Venice and Slovenia

[sapto]

We are planing a week in October to travel from Munich to Venice to Slovenia and back again.
We‘d like to visit Venice (been there once) and Chioggia (south of Venice: never been there, looks great on the internet): Any recommondations are welcome.
In Slovenia we’d like to visit Predjama Castle and it caves again and on our way home stop at Camp Soča. We are looking forward!
Pictures will follow.

 

[sapto]

Plan is to drive something like this... we'll see...

 

[Velma's Dad]

We had a week in Slovenia a couple of months ago - sadly sans-Cali, although there were dozens of them everywhere there.

Predjama Castle (half castle, half cave) is indeed a must-see. Quite touristy but probably by October will have quietened a little.

Can't see the precise detail of your planned route, but Trenta pass that runs south over the mountains from Kranskja Gora to Soca is spectacular and strongly recommended not to miss.

 

[sapto]

We had a week in Slovenia a couple of months ago - sadly sans-Cali, although there were dozens of them everywhere there.

Predjama Castle (half castle, half cave) is indeed a must-see. Quite touristy but probably by October will have quietened a little.

Can't see the precise detail of your planned route, but Trenta pass that runs south over the mountains from Kranskja Gora to Soca is spectacular and strongly recommended not to miss.

I've visited Predjama Castle 2 years ago and we booked a tour through the cave, highlight was to see a lot of bats. We might do it again.

The pass is indeed wonderful, quite steep and windy turns but great! I took the picture on the way up from Bovec some kilometers "under" the top/pass.

 

[Velma's Dad]

Did you visit the 'Russian chapel' on the way up? (Memorial to several hundred Russian POW who died in avalanches building the road in 1917). Very poignant.

I found the FIrst World War history of the area (the brutal Soca Front) fascinating. Well, to a Brit like me anyway, as our understanding of the war tends to be so filtered through the lens of the Western Front. The war museum in Kobarid is very good.

 

[sapto]

Did you visit the 'Russian chapel' on the way up? (Memorial to several hundred Russian POW who died in avalanches building the road in 1917). Very poignant.

I found the FIrst World War history of the area (the brutal Soca Front) fascinating. Well, to a Brit like me anyway, as our understanding of the war tends to be so filtered through the lens of the Western Front. The war museum in Kobarid is very good.

We saw the Memorial and note to myself to stop next time passing.
Thank you &Velma‘s Dad for your ideas!

 

[bvddobb]

When visiting Venice with a Cali, there is the possibility to use the little campsite on the Island of Lido di Venezia (the only island in the archipelago where cars are allowed), Camping San Nicolò. They accept campervans. You can get there using the car ferry from Tronchetto. Don't know if they are open still in October...

From there it is very easy visiting all of Venice with the vaporetti of ACTV.

If you have a day pass (or multiple day pass) from ACTV, you can use all their transport in the Laguna, e.g. to Murano, Burano, or Torcello. With it you can also take the bus on Lido di Venezia all the way south to Pellestrina, and take the ACTV ferry to Chioggia from there.

Another thing we have done is park our Cali on the airport parking and take a hotel downtown. You can reserve on line (based on number plate recognition, the system will recognise your number plate 15 min from before your reservation time ). It is much cheaper and safer than the parking garages on the main island near Piazzale Roma. There is a a fast ferry (Alilaguna) from the airport to the city.

 

[sapto]

@bvddobb Thank you very much! The camping looks great! Also your parking idea is also very appreciated!

 

[sapto]

So here we go again. First stop was Achensee with some cold rainy weather. In the morning we saw how it snowed during the night.

We left quite early to drive to Italy. All went well, only one tiny traffic „jam“ and actually that wasn‘t one.

 

[sapto]

Chioggia‘s campgrounds are quite closed/shut down so we had to stay in a hotel (quite okay for us). Altghouh we found place which is still open with basic facilities for the next time.

Chioggia itself is beautiful, less crowded and smaller than Venice. Got a couple of tiny bars and resturants with lovely seafood: that‘s all we wanted. We took the bikes with us and their quite useful.

 

[sapto]

From Chioggia we drove to Piran for a sightseeing trip: Great parking just 10 min walk away from town centre (quite narrow but we had enough space to park).

Had lunch next to the sea and stroll back to the carpark to drive north.
Ou next stop was a small wineyard in Dornberk (vinasaksida.com). Lovely place! Off season for campers so plenty of space and we were only 2 vans! Check their homepage to get an impression however I really can recommend them.

 

[MattBW]

Venice is one of my favourite places

 

[sapto]

Venice is one of my favourite places

I liked Venice too, although Chioggia is mor „Italian“ or is it just off season? However both have wonderful places to stay and enjoy a cuppa. Look forward to visit both again!

 

[sapto]

Next stop was Postojna

Yes, touristic and quite busy however a great place to learn more about Slovenia and the famous caves. It‘s a wonderful tour!
There is a extra parking for campers with hook up an water (no shower nor loo) for 20.-€ and just overnight parking is 18.-€.

We decided to move on to Pivka Jama Camping close by around 4.5 km from Postojna situated in the middle of a wonderful forest next to a cave (jama). A night, the two of us with hook up and actually a whole camping for ourself (1 tent, 1 converted van and a big white) costs 21.-€.

We stayed top right next to the hook up.
Facilities aren‘t up to date but they try to keep it clean.

 

[sapto]

In Ljubljana we stayed at Ambrozic Rooms and could park opposit in the Kapitelj parking for € 8.- from 3 pm for 24 hours.
We had a 3 bed room for the two of us. Was a great intermezzo to visit the city.

Ljubljana itself is - I wrote that before - one of my favourit capitals in Europe.

 

[sapto]

Tonight we stay in Kamp Danica, half an hour away from Bled. Wonderful place, free choice of pitch and situated next to the river.
At the moment there‘s only one bathroom but clean and heaten. There is also a playground and a football/basketball court.

 

[sapto]

Lake Bohinj: half an hour bycicle ride from the campground. Also great for kids and dogs.

 

[Velma's Dad]

Lake Bohinj: half an hour bycicle ride from the campground. Also great for kids and dogs.

That's a gorgeous spot and anyone visiting Slovenia should I think try to see Lake Bohinj as well as its much better known (and indeed quite magical, even with all the tourism) Lake Bled.

Because Bohinj attracts a lot of day trippers during the tourist season, it would be good to visit it early morning I think. When did you take your pic Sapto? Looks like no-one around then.

It's then well worth walking up to the Savica waterfall a few km up-valley from Lake Bohinj. Apart from the waterfall itself (which is probably best seen in winter or spring although we were there in summer) the views back down the valley, glimpsed through the trees, are lovely and you can get a real sense of how the valley was gouged out under a massive ice sheet.

 

[sapto]

That's a gorgeous spot and anyone visiting Slovenia should I think try to see Lake Bohinj as well as its much better known (and indeed quite magical, even with all the tourism) Lake Bled.

Because Bohinj attracts a lot of day trippers during the tourist season, it would be good to visit it early morning I think. When did you take your pic Sapto? Looks like no-one around then.

It's then well worth walking up to the Savica waterfall a few km up-valley from Lake Bohinj. Apart from the waterfall itself (which is probably best seen in winter or spring although we were there in summer) the views back down the valley, glimpsed through the trees, are lovely and you can get a real sense of how the valley was gouged out under a massive ice sheet.

Absolutly agree.
Yesterday noon there were some (appr 10) visitors around Lake Bohinj more close to Cafe Kramer (a paragliding landing spot), a couple of hiking groups however never as crowded as Bled nor as „hipp“ but we totally liked it.

We‘ll be def be back again!

 

[Velma's Dad]

Absolutly agree.
Yesterday noon there were some (appr 10) visitors around Lake Bohinj more close to Cafe Kramer (a paragliding landing spot), a couple of hiking groups however never as crowded as Bled nor as „hipp“ but we totally liked it.

Interesting...! On an early afternoon at the beginning of September, the whole area round the bottom of Lake Bohinj was rammed full of several hundred cars etc, it was hard to find a parking space. It obviously makes sense to go in October, the weather looks lovely.

 

[sapto]

...It obviously makes sense to go in October, the weather looks lovely.

If you‘re okay with wearing trousers and sometimes a jumper/a softshell October is def a great time to visit Slovenia. Piran had some sunny 20 degrees. Around Postojna and more North we had some mist in the morning however that was lovley.
From this...

it turns into this kind of sunny weather

 

[sapto]

On our way back home we stopped again in Achensee for one night. From Bohinj region we drive through the Karawanken Tunnel (around €10.-), from there we headed to Lienz to avoid the A8 (Chiemsee and Rosenheim), often crowded, and took the Felbertauerntunnel (around €10.-) to drive via Kitzbühl to Achenkirch. It took us longer but we knew that and enjoyed the great weather, stopped for lunch.

 

[Cali-on-Camping]

Great info @sapto . Currently planning Spring 2018 European adventure and Slovenia and Croatia is the target.

 

[alter]

also come to see the city of Trieste .... watch the pictures on the web ... maybe in October on the occasion of the most crowded Mediterranean sea race ... more than 2000 sailboats ..

 

[Kmann]

Great info @sapto . Currently planning Spring 2018 European adventure and Slovenia and Croatia is the target.

We spend two out of four weeks in Croatia this summer. Really recommendable. We did not stop in Slovenia, which was a mistake. So "sadly" we have to come back ;-)