The Original Itinerary

After much research, I was ready to provide my travel companions with the following itinerary and expected spend. By my calculation, we should not spend more than RM1,800, providing we stay in youth hostels and backpackers.

Map of Slovenia from www.lonelyplanet.com


Peik Lean Y.



Below was the original itinerary (and estimated cost) that was sent to my travel companions. They were pretty impressed. Truly, so was I. Ha ha ha …

• Day 1 : 15th May (Sun): Milan – Trieste – Koper or Piran
o Depart Milan on the 8.55am train
o ETA Trieste at 2.30pm. Meet up with Su and Cecile
o Drive across the border to Koper (21 km away)
o Check into private rooms/ hostels at:
 Koper:
• Capris Time (tel 631 1555), www.capristime-sp.si ; s/d 4290SIT/ 7150 SIT (Mon. – Fri. 8am – 4pm)
• The tourist office/ Kompass (tel 627 1581/ 2346) at Pristaniska ul 17 (Koper) opposite the vegetable market. (Mon.- Fri. 8am – 7pm)
 Piran:
• Val Hostel (tel 673 2555), yhostel.val@siol.net ; Gregorciceva ul 38A; dm IYHA member Euro 18-20, non IYHA member Euro 23-24 per person
o Take an evening drive down the Adriatic coast. Check out the tall tower of Church of St George which dominates Piran. Climb up the 15th century town walls (east of the church) for superb views of Piran and the Adriatic.
o Option:
 Dinner at Piran @ the Delfin for some local dishes or
 Dinner at Istrska Kle at Koper. Try out Teran, the local red wine (which looks purplish.
o O/N at Koper/ Piran (select from above choices)

• Day 2 : 16th May (Mon): Koper – Skocjan Caves – Postojna Caves – Ljubljana
o Early drive down to Skocjan Caves (Unesco World Heritage) in time to catch the 10am tour of the caves. Tour is about 1.5 hours. These caves are in more natural surroundings. Entrance fee is 2000 SIT/ USD10.70) 2 tour sessions a day i.e. 10am & 1pm ( www.skocjanske-jame.si )
o Drive down to Postojna Caves (33km northeast of Skocjan) to catch the 2pm tour. Tour duration is about 1.5 hours. Explore 5.7km of the cave (4km by electric train and 1.7km on foot). Tour ends with a viewing of a tank full of Proteus anguinus, the unique salamander-like beasties in the karst caves. Dress warm as cave temperature is a constant 8 deg C. Entrance fee 3290 SIT/ USD17.50. 2 tour sessions a day i.e. 10am & 2pm ( www.postojnska-jama.si ) (tel 700 0100)
o Visit Predjama Castle, an awesome 16th century fortress perched in the gaping mouth cavern 9km north-west of Postojna. Entrance fee 700 SIT/ USD3.80.
o Drive onwards to Ljubljana
o O/N at Ljubljana
 Ljubljana Youth Hostel (IYHA) – BIT Center Hotel (tel 548 0055), www.nit-center.net ; Litijska 57; dm/s/tr 2990/6790/9590 SIT
 Celicia Hostel (former prison) (tel 430 1890), www.souhostel.com ; Metelkova 8; dm/d 3500/9500 SIT. (Add 1000 SIT if 35 and above and 30% surcharge if less than 3 nights) Advance booking held till 5pm. Check in at 3pm.
 Check out Metelkova night life.

• Day 3 : 17th May (Tues): Ljubljana – Bled – Bohinj
o Explore Ljubljana for the day (to each her own DIY) – start from Ljubljana Castle. Lunch at Sokol.
o In the evening, drive to Bled (51km from Ljubljana). Drive round the town for a town orientation. Options to stay a night at Bled are as follows:
 Kompas ( www.kompas-bled.si ), Globtour ( www.globtour-bled.com ) – private rooms at approx 4322 SIT per person
 Bledec Hostel (tel 574 5250); Grajska cesta 17; dm/d Euro 17/ 42 – low season, Euro 19/46 high season. IYHA member – discount Euro 2.
o Then onward to Bohinj area.
o O/N at Bohinj
 Private rooms – s/d Euro 13-19/ 22-32
 Autokamp Zlatorog (tel 572 3482) 1500-2200 SIT per person (camping)
 Penzion Rozic (tel 572 3393) ( www.penzion-rozic.com ) 3954 -4654 SIT per person (no breakfast); Chalet style guesthouse 100m east of tourist office (behind bike rental kiosk)
 Ribcev Laz village (south eastern corner of the lake) - private rooms going for 3200 SIT for 2 persons or USD8.60 per person.
 Stara Fuzina (1km north of Ribcev) – private rooms re above price.
 Ukanc Village (western end of the lake) – Zlatorog Camping Ground at 1600 SIT/ USD8.60 per person. This is near the cable car up Mt Vogel and also the beginning of hiking trails.

• Day 4 : 18th May (Wed): Bohinj
o Option 1:
 Climb up to Mt Ticarica (2091m)
 1 hour hike west of Zlatorog Hotel to SavicaWaterfall (300 SIT)
 Path zigzags up the steep Komarca Crag. Excellent view of Lake Bohinj at the top of this cliff (1340m)
 Farther north, around 3-4 hours from the falls is the Koca pri Triglavskih Jezerih (hp 0609 615 235), 104-bed hut at the fantastic Triglav Lakes Valley (1685m).
 Sub-option: For a good overview of the valley and its 7 permanent lakes, climb up to Mt Ticarica to the north-east in one hour. Back trek to Koca and O/N on the mountain.
o Option 2:
 Explore the villages in Bohinj.
 Guided mountain tours (3400 SIT/ USD18.00) and kayaking trips (3200 SIT/ USD17.00) on the Sava.
 Canyoning through the rapids of the Mostnica Gorge (10400 SIT/ USD17.00)
 Take the Vogel cable car to the upper station (1540m) and scale Mt Vogel in a few hours for a sweeping view of the region. Fee: 1000 SIT/ USD5.40 per person for the cable car ride.
 O/N at one of the villages in Bohinj

• Day 5 : 19th May (Thur): Bohinj –Bled - Bovec/ Kobarid via
* Kranjjska Gora & Vrsic Pass or
* through Ljubljana (51km from Bohinj), Kobarid (150km from Ljubljana and Bovec (21km from Kobarid)
o If Option 1:
 Retrace return trek on the mountain (est. 5 hours)
 Leave Bohinj for Bovec/ Kobarid after lunch. Skip Bled.
o If Option 2:
 Leave Bohinj after breakfast.
 Stop at Bled and explore Bled Island.
• Take a pletna (a large gondola hand-propelled by a boatman) to the island and include a half hour visit of the island, church or belfry (1500 SIT/ USD8 per person), OR
• Hire a rowing boat (cheaper if there are 4 persons). (1000 SIT/ USD5.30 per hour) from the Castle Baths on the shore below the castle, in Mlino or in front of the Grand Hotel Toplice.
• Leave Bohinj for Bovec/ Kobarid
o O/N in Kobarid (if coming via Vrsic Pass) or Bovec (if coming via Ljubljana)
 Kobarid
• Apartma-sobe Ivan cic (tel 389 1007); apartma-ra@siol.net; Gregorci 6C; s Euro 18-30, d Euro 30-50); popular central homestay
• Lazar kamp (above Soca River) (tel 388 5333) www.lazar-sp.si ; euro 6.50 – 9.00 per person; 1.7 km southeast of Kobarid.
 Bovec
• Tourist ofiice (tel 384 1919); www.bovec.si ; private rooms
• www.bovec.net - accommodation

• Day 6 : 20th May (Fri): Bovec/ Kobarid
o White water rafting/ canoeing/ kayaking on Soca Valley. Start point from Bovec.
 www.socarafting.si
• guided canyoning – 7900 – 8700 SIT for 2 hours at Susec
• Hydrospeed – riding down a river on a boogie board – 6700 -7400 SIT for 8km
• White-water rafting – 4700 SIT (8km), 7600 SIT (20km)
• Kayaking – guided 10km paddle – 6500 SIT
• Caving – Euro 25 per person with guide
o Explore Kobarid.
o O/N in Kobarid or Bovec

• Day 7 : 21st May (Sat): Bovec/ Kobarid – Nova Gorica – Trieste – Milan
o Take a long slow drive back to Trieste
o Take a train ride to Milan ETD 9.00pm

• Day 8 : 22nd May (Sun): Milan – KL
o ETA Milan 6.25am
o Flight out to KL at noon

Costs indication:
• Bottle of cheap Teran wine: 900-1200 SIT
• 1 litre of wine from the winemaker’s barrel: 330-380 SIT
• 1 day bicycle rental: 3000 SIT
• 1 litre of petrol: 193-196 SIT
• Souvenir t-shirt: 2700-3200 SIT
• Half litre of Lasko beer: 165 SIT (shop), 330-450 SIT (bar)
• Street snack (burek): 350-450 SIT
• 1.5 litre bottle of water: 95-130 SIT

Exchange rate (estimated at May 2005):
• 1 Malaysian Ringgit = 50.645 Slovenian Tolar
• 1 Slovenian Tolar (SIT) = 0.021 Malaysian Ringgit (MYR)

Things to bring along:
• Sweaters if you intend to climb mountains
• Sleeping bags if you need to stay overnight at the mountains
• Bath towels if you are staying at backpackers or YHAs
• Bed sheets ~ YHAs do provide bed sheets but if you are finicky about cleanliness, BYO (bring your own)!
• Torchlights for the cave exploration
• Swimsuits for the water sports
• Swiss army knives and first aid kit for emergencies
• Good walking/ trekking shoes
• Sunblock
• Daypacks
• Beanie for the climb in case the wind gets chilly
• Raincoat
• Etc.

Disclaimer: Prices have changed since my research. These prices should only be used as a guide, not the Gospel truth.

Fact sheet on Slovenia from www.lonelyplanet.com
Rich in resources, naturally good looking and persistently peaceful, Slovenia has been doing just fine since its break from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. No longer the undiscovered, bargain gem that it was, Slovenia still remains a wonderful antidote to much of Europe's crowds and high prices. Many of its cities and towns bear the imprint of the Habsburg Empire and the Venetian Republic, while up in the Julian Alps you'd almost think you were in Bavaria. The relative affluence of this country on the 'sunny side of the Alps' is immediately apparent.