It’s possible to dive in all Slovenian rivers and lakes with an exception of Lake Bohinj. Diving is popular in Lake Bled, Ankaran, Portorož and many other tourist spots in Slovenia. But this time we aren’t talking about normal diving – we are going to talk about special type of diving – cave dive.

Cave dive is a special type of technical diving, where scuba equipment is used to enable the exploration of the caves, filled with water.

Unfortunately, according to professionals, cave diving isn’t for everyone. To be more exact, experts estimate that less than one percent of the recreational divers possess the knowledge, skills, attitude and judgment needed to cave dive safely. But, if you have knowledge, skills, attitude and right judgment, then cave diving can be a great experience.

Since this is a blog about Slovenia, I have to tell you something about cave diving in Slovenia. Cave dive is possible in Postojna cave, Škocjan caves and in a tunnel in Wild Lake (Divje jezero) near Idrija. There are very little information about cave dive in Slovenia on the internet, because there are only few people interested in that (well, many people are interested in that, but most of them give up when they find out what they need for cave diving). If you would like to cave dive in Slovenia, then you can contact Slovenian diving federation (Slovenska potapljaška zveza; Celovška cesta 25, 1000 Ljubljana; spz@spz.si; telephone number: +386 (0)1 433 93 08) or visit Noriksub’s webpage for cave dive courses (or contact them: telephone number: +386 (0)1 434 07 53; info@skupinanoriksub.si) and ask for details about cave diving in Slovenia.

If diving is yours and your partner’s passion, you can organize an underwater wedding (ask at Noriksub group). You can contact Slovenian diving federation and Noriksub group for diving in Slovenian rivers, lakes and in the sea as well.

Bogojina – one of Slovenian secret corners

Bogojina is a village 12km eastern from Murska Sobota and 5km away from Moravske Toplice (Terme 3000) in Prekmurje, region in northeastern Slovenia. Bogojina population is about 600.

Bogojina is the most famous for Parish church of the Ascension. It is located on a small hill in the northern part of the village. The new church was built between 1924 and 1927 besides an older and smaller church. Jože Plečnik, famous Slovenian architect, added two asymmetrical aisles and a round tower of a ships‘s crow’s nest to the original Romanesque and baroque structure. The interesting thing here is that Plečnik didn’t pull down an old church, but included it in the new structure, which, together with the tower, makes this church unique and popular among tourists.

Famous Church in Bogojina

The church is opened all time and can be visited for free. You can get more information on the telephone number +386 (0)2 547 92 50 (Bogojina Parish Office).

Interesting tourist spots and activities around Bogojina

1.) About 5km away (towards Murska Sobota) are Moravske toplice (Terme 3000), popular thermal spa resort (more information in article about Slovenia Terme).

2.) Flat Prekmurje is interesting for cyclist as well, especially for the ones who don’t like hills. Doesn’t matter whether you want to cycle all day or just for an hour, there are routes for every taste.

3.) Another interesting sight in Prekmurje is a Floating Mill on the river Mura, located in Veržej. There were 90 mills on Mura, but this one is the only floating one that has left.

Babic Mill on river Mura

4.) You can also visit wine routes and wine cellars, stay in tourist farms and enjoy Slovenian national desert – Prekurska gibanica (in direct translation “Over Mura moving cake”).

Premurska gibanica

One of the most important questions about holidays is “How much is it going to cost?” If money is not a problem, you can just pack the bags and go on the road. However, most of us have to save money for travel and have to calculate the trip costs in order to know how much money we need for our holidays.  I’m writing this article to inform you about costs of some typical necessaries (Slovenia prices) in order to help you calculate costs of your Slovenia holidays.

Accommodation

When you arrive in Slovenia, your main concern will probably be to find a place to stay (if you haven’t reserve it in advance, which I recommend to do). The most expensive type of accommodation are hotels. Prices in more popular tourist resorts (Ljubljana, Bled, Postojna) start at 40€/night for single room (if you get a room at this price in high season you can be very happy) and can go very high in some fancy hotels. The average is about 60-80€/night for single room.

Another type of accommodation, especially in winter resorts, are apartments, which are usually 10 – 20 % cheaper than hotels. Some of them are run by local families, which are very friendly and you may also be able to negotiate the price (when you make reservations).

Hostels are more and more popular among travelers, not just the young ones. Prices of hostels are much lower than hotel prices. You can get a great price if you are willing to share room with other people. Prices for one night in shared rooms start at 8€.

Camps are another option. In main season (summer) camps charge around 12€/night for one person, children pay half of the price (price is for camps at seaside), which means that an average family (parents with two children) will pay around 40€/night.

One of the best types of accommodation in Slovenia are tourist farms. It is hard to compare prices of tourist farms with other types of accommodation, because tourist farms usually aren’t located near “hot spots”. The ones that are have higher prices, but an average price for staying at tourist farms is about 25€/night for one person, which includes breakfast. If you travel in a group (family, friends) and stay for more than two days, you can get really great prices (for example 35€/night for 4-bed room).

Driving

Rent a car prices in Slovenia start at 30€/day for smaller cars (such as Opel Corsa). Bigger cars are more expensive.

Public transport prices are a mystery for me too, because I never know how much am I going to pay:) For train prices in Slovenia look here.

Buses are faster, but more expensive than trains. Bus price also depends on the number of bus stops, which means that if bus stops 5 times on the way from Ljubljana to Maribor it will be more expensive than bus that stops 10 times. Usually buses with less stops drive on highway.

Prices of daily necessities

These are average prices. They can be higher in some tourist resorts or lower in some remote villages.

1 kilo of bread: from 1€ – 3€ (usually around 1.8€)
1 liter of petrol: 1.15€ (the same price on all filling stations)
Cup of coffe: 1.20€
Daily paper: 1€
½ liter of beer in a bar: 2.50€ (1€ in a supermarket)
2 dcl of cola in restaurant: 1.70€ (0.80€ in a supermarket)
Street snack: 2.50€ (hot dog), 2€ (pizza slice), 1.5€ (burek)
Large classic pizza in a restaurant: 5.50€
½ liter of water: 1€ (restaurant), 0.50€ (supermarket)
Souvenir T-shirt: 15€

Slovenian mountain passes are getting more and more popular among tourists because of beautiful views and intact nature at their fingertips. They are easy accessible and the roads are well maintained. Slovenian mountain passes are interesting for bikers, motorcyclists, car drivers and even for many campervan travelers searching for some thrilling drive. So I decided to present some of the most famous Slovenian mountain passes to my readers (you) to help you decide which one is the most suitable for you. 

 1.) Vršič

Vršič pass (“Prelaz Vršič” – 1611m) is a mountain pass in the Julian Alps in the northwest of Slovenia. It is the highest mountain pass in Slovenia and also the highest mountain pass in eastern Julian Alps. Vršič pass is important because it connects Kranjska Gora (Slovenian ski resort) with Trenta Valley. The road was built during the First World War for military purposes and was opened in 1915. It was built by Russian prisoners (Russian Orthodox Chapel can still be found there). The pass is opened in spring, summer and autumn. It is usually closed in winter time because of bad road conditions and the danger of snow slide.

Vršič, as a part of Triglav national park (Triglavski narodni park), is also a great starting point for the visit of surrounding peaks, such as Mala and Velika Mojstrovka, Prisojnik, Šitna glava, Planja, Sovna gora …

Take a look at panorama of Vršič (Text is in Slovenian language, but pictures are more important).

Vršič pass on road map 

2.) Ljubelj

Ljubelj pass (“Loiblpass” in German) is my favorite Slovenian mountain pass. It is situated in the Karawanken (Karavanke) part of Alps, connecting Austria and Slovenia. It is 1369m high and was the steepest mountain pass in Alps (up to 28% incline) before 1945, when the tunnel was built. The tunnel was built by war prisoners during Second World War.

Ljubelj had an important role before 1991, when the Karawankentunnel was built, as it was the best connection between Yugoslavia and Austria in the northwestern part. It is still a great alternative to Karawankentunnel in spring, summer and autumn as a route with great view (you save €6.5 because you don’t have to pay Karawankentunnel ). It is my favorite pass because it possible to sledge there in winter on a settled route.  

Ljubelj pass on road map

3.) Predel

Predil pass (“Predel” in Slovene, “Passo di Predil” in Italian) is interesting due to its rich history. It is 1156 m high mountain pass, connecting Slovenia and Italy. The mountain pass was used in Roman times and in Middle Ages by merchants as an important trade route. One kilometer before summit stands a Fortress Predel, which had an important role in the defense against Napoleon.

Predil pass on road map

4.) Jezersko

Jezersko pass (1218 m) is very popular among motorcyclist because of the road with a lot of thrilling curves. It links Slovenia and Austria and is rarely closed in the winter. It’s gently sloping on the Slovenian side, but is very sleep on the Austrian side.

Jezersko, a village 7km from the Slovenia-Austria border, is a great starting point for the mountains in the surroundings. A trip to Planšarsko jezero (Planšar Lake) is also recommended.

Jezersko pass on road map