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Slovenia: Villages, Castles, Vineyards, Scenic Valleys and the Julian Alps 2024

Status: limited

29 Aug – 15 Sep 2024

Overview

Slovenia: Villages, Castles, Vineyards, Scenic Valleys and the Julian Alps 2024
Tour Highlights

Assoc. Professor Dr Adrian Jones, OAM leads this tour of little-known, extraordinarily diverse Slovenia. Adrian will be accompanied by Martin Muhek, who brings a profound knowledge of the Balkan region to ASA tours. Travel with them to this beautiful country in September, when the days are still long and warm and the autumn colours are beginning to appear.

  • Travel through Slovenia’s stunning natural landscapes including the soaring peaks of the Julian Alps and the subterranean magic of Postojna caves and UNESCO World Heritage-listed Skocjan caves.
  • Dine in innovative restaurants including: the elegant Hiša Linhart, avant-garde Landerik, the gastronomic Otocec Castle and Dubravkin put in Zagreb.
  • Enjoy the panorama from medieval Ljubljana Castle and explore the city’s prehistoric and Roman past on a curator-led tour of the City Museum.
  • Study the work of Joze Plecnik, Slovenia’s renowned pioneer of modern architecture; view the National and University Library, the Central Market, Krizanke Summer Theatre and the picturesque Ljubljanica river, spanned by the Triple Bridge and Cobbler’s Bridge.
  • Explore Skofja Loka, with its fairytale castle and 14th-century Capuchin Bridge, and one of Slovenia’s best-preserved medieval city centres.
  • Enjoy Slovenia’s pristine lakes: Lake Bled has a tiny Baroque chapel on a picturesque island and a castle looming above; at Lake Bohinj, ascend Mount Vogel by cable car for spectacular views of the Julian Alps.
  • Visit Kobarid, immortalised in Ernest Hemingway’s great novel A Farewell to Arms; and follow part of the historic trail along the emerald-green waters of the Soca river to view the Kozjak waterfall.
  • Explore the wine towns of the Vipava Valley, and visit Maribor, the Styrian capital of Eastern Slovenia, which boasts the oldest grapevine in the world.
  • Explore Ptuj, Slovenia’s oldest town, featuring ornate monasteries and a hilltop castle.
  • Visit the medieval fortress of Celje, built in the 13th century and transformed by the Counts of Celje, the greatest local rivals of the Habsburgs.
  • Spend 2 nights in the pretty port town of Piran, one of the best-preserved historical centres on the Adriatic coast, encircled by 7th-century walls and rich in Venetian architecture.
  • At Lipica Stud Farm view the training of famous Lipizzaner Horses who practice complicated paces, pirouetting and dancing to Viennese waltzes.

Overnight Ljubljana (4 nights) • Bled (3 nights) • Kobarid (1 night) • Piran (2 nights) • Postojna (1 night) • Celje (3 nights) • Zagreb (3 nights)

Introduction

This fertile, ‘foodie’ and oft-forgotten region fascinates. This is a land of plenty. Nowadays, the good life also has a young and creative bent here. Cultures and traditions have always fused in these border wonderlands; here they do not constrict as much as in heartlands. Blithe Slovenia, on the one hand, links cultures and geographies: Slav and Magyar, Germanic and Italian. Earnest Croatia, on the other hand, is a bulwark in the Balkans against the Balkans. In the consonant-rich Slovene language, these intersections are known as sticisce. Well-worn mountain passes and old Roman roads traverse these hinterlands: alpine and agricultural, forest and fluvial. The produce here is as fresh as the air, and as varied as the soils, the sympathies and the seasons. Here, where the Julian Alps untangle, you also reach the Pannonian far end of the eternal Eurasian plain.

Where are the crowds? Where’s the hubris? As the westernmost outposts of Slavic people in Europe, Slovenia and Croatia are also simply superb and unpretentious places to visit: verdant, lively, stylish, youthful and optimistic. Just three decades ago, the hinterland valleys, cultures and towns of Slovenia and Croatia coughed up Communism and dispensed with Yugoslavia; Slovenia with ease, Croatia amid pain. Communism and Yugoslav-dom were two (different) make-believes which Croats and Slovenes seldom abided – especially whenever it became clear that these fancies only served Serbs in Belgrade. Hinterland Croatia (so different from Dalmatia) and Slovenia are sticisce. No single culture dominates. Here all meet and all should thrive, albeit with troubling exceptions in the fifteenth and twentieth centuries. Croatia and Slovenia widen your wonder and renew your optimism. Take some roads less travelled.

Itinerary

Itinerary

This itinerary provides an outline of the proposed daily program. The daily activities described in this itinerary may be rotated and/or modified in order to accommodate changes in museum opening hours, flight schedules etc. The tour includes breakfast daily, lunches and dinners indicated in the detailed itinerary where: B=breakfast, L=lunch and D=dinner.

Ljubljana - 4 nights

Day 1: Thursday 29 August, Arrive Ljubljana
  • Tour commences at 4.00pm in the foyer of the uHotel
  • Welcome Meeting
  • Orientation Walk
  • Welcome Dinner at Georgie Bistro

Meeting Point: The tour commences at 4.00pm in the foyer of the Eurostars uHotel located in the heart of Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana.

We commence the tour with a short Welcome Meeting which will be followed by an orientation stroll through the city, along the Ljubljanica river, passing the triple bridge. Over the next four days, we return to other places in and around these districts, some introducing us to two millennia of art and history in this charming city, and others to the Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) world of Joze Plecnik, Ljubljana’s famous architect, who lived near our hotel.

In the evening we enjoy a Welcome Diner at Georgie Bistro located not far from the hotel. Georgie Bistro is a premier culinary hotspot that offers a delightful and inventive dining experience, all within a warm and inviting ambiance. Under the leadership of esteemed chef Gregor Jelnikar, the talented team is dedicated to crafting exceptional and diverse dishes that draw inspiration from various global cuisines. (Overnight Ljubljana) 

Day 2: Friday 30 August, Ljubljana
  • Ljubljana Castle
  • Museum of Modern Art (Moderna galerija) (Optional visit) or Afternoon at leisure
  • Dinner at Landerik

We shall explore the history and culture, old and new, of this beautiful, lively small city district by district. We begin today with an exploration of the Central Market in Vodnik Square, adjacent to the Dragon bridge. We then take the cable car up to Ljubljana Castle, the heart of historic Slovenia. The castle was beloved by the 17th-century Johann Weickhard von Valvasor, a Habsburg Baron (Freiherr) and Enlightenment-era intellectual, whose interests and imagination we encounter in many sites in Slovenia. Using an audio guide, you can explore the museums in this castle at your own pace. The panoramic views of the city also introduce us to the distinct culture of Valvasor’s cherished Slovene borderland where ancient Roman, and old and current Slav, Italian (Veneto) and German (Habsburg) cultures blend. You will have lunchtime at leisure when you may wish to visit the market square below, or the castle courtyard above.

This afternoon is at leisure. You may decide to visit the Museum of Modern Art (Moderna Galerija), explore Ljubljana by yourself, or perhaps relax in our hotel. The Modern Art Museum charts the growing interaction of Western and Slovene art in the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as the unfurling and unravelling of artistic expression under Communism. We reconvene tonight for a delicious meal at Landerik, a new concept restaurant in the heart of Ljubljana, offering avant-garde and locally sourced cuisine. (Overnight Ljubljana) BD

Day 3: Saturday 31 August, Ljubljana
  • Prehistoric and Roman Ljubljana: guided tour of the City Museum (Mestni Muzej) with a Curator
  • Walking tour of Roman sites in the city centre, with an expert guide from the Museum
  • Lunch in the Balkan café courtyard in the Križanke neighbourhood: Gostilna Plecnikov Hram na Krizanke
  • Joze Plecnik’s Ljubljana: Architectural tour of the city centre, including a visit to Plecnik’s house
  • National and University Library, designed by Joze Plecnik, including the renowned Reading Room

Today we remain close to our base, but journey back in time. With the older Aquileian castle looming high above, our tour centres around the lower river flat Ljubljana neighbourhood of the Križanke, an ancient church (1268) and hall (1228) complex once associated with German-speaking Spanheim-family Dukes of Carinthia (1144-1269). The last Duke, Ulrich III (c. 1220-1269), tried to deter the Romance-speaking elected clerical Lords of Aquileia (Venezia-Giulia), by summoning the Order of Teutonic Knights to help him rule this Slav-speaking region (“the Windic march”). As in Transylvania, these footloose knights over-stayed their welcome, heading to the east Baltic. The Habsburgs eventually took over Ljubljana in 1335. Each section of the Križanke we see today, was later rebuilt, however, either in 1561 or 1715. Modified by the great Jozef Plecnik, the Križanke now acts as an Arts and Museums hub, and as a key summer venue of the Ljubljana Festival.

At the City Museum of Ljubljana (Mestni Muzej), we explore Slovenia’s prehistory. One of its most fascinating exhibits is a decorated wooden wheel which is about 5200 years old; it is thought to be the oldest wooden wheel ever found. It dates to the pile-dwelling period, when people dwelt in villages of stilt-houses (Ljubljansko Barje, 3000-1000 BC). We also discover Ljubljana’s Roman past: the town of Emona (Colonia Iulia Emona) was built on the site of the prehistoric settlement in the early 1st century AD, by Augustus’ troops. The location of the city was of strategic importance, being at a crossroads of important trade routes; at the time the Romans were conquering new lands in the Balkan south and the Pannonian east.

We lunch nearby, in simple Balkan style, in the Križanke courtyard.

This afternoon we turn our focus to the extraordinary architectural heritage of the 20th-century Art Nouveau architect Joze Plecnik (1872-1957). Plecnik’s influence on the architectural landscape of Ljubljana has been compared to that of Gaudí upon Barcelona. With a local expert, we tour his key city buildings and visit his charming house, which has been preserved as it was in his lifetime. It holds sketches, plans, models, and photographs relating to Plecnik’s famous creations such as the National and University Library, the Ljubljana Central Market and the Church of St Michael in the Marshes.

We finish the afternoon with a visit to the National and University Library, including Plecnik’s grand Reading Room. (Overnight Ljubljana) BL

Day 4: Sunday 1 September, Ljubljana
  • National Museum of Slovenia
  • National Gallery of Slovenia

Today we explore the fascinating prehistory, migration history and flora and fauna of this beautiful, varied and fertile country at the National Museum of Slovenia (Narodni Muzej Slovenij). A curator of Archaeology will discuss its highlights. These include a 1995 find in the submerged Divje Babe cave near Cerkno. We also encounter a Neanderthal bone flute (60,000 to 50,000 BC) fashioned from the femur of a cave bear, an oak dug-out canoe (9th century BC) discovered in 1927, and Iron Age armour from Slovene sites at Sticna, Vir and Gradisce. We glimpse Slovenia’s migration history in displays of sites resembling King Arthur’s Tintagel at Ajdovski Gradec (5th to 6th century AD) and in displays revealing the Slav migrations.

A light lunch follows, at Gostilna Sestica, a classic Slovene restaurant serving traditional dishes.

In the afternoon, we visit the National Gallery of Slovenia, to contrast the liveliness of the master painters and wood carvers active in 15th-century Slovenia with the Byzantine-like austere piety of their medieval predecessors. In other halls, traversing the 16th and 17th centuries, the Habsburg Baroque emerges with all its emotion and exuberance. We also encounter the influence of Habsburg Flemish genre painting, for example, in the work of the Dutch artist Almanach, who worked in Slovenia in the 17th century. Other halls explore bourgeois life in prosperous 19th century Slovenia, culminating in a delightful series of works by local impressionists. We encounter the work of artists such as realist Ivana Kobilca, the most prominent Slovenian painter and a key figure in Slovenian cultural identity. Allow her Kofetarica (Coffee Drinker) of 1888 to prompt you to repose in the gallery café! (Overnight Ljubljana) BL

Bled - 3 nights

Day 5: Monday 2 September, Ljubljana – Pustal – Skofja Loka – Crngrob – Bled
  • Devil’s Bridge, Pustal
  • Skofja Loka Castle & Museum
  • Church of Annunciation, Crngrob
  • Bled Castle

We begin our journey through what is arguably Eastern Europe’s loveliest country. Leaving Ljubljana, we drive northwest by private coach towards the grand Julian Alps, meandering along the basin of the River Sava. We’ll meet the Sava again at our tour’s end in Zagreb in Croatia; it continues to join the Danube at Belgrade.

Today, we stop in the picturesque little village of Puštal, on the Sora River, a tributary of the Sava. Our local guide will meet the coach and take us across the famed ‘Devil’s Bridge’, which spans the river. This wooden footbridge is named after supposed ancient appearances of the devil. Across the river is the enchanting medieval town of Skofja Loka. The town’s first written records date to 1248. In the 13th century it was a bustling market town of craftspeople and traders, who were organised into various guilds. Skofja Loka and the surrounding estates were an Imperial fief known as ‘the Bishop of Freising’s Meadow’. From 973, they remained in the possession of the Bavarian Bishops of Freising for more than 900 years. The original city plan survives: an upper square, the Plac, is separated from a lower square, the Lontrg; narrow streets cross the town centre, and a bold castle (rebuilt in the 16th century) stands atop a nearby hill. With our guide, we walk through the town up to the Loski Musej (Loski Museum), housed in the castle. One of the best-arranged museums in Slovenia, it houses archeological, historical, cultural, artistic, natural science and ethnological collections. We also have the opportunity to view a very well-preserved 16th century farmhouse, Škopar’s House (Škoparjeva hiša), in the castle garden.

After a simple lunch in the town centre, we shall take a short walk to Skofja Loka’s Capuchin Bridge (Stone Bridge). Built in the mid-14th century from carved stone in a semi-circular shape, it is the only one of its kind in central Europe. At its centre is a statue of the Bohemian saint, St. John of Nepomuk (1345-1393), with the Škofja Loka coat-of-arms on its plinth; in its medieval days the Selca Gate, with a guard tower, stood beside it. It was renovated and equipped with railings in the late 19th century. From here, our guide accompanies us on our coach to the Church of the Annunciation to the Holy Virgin (Marijino Oznanenje) at Crngrob. Founded in the 13th century, this lovely church holds some of the finest frescoes in Slovenia. These detail the Life of the Virgin (late-13th to early-14th centuries) whilst Giotto-like (Slovene Goriška style) paintings portray the Passion of Christ (late 14th to mid-15th centuries).

We continue by coach to Bled, where we visit Bled castle (Blejski Grad), and thence opt to walk or to bus downhill to check into the Rikli Balance Hotel. Bled is a splendid resort town on a stunningly picturesque lake. Lake Bled comes complete with a medieval church on an island, overlooked by the castle high on an outcrop. While Bled Castle was an 11th-century fief of the Bishops of Blixen, the town of Bled only came into its own in the 19th-century as a bourgeois retreat. Naturopaths, like Dr Arnold Rikli (1823-1906), encouraged genteel promenading or venturesome hiking and climbing in fresh-air alpine destinations. Bled was also a favourite destination for Josip Broz Tito (1892-1980), the Croatian leader of Communist Yugoslavia (1944-80). (Overnight Bled) BL

Day 6: Tuesday 3 September, Lake Bohinj and Lake Bled
  • Pletna cruise to Blejski Otok island and visit to the Church of the Mother of God on the Lake, Lake Bled
  • Cable Car to Mount Vogel, Lake Bohinj
  • Panoramic Boat along Lake Bohinj from Ukanc to Ribcev Laz, Lake Bohinj
  • Dinner at Hiša Linhart

Today we immerse ourselves in some of Slovenia’s most breathtaking landscapes. What could be better than to be rowed in a covered pletna boat to the island (Blejski Otok) in the middle of Lake Bled? Once a pagan site, it was re-invented in a national epic poem about the ancient loss of Slovene independence (Krst pri Savici or Baptism on the Savica, 1836) written by Slovenia’s first national poet, France Prešeren (1800-49). In the Middle Ages Blejski Otok attracted Christian pilgrims to its little Assumption Church. This is a favoured place in Slovenia to wed, provided you carry your betrothed up each and every one of its 99 steps!

After returning to shore, we drive further into the sublime limestone range of the Julian Alps (Julijske Alpe; Prialpe Giuli), moving somewhat closer to Friulian Udine in Italy than to Kärnten (Carinthia Province) in Austria. We take a cable car from Lake Bohinj to high Mt Vogel (1846m), where a breathtaking panoramic vista of the entire Triglav National Park beckons, capped by Mt Triglav (2864m) across the lake and to the north. After free time for lunch in a panorama restaurant, we descend by cable car and cruise along Lake Bohinj from Ukanc to Ribcev Laz. Here, we cross a bridge to visit the Romanesque/Gothic Church of St John the Baptist (Cerkev sv. Janeza Krstnika).

In the evening, we drive to Radovlijca and dine well in another country restaurant: chef Uroš Štefelin’s Hiša Linhart, then return to Bled. (Overnight Bled) BD

Day 7: Wednesday 4 September, Bled – Trzic – Kropa – Radovljica – Bled
  • Trzic Museum: Cobblery exhibition in the former dye house and tannery
  • Light lunch in Trzic
  • Iron Forging Museum in Kropa
  • Medieval town of Radovljica
  • Fijaker (horse drawn carriage) around Lake Bled
  • Dinner at Julijana Restaurant on Lake Bled

Today we have a unique opportunity to explore the hardy, thrifty life of small Slovenian communities. The villages in the foothills of mountains and in the knots of their valleys in Upper Carniola (Gorenjska) near the border with Austria offer rare chances to savour the small places so often overlooked in tours that just go from capital to capital and tourist site to tourist site. We’ll venture by coach into different valleys, each with its raging river, visiting Trzic to consider shoemaking and leatherwork, and Kropa to encounter iron forging.

After our visit to Kropa, we drive to the nearby market town of Radovlijca to look at the art of beekeeping and to explore its medieval heritage.

Retruning to Lake Bled, we opt to succumb at day’s end to gentility, not agility: a half-hour carriage ride (fijaker) takes us around the lake in time for sunset. The carriages leave us at our dinner venue, the elegant Julijana restaurant. After dinner, we walk the short distance back to our hotel. (Overnight Bled) BLD

Kobarid - 1 night

Day 8: Thursday 5 September, Bled Vrsic Pass  Kobarid
  • Scenic journey across the Julian Alps through Triglav National Park via the Vrsic Pass (1611m)
  • Kozjak Waterfall
  • Dinner at local restaurant

Departing Bled, we drive 4 hours on a mountain journey, regularly getting on and off the bus, exploring northwest Slovenia’s Triglav National Park. We are now in the part of Slovenia closer to Italy, heading for Kobarid (Caporetto in Italian), once a battle front of the First World War, now a charming Slovene town with an Italian ‘feel’ where will dine in style and stay one night.

When Italy entered the war belatedly on the side of Britain and France in May 1915, the Italians found the going surprisingly tough attacking the Habsburg Empire all along the Isonzo River (Soca in Slovene; Sortig in German, Aesontius in Latin) from its Adriatic estuary to the tips of the Julian Alps. The Vrsic Pass (1611m) and the Trenta Valley offer the most superlative views of the tour. We will walk to the waterfall at Kozjak and traverse some WWI trenches and mini forts. Our route on and over the Vrsic Pass was a Habsburg military re-supply route, built in part by Russian prisoners captured in Ukraine and Ruthenia. 300,000 soldiers perished here in 12 different battles, starting in June 1915, and ending in November 1917, when Habsburg forces finally broke through, and when the Bolsheviks seized power in Russia. After some time to freshen up at our hotel, we enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. Note: no porterage is available at the Hotel Hvala in Kobarid. The hotel has a lift. (Overnight Kobarid) BLD

Piran - 2 nights

Day 9: Friday 6 September, Kobarid Tolmin Gorges SempasSkocjanPiran
  • Guided walking tour of the Tolmin Gorge (1.5-2hrs, gravel trail and boardwalk)
  • Lunch at Arkade Cigoj in the Vipava Valley
  • UNESCO World Heritage-Listed Skocjan Caves

We now head away from Kobarid and from the mountains down through the Tolmin Gorge. Also called Tolminska Korita, this is one of Slovenia’s most magnificent natural attractions. Our local guide will take us along the 1-kilometre-long moss-covered gorge, which has been carved out by the crystal-clear Tolminka and Zadlascica Rivers.

Back on the coach, the mountains will eventually give way to rich agricultural land, where we will have a simple lunch in the Vipava valley,  the most “foodie” destination of Slovenia. Then the same mountains will also cleave into limestone caves, where we will explore the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Skocjan Cave. We then turn west over other cave (karst) landscapes towards the sea.

This evening we reach the delightful Adriatic port town of Piran, the birthplace of the Baroque composer Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770). You will enjoy the sea air here for two nights. Lovely little Piran dominates Slovenia’s tiny 20-kilometre stretch of Adriatic coast; it is just 60 kilometres south of the Italian city of Trieste. Piran, sitting at the tip of a narrow peninsula, is one of the best-preserved historical towns anywhere in the Mediterranean. With an abundance of Venetian Gothic architecture, atmospheric winding alleyways, a bustling main square and harbour and plenty of seafood restaurants, Piran is a unique stop on this tour of mostly-landlocked Slovenia. Here is your chance to watch the sun set over the Adriatic! (Overnight Piran) BL

Day 10: Saturday 7 September, Piran – Lipica – Piran
  • Lipica Stud Farm: View the training of Lipizzan Horses & tour the stud farm
  • Afternoon at leisure in Piran

We shall have ample time to relax in this beautiful coastal town with only one firm engagement today. In the morning we shall view the training of famous Lipizzaner Horses on a stud farm about an hour northwest of Piran. Lunchtime and the afternoon will be at leisure. (Overnight Piran) B

Postojna - 1 night

Day 11: Sunday 8 September, Piran – Hrastovlje – Vipava – Postojna – Predjama – Postojna
  • Church of the Holy Trinity with the famous Dance Macabre fresco, Hrastovlje
  • Lunch at Gostilna Podfarovž in the village of Vipava
  • Postojna Cave
  • Castle of Predjama

We depart Piran, and meander back towards the ‘real’ Slovenia of stones and castles, inland foothills with fertile farms, vineyards and caves with amazing stalactites. We first drive 40 kilometres to the tiny fortified Church of the Holy Trinity (cerkev sv. Trojice) in Hrastovlje, a village not far from the border with Rijeka province in north-west Croatia. The church’s fortified character reflects the depth of fear of Ottoman invasion in the 15th and 16th centuries. Within is a rare version of a subversive religious fresco known as The Dance of Death (La danse macabre in French, Mrtvaški ples in Slovene).

We then lunch at Gostilna Podfarovž and tipple in the village of Vipava, in the heart of the Vipava wine country, lands dear to Slovenia’s greatest Habsburg diplomat, Freiherr Sigismund von Herbestein (1486-1566); he was one of the few diplomats to meet both an Ottoman Sultan and a Russian Grand Prince.

After lunch we take the cave train at Postojna, then walk through mighty caverns; they have some of the grandest stalagmites and stalactites in Europe. We then visit the impregnable castle at Predjama (Predjamski Grad). Predjama nestles inside a cliff. The castle only ever succumbed to one siege, in 1484. The story goes that a rebel Imperial Burgrave (Castellan), Erasmus von Lüg, was betrayed and killed when, according to local lore, Habsburg siege cannon were invited from within to be directed at the castle privy when Erasmus heeded the call of nature. Once a frontier between Aquileian (Alto Veneto) clerical-feudal and Habsburg spheres, Predjama was constructed in the 13th century, but what you see now dates from 16th century. If you thought your house renovations were complex, think again! (Overnight Postojna) BLD

Celje - 3 nights

Day 12: Monday 9 September, Postojna – Kamnik – Laze v Tuhinju – Celje
  • Arboretum Volcji Potok, Kamnik
  • Lunch at Orient restaurant, Kamnik
  • Walking tour of medieval Kamnik including the Franciscan church and its library
  • Beer and Schnapps tasting at Domaca pivovarna pod Menino

From Postojna, we’ll skirt north of Ljubljana to reach the town of Kamnik. Our first stop is the Volcji Potok Arboretum. Established in 1885 as part of the Souvan family estate, it was made accessible to the public in 1952 when the University of Ljubljana took over. It has since been officially recognized as a site of significant cultural and natural heritage.

Following lunch at a local restaurant, we will explore the medieval town of Kamnik. Its origins can be traced back to the 11th century, and it was first mentioned as a town in 1229. Situated as an important trading post along the route connecting Ljubljana and Celje, Kamnik is one of Slovenia’s oldest towns. During the Middle Ages, it held significant influence as a power centre for the Bavarian counts of Andechs in the Carniola region. The remnants of this noble lineage can still be seen in the form of two ruined castles strategically positioned on elevated ground near the town centre. Additionally, the Franciscan monastery, constructed within the town, serves as a testament to Kamnik’s historical importance. We will have the opportunity to visit the church and its library, which houses a collection of incunabula – books printed prior to 1500.

The Tuhinj valley, known as “Tuhinjska Dolina” in Slovenian, serves as a connection between Ljubljana and Celje. As we journey through this route, we will be treated to breathtaking landscapes, expansive farmlands, traditional Slovenian hay racks called “kozolci,” fortified churches, and picturesque villages. Along the way, we will make a stop at a local farm craft brewery where our hosts will treat us to a beer and schnapps tasting experience.

We continue east to Celje for a three-night stay in Hotel Evropa. Celje is a beautiful Renaissance town in the Savinja (east-central Slovenia).  This afternoon’s drive takes us from the alpine sublime to Celje’s fertile Balkan borderlands of pigs and grain, hops and grapes, beer and wine. Try the local brew: the Laško or the Simon Kukec. And why not karaoke in Slovene with the lyric about a Slovenian River (Reka) with the smooth Slovene modern-male equivalents of Almanach’s Card Sharps (Kvatropirci) whom we met in the National Gallery of Slovenia in Ljubljana? (Slovene karaoke strictly optional and subject to opening hours on the night!) (Overnight Celje) BL

Day 13: Tuesday 10 September, Celje
  • Regional Museum of Celje: ‘Princely Palace’. Guided tour with Curator, Dr Jure Krajsek: in situ remains of antique Celeia; Guided tour with Curator, Mr Damir Zeric: Counts of Celje exhibition
  • Celje Castle: Guided tour with Mr Damir Zeric
  • Lunch at a local restaurant Gostilna Francl
  • Regional Museum of Celje: ‘Old Counts’ Mansion’. Guided tour with Curator, Dr Jure Krajsek: in situ remains of antique Celeia; Guided tour with Curator, Ms Gabrijela Kovacic: Cultural History Collection and the Celje Ceiling

We spend all day in this charming town, the third largest in Slovenia, still with only 40,000 people. After the long era of barbarian migrations and invasions, the old Roman colonia of Celeia, in Noricum province, with its fertile hinterland, became medieval Celje guarded now by the incomparable castle (Stari Grad, late 14th century) of Counts of Žovnek-Celje (12th-15th centuries). This castle, across the Savinj River from the town, enabled Counts of Celje to stem Habsburg ambitions until 1456, projecting their power over Croatia and making a major contribution to the failed Crusade at Nikopolis against the Ottomans (1396). Noble ladies of Celje, like the beautiful Barbara of Celje (1392-1451), regent of Hungary and wife of a Holy Roman Emperor (1433-37), Sigismund of Luxembourg, often figured in dynastic marriages in adjacent Hungary and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, countering Habsburg claimants. Highlights of the city include visits, led by local museum experts, to the two parts of the regional museum (Pokrajinski Muzei), one being the Townhouse of the later Princes (Knežji Dvorec) with the rare survival of a Renaissance trompe d’oeil ceiling (Celjski Strop, 1600), and the other being the earlier 15th-century porticoed barracks and townhouse of the Counts (Stara Grofija) housing the archaeological and medieval-historical museum. We will first visit the Princes’ Townhouse, then drive to the Castle. We lunch in a restaurant in the hills, dating from 1895: Peter Zaveršek’s Gostilna Francl. In the afternoon we visit the Old Counts’ Townhouse, which also hosted war crimes trials in July 1945, as well as the town centre. We pass the old prison, Stari Pisker; hundreds of hostages were shot here in 1942 in retaliation for Partisan resistance to the Wehrmacht’s rule over the country and this city from 11 April 1941 to 13 May 1945. (Overnight Celje) BL

Day 14: Wednesday 11 September, Celje – Ptuj – Maribor – Celje
  • Ptuj Castle & Old Town
  • Walking tour of Maribor including wine-tasting and visit to the oldest vine house

We venture today by coach through the Štajerska wine region for one hour from our base at Celje to the beautiful medieval city of Ptuj (Roman Poetovio), touring its castle, then lingering over a coffee and wandering the old town. Then we venture a half-hour further to Maribor (pop. 100,000), the second largest city in Slovenia. We encounter a vine in Maribor city itself reputed, on good visual evidence, to be oldest living vine in Europe: at least 450 years old! This is the vine outside ‘The Old Vine House’, where we quaff, lunch and learn heaps more about local wines. In this Štajerska wine region, we have entered a contested Magyar (Hungarian)-German-Slav sphere at the western-most end of the Eurasian plain. This Podravska province of Slovenia follows the Drava River (Drau in German). Maribor is also important because it is a minor place in the history of the Second World War that nonetheless can tell us a great deal about the nature of that war. Hitler attempted to ‘Germanise’ the local Slovenes as well as moving German settlers into the region which, he believed, could then become part of the German homeland. Hitler backed these follies by enabling the murder, deportation and forced labour of Slovenes, even separating children from suspect families in November 1942. As we enjoy the wine and the mix of cultures in this wonderful heritage region, we can still contemplate barbarous follies it had to endure, and indeed overcome, to achieve this convivial hospitality. (Overnight Celje) BL

Zagreb - 3 nights

Day 15: Thursday 12 September, Celje – Kostanjevica na Krki – Otocec – Zagreb
  • Kostanjevica na Krki, a small settlement on an island in the Krka river
  • Bozidar Jakac Art Museum, Cistercian Monastery Samostan Kostanjevica na Krki
  • Lunch at the 16th-century castle of Otocec

We depart Celje today by coach for our final destination, Zagreb, capital of Croatia. We travel via southern Slovenia (lower Carniola; Dolenj). On the way, we explore a little heritage town on an island in the Krka River: Kostanjevica na Krki, dating from the mid-13th century. On arrival in Kostanjevica na Krki we take a morning coffee break, then encounter a Cistercian monastery (Samostan), dating from the early 13th century, which encouraged the growth of the adjacent market town. Cistercians were a reformed Benedictine Order of muscular monks and colonisers who valued agricultural labour, and fine, spare architecture. As in Transylvania, further east, they were invited here by Kings of Hungary to stabilise and colonise a wild region. Their extensive monastery complex was abandoned in 1785 at the order of the Habsburg Emperor, Joseph II, who began to dissolve the great monastic estates (der Klostersturm) in 1782, seizing their revenues. The charming shell of the church and the imposing monastery complex now houses one of the best art collections in Slovenia: the Božidar Jakac Art Museum, which we shall tour. Highlights include the work of Anton (Tone) Kralj (1900-75).

Next we stop for lunch at the beautiful 16th-century castle of Otocec, the retirement home of one the great leaders of the Habsburg resistance against Ottoman incursion: Ivan Lenkovic. He was the leader of a Cossack-like corps of raiders, wild free-booters who were known as the Uskoks of Senj. Otocec Castle and its elegant restaurant sit in a lovely forest surrounding another island in the Krka River.

After lunch we head to Zagreb, 50 kilometres east of the border with Slovenia. We pass two mid-12th-century castles as we follow the mighty Sava River: Brestanica (Rajhenburg), and Brežice (Rann), sites where Nazi occupiers deported Slovenes in 1942-44. This evening is at leisure at our hotel in the heart of Zagreb, the Esplanade Hotel. (Overnight Zagreb) BL

Day 16: Friday 13 September, Zagreb
  • Introductory walking tour of Zagreb
  • Croatian Museum of Naïve Art: Guided visit with Curator
  • Guided Tour of sculptor Ivan Mestrovic’s atelier (subject to confirmation in 2024)
  • Archaeological Museum (subject to confirmation in 2024)

We walk the streets of Zagreb, a confident and relatively new Slavonic inland capital city of 800,000 people. Most people who think they ‘know’ Croatia really only know the coasts of Dalmatia, with their Venetian and classical Greco-Roman heritages. On this Adriatic coast, the Balkans sometimes seem an afterthought, even though they were key to the prosperity of Ragusa (Dubrovnik). Zagreb is like the Melbourne of Alfred Deakin: a Victorian-age city, commercial from the outset, national by conviction. Once two minor medieval towns, one upper, the other lower, each loathing the other, Zagreb thrived only when it became the key gubernatorial post (Ban) in the western Balkan parts of the Habsburg Empire. Ljubljana thrived likewise, but earlier at first, and then later (in Plecnik’s Art Nouveau times). Led first by its Bans, later despite them, Zagreb became – in 1848-49, in 1918-19, in 1928-45, and in 1990-95 – a centre shaping national “Illyrian” feeling of resistance against imperial domination by Magyars, Habsburgs, Serbs and Serb-Yugoslavs. While the affinities of their South Slav native languages united Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the anchors of national feeling and of resistance to empire for educated Serbs were Orthodox, Cyrillic and Byzantine, not Roman Catholic and Latin, as in Croatia. And the capitals of the oppressors they came to loathe also differed in the imaginations of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. The Serbs’ oppressors seemed based in Constantinople, and perhaps in Albania, Bulgaria and Bosnia; the Croats and Slovenes instead regarded Vienna equivocally, scarcely regarding Moscow or Constantinople (Istanbul) as a danger.

We spend most of our day in the Upper Town (Gornji Grad). Here we take a curator-led tour of the unique Croatian Museum of Naïve Art (Hrvatski Muzej Naivne Umetnosti). A highlight here is the rural national imagery of Ivan Generalic (1914-92). We then lunch in an incomparable Croatian village cuisine restaurant: Konoba Didov San. Nearby, we tour the atelier of the Europhile sculptor Ivan Mestrovic (1883-1962), an exile from Croatia in 1942, and from Yugoslavia from 1947. We then return to the lower town, taking the steps or the funicular, we explore the Archaeological Museum, and its garden café, close to our hotel. (Overnight Zagreb) BL

Day 17: Saturday 14 September, Zagreb
  • Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters, Croatian Academy of Arts & Sciences (subject to confirmation in 2024)
  • National Museum of Modern Art (subject to confirmation in 2024)
  • Afternoon at leisure
  • Farewell Dinner at Dubravkin Put restaurant

We do not have to venture far from our hotel today. One block one way is the Croatian Academy’s Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters (1880), which holds a collection of European paintings from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century. In the courtyard, we view the eleventh-century Slavonic glagolithic ‘Rosetta Stone’ of Croatia. One block another way, in the heart of ‘cafe town’, is the National Museum of Modern Art (Moderna Galerija, 1883), home to the national collection of 19th- and 20th-century art. We shall tour both galleries. There’s time at leisure to have lunch and explore Zagreb further, at your leisure. Before dinner, you may wish to try a plum brandy (šljivovica in Croatian; slivovo žganje in Slovene) or a walnut brandy (orahovac; orehovo žganje). Our Farewell Dinner this evening is held at chef Priska Thuring’s stylish Dubravkin Put restaurant on the edge of the Upper Town (Gornji Grad). (Overnight Zagreb) BD

Day 18: Sunday 15 September, Depart Zagreb
  • Tour concludes in the morning
  • At leisure/Check out

Our tour ends in Zagreb after breakfast. In the morning you will be required to check out of the hotel.  Please contact ASA if you require assistance with a transfer to Zagreb Airport. B

Accommodation

Accommodation

ASA has selected 4-star hotels that are themselves historical buildings and/or are located in historical centres. All hotels provide rooms with en suite bathroom. Further information on hotels will be provided in the ‘Tour Hotel List’ given to tour members prior to their departure.

  • Ljubljana (4 nights): 4-star uHotel – located in the heart of the city with views of the medieval castle. https://www.eurostarshotels.co.uk/
  • Bled (3 nights): 4-star Superior Rikli Balance Hotel – Sava Hotels & Resorts – recently renovated modern hotel, located in the town centre, offering panoramic views of Lake Bled and the Julian Alps. www.sava-hotels-resorts.com
  • Kobarid (1 night): 4-star Hotel Hvala – a family-run hotel & restaurant located in the Soca Valley. www.hotelhvala.si
  • Piran (2 nights): 4-star Hotel Piran – an historic hotel featuring a sea front location in the old town centre. hotel-piran.si
  • Postojna (1 night): 4-star Hotel Jama – renovated in 2016, the hotel is located in the Postojna Cave Park. www.postojnska-jama.eu
  • Celje (3 nights): 4-star Hotel Evropa – built in 1873, this historic hotel is located in the heart of the medieval town. hotel-evropa.si
  • Zagreb, Croatia (3 nights): 5-star Esplanade Zagreb Hotel – built in 1925 for the passengers of the old Orient Express, this Art Nouveau hotel has been the centre of Zagreb’s social life. It is located in the city centre, a 5-minute walk from the main square. esplanade.hr

Note: hotels are subject to change, in which case a hotel of similar standard will be provided.

Single Supplement

Payment of this supplement will ensure accommodation in a double/twin room for single occupancy room throughout the tour. The number of rooms available for single occupancy is extremely limited. People wishing to take this supplement are therefore advised to book well in advance.

How to book

How to Book

ASA RESERVATION APPLICATION FORM

Please complete the ASA RESERVATION APPLICATION and send it to Australians Studying Abroad together with your non-refundable deposit of AUD $1000.00 per person payable to Australians Studying Abroad.

Practical Information

Practical Information

The number of flags is a guide to the degree of difficulty of ASA tours relative to each other (not to those of other tour companies). It is neither absolute nor literal. One flag is given to the least taxing tours, seven to the most. Flags are allocated, above all, according to the amount of walking and standing each tour involves. Nevertheless, all ASA tours require that participants have a good degree of fitness enabling 2-3 hours walking or 1-1.5 hours standing still on any given site visit or excursion. Many sites are accessed by climbing slopes or steps and have uneven terrain.

This 18-day cultural tour of Slovenia involves:
  • Visiting some sites and towns (eg. Ptuj) that require walking up steps or uphill on uneven/cobbled streets. Cobbled streets can be very slippery during rain showers!
  • A moderate amount of walking during site visits and standing during museum and other site visits.
  • Visiting waterfalls, caves and gorges as indicated in the itinerary. It is recommended that you wear shoes with good grip and bring warm clothes; temperatures may be as low as 10 degrees (celsius) inside the cave.
  • Extensive coach travel, sometimes on winding mountain roads; road conditions are variable.
  • 4-star hotels with six hotel changes.
  • You must be able to carry your own hand luggage. Hotel porterage service is provided in most hotels (not in Kobarid); it includes 1 piece of luggage per person.

It is important to remember that ASA programs are group tours, and slow walkers affect everyone in the group. As the group must move at the speed of the slowest member, the amount of time spent at a site may be reduced if group members cannot maintain a moderate walking pace. ASA tours should not present any problem for active people who can manage day-to-day walking and stair-climbing. However, if you have any doubts about your ability to manage on a program, please ask your ASA travel consultant whether this is a suitable tour for you.

Please note: it is a condition of travel that all participants agree to accept ASA’s directions in relation to their suitability to participate in activities undertaken on the tour, and that ASA retains the sole discretion to direct a tour participant to refrain from a particular activity on part of the tour. For further information please refer to the ASA Reservation Application Form.

Tour Price & Inclusions

Tour Price & Inclusions

AUD $11,980.00 Land Content Only – Early-Bird Special: Book before 30 Sep 2023

AUD $12,180.00 Land Content Only

AUD $1860.00 Single Supplement

Tour Price (Land Content Only) includes:
  • Accommodation in twin-share rooms with en suite bathroom in 4-star hotels
  • Lunches and evening meals indicated in the tour itinerary where: B=breakfast, L=lunch & D=dinner.
  • Drinks at welcome and farewell meals. Other meals may not have drinks included.
  • Transportation by air-conditioned coach
  • Porterage of one piece of luggage per person at 6 of the 7 hotels (not at airports). No porterage is available at the Kobarid hotel. The hotel has a lift.
  • Lecture and site visit program
  • Local guides
  • Entrance fees
  • Use of audio headsets during site visits
  • Tips for the coach driver, local guides and restaurants for included meals
Tour Price (Land Content Only) does not include:
  • Airfare: Australia-Ljubljana, Zagreb-Australia
  • Personal spending money
  • Airport-hotel transfers
  • Luggage in excess of 20kg (44lbs)
  • Travel insurance
  • Visas (if applicable)
  • Porterage at Hotel Hvala, Kobarid
Tour Map

Tour Map

Gallery
Terms & Conditions
Deposits

A non-refundable deposit of $1000.00 AUD per person is required to reserve a place on this ASA tour.

Cancellation Fees

If you decide to cancel your booking the following charges apply:

  • More than 75 days before departure: your initial deposit of $1000.00 is non-refundable.**
  • 75-31 days prior 50% of total amount due
  • 30-0 days prior 100% of total amount due

**$500.00 of this amount (ie 50% of your deposit) may be credited to another ASA tour departing within 12 months of the original tour you booked. We regret, in this case early-bird discounts will not apply.

We take the day on which you cancel as being that on which we receive written confirmation of cancellation.

Unused Portions of the Tour

We regret that refunds will not be given for any unused portions of the tour, such as meals, entry fees, accommodation, flights or transfers.

Will the Tour Price or Itinerary Change?

If the number of participants on a tour is significantly less than budgeted, or if there is a significant change in exchange rates ASA reserves the right to amend the advertised price. We shall, however, do all in our power to maintain the published price. If an ASA tour is forced to cancel you will get a full refund of all tour monies paid. Occasionally circumstances beyond the control of ASA make it necessary to change airline, hotel or to make amendments to daily itineraries. We will inform you of any changes in due course.

Travel Insurance

ASA requires all participants to obtain comprehensive travel insurance. A copy of your travel insurance certificate and the reverse charge emergency contact phone number must be received by ASA no later than 75 days prior to the commencement of the tour.

Final Payment

The balance of the tour price will be due 75 days prior to the tour commencement date.

Limitation of Liability

ASA is not a carrier, event or tourist attraction host, accommodation or dining service provider. All bookings made and tickets or coupons issued by ASA for transport, event, accommodation, dining and the like are issued as an agent for various service providers and are subject to the terms and conditions and limitations of liability imposed by each service provider. ASA is not responsible for their products or services. If a service provider does not deliver the product or service for which you have contracted, your remedy lies with the service provider, not ASA. ASA will not be liable for any claim (eg. sickness, injury, death, damage or loss) arising from any change, delay, detention, breakdown, cancellation, failure, accident, act, omission or negligence of any such service provider however caused (contingencies). You must take out adequate travel insurance against such contingencies. ASA’s liability in respect of any tour will be limited to the refund of amounts received from you less all non-refundable costs and charges and the costs of any substituted event or alternate services provided. The terms and conditions of the relevant service provider from time to time comprise the sole agreement between you and that service provider. ASA reserves the sole discretion to cancel any tour or to modify itineraries in any way it considers appropriate. Tour costs may be revised, subject to unexpected price increases or exchange rate fluctuations.

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