Top 5 things to do while cycling in Slovenia

Cycling in Slovenia should be on the bucket list of every person who loves spending their holidays actively while also discovering the beautiful and diverse nature of a country, its rich historical and cultural heritage and trying tasty local and gourmet food.

To make your decision to go cycling in Slovenia easier, we’ve created a list of 5 things you can do here while cycling:

1) Discover medieval towns and castles

Slovenia is full of small towns and castles that are truly worth visiting. You can cycle across the picturesque medieval village Štanjel where magical weddings take place, or Slovenia’s oldest town Ptuj with its beautiful castle and the oldest wine cellar. Even Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, gives a medieval vibe with its castle and small cobblestone streets. 

You can also visit Lipica town where Slovenian Lipizzan horses have been bred since the 16th century, or take a stop in Piran, a romantic city on Slovenian coast, that offers a great panoramic view of the sea and a soothing fresh and salty smell of the ocean. 

2) Visit natural wonders

Slovenia will leave you speechless with its magical Alpine valleys, astonishing waterfalls, turquoise river Soča and its gorges, breathtaking peaks of the Julian Alps, the Tuscany-like wine region of Goriška Brda and the green region of Rogaška Slatina that’s renowned for its mineral water. 

On top of that, you’ll hardly avoid cycling among pristine forests while cycling in Slovenia because they cover 54 % of the country. The forests are home to many species of animals, such as brown bears, wolves, deers and lynxes.

3) Swim in picturesque lakes and rivers

There’s an opportunity to take a refreshing swim almost behind every corner while cycling in Slovenia. One such occasion is in Bled and Bohinj lakes that are located amongst the Julian Alps and offer breathtaking mountain views. Another one is in Kočevje lake that’s one of the cleanest lakes in Slovenia and enables full relaxation after cycling among virgin forests.

We also recommend taking a bath in the Soča or Kolpa river. Soča is known for being very cold, but it’s also known for being the prettiest Slovenian river because of its emerald color. Kolpa river on the other hand is our warmest river and is surrounded by calm nature and greenery.

4) Taste the finest local wine and food

Slovenia is known for its wine-making tradition, internationally awarded wines and the oldest vine in the world that still produces fruit. For this reason the 400 years old vine is listed in the Guiness Book of Records. While cycling in Slovenia try the traditional Slovenian wines such as red Teran and Refošk wines or white Rebula or Rumeni muškat wines.

Talking about must-try local food, don’t miss:

• the sweet cottage cheese rolled dumplings called “štruklji”
• the Karst prosciutto with its authentic flavor and a hundreds of years old tradition
• the famous Bled cream cake “kremšnita”

5) Visit Michelin star restaurants

While cycling in Slovenia you can visit six Slovenian Michelin star rated restaurants that got their first stars in 2020, just after Michelin’s first visit to Slovenia. Michelin’s visit and Slovenia being selected as the European Region of Gastronomy of 2021 prove that our country is one of the top culinary destinations.

A must-visit restaurant is a two Michelin star Hiša Franko owned by Ana Roš, who was named world’s best female chef in 2017. This restaurant is ranked 38th among best restaurants in the world. Another must-visit is a one Michelin star Gostilna pri Lojzetu that’s located in the 17th century mansion in Vipava valley and runs since the late 19. century. It’s chef is the fourth generation of this family restaurant.

Cycling among vineyards, trying excellent local food and wine, discovering old cities and more