Known as ‘Europe in Miniature’, tiny Slovenia is the only country in the world with the name love in it: sLOVEnia. That’s exactly the emotion you will feel when visiting the green paradise with a huge heart and a wealth of diversity. Explore the magnificent Julian Alps proudly rising to the sky with fellow Fulbright alumni, as well as the radiating coastline oozes Mediterranean charm in the South-West, thermal healing waters pouring from the natural springs in the East and charming baroque city of Ljubljana as the centrally located capital. Add the top-class wine cellars in the Tuscany-style Goriška Brda and the World’s oldest vine-tree in Maribor, combining it with a superb gastronomy with Mediteranean, Alpine and Panonian influence – can you think of anything better?
Arrive to the Ljubljana airport on May 15th. Participants can expect complimentary pick up at LJU airport with transfer to the hotel in Ljubljana. Kick off the trip with an optional introductory evening of cake and sparkling wine in the Hotel Union Caffe. Spend the night at the Ljubljana hotel.
On your first full day, you will explore Slovenia’s capital city with with an immersive tour around the Old Town, Castle, and city market. Ljubljana is the green capital of a green country. The image of the town by a river with picturesque bridges and a marketplace was designed by the famous architect Jože Plečnik. The town of a thousand events is surrounded by parks and natural protected areas. Then, enjoy a lunch river cruise – a beautiful experience for the group to include food, drinks, and music, all while observing a fascinating and different angle of the city-view. Following will be a walk to the Cekin castle in Ljubljana’s green lungs – Tivoli park. End the night with a group welcome dinner, a classic Slovenian evening of local food, accompanied by a folklore show of classic Slovenian music and dancing. Spend the night at the hotel in Ljublijana.
Meals included: Breakfast, lunch
After breakfast in Ljljubljana, travel to Bled, a beautiful town in the foothills of the Julian Alps. With immense natural beauty, Bled and its surroundings ranks among the most beautiful alpine resorts, and a number one tourist attraction in Slovenia. The beauty of the mountains reflected on the lake, picturesque island with St. Mary church and middle-ages castle, the serenity and the fresh air arouse pleasant feelings in visitors throughout the year.
First, take a visit to Bled Island by a traditional Pletna boat, where you will visit the church of St. Mary and explore the Bled castle. Next, you will continue to Lake Bohinj. Located in a glacial valley, it comprises of over 100 million cubic liters of water. According to an old Bohinj joke: no more than a bucket if it is large enough. The steeply descending lake basin is smoothly shaped and has no shallow areas. In summer, the temperature of the water rises to 22 °C; in winter, the lake freezes sometimes. Climb the Vogel mountain by cable car to take in the amazing views of Triglav (Slovenia’s highest mountain). Enjoy a tasty mountain lunch 1500 metres above sea level before returning to Radovljica for a visit the unique bee museum. Since opening in 1959, this museum has specialized in maintaining the heritage of Slovenian beekeeping by keeping records, collecting, storing, documenting, representing and popularizing this tradition. Its quarters are in the Baroque Mansion House in the old part of the town. Spend the night at a beautiful hotel in Bled.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel in Bled before driving to Mojstrana to visit the Peričnik Waterfall and to discover the secrets of the Slovenian mountaineering in the local Alpine museum. A rich collection of items with diverse historical stories, fascinating photographic and archive material, and a comprehensive choice of booklets give the visitor an opportunity to grasp the popularity and importance of mountaineering in Slovenia, past and present. The permanent exhibition is based on the concept of a museum story, which we experience as if we were climbing a mountain. The permanent and other exhibitions contribute to education and culture within tourism and the mountain atmosphere.
Have lunch at a traditional Alpine restaurant in the Kranjska Gora area before driving over the Vršič mountain pass (1.611 metres) and visiting the Russian Chapel (in memoriam of the 100 Russian soldiers died under a snow avalanche). After, walk to the emerald Soča river spring in the Trenta valley. One of the most beautiful rivers in Europe, the Soča is an important natural treasure in the Triglav National Park. It is famous for its deep emerald color and brisk rapids in the upstream area. 137 km in length, the Soča is an Alpine river with a mysterious karst source in Trenta, at the foot of the majestic Julian Alps. At the end of the day, check in to a wonderful hotel in Bovec, and enjoy a free evening to explore the town and take in the local food and culture.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast in the hotel, drive to Kobarid to visit the local World War I museum, dedicated to the events of the First World War on the Isonzo Front. The museum presents two and a half years of warfare in the Upper Soča Valley, and devotes particular attention to the twelfth Soča battle, known as the Battle of Kobarid. The Museum features numerous interesting exhibits, a relief model of the Soča River Basin, an extensive photographic archive, a model cave and a documentary film presenting one of the largest mountain battles ever fought.
Following will be a beautiful walk through the mysterious path to the Kozjak waterfall. You will certainly have earned your lunch following at the local restaurant. Next, take a deep thought of the human history at the Kobarid Charnel house located above Kobarid. the house was built on Gradic Hill near the Church of Saint Anton. It was opened by Benito Mussolini. It was built in the memory to the fallen Italian soldiers in the First World War. There were transmitted posthumous remains of 7014 unknown and known soldiers from the surrounding military graveyards. The soldiers fell in the neighborhood of Tolmin, Kobarid and Rombon. After, return to Bovec and enjoy the walks along the Soča river or (optional) continue the WW1 discovery by visiting the Kluže Fortress. Spend another night at the beautiful Bovec hotel.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
After breakfast at the hotel, drive towards Gorica with short stops in Tolmin and Most na Soči to discover the traditional towns and see the biggest stone bridge in Slovenia. Next, explore Slovenia’s little Tuscany – Goriška Brda, cultivated with vineyards and orchards. A nature explorer will discover many interesting things about geological, climatic and botanical features in this unspoiled nature. The hilly Brda landscape is speckled with villages, some clustered like birds’ nests, some elongated and dispersed, with houses spread along the ridges, but all of them surrounded by the greenery of vineyards and orchards with roads, track and paths winding among them. Take a wine tour in one of the local wine cellars and taste the variety and quality of some of the finest wines produced in this region, followed by lunch at a delicious local restaurant. Spend the afternoon discovering the Brda villages of Medana, Gonjače, and Šmartno. Next, drive to Nova Gorica and walk in the city that lies on both the Slovenian and Italian side of the border. End the day with a stay at a Nova Gorica hotel and dinner at a local restaurant.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
After breakfast at the hotel, walk the cobbled streets of the picturesque Karst village Štanjel. Visit the Lipizzaner horses’ origin – the Lipica horse stud farm, the oldest European stud farm continuously breeding one of the oldest cultural horse breeds. As such, it has a remarkable significance as a cultural, historical and natural heritage for Slovenia and Europe. The history of Lipica is closely intertwined with the Habsburgs and the time when horse was considered an ideal and was at the time a crucial strategic advantage. The Lipica story begins in the 16th century when the abandoned summer residence became the court stud farm. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before driving to Koper and walking the streets of the biggest Adriatic port-city. Dive into the maze of the stony streets of the Venetian town of Piran. Lonely Planet says: One of the loveliest towns anywhere along the Adriatic coast, picturesque Piran (Pirano in Italian) sits prettily at the tip of a narrow peninsula. Its Old Town – one of the best-preserved historical towns anywhere in the Mediterranean – is a gem of Venetian Gothic architecture, but it can be a mob scene at the height of summer. In quieter times, it’s hard not to fall instantly in love with the atmospheric winding alleyways, the sunsets and the seafood restaurants. Spend the night in this beautiful town at a local hotel.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
After enjoying, breakfast at the hotel, visit Soline Nature park in Sečovlje. On the Slovenian coast, where the River Dragonja flows out into the Adriatic Sea, the Piran salt pans were formed more than 700 years ago. These are the only salt pans still in operation in this part of the Adriatic, and they maintain the traditional process of making salt by hand. Here, using the traditional method of salt harvesting typical of the Mediterranean, the salt makers obtain sea salt as they have always done. Enjoy a delectable fish lunch at a local restaurant before embarking on a free afternoon for individual walks in Piran, shopping, and an optional SPA center visit. Spend another night at your beautiful hotel in Piran.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast at the hotel, drive to Postojna to visit the world’s most captivating cave with magnificent formations and diverse fauna – Postojna cave. Take an unforgettable ride on Postojna Cave’s underground train and experience a fascinating subterranean paradise shaped by tiny droplets over millions of years. Take a ride on the underground train and enjoy a 3.7-km-long journey on the world’s only double-track cave railway. The wonderful Murano-glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling of Postojna Cave’s Dance Hall make for a fairytale atmosphere. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant looking over the cave. A mere few kilometres from Postojna Cave, visit the Predjama castle. The Karst world offers an unforgettable experience in the fairytale world of knights. The impregnable medieval marvel has been perched in the middle of a 123-metre-high cliff for more than 800 years. Behind the largest cave castle in the world, there is a network of secret tunnels, from where the knight Erazem of Predjama would set out on his plundering expeditions. The Cave under Predjama Castle is the home of a colony of bats. Return to Ljubljana and enjoy dinner at the local hotel.
Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before a walk in Tivoli park with a coffee at Cekin Castle. Then, enjoy a free afternoon to discover Ljubljana Old Town. Take some time for souvenir shopping, enjoy more local food, and explore at your own pace. Finish the evening with a farewell dinner in a Ljubljana restaurant.
On your final morning, enjoy a final breakfast in your Ljubljana hotel before complimentary transfer to LJU airport for individual departures.
Spots will be first-come, first-served. Click below to pay your deposit, complete the necessary forms, and secure your place.
If you have any questions about registration, please contact our office at travel@fulbright.org or by phone at (202) 775-0725.
You must be a current member of the Fulbright Association in order to join the tour. If you are not a member, you can click here to join, or if you are a lapsed member, please click here to renew your annual membership. Not a Fulbright alumn? No problem! The Fulbright Association welcomes all supporters of the mission of the Fulbright Program to join as Friends of Fulbright. Tour registrants may also bring one non-member guest. Please indicate who your guest is in your registration materials.
These are obviously still uncertain times. We feel comfortable moving ahead with this trip, but will of course be paying close attention to conditions in the coming weeks. Your safety is our primary concern on these trips. If by any chance the situation gets out of control and traveling would be too risky, all participants will get 100% of their money refunded, so absolutely no risk of losing their money.
Of course, our thoughts are also constantly with our friends in Ukraine as they face this devastating situation. Our travel partner is based in Slovenia full time, even now. They see no reason as to why this trip in particular should be cancelled. While Slovenians are doing all they can to help their friends in Ukraine, they feel completely safe, especially as a part of NATO and the European Union. If by any chance the situation gets out of control and traveling would be too risky, all participants will get 100% of their money refunded, so absolutely no risk of losing their money.
Of course, our thoughts are also constantly with our friends in Ukraine as they face this devastating situation.
Our trips are rated on a scale of 1-3, with this trip being estimated at a level 2. We consider this to be fairly standard. Here is a bit more information as what we consider to be “level 2 difficulty”: active pace: 5-7 activities each day including meals and tours; walking 1-2+ miles throughout the day on paths, trails, roads, villages, towns, walking tours, hikes; standing in lines/wait time for tours; long days with early breakfast and later dinners; elevation gain from 0 to 1,000 ft to 5,000 ft (seaside, cities, alps); endurance for 5+ activities each day ( churches, castles, hikes, winery tours, cave, museums, wineries); accessibility issues ( steps, cobblestones, stairs, few elevators); active sightseeing (walks, tours,); transportation (vans, boats rides, cable cars), and; moderate energy level for multiple activities each day.
Current conditions in Slovenia make it safe for travelers to experience all that the beautiful country has to offer. As a matter of protocol, the Fulbright Association requires that all travelers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by an FDA-authorized vaccine or a vaccine authorized by emergency use by the World Health Organization. Those considered “fully vaccinated” have received two shots of Pfizer-BioNTech/Moderna or a single dose of Janssen/J&J (or the equivalent as stipulated here).
Proof of vaccination is required upon registration.
To check your membership status, please email us at info@fulbright.org or call our office at (202) 775-0725. We will be happy to check your membership status.
We here at the Fulbright Association welcome all supporters of the Fulbright Program, regardless of grant status!
We ask that all travelers make their best effort to be present for the entire duration of the trip. You will certainly get the best experience that way. For special cases, please email us at travel@fulbright.org.
As travelers join us from all over the globe for these trips, flights are not included in the above cost. Participants are individually responsible for coordinating, financing, and insuring their flights.
We strongly recommend that each traveler purchase insurance for their trip.
Questions? Feel free to contact our office with any concerns.
Email: travel@fulbright.org
Phone: (202) 775-0725