Why Radovljica makes an excellent base for a holiday in Slovenia

In 2007 I decided to move to Slovenia, and the decision about where to live was an easy one. 

Well, actually I did thereafter take the time to explore other places too; I hired a car, marked places on the map that were within easy proximity of the mountains, motorway, Ljubljana etc., and set off to explore. However, none of them grabbed me in the way that Radovljica did.

So below I have listed just some of the reasons (in no particular order!) why Radovljica, in addition to being a great place to live for an outdoor person like me, is also a great place to base yourself for a holiday in Slovenia.

1. CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THREE MOUNTAIN RANGES

The Karavanke range is on the doorstep, while the Julian Alps and the Kamnik-Savinja Alps are within a short drive. That’s three awesome and easily accessible mountain ranges meaning you are spoilt for choice. Choose from short day hikes, full-day hikes or multiday hut-to-hut hikes.

In addition, the Pokljuka plateau, above Bled, offers a year-round ‘playground’ for active pursuits of all kinds – from gentle strolls to demanding hikes, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, cycling and the biathlon centre.

1. CLOSE, BUT NOT TOO CLOSE, TO BLED!

I have to confess, as beautiful as it looks in all the photos, I’m not a great fan of Bled, particularly in the summer months when its heaving with tourists and the daily traffic jams to get in/out stretch back for several kilometres. I do, however, enjoy running around the lake during winter, when there are less people and, if you go early a.m., you can almost have the place to yourself!

The great thing about Radovljica is that it is close enough to Bled for those that want to go, but also far enough away (7 kilometres) that, even at the height of the tourist season, it retains an air of calm, no traffic jams, no problems finding somewhere to park, and even free parking too!

That’s not to say people don’t visit. Indeed, they do, in great and ever-increasing numbers, since the word is out about Radovljica’s beautiful historical old town centre and it is featured in pretty much every tourist guide book about Slovenia.

If you are visiting at the height of the tourist season and want to visit Bled, I suggest going by bike – either on the Radovljica-Lesce-Bled bike path or, for a more picturesque and calmer experience, on the gravel road alongside the Sava river (not suitable for road bikes) - or you can even walk there too.

3. EXCELLENT PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND ACCESS TO THE MOTORWAY

Radovljica is on the main Ljubljana-Jesenice railway line, and also all buses to/from Ljubljana stop in Radovljica. The bus and train stations are within minutes of the old town centre. The A2 motorway between the Karavanke tunnel (to Austria) via Ljubljana to Obrežje (at the Croatian border near Zagreb) runs past Radovljica, providing easy access but without any associated motorway noise.

4. 4 SKI RESORTS WITHIN EASY REACH, AND OTHERS NOT FAR AWAY TOO!

Kranjska Gora, Vogel, Soriška planina, and Krvavec – four of Slovenia’s biggest and best ski resorts are within a cca. 45-minute drive from Radovljica. Others, including Cerkno, Kanin, Rogla, and Stari vrh, can also be reached within 1-2 hours.

5. IN SLOVENIA NOTHING IS EVER THAT FAR AWAY!

Hike in the Julian Alps in the morning, then take a dip in the Adriatic Sea in the afternoon. Ski in the morning, then visit the UNESCO-listed Škocjan caves or world-renowned Postojna caves in the afternoon. Take a scenic drive over Slovenia’s highest mountain pass, the Vršič pass, in the morning, stopping to see the Russian chapel and other sights of interest, then raft on the emerald-green Soča river in the afternoon. Visit the capital city, Ljubljana, in the morning, then stop by at Škofja Loka with its magnificent hilltop castle on the way back.

All of this is possible in Slovenia, and all possible from Radovljica!