Trip of a lifetime! - Without a doubt, this was the best trip of my life. For our honeymoon, my wife and I decided to do this 7-day self-guided bike tour in Slovenia with Visit... read more GoodPlace, after a friend highly recommended it. Based on our friend's photos, I knew Slovenia would be amazing, but in person, I was absolutely blown away. The Visit GoodPlace tour is expertly curated, from the lodging they book, to the routes that take you through some of the most scenic and picturesque landscapes in the world, to the delicious restaurants they note along your travel route. The staff at Visit GoodPlace were all extremely helpful and kind (Sara and Katja and Matic) -- they worked with my wife and me from the moment we booked all the way through the end of the tour to answer questions, clarify details, and help us with any decisions that relied on local knowledge. We felt we were in very good hands -- and when traveling in Slovenia, the Visit GoodPlace brand seemed to be highly recognized and respected.
The tour started with a pick-up in the capital city (Ljubljana, which is very lovely in its own right) to a drop-off in Kranjska Gora (an extremely charming Alpine town in the Julian Alps), along with your bikes. From there, the beauty just grows -- my wife and I had to pinch ourselves each day to make sure we weren't dreaming. Each day of the tour, there were multiple route options available, and many points of interest and favorite restaurants to choose from. The bike infrastructure in Slovenia is second to none -- the country has clearly made it a priority to provide comfortable and scenic biking for all ages and abilities, and has built car-free bike paths through some of the most stunning areas. Since the tour is self-guided via GPS maps loaded onto your cell phone, my wife and I went at our own pace and took plenty of stops whenever we wanted (mostly because everything was too beautiful). Kranjska Gora, Lake Bled, and Lake Bohinj were our absolute favorites, but it is impossible not to mention Soca Valley, Goriska Brda, and Koper as well. In fact, every stop is truly a must-see, due to the incredible variety of biomes that Slovenia boasts within a very small geographic area. Vintgar Gorge is an absolute must do, as are the Skocjan Caves, visiting the small family-run prosciutteria (Prsutarna Scuka), and jumping in every river and lake you pass (as my wife and I promised to each other, after seeing the first of many turquoise waters in Slovenia).
I should mention that the food of Slovenia is delicious. There is a great blend of avant garde restaurants that are pushing the boundaries of Slovenian cuisine, and fantastic local places serving up classic staples such as pizza, pasta, goulash, sausage and potatoes, proscuitto and cheese, and other favorites. After hours of biking, it is a great pleasure to find yourself at any of these restaurants, and dig into generous portions over some glasses of fantastic local wines (from Goriska Brda area!) or local brews.
The other thing that made this trip unforgettable and unparalleled was the sense of total safety. Slovenia is apparently one of the most wealth-equal countries in the world (see the Gini index) -- and it shows. My wife and I felt so safe throughout every part of Slovenia. We never had to worry about our belongings or our personal safety -- we totally trusted Visit GoodPlace and their staff, but also felt very trusting of everyone we encountered. On our tour, we had no worries or fears, which was a blessing indeed.
In summary, this was the trip of a lifetime. We biked, we swam, we rowed, we walked, we hiked, we stand-up paddled, we ate, we drank, we laughed, we learned, we met kind locals, we made friends, we relaxed, we slept deeply, and we wistfully said goodbye to Slovenia for now!
