The best times to visit Slovenia

Slovenia is an all-year destination. Every season has its appeal, but the best time to visit depends on your interests and priorities.

The annual tourism season gets rolling in spring, as high-elevation mountain passes reopen to car traffic and the country basks in the first of what will be many warm, sunny days ahead. With the coming of summer, the Alpine snowmelt feeds rivers like the Soča, giving them that froth that’s so much fun for whitewater rafting. Summer also kicks off Slovenia's hiking and climbing season. To beat the mid-summer heat, people flock to lakes at Bohinj and Bled and to the Adriatic coast. Around the country, music and cultural festivals kick into high gear. Warm weather also means lots of opportunities for cycling. With the rise of e-bikes, routes that were normally reserved for experts are now open to enthusiasts of all levels.

Autumn brings with it the food harvest – including grapes to be made into wine. Wine cellars all over Slovenia open up for the first tastings of the new harvest year. Of course, thermal spas are always operational and a perfect way to spend a day (or week). The winter months are famous for skiing, and there are plenty of slopes to choose from. Following a brief lull that settles over the country after the Christmas and New Year holidays, the action picks up in February, with the annual Carnival festivities – and the whole calendar starts back up again.

May to October is the best time to explore the outdoors

This is high season in Slovenia. Late spring brings the first wildflowers to the mountains and is the perfect time to plan an early foray into the higher elevations. The area around Lake Bohinj, in the Triglav National Park, celebrates with an annual International Wild Flower Festival. The lofty pastures of Velika Planina erupt into purple as the first crocuses pop up from the cold earth.

June typically means sunny skies, but not yet too hot. It’s ideal weather for hitting the trail (hiking or biking) or exploring cities like Ljubljana, Maribor and Ptuj. Popular destinations like Lake Bled and Ljubljana still feel fresh. Cafes and restaurants have pulled their tables out onto the sidewalks, but the large crowds of visitors that typically descend in July and August have not yet arrived.

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By midsummer, the days start to get warmer, as temps in lower-lying areas sometimes swell into the 30s (Celsius, upper 80s Fahrenheit) – though the mountains are always at hand to provide relief from the heat. Sun-seekers swarm to the Adriatic Coast to take a dip in the sea. Resorts along the country’s short coastline can get crowded, and it’s necessary to book accommodations here well in advance. The normally chilly waters of Lake Bohinj and Bled warm to swimmable temperatures, and this is prime time for water-based fun like SUP, rafting and canyoning – though advance booking here is advisable as well.

July and August are also perfect months for visiting one of the country’s 20 or so spa resorts. To cater to families, many spas have now added elaborate water-park features, like outdoor slides and wave pools. For relief from the heat, don’t overlook the incredible caves of the Karst region, like Postojna and Škocjan, where temperatures underground hover at a cool 12°C (54°F) year-round.

September and October often bring those “perfect” days, with plenty of sunshine and cooler temperatures. The Adriatic is still swimmable, but many of the crowds have already gone home. September is great for summiting Mt Triglav, and mushroom-hunting shifts into high gear. This is also the time for hikes and al fresco wine tastings in areas like Goriška Brda in the west, and around Maribor, Brežice and Metlika in the east.

April and November are the best months to be a gastronome

Early spring and late autumn are considered shoulder seasons. Big cities like Ljubljana and Maribor are as lively as ever, but the rest of the country eases up a notch.

Slovenian chefs typically take an “eat what nature gives you” approach in every season – yet the gastronomic delights are perhaps most delicious during the first signs of spring and at harvest time. After a winter of delicious stews, a new litany of seasonal delights becomes available as the snow melts and spring blossoms. This is a good time to visit the southwestern coastal area to take in some sun and enjoy fresh seafood.

In November, as the grape and olive harvests conclude, it seems the entire country stops to toast Mother Nature for another bumper year of superior wine.

December to March is the best time to enjoy snowy delights

Fewer visitors means that winter is technically low season in Slovenia. For locals, however, this third of the year is anything but a break. Rare is the Slovene who doesn’t partake in some (or a lot of) winter activity, like downhill or cross-country skiing, ski-jumping and snowshoeing. Cold, snowy weather keeps things busy near Kranjska Gora and at other popular winter resorts, like Vogel, near Lake Bohinj, Krvavec, Mariborsko Pohorje, Rogla, Gače and many others.

The cold-weather months are also well-suited to a spa stay. Sure, the outdoor water slides are closed for the season, but the indoor pools, hot soaks and wellness treatments offer a comforting way to repair following a wintry jaunt in the open air.

One of the most important cultural celebrations in Slovenia is the Carnival (also known locally as Pust), and if you’re in the country in February or March you’re bound to run into at least one elaborate celebration. The largest is the Kurentovanje in Ptuj, held over 11 days with more than 100,000 people attending every year.

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