• Discover Slovenia’s unique mixture of unspoilt alpine, rural & coastal scenery

• Explore the art & architecture of the capital, Ljubljana

• Captivating renaissance & baroque churches & castles

• Visit magical Lake Bled

• Excellent Slovenian food & wine in some of the country's best restaurants

• Comfortable & well located 4* hotel in the heart of the Ljubljana

Since independence over thirty years ago, Slovenia has truly come of age. Slovenia sits at the heart of central Europe, having emerged from the quagmire of Yugoslavia’s collapse. It is a place of unspoilt beauty full of remarkably preserved monuments, economically prosperous and very welcoming to visitors. Settled by Illyrian and Celtic tribes, the emperor Augustus conquered the region, establishing two Roman provinces, Pannonia and Noricum. Roman Emona, now Ljubljana, developed on a river connecting the Balkans to the Danube basin, building up trade as the region flourished. After Rome’s fall, the area was swept up by the Ostrogoths and later contested by both Byzantines and Lombards. Medieval Slovenia saw first the Slavs, then the Franks, establish a vassal state, converting the people to Christianity.  Subsequent Bavarian involvement initiated the ‘Germanisation’ of the region, though instability was always close at hand via Avar invasions from Hungary. Throughout the late Medieval and early modern eras, revolts and uprisings awoke a ‘Slovene’ conscience. Further stimulated by the Reformation, this gave Slovenia its first vernacular books, helping it affirm its own language, culture and identity.

As in most of central Europe, when the Habsburgs took control, the area became enmeshed in their wars against the Ottoman Turks. However, under the Empress Maria Theresa reform came, reflected in an unexpected outbreak of artistic patronage. After the fall of Venice in 1797, Venetian-Slovene lands passed to Austria then subsequently administered by Napoleon as the 'Illyrian Provinces'. Suffice to say that after the eventual defeat of Austria-Hungary in 1918, Slovenia was ruled from Belgrade, incorporated within the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. After World War II, power was again based in Belgrade, this time under Marshal Tito within the new Yugoslavia. Finally, true independence in June 1991 brought a new democratic beginning, which happily continues to flourish.

We shall stay in the very heart of Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, at the 4* Grand Hotel Union, located close to the Ljubljanica River and within walking distance of the principal sites, restaurants, bars and shops.

Day 1: Tuesday 3 June – We fly from Heathrow to Ljubljana arriving early afternoon. We travel by coach the short distance to Ljubljana to check-in at our hotel, the 4* Grand Hotel Union. We begin with our first group dinner in one of the city’s best restaurants - wine, water and coffee are included with all group lunches and dinners.

Day 2: Wednesday 4 June – We spend our day on foot in Ljubljana. The unique architecture of Jože Plečnik, active between the two world wars, makes him for many the ‘father’ of post-modernism. His playful, eclectic and wittily irreverent designs are visible throughout the city, including his iconic Three Bridges and National University Library. Following a coffee break and a river boat trip along the Ljubjlanica River, our morning walk around the handsome old centre concludes with a visit to the National Museum of Slovenia, an excellent chronological introduction to the nation’s history. After a group lunch, we visit the Cathedral of St Nicholas and the Church of St Francis, both baroque feasts. The remainder of the afternoon and evening will be free.

Day 3: Thursday 5 June – Today we travel northwards to Lake Bled in the shadow of the Julian Alps. Only in the nineteenth century did the Habsburgs fully appreciate the beauty of Bled’s scenery and the purity of its waters, transforming the lake into a grand resort. We begin our day just outside of Ljubljana to visit Brdo Castle. The then Duchy of Carniola’s first sixteenth-century renaissance castle was substantially altered in the nineteenth century and was in the last century restored and owned by the Prince Regent Paul of Yugoslavia. Since independence, the property is used by the Slovenian Foreign Office as a diplomatic seat. We shall be carriage-drawn through the estate’s grounds by the famed Lipizzaner Horses to view the stables and visit the exterior of the castle. After a coffee break, we continue to Lake Bled and the unlikely lakeside Villa Bled, one of many properties periodically enjoyed by the Yugoslav royal family and later Marshall Tito.  Now a hotel, it contains murals championing Tito’s socialist vision. Similar to the late Marshall, we too shall enjoy lunch on the villa’s terrace after which we take a Pletna Gondola across the lake to Bled’s Islet to visit the Church of the Assumption. We continue to Ljubljana where the evening will be free.

Day 4: Friday 6 June – This morning will be on foot as we focus on our second exploration of Ljubljana with a visit to its finest baroque building, the Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity. We then walk towards Tivoli Park and the National Gallery of Slovenia where the collection brings together art from both local and itinerant artists. The Baroque period is well represented and there are some superb Neo-classical, Romantic and Impressionist works of art, mostly by Slovene artists benefitting from the proximity of Vienna and Munich and their respective Art Schools. Lunch is not included and the rest of the afternoon will be free. In the evening, we make our way via funicular to Ljubljana Castle which dominates the old town where we shall enjoy our second group dinner in one of the city’s best restaurants - by chance situated in one of the castle’s turrets.

Day 5: Saturday 7 June – Our south-easterly travels take us to the Lower Carniola close to the border with Croatia. Our first visit is to the little border town of Brežice close to the Sava River. We shall visit the sixteenth century Brežice Castle where the regional Posavje Museum contains a good introduction to the Celtic and Roman periods, along with a splendidly frescoed sixteenth century Knight’s Hall. We then travel a short distance to the medieval town of Kostanjevica na Krki where we pause for a group lunch. Prettily enclosed by the Kirka River, Kostanjevica’s principle cultural attraction is its former Cistercian Monastery which we shall visit in the afternoon. Today, it houses the Bozidar Jakac Gallery; a combination of a minor display of European paintings but principally works dedicated to the Slovene Expressionist painter of the same name and his contemporaries. We return to Ljubljana where the evening will be free.

Day 6: Sunday 8 June – We drive across the Primórska region to the slither that is the south-western coast of Slovenia, just minutes from its borders with Italy and Croatia. We begin at the coastal town of Piran. Five centuries of Venetian rule have left an indelible mark on this delightful ‘mini-Venice’, perched on a partially walled spur of land. Our walk through the town will include a visit to the panoramic, baroque Cathedral of St George. After time for lunch (not included) on the sea-front, we return to Ljubljana via the Church of the Holy Trinity at Hrastovlje, Romanesque in design, its fortifications were added ahead of the advancing Turks in 1581. The joy of this small church lies within – its interior was entirely frescoed around 1490. Later in the evening, our final group dinner will be in one of the city’s renowned restaurants.   

Day 7: Monday 9 June – A leisurely start this morning, departing Ljubljana for one final time. We travel westwards to the Vipava Valley to discover some of the superb wines and cuisine of western Slovenia. This is one of the most verdant parts of the country, our final day a fitting finale with lunch in a renowned Michelin-starred restaurant. Following lunch, we continue to Italy to Venice Airport for the evening return flight to Heathrow.

Price £3395 Without Flights £3160 Deposit £400 per person

Single Supplements (please advise your preference)

£657 31m sq Deluxe Double/Twin Room with king-sized bed and boulevard view

£495 21m sq Superior Comfort Room with queen-sized bed and internal building view

Hotel 6 nights with breakfast at the 4* Grand Hotel Union, Ljubljana in a Grand Deluxe Room with king-sized bed and boulevard view

Flights British Airways NB: departure is from Terminal 3, and return to Terminal 5 at Heathrow

Outward:          BA690 Departs London Heathrow (Terminal 3) 1305 arrive Ljubjana 1615

Return:             BA597 Departs Venice Airport 2035 arrive London Heathrow (Terminal 5) 2150

Price includes 3 dinners & 4 lunches with wine, water & coffee, all local transfers, City Tax, entry fees & gratuities, services of James Hill and our local guides

Not included Travel to/from Heathrow, 3 dinners & 2 lunches