Yep, you just ain't been to Green Slovenia if you haven't seen these amazing places.. We make this claim quite a lot to describe just some of the groovy secret Green Nuggets that you might not have even heard about yet!

Well, we make sure they are all included in our Secret Places to Visit section.. Just browse down the list of titles and photos, (which are in no particular order) and pick out a few Secret Places that might tickle your fancy!

And when you go discover some of these Secret Green Nuggets for yourself, it does feel a bit like going on a big Green adventure, so we also put each Secret Place into a handy Secret Treasure Map to help you navigate around the most beautiful small Green country in Europe!

 

Of course everyone is different and likes different kinda stuff, but if you love nature then by choosing to explore Green Slovenia, you have hit the Green Jackpot and you just need to find a way to scoop up all those little Green tokens that come spilling out of the fruit machine!

There is more than enough hubba bubba out there on the internet to confuse you about visiting Slovenia, often coming from the 2 or 3 day phone monkeys who might have you believe they can cover the whole country quicker than Santa can deliver his pressies!

 

Well, we have been lucky enough to have lived and explored here in Green Paradise for well over a decade and now it is time to unleash a little list of extra special places you might not have heard about and will almost certainly not find in those plastic 5 minute Top Tens!

Instead, these are the really secret places that we think should should appear on your Green Slovenia shopping list!

You can click on the main titles to find out more about each Green Nugget, if you like the sound of that particular mini description!

 

You haven't even been to Green Slovenia if you haven't seen..

 

Rakov Skocjan.. (20 mins from the Lodge)..

An unbelievabubble Green Karst rock nature park with an epic hike along one part of the River of 7 Names between two huge natural stone arches.. Just like being in the Slovenian Jungle.. You really ain't been to Green Slovenia, if you ain't been to Rakov Skocjan..

 

Izola.. (40 mins from the Lodge)..

Our fave place by the Slovenian Mediterranean coast to go for a stroll, something to eat, a swim, an ice cream or a coffee.. Of course you should go see Piran, with the crowds, but do not miss or underestimate the seaside charm of Izola.. Easy to get there, to park, to eat and to chill.. We just love it!

 

Velika Planina.. (75 mins from the Lodge)..

We call this mountain Heaven on Earth, which is a reflection of how much we love it and what you can expect..

Maybe you saw the photos of little wooden Hobbit Houses on top of a mountain somewhere? Well this IS that mountain and there are few places more magical to be when the cow bells are jingling and the meadow flowers blooming, with a heavenly view directly across to the Slovenian Kamnik Alps..

 

Cerknica Disappearing Lake.. (25 mins from the Lodge)..

This is the biggest Disappearing Lake in Europe and absolutley stunning when full or empty. It is so huge we advise getting to know it close & personal by just exploring an enormous corner of the lake and even we only recently found ANOTHER epic hiking track around ANOTHER corner of the Lake!

 

Planina Cave.. (20 mins from the Lodge)..

Simply the best cave in Green Slovenia, which is saying something and just our humble opinion! The only cave in Europe where you can see two rivers crashing into each other to form a new river, which is also a new section of the River of 7 Names.

Two tours are possible, one groovy 75 min walking tour, where you might get to see Baby Dragons at the end and one 5 hour epic paddling adventure up Slovenia's longest water cave, where you will have Baby Dragons swimming next to you and the final section is a rubber booted hike into a cavern, simply described as Paradise Chamber..

 

Soca Lake.. (90 mins from the Lodge)..

Imagine a lake with the same uber stunning aqua blue colour as the Soca river and then picture white pebble beaches and jumping on an Eco electric paddle steamer that takes you for a ride on this lake, squeezing under a stunning arched bridge and off down a secret section of the Soca river.. 

Like we say in the title of this article.. How on Earth could you visit Slovenia and miss this extra special Green experience!!

 

 

Teran Wine Region.. (25 mins from the Lodge)..

One of the smallest of Green Slovenia's 7 wine regions and nestled in the hills of the Red Karst between the Vipava Wine Valley and Italy, but bursting with cute little villages, roadside vineyards and Stanjel, a perfect little hill top village with a castle, a church with a steeple that looks like a giant lemon and stunning views over the whole region..

 

Hrastovlje Fortress Church.. (35 mins from the Lodge)..

You really would not expect to see something like this in little old Green Slovenia, but you might be able to imagine a scene with vineyards, olive groves and the gigantic last Karst cliff in the background..

Then pop a Medieval castle on top of a hill, built perfectly around a stunning little church..

Go inside and discover the most amazing frescos painted on every inch of wall. Yes there is a cool little Green Dragon to find, but one long wall dominates the gasps and that is the wall covered with the incredibly rare Dance of Death fresco.. Quite simply, a must see..

 

Kozjak Waterfall.. (90 mins from the Lodge)..

In our humble opinion the best waterfall in Green Slovenia and that is saying something. Set in a Shakespearian like rock theatre with a fantastic hike to get there above an uberstunning section of the Soca river, then walk alongside the Kozjak river, where the two Hobbit bridges perfectly compliment the New Zealand look of ferns and giant slanted rocks.. 

One of the best marked short hikes in Slovenia, with a massive Green reward at the end..

 

Lipica Stud Farm.. (20 mins from the Lodge)..

A huge green park built by an Empress to breed one of the most beautiful and graceful horses in the world.. Every country in the world would love to have this green jewel in their crown, a nature park, where you can see dozens of Lipizzaners roaming like an African safari and also see them doing their tricks, performing inside the school too!

 

the 17 Disappearing Lakes of Pivka.. (20 mins from the Lodge)..

The Karst Pivka river interconnects 17 different lakes in different forms, shapes & sizes that magically appear and disappear, depending on the underground water levels.

The whole nature park area covers 140km sq in total and there is a museum that explains it all near to the small town of Pivka..

This is an outstanding area of natural beauty, with 17 different Green mysteries to go find.. And solve!

 

Bela Idrija River.. (55 mins from the Lodge)..

Quite simply this is where we choose to go swim in a river on a hot day.. And there is a lot of choice.. The water colour looks like the sea in Fiji and there are little bridges, rocks and white beaches all along the river..

You can swim anywhere, but one section is perfect for floating around in the crystal clear water with massive Green forests all around.. The river is so close to lots of other Green treasures for an amazing day trip, so we often advise our guests to come swim here and most will end up staying all day..

 

the Brkini.. (20 mins from the Lodge)..

A wild, remote Green mini region hidden in plain sight, sandwiched between the Green Karst, the Red Karst and the Coast with wiggly roads seeming to lead absolutely nowhere!

We strongly advise trying to get lost here and THEN going for a hike, but we also found a fab Brkini Restaurant Cluster with a great choice of restaurants and some other fab things to do in Green nature..

 

Krka River.. (75 mins from the Lodge)..

A bottle Green river that starts AND finishes in Slovenia, so it is perfectly possible to spend an epic, totally unbelievabubble day out following it all from start to finish!

There are three beautiful castles along the route, one on an island in the middle of the river and then another larger island too called "Chestnut Island" (Kostanjevice), where you can rent a canoe and paddle around the little village on the island, then jump in for a swim!

 

Sneznik Castle.. (50 mins from the Lodge)..

In our humble opinion the second best castle in Green Slovenia and tucked away in the far corner of the Green Karst in the shadow of Mt Sneznik, (1,796m), the highest non Alpine mountain in Slovenia with some of the purest, wildest, oldest forests in Europe.

The castle is like a perfectly preserved fairytale giant hunting lodge and so close to other Green treasures that you are literally wasting your valuable time trudging around Ljubljana castle, when you could be here in Green paradise!

 

Bear Watching.. (lots of places, forest required)

Green Slovenia is one of the few countries in Europe where you can see the largest European forest animal in it's natural habitat, safely and with a local guide. You need some luck and patience, so not for younger kids and make sure you go with a local hunter, dedicated to the welfare of the bears..

If you are told you are 100% guaranteed to see a bear or recommended to bring a book or asked to turn up very early in the afternoon, then you are better off going to the zoo instead and looking at the giraffes.. Avoid these warning signs and please go with a true professional, dedicated to bears and not to the money in your pocket!

 

Soca River.. (45 mins from the Lodge)..

Quite simply, the most beautiful river in Europe.. You will not believe the colour and maybe you will not be able to describe it either.

Easy to get to from the Lodge, but incredibly difficult from most of the rest of this little country, but totally unmissabubble.. We have had Australian guests in total awe of this river and that is all you need to know to want to find out more!

You have simply NOT seen Green Slovenia if you have not seen the Soca river..

 

Logar Valley.. (2 hours from the Lodge)..

A stunning secret valley, which is looked after by locals in a co operative, where you pay an entrance fee to get into the valley..

This is the ONLY secret place in the whole of Green Slovenia we recommend guests actually go there to stay a few nights, instead of doing a day trip from the Lodge, partly for the intense beauty, partly due to the tricky wiggly road drive to a truly hidden Green Gem..

 

Mostnica Gorge.. (100 mins from the Lodge)..

We have absolutely no need to include Bled or the Postonja Cave or Piran in this article as these places will be the few you might actually get to hear about without any help from us! 

Well in the same way that we personally prefer Lake Bohinj to Bled, Skocjan Cave to Postojna and Izola to Piran, we are proud to tell you the Mostnica Gorge, with a natural stone elephant, ridiculously green water and a fab hike on little cliffs above it and on bridges over it, is quite simply the best gorge in Green Slovenia and that is saying something..

Of course you will also get to hear about the uber stunning Vintgar Gorge from the bongo drums and cos it is so close to Lake Bled and more marketed, so we don't need to tell you about that one either, but we do need to tell you that you simply have not experienced the full magic of Green Slovenia, if you do not get to go explore the Mostnica Gorge..

 

The River of 7 Names.. (20 mins from the Lodge)..

A magical Karst River that sinks underground 7 times on it's journey from the Croatian border up through the Green Karst, reappearing 7 times and getting a new name every time!

Most visitors to Slovenia have actually seen this river without knowing, cos it's seventh incarnation is the Ljubljanica river flowing through the centre of Ljubljana, but the real Green magic takes place in the rocky underworld and caves where this river pops up and down, 7 times, so this is where you need to go hunt for it!

 

Vipava Wine Valley.. (20 mins from the Lodge)..

Slovenia's biggest Green secret is this 40km long Green Wine Valley producing several different unique wines and stuffed full of vineyards, castles and cute little villages, some on tops of hills..

Just 20 mins away around the corner of Mt Nanos.. It is the closest Slovenian wine region to the Lodge and also a very popular place for guests to go eat in the evening in several lovely local restaurants we describe simply as the Vipava Restaurant Cluster..

 

Skocjan Cave.. (20 mins from the Lodge)..

Just in case you did actually only hear about one enormous cave in Green Slovenia, well Skocjan is Unesco protected and totally awesome.. Do no miss it.

 

Zice Fortess Monastery.. (90 mins from the Lodge)..

A unique Medieval monastery protected by a castle with Harry Potter towers and hidden at the end of a Green valley, just a few mins drive from a motorway junction..

We last visited here in the middle of summer and were one of only 3 cars in the entire car park! Considering how effortlessly epic this place is, then what an earth are you guys doing not visiting it?!

 

Nanos Mountain.. (10 mins from the Lodge)..

You might hear some garbled marketing poppycock about Ljubljana being a Green city, but if you wanna see a real Green city, then come see the most underrated mountain in Green Slovenia, mt Nanos, (1,313m)..

The start of the Dinaric Alps and numerous hiking trails, Nanos is Slovenia's true green metropolis, dominating Slovenia's Mediterranean skyline, with views all along the enormous 12km long top plateau to Venice, the Green Karst, ALL Slovenia's other 3 Alps, the Vipava Wine Valley, the Red Karst, the Italian Dolmites and the Adriatic sea..

You have simply not been to Green Slovenia, if you have not hiked or biked up Nanos..

 

Franja WW2 Secret Partisan Hospital.. (90 mins from the Lodge)..

Green Slovenia has a unique network of secret Partisan WW2 hospitals, printing presses and bases that were successfully and unsuccessfully hidden away in the massive forests from the Nazis. Each one has a stunning forest location and epic history and all are different in design and level of preservation..

The prime specimen and one of the very best outdoor museums in the whole of Europe is the Franja Cerkno secret hospital, hidden half way up a mountain, with a great path and signs in English, in what can best be described as a Green paradise.

Your blood can run cold and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when you find these places, hidden in massive green forests, often on mountains with a river or waterfall nearby and then learn the gruesome, desperate, human stories of bravery and struggle in places so unbelievably beautiful.. 

The Franja hospital was damaged by floods, but will return soon and we will be the first people waiting outside to go visit.. so in the meantime, go visit another one of the Secret Hospitals..

 

Brda Wine Region.. (55 mins from the Lodge)..

Another completely different Slovenian wine region nestled on top of a huge hill above the twin towns of Nova Gorica (Slovenia) and Goricia (Italy)..

Every Slovenian wine region has unique wines ONLY produced in that particular region and you need to especially look out for Rebula and Sauvignonasse (Slovenian Tokaj) here on the Green hills.

The first Slovenian cherries of the season appear here and this mini region is so spectacularly beautiful with little churches, villages and castles on top of the rolling hills that you have simply NOT been to Green Slovenia if you have not spent a day trip in the Goricia Wine Hills, (BRDA, pronounced BIRDA)!

 

Moon Bay.. (40 mins from the Lodge)..

A hidden half moon bay with beach and only accessible by cliff top hike might be somewhere you would not associate with the Slovenian coast, but you have simply NOT been to the Green Slovenian seaside if you have not done the fab hike here and dipped your toes in the warm Mediterranean sea at Moon Bay..

 

Tolmin Gorge.. (90 mins from the Lodge)..

This Gorge looks like something out of Disney, but it is REAL! Massive rocks have just been sliced away over time by the powerful crystal clear grey blue water to create the second best gorge in Slovenia, in our humble opinion.

Tolmin is tricky to get to from the rest of Green Slovenia, but not from the Lodge, so that is not our or your problem! You miss this uber stunning gorge and the other green delights of Tolmin at your peril..

 

St James Pilgrim Path.. (10 mins from the Lodge)..

There are so many epic hiking paths in Green Slovenia that numerous is too small a word to describe them all, but you DO NOT NEED to hike a "famous" path to have an unbelievable hike.

One of the best known Pilgrim paths dissecting Slovenia is the St James Pilgrim path from Zagreb to Santiago and like every other ancient path trying to get through to the other side of Europe, it MUST pass by Nanos mountain.

So this path has several sections close to the Lodge at Predjama castle and Nanos, but other sections too, that can be biked on..

Just look for the yellow shells or arrows painted on walls and lamp posts, but do not fixate on "named paths", just get out there and hike in Green paradise, baby!

 

Istrijan Ears.. (45 mins from the Lodge)..

A most unusual line of high cliffs at the very end of Slovenia in the shape of Elephant Ears!

There is a beautiful 2 hour hike to the cliff base and back, mostly on a fab path on top of the cliffs with fantastic views over the surprisingly Green "No Man's Land" between Slovenia and Croatia and then across to the pretty Istrian hill top village of Buzet..

 

Pericnik Waterfall.. (85 mins from the Lodge)..

The second best waterfall in Green Slovenia, in our humble opinion, but an absolute belter, with massive double chute and it is well worth hiking from near the pretty village of Mojstrana up a stunning Alpine river to this waterfall..

When you reach the chute it is a simple 15 mins hike up up some forest steps to stand almost in touching distance of the mighty flow and some people without fear, aka nutters, can even walk along a section directly behind the waterfall! Wow, wow and more wows..

 

Lake Krn.. (2 hours 30 mins from the Lodge)..

What a daytrip this is.. Drive to the upper Soca Valley and park up near the waterfall springs of the Lepena river to start an approx 4-5 hour round trip hike up Mt Krn to the highest lake in Green Slovenia and an absolute beauty, surrounded by mountain peaks and maybe a donkey grazing on its shores..

The hike is doable if you are reasonably fit and being scared of heights is not an issue here, with zig zag forest paths going up and then nothing short of a spectacular mountain meadow hike to the lake..

 

Okno Natural Stone Window.. (40 mins from the Lodge)..

Another not so scary hike on the edge of a cliff, 1,000 metres above the uber stunning Vipava Valley. The walk goes across stony Green Karst fields with fab views down to the valley, reaching a giant natural stone window, called the Okno, (window) for an even better framed view..

This whole Karst ridge is a spectacular and unexpected way to go see what the Green Karst is all about..

 

Krizna Cross Cave.. (40 mins from the Lodge)..

In addition to the daily walking tours, there are two amazing rubber boat paddle trips you can do deep into Krizna Cave, but you must book ahead..

Only 1,000 people per year may do the 4 hour adventure to the the waterfall and back, but only 100 lucky explorers per year are allowed to do the longest journey to Crystal Mountain at the far end of the cave, taking 7 hours..

 

Coastal Hinterland.. (30 mins from the Lodge)..

Green Slovenia has a relatively short 47km long section of coast, but a much larger Mediterranean Coastal Hinterland that is surprisingly green too, covered in olive groves, vineyards, little villages on tops of hills and a few Medieval towers and castles built to warn of impending Ottoman empire invasion..

The whole Hinterland is another one of Slovenia's 7 wine regions and there is a little village with a wine fountain too.. But the best advice to explore here, is to just drive around, sometimes in circles, get out and hike..

 

Kosec Gorge.. (110 mins from the Lodge)..

Quite a steep gorge with several long waterfalls running down the slopes found by walking from the village of Drežnica or directly from Kosec..

There is a demanding loop hike that takes you down steeply into the belly of the gorge floor then back up to the village, with fantastic views of the surrounding Julian Alps.

 

Lake Bohinj.. (90 mins from the Lodge)..

Just in case you thought the only lake in Slovenia was Bled, which wouldn't be a disaster as Bled is so beautiful, but almost unbelievabubbly, just 25 minutes down the road from Bled, further into the Alps is an even better lake..

We have a simple two Thirds rule for Bled and Bohinj so you do not miss out.. If you have 3 minutes, hours or days, then you spend 2 of them in Bohinj and 1 in Bled and that will be just about right!

 

So there you have it, this is our little list, by no means complete and cos we are not trying to overwhelm you, there are plenty of places we could have added here, but didn't and you can find them on our extensive Secret Places to Visit Page!

We hope by doing this little list with the short descriptions, maybe you can spot some previously unkown Green treasures for you to come visit when you arrive in the most beautiful green country in Europe!