Day trips from Ljubljana don’t need to be just visiting the most usual places in Slovenia like Bled, Postojna and Piran. If you are looking for some different day trips from Ljubljana, we have something for you. Slovenia might be small, but there are still many little known places, which are incredible to visit.
We have been living in Slovenia all our lives, but we still have not managed to see some of the regions and their secrets. Luckily we got a visit by the Serbian instagramer (hosting him because of the new Mastercard travel campaign and its debit card) this past Saturday and we took him to places, we have never been ourselves, but are perfect as a day trip from Ljubljana.
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Perfect day trip from Ljubljana, taking you to little known places
Velenje and The Coal Mining Museum of Slovenia
Start your day trip from Ljubljana in Velenje – 5th largest city in Slovenia, which is only 1-hour drive by car from the capital. Its coal mining tradition is long and visiting the real coal mine will for sure be one of the best and unique experience you can get. The Coal Mining Museum of Slovenia is great for individuals or for traveling families with kids above 6 years old. The tour last 1,5 hours and can also be done in English, but make reservation for that before your arrival. We were visiting the museum for the very first time and were so excited about it, that we could not help wondering, why we needed so long to finally visit it. Everything starts with descending with the real miner’s elevator more than 150 meters underground to the coal mine, where the tour starts. You will get to know how coal mining was done in the past and also how it is done today. The tour also includes miners lunch and a ride with the real miner’s train. Amazing experience!
Zlati Grič wine cellar
Continue your day trip from Ljubljana stopping at Zlati Grič wine cellar, which is one of the most modern and technologically advanced wine cellar in the Styria region. We loved the fact it is mostly built underground, so that the hilly countryside stayed untouched and is still covered with picturesque vineyards. The wine cellar Zlati Grič produces almost 1 million bottles per year, majority of them are white wines, but are also well known for its rose sparkling wine. You can arrange a quick guiding tour with tasting of 5 different wines, where you will realize how good Slovenian wine really is. Not far from the wine cellar, you will also find Zlati Grič restaurant, serving local dishes with a modern twist.
Žice Charterhouse and Slovenian oldest restaurant
It will be time for lunch so before heading inside of the beautiful Žice Charterhouse, stop at the local restaurant Gastuž, which is known as the oldest in Slovenia, dated 1467. If you are into local and traditional dishes, you will not miss with ordering its meat and veggies stew »pohorski lonec«. If the weather is nice, sit outside and enjoy the views over the Carthusian monastery while eating. The Carthusian monastery was established in 12th century and you will be able to find out more about the monastery life in its exhibition. The monks were extremely knowledgeable and ahead of time and because of them, the whole region boosted with economic revival.
Visiting Golte or Rogla
If you enjoy mountains or just want to see another side of Slovenia, you can also visit Rogla or Golte, offering great hiking opportunities or just enjoying a coffee while breathing cooler and fresh mountain air. Rogla can be easily reached by car, but we would recommend you to take a gondola ride to reach Golte.
Closing the day with the Ljubljana cake
After exciting day trip from Ljubljana, you will be back in our capital. What can be better than sweeten up the day with a culinary delight Ljubljana cake. Ljubljana cake is a new tourist product and wants to become known as the Sacher cake in Vienna. It is a long way to become so popular, but when you will taste the Ljubljana cake, the ambitious plans will not sound so impossible anymore. We really like the fact that the cake joins ingredients, which are typical for different parts of Slovenia – buckwheat flour (Alpine parts of Slovenia), almonds, dried figs and chestnuts (Mediterranean part of Slovenia) and pumpkin seeds (Pannonian part of Slovenia). The Ljubljana cake does not include any artificial flavors, additives or sweeteners, but includes another traditional product for Slovenia – honey. The cake is also gluten-free. You will recognize it by the chocolate medallion with a dragon and Ljubljana Cake text. The only place you can taste this mixture of Slovenian flavors in one piece is the Grand Cafe Ljubljana – perfect base to start your evening walk around Ljubljana’s old town.
This day trip from Ljubljana could of course be longer, but one day is still enough to get to know a little bit different and little known part of Slovenia. Instead of tourist crowds, you will almost have all the places to yourself, what will make the experiences in this day trip even more beautiful and unforgettable.
How to do this day trip from Ljubljana?
The best way to do this day trip from Ljubljana is having your own transport. If you are not traveling to Ljubljana by car, you can rent one at www.economycarrentals.com
Where to stay in Ljubljana?
If you are looking for a place to stay, Ljubljana offers lots of hotels. The Serbian instagramer was staying at the City Hotel, just steps away from the old city center. He liked the location, the room and rich buffet breakfast too. You can check more about the hotel here.
You can watch all about this amazing day trip from Ljubljana in our video here.
