Camping in Slovenia: Our 10 Day Itinerary + Tips

Early on in our travel planning, we knew that we wanted to camp for an extended period of time. Both Trent and I grew up camping many, many times a year. And based on the little camping that our kids had experienced, we knew that they would love a long stretch of nights outdoors. When I started to research things to do in Slovenia, I knew that it was the place to live out our camping dreams! And we were not wrong. It ended up being one of the most enjoyable and memorable experiences. After a month of city travel, camping helped us slow way down and shift into the lower gear that is what long term travel is all about.

Here is our 10 Day Itinerary, plus tips on how to camp abroad.

Camping in Slovenia: 10 Day Itinerary

5 nights on Lake Bled (Camp Bled)

3 nights in the Soca River Valley (Camp Soca)

1 night near the Postonja Cave System (Pivka Jama)

2 nights back to Camp Bled

VAN RENTAL & CAMPING EQUIPMENT

We rented a van (Fiat Ducato) from a company in Ljubljana (Slovenia’s capital) called Van Voyage. It took us awhile to find the right rental company and we even considered renting a camper through Airbnb. In the end, I’m so happy that we found this rental company. Their service was great and the van was in excellent condition. We also loved that we could have driven the van to visit neighboring countries. Not many rental companies offer than option.

Our van was just big enough for our family with small kids. We were lucky that the kids were young because they shared a bed that was definitely smaller than a twin! The van we rented, affectionately called “Barry White”, ran about $150/night. Not an inexpensive option but considering it was our accommodation plus our transportation, it seemed more like a reasonable expense. One thing that I did overlook… we also needed to add in our campsite fees, plus gas. So as much as I loved the 10 days that we camped, I was happy, for our budget only, that we were wrapping up the experience.

With the van rental, we were able to add on additional packages like kitchen equipment, bedding and outdoor equipment (beach chairs, a table, and a hammock). This was a must since we were starting from scratch. Before heading out, we picked up anything that didn’t come with the van from Slovenia’s equivalent of Target, Interspar. This store became a favorite of ours in Eastern Europe. After we picked up a clothes line, some citronella candles, and a few other camping necessities, we were off!

CAMPING ON LAKE BLED

A little story to paint a picture of how much our family loved camping on Lake Bled. On the second or third day, our son turned to us and said that when he and his sister had their own families, he wanted us all to come back to the campsite together. (Insert mom tears here!) Anytime we are planning future trips back to the same spot, I know that we’re really enjoying our experience. We loved our time here so much that we ditched our last two nights in another campground and spent them here instead!

We camped a total of 7 nights at, the aptly named campsite, Camping Bled, an offshoot of the Savanas Hotels and Resort. The campsite is large with 280 campsites and many restrooms. Super clean restrooms with hot showers. It’s everything this West Coast camper dreams about! There’s a restaurant onsite with delicious food. The trout, caught from the lake, was the dish that we kept going back to. There’s also a grocery store onsite with everything that we needed to cook dinner most nights. Another food favorite? The “bread guy” who sold delicious pastries from a cart each morning. He would wander through the campsite with a line of buyers behind him.

Amenities aside, easily the best part about camping here were the activities and proximity to the lake. Lake Bled was about a 5 minute walk from our campsite. Which means that we were able to enjoy it at all times of day.

RUNNING & HIKING - In the morning, Trent and I would take turns running the three mile loop around the lake. The lake and path were so calm and peaceful before all of the other visitors rolled in for the day. We also hiked to Bled Castle (great for the kids) and Trent did the Ojstrica Viewpoint hike (more strenuous, but worth it!).

KID’S CLUB - The kid’s club was our children’s favorite part of camping here. And honestly, it ranked high for us, adults, too. The people who ran the club were so fun and made the time special. Our kids attended almost every event: disco dance party, face painting, game day. But the best was the Cream Cake Race. Cream Cake is a traditional, Slovenian dessert. For the race, the kids would run a lap through the campsite while holding a cream cake and received a fork at the finish line. The announcer would yell “Get Your Cream Cake” and the kids would come from all directions to line up for the race. It was easily one of the best memories of our travels. The kid’s area also had a trampoline park (separate fee required) and other game areas to enjoy any time of day.

LAKE ACTIVITIES - The campgrounds sit on a great stretch of pebble beach along the lake. The area is mostly closed off to other visitors so it never gets too crowded, even when we visited during the peak of summer vacation in Europe. In addition, to swimming in the lake, the resort offered paddle boarding and other rentals. I loved paddle boarding around the church island in the center of the lake. The kids loved taking rides too!

SOCA RIVER VALLEY CAMPING

If camping at Lake Bled was all about the activities, then camping in the Soca River Valley was all about the opposite… relaxation.

But before we reached the land of relaxation, we went through quite a journey to get there. We planned to drive into Italy for lunch to ditch the Vrsic pass altogether. Unfortunately, our GPS reset without us knowing, taking us on quite a white-knuckle drive. The pass is comprised of 52 switchbacks, 26 up and 26 down, and on the beautiful, summer day we were there it was also full of cyclists. The upside? We survived… Kidding! The real upside is that Triglav National Park, where the Vrsic pass cuts through, is gorgeous and I’m so glad that we got to experience it. Later in our camping journey, Trent really got to experience the mountain range when he climbed up Triglav mountain, a 13 mile hike with 5,593 foot elevation gain. Look for a post about his solo, one-day hiking experience soon!

Our 3 night stay at Camp Soca was more how I had envisioned camping in Europe. The campground is nestled amongst the Triglav mountains and there are no assigned spots. Just find a space and settle in! When we checked in the owner was surprised that we were from the U.S. Not many Americans camp in Europe. It’s a great way to get off of the beaten path with the comforts of a familiar experience.

The campground was situated along the Soca River and we spent each day playing and relaxing along the river. The river was cold (about 50 degrees Fahrenheit) and the current was strong in some spots but the sun was out and it was easy to want to take a dip. Long days stacking rocks, eating picnic lunches and jumping into the river were just the best. There’s also great hiking from the campground and a market down the road to pick up necessities.

CAMPING NEAR THE POSTOJNA CAVE SYSTEM

We have no photos of our one night stay at Pivka Jama, a campground near the Postojna Cave System. But the campground was a delight! Again, you choose your own spot and we found a great place amongst the trees for the night. It was the only campsite that we stayed at with a pool. Unfortunately, we got there later in the evening and when the kids went to use the pool is was freezing.

Truly, my only other memory of this campground is when our kids went to buy ice cream and the man selling it said, “You’re English is very good.” The kids were so confused and then said “It’s because we are from the United States!”. Also, “jama” means cave in Slovenian. So the campground is near caves formed by the Pivka river. The campground offers tours through the smaller cave systems nearby.

ADVENTURES ALONG THE ROUTE

Slovenia is full of beauty and adventure. Whenever people ask about our favorite destinations, it’s always one that we list! I would love to travel back there to explore even more because, honestly, we just scratched the surface. Lake Bohinj is at the top of my list as multiple people have recommended it.

VINTGAR GORGE - Located approximately 45 minutes from Lake Bled, this gorge is gorgeous! (Sorry I had to include the most obvious dad joke possible!) The 1.6 km of wooden galleries hug the moss covered mountainside along the gorge. We arrived early because we heard it would be packed and we were able to escape the crowds for the first half of our experience. The gallery route is traveled out-and-back so we were like salmon swimming upstream on our journey back. Still so worth it!

POSTOJNA CAVE SYSTEM - Our visit to the Postojna caves was a childhood dream come true. Why? Because you get to ride a train car miles into the caves! What an experience. I’m going to hold back on all of the details because this site deserves its own post. I’ll leave you with this… two million year old caves tend to be a must see!

VENICE - We considered taking a day trip to Venice since the city is so close to where we were in Slovenia. We ended up ditching the plan because we didn’t want to visit during the peak of the summer and had plans to return in the spring. (Curse you, coronavirus!)

The list of things to do and see in Slovenia could go on and on! What am I missing?

Check out our Instagram highlights for more camping photos and details @littleworldadventure.

Have we convinced you that you need to add a camping trip through Slovenia to your bucket list? After this experience we learned that you truly will never reach the end of the list of places you want to visit. Especially, when they get added back to your list!