Ljubljana one more time. Past the dragon bridge. Along the river. Through the quiet streets where the city was still waking up. I stood in a square at dusk next to an equestrian statue and let the city settle into memory.
Then I got into a BlaBlaCar back to Munich. Three strangers, one car, the Slovenian and Austrian countryside scrolling past the window. One of them was a student heading back to Germany after a weekend in Ljubljana. We talked the whole way. That is also travel not just the monuments and the hikes but the person sitting next to you in a stranger’s car who is also, it turns out, figuring things out.
The mountains disappeared behind me and I thought about how the best trips are not always the longest or the most complex or the most carefully planned.
Sometimes the best trip is just the one you took because it was close, and your soul needed to go somewhere.
Until next time, Slovenia. 🇸🇮
Practical notes: Munich to Ljubljana by train is a great option Deutschland ticket to Salzburg, then OBB from Salzburg to Ljubljana. Clean, scenic, affordable. Return by BlaBlaCar is cheap and surprisingly social if you like meeting people. You genuinely do not need a car in Slovenia; buses connect Ljubljana to Bled, Bohinj, and Vintgar easily. Go in the summer for the hiking. Stay in Ljubljana’s old town. Do the wine tasting. Do the Vintgar Gorge. And if you go clubbing solo, go smart, go safe, go have the best night of your life.
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