A few years ago, all I knew about Slovenia was that it wasn't Slovakia... But still, I was invited to travel in Slovenia with Slovenian glamping company Big Berry because of my blogger friend Maria at Travelling Buzz (classic example of it not being what you know but rather who). Ever one to accept a free trip, I, and my fiancé at the time, Tan, accepted.
My expectations of glamping Slovenia, travelling in Slovenia, and Slovenia in general were little to none, so when I 'discovered' that this central European country is ripe with nature, delicious eats and welcoming people I was surprised and eternally grateful. As a travel blogger slash YouTuber who was brought there to promote I was treated like a princess the entire time, but this princess has an eye for detail, and has made good use of her irritating ability to critique anything: Although Slovenia is beaut and more than worth travelling to (like every country is as far as I can tell), there were some sh*t parts too and I've included them to paint a more accurate picture of Slovenia. I hope you enjoy!
1. NATURE IN SLOVENIA
Forget black and white, everything in Slovenia is blue and green: blue rivers, green forests, blue skies... Seriously, a typical landscape in Slovenia will look something like this: an aquamarine river, surrounded by electric green ferns, grass, moss and trees. In the foreground, there will be cute rolling-emerald-green-hobbit-hills and in the distance, a 'formidable' mountain covered in trees that are so dense the green actually looks like midnight blue. Top the image with an azure blue sky and you get a picture of travelling Slovenia:
Here are some facts to back up that painted picture: 60% of Slovenia is forest, making it one of the most forested countries not just in Europe but in the entire world.
Slovenia also has 59 rivers, each clearer and bluer than the last. Unfortunately though not all are clean, this one was full of poison:
Slovenia really is filled with lush nature, mountainous beauty and breathtaking lakes. In fact, people (and when I say people I mean me) have started to nickname Slovenia 'The New Zealand of Europe'. Okay, it wasn't just me, I met Shanti from a Wanderphile and her friend Chantelle in Slovenia and they said "yeah, nah, it's like New Zealand".
With great nature comes great wildlife. On our first day at Big Berry, we saw a deer skipping through the fields and numerous fish in the clear rivers. They also have the kind of fish that come and eat the dead skin from your feet - like in Thailand. We also saw herons, cranes and newts. And if wildlife isn't your thing, you'll see plenty of domesticated animals too - beautiful horses and lots of milking cows. (Actually this is where I stopped eating dairy after visiting said milking cows lol, but that's another story: how travel made me vegan) Put simply, if you love nature and wildlife you have to come to Slovenia!
Find out more by reading our full review of Big Berry. 
2. SLOVENIAN FOOD
First things first: Pogaca. What is pogaca and why has it come first? Pogaca is a typical Slovenian welcome bread. It's round, light and very salty - aka the best bread ever. Pogaca must never be cut - it's specifically made with grooves so that it must be split by hand between friends.
Slovenian cuisine also involves lots of lavender, ginger and honey. A trip to BIBI Turizem is an absolute must to try out lavender juice, ginger cookies and honey schnapps.
And the honey doesn't stop there. Another must for your Slovenian bucket-list is a trip to a traditional beekeeper to learn how bees make honey, how humans harvest it, how to recognise good quality honey and to discover which food keeps for thousands of years (okay, you guessed it, it's honey). We also recommend a trip to Pecaric to learn all about oils and what they can be used for (acne, digestion, stress relief etc). Sure, you may leave thinking that you need a big tub filled with every single oil, but you will also leave, hopefully, with some delicious oils - we recommend the pumpkin and the apricot.
One of our absolute favourite stories was hearing about 'stealing Croatia'. Slovenia borders Croatia and so they have a healthy, friendly rivalry. In fact, most of the border is a 40m narrow river, so children will often swim to Croatia, take something like a rock or a twig, and swim back - aka stealing Croatia! How cute is that?? Every Slovenian we met was warm, friendly and extremely hospitable, making it an absolute joy to travel to Slovenia.
Another absolute must is a stop at Berryshka - the chocolatier and distillery which makes divine fruit liqueurs, juniper brandies and delicate chocolates. We loved the blueberry liqueur the best.
3. SLOVENIAN WINE
Speaking of alcohol, the fun doesn't stop at fruit liqueurs. No, Slovenia is actually a big wine country, making around 90 million litres per year (and consuming most of it domestically). Slovenians are very proud of their wines, and rightly so: not only are they divine, but they have been making wine since the time of the Celts, i.e. way before the Romans introduced winemaking to Germany, Spain and France! You cannot tick off travelling in Slovenia without visiting one of their wineries like Suklje or Pecaric, okay maybe if you don't drink wine you shouldn't go... because there will be a lot of wine drinking - and of course a Pogaca welcome bread or two!
4. SLOVENIAN BEER
Slovenian beer is also, you guessed it, divine - and this is coming from a Brit and a German (which in our eyes makes us beer experts for some reason). Our favourite Slovenian beer was by the craft beer makers Vizir. One afternoon we also had a tour of their factory, followed by a beer tasting. They were all delicious and our favourite was Imperial IPA.
5. SLOVENIAN PEOPLE
What really makes Slovenian food, alcohol and indeed Slovenia travel special is the Slovenians themselves. They are SO lovely: Bernarda from BIBI's - absolutely loved Tanbay and would try to speak German for him; the Golden Ghee guys - put on a ghee tasting for everyone, followed by a healing gong session.
The policeman who we bumped into at Ana's church - invited us round to see his winery, meet his family and try his wine. Andreja, the owner of Gostišče Vešelič - would sweetly tease us about being vegetarian, then bring us the most delicious vegan spaghetti, followed by little bottles of on-the-house vodka and the lovely couple, who invited us to their home and taught us all about pogaca - when we left I embarrassed myself and brought shame to England by going to shake both their hands at once and ended up using both of my hands. They laughed and hugged me and said I was always welcome to come back :)
One of our absolute favourite stories was hearing about 'stealing Croatia'. Slovenia borders Croatia and so they have a healthy, friendly rivalry. In fact, most of the border is a 40m narrow river, so children will often swim to Croatia, take something like a rock or a twig, and swim back - aka stealing Croatia! How cute is that?? Every Slovenian we met was warm, friendly and extremely hospitable, making it an absolute joy to travel to Slovenia.
6. ADVENTURE ACTIVITIES IN SLOVENIA
Surprisingly, for a country so peaceful, there is a lot to do when travelling Slovenia, especially if you love nature and super-especially if you're a water baby: swimming, canoeing, kayaking and my personal favourite - rafting. There are also thousands of beautiful hikes that can be done when you travel to Slovenia.
7. LAKE BLED SLOVENIA
Slovenia has a lot of breathtaking lakes, most well known of course is Lake Bled. Lake Bled is of glacial and tectonic origins and is the most gorgeous turquoise colour. [Find out more about Lake Bled with our guide: A Guide to Visiting Lake Bled.]
8. LJUBLJANA CAPITAL OF SLOVENIA
Ljubljana quickly became one of my favourite European cities: it's cool, it's quirky, it's small enough to not feel swamped but big enough not to be boring and the food is delicious. Ljubljana is the greenest capital in Europe (and also probably the hardest to spell). Please check out my full guide to Ljubljana here: A Guide to Visiting Ljubljana.
9. LOCATION OF SLOVENIA
It's so easy to be a good (read: green) traveller and travel to Slovenia overland because it's located in central Europe. No matter which direction you're coming from, please consider over-landing. Travelling Slovenia works well with a trip to Italy and / or Croatia because Slovenian food is the perfect mixture of Italian and Croatian food. Ljubljana to Zagreb only takes about 2 hours by bus or train and from Zagreb, it's just a hop, skip and a jump to Budapest and then on to Vienna, Bratislava and Prague. (I've taken bused or trained these between these routes and can confirm it's doable. More than doable, fun!)
Going the other way, Ljubljana to Venice is about 4 hours and from here you can reach all corners of Italy, or head up to Switzerland and Germany!
Going the other way, Ljubljana to Venice is about 4 hours and from here you can reach all corners of Italy, or head up to Switzerland and Germany!
10. BIG BERRY SLOVENIA
Travelling Slovenia wouldn't be complete without a stay at the luxury glamping camp: Big Berry. We stayed here for 12 days and it was relaxing, rejuvenating and packed with fun! It's a unique and luxury place that simply has to be seen to be believed.
Wrap Up: 10 Reasons To Travel To Slovenia
I loved travelling Slovenia. Having done little to no research before-hand I was completely surprised us with its beautiful landscapes, yummy foods and kind people.
Over to you: have you traveled to Slovenia? Did we miss any reasons you should travel to Slovenia off this list?
We don't just have a travel blog Slovenia, we're travel vloggers too! Check out our playlist of our time travelling Slovenia for more Slovenian inspo -- here's one of our videos, enjoy :)
We don't just have a travel blog Slovenia, we're travel vloggers too! Check out our playlist of our time travelling Slovenia for more Slovenian inspo -- here's one of our videos, enjoy :)
Disclaimer: Travelling Weasels were invited as guests of Big Berry, but as always all opinions are our own.
ABOUTME
We overland. We eat plants and fungi. We live outside as much as possible. We are all connected. A female travel blogger overlanding and writing about ecotourism, ethical and sustainable travel, socially conscious travel and housesitting. An online travel magazine since 2015.
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