3 Days, 2 Countries: City Break Italy - Slovenia
Let me show you how you can visit two countries, or rather, feel the vibe of two quite different, but very close countries, in a 3-day lightning city break. In this article I show you our itinerary, how we got from Trieste to lake Bled and a hidden gem near the lake that not many people know about, but which can introduce you a little bit into the beauty of Slovenian nature.
Organizational details
This city break took place in April, just in time to welcome the beautiful spring, but also to enjoy these less crowded places with pleasant, not mind-bogglingly hot, summer temperatures. We flew with WizzAir with 100 euros/both of us (we have Wizz Discount Club and we buy the tickets a little cheaper). The flight is short, maximum 1h30 min to Trieste airport, Italy.
How did we get from Trieste to Ljubljana?
From Trieste airport, we took a train to Trieste central station. We got the tickets from the ticket machines at the station for their national company, TrenItalia and they were 10 euro one way/2 pers. Don't forget to validate before you get on the train. The journey takes 30 minutes maximum and is spectacular as it goes along the coast and past many small Italian towns.
From Trieste's central train station, we tried the Omioapp, which is more of a platform where you can find multiple public transportation providers to your desired destination. We just chose the destination-Ljubljana, and from a list with multiple companies, among them being FlixBus, we chose the one that suited us best in time. So for the one-way, we travelled with ItaBus and we came back with BlaBlaBus. As an idea, all the prices are similar, about 18-22 euro/way/person, and the travel time should be 1h30min. It depends a lot on the traffic that is through the cities and how long you will stay at customs. For example, on the outward journey we spent an hour in customs, while on the return we didn't spend any time at all.
How did we split the 3 days?
We stayed for two nights in Ljubljana in a very nice and very central studio, right next to the imposing castle, Under Castle Studio. It is extremely clean, with a small kitchen in the same space as the bedroom, in an old building. We loved it and it was just what we needed because we stayed outside more than inside anyway. For us it mattered that the center was 1 minute from the studio and the train station was 15 minutes max. The price is much lower in the off-season than in the summer, and as an idea we gave 90 euro/night, but it can change from season to season.
We spent the last night in Monfalcone, the city where the Trieste airport is actually located, and that's only because the next morning very early we had our return flight. From here to the airport it was a 5 minute train ride, but the whole day was spent in Trieste, because Monfalcone is an industrial harbor town and there are no sights to visit. Accommodation was at Hotelul HR, right in the small central square. The hotel looks like something out of ancient and extremely rich Italy, it seems that very important people stayed here. We paid approx. 80 euro per night, but again it depends from season to season.
Our luggage
Because it was a city break, we only traveled with one backpack each that fit all airline standards. Our partner of almost 3 years is CabinZero and this time, I had the new 32L ADV-pro backpack, sakura pink. It's perfect for 3-4 days away from home, has tons of compartments, is waterproof and quite lightweight, and the foam back support is extremely comfortable. If you still don't have a really good travel backpack that will stand up to your adventures, I encourage you to take a look at the CabinZero. If you use the code IOANAFERDOSCHI you get a 15% discount, so you'll pay a price that I say is worth it.
You can read in this specific article about the 2 weeks we spent in Sri Lanka where we went with just one 36L backpack each for the whole time and we did great. It was much easier that way than struggling with trolleys as we changed accommodations every 2-3 days. We experienced a kind of Sri Lanka Express.
2 days in Slovenia
Walking around Ljubljana
As I said, we spent 2 nights in Slovenia, so we had almost 2 full days to explore Ljubljana and the surroundings of Bled. Because we had quite limited time and the weather was gorgeous, in Ljubljana we preferred just to walk around the city center and the narrow streets. We went up to the castle, a former medieval fortress, for the view over the capital and a great sunset.
You can also choose to take the funicular up for 17euro/ride/person, but the walking is very easy. The studio where we stayed is right on the way up to the castle, and it took us about 15 minutes to get to the top where there was a great view of the surrounding mountains.
We liked the city extremely much, very green at this time of year, very clean, perhaps the cleanest European capital we've seen lately. The old buildings are very well preserved and you can see the attention of the locals to the history of the capital. The area around the river Ljubljanica is very lively, all cafes are full at all hours, restaurants are full at all hours, even though we went in April when it was also Catholic Easter (2025). You can take a boat trip on the river for an hour for 15 euro/person and learn more about the city.
The castle can be seen spectacularly from any point in the city center, and in the evenings it is illuminated. We also got to see a street food festival. We know for sure we'll be back as we've barely seen a little of the city and it deserves more attention. Food prices are higher than in Italy, a cocktail 9 euro, a main course 20-23 euro and dessert 10 euro.
As we wandered through the alleyways, we also ended up in a neighbourhood that was quite different from the rest of the city, which we found quite interesting. There weren't many tourists, more locals. It seems to be a more independent place from the rest of the capital and there are probably events going on here. The place is called AKC Metelkova and you can find the location inside the link.
How to get to Bled?
We spent the second day around the are of lake Bled. To get there from Ljubljana, we went by public transportation company Arriva, with a blue bus with the company's name on it. On their website you can check their bus schedule to Bled, and then you buy your tickets at the bus ticket area at the train station. You can only pay cash and the price is somewhere between 3,5-4 euro/2 persons/way.
Travel time is one hour maximum and the station we got off at was Bled Union. The end is actually Bled, but both are somehow on the same street and from both you can get to the lake in 5 minutes. We got off here because we rented bikes from the Altitude Activities for which we paid 15 euro/6 hours/bike. We were very keen to ride in other areas and discover a little bit of the alpine valleys around the village of Bled.
Soteska Vintgar
In fact, the main reason we rented the bikes was to visit the Vintgar Gorgeone of the most spectacular natural sites in Slovenia. It lies 4km from Bled, in the Triglav National Park. Some info: Vintgar Gorge is about 1.6 km long and was carved by the river Radovna, which runs through the gorge with steep, high walls almost 50 meters high. At the end of the gorge is Slovenia's largest river waterfall (about 13 meters high) - Cascada Šum.
And now for logistical details: usually open from April to November, depending on the weather. Tickets can ONLY be bought online on site some time in advance in order to get a seat at the desired time. On their website officially, you can find a ton of information about the canyon, but also how to get here and how to make your visit more efficient. Be careful when you buy tickets: they are given for a certain time, for a certain number of people, in order not to overcrowd the parade and you have a 20-minute window in which you can validate the QR code you received by e-mail. Tickets cost €15/person.
You'll get helmets for protection in case of landslides at the entrance, the road is on wooden boardwalks and you should carry a more waterproof jacket as it's colder and water can run off the rocks. There's a shuttle bus from Bled, which leaves every hour on the hour and the journey takes 20 minutes maximum. You can arrive by private car that you leave in the parking lot, or you can walk for about an hour.
Or come by bike, like we did. It took us about 40 minutes and that's because we got lost on the way and wanted to explore the area a bit anyway. From Bled we put on GoogleMaps the village Podhom, but we also followed the signs to this village, as well as the markers that appeared towards Vintgar Gorge. The ride was at times on the bike lane, on the street, on paved road, through gorgeous valleys with spring flowers or up some hills that made me wonder what was in my head. Bike must be left at the parking lot before scanning tickets. There you'll also find a cafe to recover your strength.
After the gorge ends, you have two options to continue the trail back to the Info Point: through the forest along the river or through alpine valleys. We chose the second route, which starts on the right after leaving your helmet at the exit, which seemed even longer, called King of Triglav Trail. At the beginning we walked through the forest for about 20 minutes, enjoying the raw greenery and the sounds of nature.
We then continued on a gorgeous hike with spectacular views of the villages of Podhom and Bled in the distance, the alpine valleys and the Triglav mountains. We were left speechless and loved that we chose this route as it gave us 1% of what Slovenia has to offer on the mountain side. This whole route together with the Vintgar gorge was 5.7 km, which we covered in 2 hours.
Lake Bled
Did you know that Lake Bled is an alpine glacial lake that formed about 14.000 years agoat the end of the last glaciation (the Würm Glaciation), when the glaciers in the Julian Alps retreated? Or that the island in the middle of the lake is Slovenia's only natural island? There you'll find a small old church, the Church of the Assumption. Legend has it that if you ring the wishing bell in the church, your wish will come true. The most popular way to get to the island is by a traditional boat called „pletna”.
Fix lângă lac, găsești cocoțat pe o stâncă înaltă de 130 m cel mai vechi castel din Slovenia, menționat prima dată în anul 1011, într-o donație a împăratului german Henric al II-lea către episcopul de Brixen. Are un muzeu istoric, o tipografie medievală, o vinărie și o terasă panoramică cu vedere superbă asupra lacului și munților din jur.
We've never made it to the castle, but if you do, I'm curious how you liked it! Lake Bled is surrounded by a very well-maintained 6km pedestrian walkway and it would be a shame not to follow it if you've made it this far. You can see the island and church from different angles and get spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. Don't forget to do the mini hike to the viewpoint! Or you can bike around it, like we did, but there's no special trail, you'll be riding on the road. And it's extremely busy, so be careful. Don't forget to stop at one of the terraces for the specific cake, kremna rezina, known also as Bled cremsnit..
One day in Trieste
We spent our last day in Trieste and obviously took the little town in our stride. It surprised us very much, extremely clean (not like Slovenia, but cleaner than other parts of Italy) very well maintained buildings, full of cozy restaurants and cafes, looks just like an open air museum. I wouldn't know how to tell you exactly what to visit, but I really just urge you to walk around and admire the architecture and enjoy an Aperol in the central square. I really say this city alone is worth a city break because it has an authentic Italian vibe. Bonus, being Easter Sunday, it was packed-full of locals out with the whole family out for lunch and it was such a relaxed atmosphere.
Personally, in Slovenia we also ate in Italian restaurants because of the lower prices and because you can't go wrong with a pizza. In Trieste we found the prices better, for example: an Aperol was 6 euro, a tiramisu 6 euro, pizza 10-12 euro, and a portion of pasta carbonara 14 euro. We even found a franchise of the super famous restaurant in Naples where a scene from the movie Eat, Pray, Love with Julia Roberts, namely L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele. Definitely put it on your list, the pizza is huge and extremely good, and there's room inside for everyone, it's not as crowded as in Napoli.
If you're curious about the approximate costs we had in April 2025, you can enter the video below. But keep in mind that it's just an approximate budget that differs depending on the period you choose, the accommodations you book, and the activities you'll be doing.
Tell me how you like this idea of a lightning city break through two different cultures. Did you have one of the two cities on your list? Have the pictures convinced you that some places deserve your attention in spring, when all nature comes alive? Leave me a comment and don't forget to keep following me for even more travel ideas 🙂
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