Slovenia with a Baby: Lake Bled, the Soča Valley and the Julian Alps

Slovenia was the surprise of the summer. I knew Lake Bled would be pretty. I didn’t know that the whole country is basically turquoise rivers, white riverbeds and huge mountains, all within an hour of each other. It’s also small, safe and easy to drive, which makes it one of the best places in Europe to bring a baby.

This is part four of our 5 weeks in Europe with a baby series. Andi turned five months old here.

Route

Plitvice → Lake Bled → Kranjska Gora → Kobarid → the Soča Valley and Mangart → Lago di Fusine (Italy) and Villach (Austria) → the Logar Valley → Predjama Castle and Ljubljana

How long

8 days

Who came

Colin, me and Andi (5 months)

Getting around

A rental car. You need a vignette for Slovenian highways.

Best for

Nature lovers. Easy walks, big views, short drives.

Lake Bled

We started at Lake Bled, and the first morning set the tone for the whole week. Mist was lifting off the lake around the little island church, and the castle sat on its cliff above the water. We walked the shore and took a lot of photos.

Just outside Bled is Vintgar Gorge, a wooden boardwalk along a rushing green river. It’s an easy walk with a carrier. It isn’t stroller friendly, and in summer it’s best to book a time slot ahead.

Kranjska Gora and Lake Jasna

On the 12th we drove up to Kranjska Gora, right in the Julian Alps near the Italian and Austrian borders. Lake Jasna is a small turquoise lake with the mountains rising behind it. It takes five minutes to reach from the car and an hour to leave because it’s so pretty.

We walked out onto the wide white riverbeds nearby, with Andi in the carrier on Colin. Then we drove back to Bled for an evening picnic on the grass by the lake.

Kobarid and the Soča River

The Soča is the river that made me fall for Slovenia. It’s an electric blue-green that doesn’t look real even when you’re standing over it. Around Kobarid we walked out to a waterfall in the forest, crossed a footbridge high over the river with Andi, and stopped at a little church in the middle of a green valley.

The Soča Valley and the cliffs of Mangart

The 14th was my favorite day in Slovenia. We had brunch in the valley, then spent the afternoon on the white stones along the Soča near Srpenica, dipping our feet in the cold water. Andi got held up over the river and thought it was hilarious.

Then we drove up to Log pod Mangartom, where huge cliffs rise straight out of green meadows. Andi did what I still think is her best pop-up of the entire summer.

Three countries in one day

Slovenia is so small that on the 15th we had breakfast in Slovenia, a morning at a lake in Italy, an afternoon in Austria, and dinner back in Slovenia. It’s an easy loop if you’re based in the north.

We started at Lago di Fusine, just over the Italian border near Tarvisio. It’s a clear turquoise lake under the mountains, with almost nobody there in the morning.

From there we drove into Austria and wandered Villach on the Drau River, then came back into Slovenia through the mountains to the Logar Valley, a long green valley ringed by peaks.

Predjama Castle and Ljubljana

On our last day we drove south to Predjama Castle, a castle built right into the mouth of a cave in a cliff. It’s wild to see in person. Then we spent the evening in Ljubljana, walking along the river and past the Dragon Bridge.

Slovenia with a baby: what worked

• Rent a car and buy the vignette. Slovenia is all short drives, and the highway vignette is required.
• Carrier over stroller for gorges, riverbeds and lakeside paths.
• Layers. Mountain mornings were cool, even in June.
• Picnic dinners. An evening picnic on the grass by Lake Bled was easy with a baby and one of our favorite nights.
• Do the three-country loop. It sounds like a lot, but the drives are short and every stop is beautiful.

Next stop: Amsterdam

We flew from Ljubljana to Amsterdam for the last leg of the trip. Read about it next: Amsterdam and Haarlem with a baby.