Slovenia in One Day: Small-Group Day Trip to Lake Bled, Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle from Ljubljana

Enjoyed exploring the beautiful countryside and learning the history of Slovenia. Nina is a guide and answered all the questions asked by the fellow travellers.

Very enjoyable day. The caves were a good experience although we could have gone through quicker without the guide who wasn’t particularly informative. Predjama castle was fantastic-the history of it is fascinating and it is well preserved. Bled lake is beautiful-if we’d had more time we would have walked round it. The castle was great for the views but a little disappointing as there isn’t a lot there. Our guide Domaz was brilliant-gave us lots of information about our trip but also about Slovenia in general. We would definitely recommend this trip.

The entire trip was perfect. Gorgeous places, excellent, polite, and professional guide. Very good recommendations for the food choices.

We were a bit weary of this tour because of all the comments saying that it didn't feel like a real tour and that it was just paying 'for a driver'. However, we did not feel that way. Tina was amazing and explained a lot to us as we drove from one destination to another. You do have to pay seperately for each activity but we knew that when we booked so there are not any unexoected surprises. We had a great day and would recommend it. We felt like we had enough time at the cave and the castle at bled. Thank you!

We had only three nights in Slovenia (staying in Ljubljana) so this tour was ideal to experience these three amazing highlights in one long day, back by supper time. That left us another full day just to soak up the sights, food & culture of the capital city. First we were surprised that inside the Postojna Cave we travelled several km underground by train before starting to walk another 1.5 km with a guide. The lit-up limestone formations were magical, creating a fairy-like world.We we’re not expecting much from the visit to the castle because pictures that we had seen of the outside did not give us a hint of the fabulous audio-guided tour of this historical wonder. Finally Lake Bled with the church in the island was just as beautiful as we had imagined from photos and we relished the opportunity to relax and enjoy it from close-up, from another castle and from the boat. Thomas our guide was fun, knowledgeable and expert at answering our many questions. He ensured that our group that day got to know each other. It was a great day of adventure and fun.

The caves are definitely a sight to be seen, a great part of the trip. And Bled is beautiful to visit. Sanda was a great tour guide and was very knowledgeable.

The sites visited were magnificent and worth five stars… The reason for my poor rating was the tour company I was with: Slovenia Explorer. I paid more than $100 USD, pretty much for a driver. I knew that I’d have to pay for entry tickets to sites on my own along the way… not a problem; however, my frustration is that the trip is expensive for what happened, falsely advertised, and misleading in its description. The VIATOR website states, “Enjoy personalized attention from a guide.” And the Slovenia Explorers website for this tour states, “Our passionate and knowledgable guides can dedicate their time and attention to each traveller.” THIS WAS a self-guided tour. Now, my “guide” Sanda was perfectly nice and she tried to use some humour and shared some interesting facts on our drive down to Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle. But for example, the van was not well equipped for sightseeing, making it difficult to see or capture anything when she said, “and look to the right.” Secondly, she did not go into ANY site with us, stating that it’s self-guided and self-explanatory. If that’s your thing, then great! But I paid for GUIDED TOUR and this need has always been satisfied and met when booking with VIATOR. The Postojna caves were so unique and cool to stare at… would have loved to learn meaningful information along the way. There was a man working there in an orange jacket, shouting facts in English like six times along the way… info that was disjointed and if you weren’t close to him, there was no connection between what you were seeing and experiencing — again, I purposely planned to Be on a Tour, and this was anything but. The Predjama Castle was fascinating to walk through- they seemed to upgrade for tourists by having ear pieces in different languages, highlighting things as you walked through different rooms… but it was pretty bare bones basic. Again, it would have been beneficial to walk through with an actual guide. Another misleading element is that our group was informed half way through, that we’d be driving BACK into Ljubljana to drop off two people, and then pick up another two, before heading to Lake Bled. I get that the company may be trying to pack in as many visitors and trips as possible, but this put a dent in our time with more wasted driving and stopping and was not advertised. It also did not allow for group time to walk around Lake Bled… as in, the biggest reason to even go there (in my opinion). This is not the fault of any guest who booked a half or full day trip (and isn’t aware of behind the scenes), but instead, it’s a misguided choice by the company. By our last site visited, Lake Bled, I was so frustrated with the lack of attention or care for this tour, that I decided to forgo the Pletna Boat ride island (a waste of time and money, a decision I stand by!) and I personally walked around more than a quarter of Lake Bled, taking some of my best pictures… IT IS BEYOND ME that walking around the Lake wouldn’t be worked into such a long trip! Glad I listened to my gut. Lastly, I think the guide picked up on my frustration of time and her lack of presence, so she actually walked us up to the Bled Castle, and spent five minutes telling us what we should visit while up there. Every one was so exhausted as the trip had gone later at this point, that we all opted just to drive back to Ljubalana… a morning that started at 8am and ended just before 7pm. *I recommend getting the Bled Cream Cake (Cremschnitz) at the Bled castle! I have mostly loved and relied on booking with VIATOR and will continue to do so — but I WOULD NOT travel again with Slovenia Explorers… $107 USD is not worth it for just a driver, a lack of personalized guide time, and still having to pay for every entrance fee yourself — Check the company you end up picking, when you book! To end— visiting Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle, and Lake Bleds are musts while traveling in this region; Make sure you walk around Lake Bled! -Kayla

Was a good experience, guide was very knowledgeable, friendly, and answered a lot of questions regarding a wide range of topics on Slovenia history, culture, etc; however, as stated it does not include the entrance to anything and you must pay separately.

My son, who lives in Italy, had a few days off unexpectedly from work and decided to travel to Slovenia. I met him there and was able to join his tour. Communication was excellent through emails trying to coordinate being on the same tour and changing pick up location due to lodging change. It was a very rainy day, but it didn’t derail any plans. If anything, it added to the memories and the experience of visiting medieval castles and imagining the uncomfortable conditions of life. Nina was our guide and she was outstanding. She was kind, thorough, knowledgeable, personable and an excellent driver. She was always waiting with umbrellas and helping everyone get in as dry as possible. She’s an absolute professional.

We spent our day with our guide Nina and we enjoyed every minute!In just a day you can see the must-see places of Slovenia (opened in January) and learn everything not just for them but for all the history of Slovenia. We even had a tour in Ljubljiana the next day and most of the information given, we had already got it from Nina the day before. We definitely recommend this tour and the amazing Slovenia!!