Cycle Slovenia

Intrepid Travel Premier
Has very high quality customer experiences and demonstrated commitment to responsible travel practices. read more
4.6 . Excellent
94%
Travel Style: N/A
Physical Level: All or most of day hiking or biking, hills included. Moderate
Lodging Level: Mid-range budget with accommodations ranging from comfortable lodges, guesthouses, and homestays to three star hotels. Value (3*)
8 days
From: $ 2,669 $ 334 / day
Checking price

Overview

Highlights (Bullets)

  • Your adventure begins in Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, one of the prettiest cities in Europe, and finishes in Piran, a picturesque seaside city on Slovenia’s stunning Adriatic coast.
  • Pedal through the beautiful landscapes of the Triglav National Park, passing mountains, ravines, lakes, canyons, caves, rivers, forests and Alpine meadows.
  • Stay in the stunning lakeside town of Bled. Discover the famous Lake Bled and the surrounding mountains, forests and flower-filled valleys on your bike.
  • Explore the fascinating Postojna Cave, an incredibly biodiverse underground world of eerie rock formations and unusual creatures.
  • Cycle through the scenic hills and vineyards of Slovenia’s wine region, pausing the pedalling for an included tasting at a local winery.
  • By travelling on this trip, you’ll directly support our Intrepid Foundation partner, World Bicycle Relief. Donations provide school kids, health workers, and farmers in far-out areas with bicycles that provide access to education, healthcare, and income.

Short Description

It’s beautiful, it’s bite-sized, and it’s best explored on a bike. Spend 8 unforgettable days discovering Slovenia on two wheels, travelling from lively Ljubljana to picturesque Piran. Cycle around the famous Lake Bled, wind through the showstopping Triglav National Park, take in alpine views from the slopes of Kranjska Gora, follow the emerald-green waters of the Soca River and explore the biodiverse Postojna Cave. When you’re not busy pedalling, you’ll enjoy picnics, barbecues, coffee stops and winery visits, and experience Slovenia’s short but stunning Adriatic coastline. One thing’s for sure – this is going to be a ride to remember.

Style Small group tour
Array
Itinerary Focus N/A
Mid-range budget with accommodations ranging from comfortable lodges, guesthouses, and homestays to three star hotels.
Lodging Level Value (3*)
Flight & Transport Inclusions All internal ground transport
Start City Ljubljana
End City Ljubljana

Destinations

Slovenia

Attractions & Cities Visited

Alps Lake Bled Ljubljana

Activities & Interests

N/A

Age Requirement

15-99

N/A
See more

Itinerary

Day 1 Ljubljana

Zivjo! Welcome to Slovenia. Known as ‘Europe in Miniature’, this country may be tiny, but it’s tremendously diverse. This also makes Slovenia a top-notch destination for cycling, with each day bringing something different. Your adventure begins in the country’s capital, Ljubljana, with a welcome meeting at 6pm. Here you’ll meet your local leader and the rest of your group. If you arrive with time to spare, you may like to take a walk around this leafy city to check out its beautiful buildings, bridges and museums. After your meeting, perhaps head out as a group for a meal at a traditional restaurant.

Day 2 Bled Cycling

Say goodbye to Ljubljana this morning and drive to Bled, a resort town on Lake Bled. Here you’ll have your bike fitting and safety briefing to set you up for the journey ahead. Then it’s time to get your wheels in motion and begin cycling from Bled, first pedalling gradually uphill through the mountains, following the low-traffic forest paved road. This route offers plenty to look at; mountain views, scenic stops along the way, and a loop around the beautiful Lake Bled. Your final stop of the day is a gorgeous flower and tree-filled valley, where you can refuel at a lovely mountain house. The rest of the day is free for your own discoveries – you may like to explore Triglav National Park, check out the Vintgar Gorge or visit Bled Castle.

Day 3 Cycle Bled to Kranjska Gora

Leave Bled early this morning and cycle the scenic route beside the Sava River. Half of the route is a cycling path, and the other part covers the paved roads of Triglav National Park, passing mountains, ravines, lakes, canyons, caves, rivers, forests and Alpine meadows. Your ride today is a gradual uphill until you reach the alpine resort of Kranjska Gora, your final stop for the day. On arrival, enjoy lunch with a view as you tuck into a barbecue feast on the ski slope, the perfect chance to unwind and appreciate the spectacular scenery.

Day 4 Cycle Vršič Pass to Bovec

Your journey continues with a drive this morning, avoiding a long and steep uphill climb. The vehicle will take you up the Julian Alps to the Vrsic Pass, known as the “Russian Road” as it was built by Russian prisoners during the first World War. Take a moment to soak up the amazing views, then hop on your bike for a freewheeling descent through winding switchbacks and alpine scenery, down to the emerald-green waters of the Soca River. Check your speed as the road flattens out and you ride along the valley floor in one of the most beautiful valleys in this part of Europe, following the river as it flows west. Take in the inspiring views at the two-tiered Boka Waterfall, then complete your ride at the mountain town of Bovec. Put your feet up or, if you are still feeling energetic, perhaps walk the nearby Walk of Peace trail for a fascinating insight into life in the trenches in WWII.

Day 5 Smartno Loop Cycling

Start the day early and drive south to the fortified hilltop village of Smartno. Nestled between the Julian Alps and the Adriatic, this charming village is the perfect place to start your riding as you cycle the loop through the hills and vineyards. This part of Slovenia is considered a cradle of white wines and is often called Slovenia’s Tuscany. For those craving an espresso break, you’re in luck – today's route also ducks across the border into Italy. Finish the day with an included wine tasting at a local winery and raise a glass to the day’s discoveries.

Day 6 Cycle Smartno to Postojna

Begin cycling directly from your hotel, crossing once again into Italy and descending to the valley floor. Follow the gentle Vipava River eastward past green fields, vineyards and small villages before arriving into the small town of Vipava, where you'll enjoy an optional picnic beside the river. Hills are never great on a full stomach, so you'll board the vehicle and drive up the steep 10 km (6 mile) climb (you'll thank us later!) before remounting your bike and enjoying a mostly downhill ride all the way to red-roofed town of Postojna. On arrival you may like to rest up after the longest ride of the tour, or choose to explore. Perhaps visit the Notranjska Museum, discover the nearby Predjamsk Castle, or simply stroll through the Postojna's old town centre.

Day 7 Cycle Postojna to Piran

Today begins with a visit to the stunning Postojna Cave, said to be the most biodiverse cave in the world. This fairytale-like underground labyrinth of stalagmite and stalagtite-filled tunnels has to be seen to be believed. After your visit, board the vehicle and drive to the small village of Vanganel, the start point for your last ride. This picturesque and enjoyable route is mostly on cycling ways, following Parenzana’s old railway tracks that are now turned into cycling paths. Enjoy sea views on one side, and mountain views on the other. Finish the ride in the picturesque Adriatic seaside town of Piran. Once part of the Venitian empire, the town has kept its historic charm and Old Town is among the best-preserved anywhere in the Adriatic. After your ride, wander the maze of narrow streets past Venetian architecture, marvel at Tartini Square, stroll along the pier or simply cool your feet in the Adriatic – the choice is yours. This evening, perhaps hit one of the many cafes or restaurants in town and swap stories over an optional farewell dinner.

Day 8 Piran/Ljubljana

With no activities or riding planned, your cycling adventure comes to an end today. Catch the bus (included, approx. 2 hours) back to Ljubljana, or perhaps you may like to stay on and spend some more time exploring Piran, or head to the nearby Italian city of Trieste,

Availability

Checking price
Price From $ 2,669
Price Per Day: $ 334 per day
Checking price
Start DateFinish DateBase PriceAvailability 
Sep-23-2023Sep-30-2023$ 2,669Sold Out Reserve
May-25-2024Jun-01-2024$ 3,34515 spots left Reserve
Jun-15-2024Jun-22-2024$ 3,20013 spots left Reserve
Jul-06-2024Jul-13-2024$ 3,47515 spots left Reserve
Aug-10-2024Aug-17-2024$ 3,20015 spots left Reserve
Aug-31-2024Sep-07-2024$ 3,34511 spots left Reserve
Sep-21-2024Sep-28-2024$ 3,34515 spots left Reserve

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Intrepid Travel.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

4,320 Intrepid Travel Travel Reviews & Ratings

94%
4.6 out of 5 (100+ reviews)
Excellent 3,248
Great 675
Average 140
Disappointing 77
Terrible 180
Value
4.6
Guide
4.6
Activities
4.6
Lodging
4.6
Transportation
4.6
Meals
4.6

Cycle Slovenia

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Company Reviews

Sardines in a can

3.0
Details
Value3.0
Guide3.0
Activities3.0
Lodging3.0
Transportation3.0
Meals3.0
Love adventures but the size of the cabins on our trip to the Cyclades Islands are extremely cramped . We have three mature adults in one cabin with no space to move and no space to hang or store anything ( including wet towels ).
If any of us had been physically inflexible or overweight we could not have coped with the sleeping arrangements . It is impossible to sit on the top bunk and even turning over in bed requires considerable planning .
An adventure does not mean cutting back on basic essentials …
In our view there were too many people in too small a space .
Two complete strangers were also asked to sleep together in an extremely small double bed , which meant that one of them decided to sleep on deck or in the living space .
The only redeeming factor was our Skipper who is professional, friendly , informative and skilled .
I would recommend this trip if the numbers were reduced .
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I feel totally cheated

2.0
Details
Value2.0
Guide2.0
Activities2.0
Lodging2.0
Transportation2.0
Meals2.0
I feel totally cheated. Just finished the Spain and Portugal 14 day trip. The itinerary does not match the actual experience and is I feel deliberately miss leading. When I says a “local bus” and an approx 3 hour journey the reality is a 6 hour trip door to door in the middle of the day. You miss valuable time at the actual destination in favour of being jammed in a bus with dozens of people traveling on a freeway with nothing worth seeing at all. The bush are not even express so you stop in the industrial outskirts of a number of towns and even the airport. By the time you finally reach the destination you are tired and frustrated. I want my money back. It’s a cheap experience that you pay a lot of money for.
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Have not even started and not impressed

2.0
Details
Value2.0
Guide2.0
Activities2.0
Lodging2.0
Transportation2.0
Meals2.0
Booked a premium tour to Israel and paid in full. Once I paid Intrepid changed the tour, not because of operational or safety reasons but on the basis of previous customers feedback. We asked them to keep the tour as it was advertised originally and they suggested we ask our group to see if we can persuade them to go to the original destination once we had arrived in Israel which is simply ridiculous and then I complained so they offered my money back. Not exactly the best resolution now that I already paid for my flights and booked time off separately. Hopefully the tour will be better than my experience so far.
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No help when things go wrong (seriously ill on trip)

1.0
Details
Value1.0
Guide1.0
Activities1.0
Lodging1.0
Transportation1.0
Meals1.0
Unfortunately, Intrepid is a company I would recommend being wary of. They are fine as long as everything is going ok, but if anything goes wrong? Don't expect any help or decent customer service. I made the mistake of booking two trips, and both times I ran into problems:

Trip 1- I was taken very ill while in Vietnam and had to drop out of the tour. I had no help from the guide- no help with getting to a doctor (I don't speak Vietnamese and was too ill to get out of bed anyway), he didn't even assist with arranging a hotel room.

Trip 2- I've had to cancel an upcoming (2024) trip, but haven't received the refund despite phoning the customer service line several times. The people I talk to are nice, but don't seem to be able to actually get anything done. They just suggest waiting a bit longer- not sure how long they think is acceptable to hang on to someone's money really.
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Check for other companies offtering the same trip

3.0
Details
Value3.0
Guide3.0
Activities3.0
Lodging3.0
Transportation3.0
Meals3.0
I would think carefully before doing business with Intrepid Travel again. In May I went on 2 one-week guided cycle tours in France with Intrepid. They were both great cycles and I enjoyed the cycling very much. However, I had several complaints about the company and some of the guides (not all of them).
Once I had paid for my trips, it was very difficult to get in touch with Intrepid to ask a question.
During the trips, several times I was told something one day only to have the info change without any good reason. The guides need proper training about dealing with the heat. Some of use suffered from dehydration and heat stroke and the guides were quite flippant about it. I was told that the guides would not leave anyone behind, but it happened several times.
There was one guide (a trainee) who really took some of the pleasure out of my cycle tour. She spoke to me with a tone used for a child. This tone and her attitude to me almost bordered on harassment.
I went on a third cycling tour with a different company after my 2 with Intrepid and it was much better than my experience with Intrepid.
As the demand for ebikes rises, tour companies such as Intrepid need to increase their fleet of ebikes. They also don’t need to charge the huge amount to rent these ebikes. We only want to rent them, not buy them. As the cost of ebikes comes down, if should reflect in the rental price.
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Ecuador guide Eitel made the tour…

5.0
Details
Value5.0
Guide5.0
Activities5.0
Lodging5.0
Transportation5.0
Meals5.0
Our Ecuador guide Eitel made the tour exceptional! He has encyclopedic knowledge of Ecuador and Latin America. Because he has traveled the world, Eitel placed this information within contexts that we could appreciate. That says a lot because we were a diverse group of travelers. The experience deepened my appreciation for the country's marvelous people, history, cultures, and resources.
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Details

Flight & Transport Inclusions

All internal ground transport Private vehicle,Local bus,Bicycle

Group Size

Small Group - 24 max

Maximum Number of People in Group: 15

Accommodations

Hotel/Guesthouse (6 nights),Apartment (1 night)

Guides

All Intrepid group trips in Europe are accompanied by one of our local European group leaders. ’Local’ in this context means a leader who is European or lives in Europe. The aim of the group leader is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced leader however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your leader is new to a particular region or training other group leaders. Your leader takes care of logistics, will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious and social aspects. At Intrepid we also aim to support local guides in the individual cities or locations we travel to. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your leader can recommend an optional local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.

Age Notes :

Min. Age: 15

Max Age: 99

Additional Information

Finish point

  • Ljubljana Bus & Train Station
  • Trg Osvobodilne fronte 4
  • Ljubljana
  • 1000
  • SLOVENIA

Alternate Finish point

  • For trips departing on the following dates, use this finish point.
  • 06 Jul 2024 (ZMXL240706)
  • Ljubljana
  • Array
  • Ljubljana
  • SLOVENIA

Trip ID#:

intrepid-ZMXL

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