Cycle Slovenia: Lake Bled & the Julian Alps

This was a wonderful holiday, the countryside was very beautiful with so many wild flowers everywhere - more wild orchids than I have ever seen before and many other flowers on verges, forest paths and in the fields. The roads were immaculate- not a pothole anywhere and even the gravel tracks were for the most part easily rideable. There was very little traffic on the minor roads and all the cars were very considerate. All three hotels were lovely and the staff very friendly. Lake Bled was busy, but lovely and quiet in the early mornings and evenings. All the extra trips to the Vintgar gorge, various waterfalls and lakes etc were all worth doing.

I was extremely happy with the itinerary of In the Shadow of the Julian Alps-An Independent Cycle. We had a week of the most beautiful weather, and realize that this greatly impacted our enjoyment. We had stunning views of the mountains, gorges, lakes and villages. It was a wonderful mix of riding on well maintained bicycle paths, roads with well marked bicycling lanes and small city/village roads. The Slovenian auto drivers are very patient with bicyclists as the cyclists are such a part of their transportation. We had regular bicycles, two females over 65, and did well. In the few instances where the grade was steep, we just walked our bikes up. We are regular road cyclists in the US, so are in cycling condition. I would recommend e-bikes to anyone who isn't. We enjoyed the routes at a slower pace, enjoying the views and stopping at all the recommended sites. Some of these sites have hikes that take over an hour to complete. The distances each day are very easy to complete everything, however. There was even time to pull off and have a coffee or ice cream when a random opportunity comes up. We loved stopping at a farm site advertising homemade ice cream! Such a nice visit with the family, we had! If you are a cyclist who just likes to ride hard and fast, there are many opportunit to extend your riding by just doing some research of the area you are in, or seeking out an information center. The hotels were all very different and wonderful, from alpine, to modern and historic. Each had a special charm. The food offered was excellent, and there were many choices. I'm not a big foodie, however! Overall, I would recommend this trip to anyone who loves bicycling.

Beautiful country and excellent cycle routes. Would definitely recommend e-bikes.

We loved this cycling/ walking holiday in this part of Slovenia. We took extra days in both of the 2 places (Ribno and Spik) and found loads to do. The Julian Alps are extremely impressive! The Triglav National Park is incredible and so quiet.

The GPX routes were great to support the written instructions and meant that we didn't get lost!

We missed out on swimming in Lake Bled (as we weren't organised) which was a big shame as the water was so clear and apparently very warm. My husband had a quick dip in the river at Ribno (sava bohinjka) and the lower lake at Fusine (Lago di Fusine inferiore) - both were clean but quite cold!!

If you want to explore and make use of the many walking trails available, try to get a proper map from the tourist information office as the signs are not sufficiently frequent to make it possible to walk with confidence. 

At Ribno, you need to eat dinner at the Hotel or else be prepared to walk to and from Bled which is 2km away and the road does not have a pavement the whole way. 

When cycling, make sure you secure your lunch stops (if wanted) as places to get food and drink are infrequent or else you get a few all bunched together not always when you are feeling hungry!

Ljubljana was very busy, even mid September. Interestingly dress seemed to be casual everywhere, including at dinner (although we didn't go to any high end restaurants!).

We travelled both ways by train, starting in London, with overnight sleeper both ways. This was our first time to try this and would definitely do it again, even if a bit nerve-racking at times!

We would suggest using the gps files on the phone. Much better for navigation, but the notes do contain useful historical facts. Route notes (and no map holders) not so easy to follow, and needing to stop several times.

Some really incredible scenery and fantastic cycle routes. The food and friendliness at the Linhart was exceptional. 

This was a wonderful cycle trip staying in 3 very different hotels. Our highlights were the cycling along the Radovna valley, swimming in lake bled, the vintgar gorge, coffee at lake Jasna, lunch at lake fusine, pool at hotel spik and the amazing food at Hisa Linhart.

Beautiful country, slightly off the tourist trail, well set up for bikes with great paths, idyllic views (albeit tremendous rains and floods in our week). We loved Radovljica particularly (and wished we had more time there), as well as the plains above Lake Bled, and the secluded valley route through the Triglav National park. Swimming in Lake Bled while the sun still shone was a bonus! The Ljubljana city add on was a fantastic way to start the holiday, would highly recommend. 

The countryside was stunning, and perfect for cycling with lovely cycle paths almost everywhere. The Vintgar Gorge is a must-do. Riding through the National Park was probably the highlight on the bike, but most of it was excellent. The only part we would have preferred to miss was the middle third of the return cycle on Day 4, which was mainly along main roads and less attractive surroundings. We would have preferred to go back through the national park, reversing some of the Day 2 ride. Things look different going in the reverse direction, and we would have more leisure to look around since it that direction is more downhill. But we would encourage anyone to do this tour, it was wonderful.  

In the Shadow of the Julian Alps cycling holiday with Inntravel was well organized!  Communication through the booking process, prep for travel process, and the trip itself was excellent.  Maps and route information were great with good detail, including side excursions to see each day while cycling!  The only drawback we had to this holiday experience was very rainy and cold weather which just made the adventure more exciting!

Great fun in spite of being unlucky with the weather.  Fabulous countryside and quiet roads. 

The routes were for us perfect and we only could have done using e-bikes. The ones you supplied were great just right. All routes were on cycle paths which are all in good condition with a few tracks that were unsurfaced. The trip into Italy at Lago Lucine was special for me although busy on a nice day. All the routes show some great countryside views with spectacular mountain views around. Can be busy round Lake Bled on nice weekend days and again some great lake views to be taken in.

A great way to see such a beautiful country and everywhere we had warm helpful greetings from all we met. Fabulous.    

HIGHLIGHTS: After a cold and soggy day cycling through beautiful Triglav park we came across an oasis, Farm Psnak serving Jota and pancakes to die for. The Michelin meal at Hisa Linhart was bursting with flavours. The unexpected delight of "Wednesday night fever" at Slamic was a bonus to an already brilliant holiday.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These custoemrs combined our cycling holiday In the Shadow of the Julian Alps with our Ljubljana City add-on

A beautiful area to cycle in with stunning mountain scenery as well as open countryside with lots of dedicated cycle paths and quiet country roads. Everyone we met were friendly and helpful. A particular highlight was the food in the Hisa Linhart and the ride through the Triglav National Park with a stop for lunch at Gostilina Psnak. Ljubljana is well worth a visit with a historic vibrant Old Town.

Personal highlights: Swimming in Lake Bled (Days 1 & 5); Day 2 route through National Park valley especially lovely; Glorious weather; Excellent meal at Pod Velbi at Poljce.