It was my first visit to Ljubljana (and Slovenia for that matter) and though my trip was focused on checking out Ljubljana (which I absolutely enjoyed!), I wanted to also explore a bit of the Slovenian countryside. There are lots of day-trip opportunities from Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. Being in the centre of this small country, it’s easy to plan a day trip and be back for dinner in Ljubljana. Most first-time visitors to Slovenia would choose a trip to the famous Julian Alps and Lake Bled I guess. Me being me, I chose something a bit off the beaten path: the western hinterland of Ljubljana that’s often referred to as Blagaj’s Land. Only a 30-minute drive from the Slovenian capital, this is a land of undulating landscapes, with green meadows interspersed with patches of forest and picturesque villages.
Exploring the countryside near Ljubljana
It was a lovely drive to the village of Šentjošt nad Horjulom on the western edges of Ljubljana, past verdant, hilly landscapes, farms and orchards. Our first stop was at a farm where we were met by two young sisters. They showed us around the farm and told us their story. The farm has been in their family for several generations but their parents had chosen different careers. The two sisters and their younger brother took it upon themselves to manage the farm and their livestock.
I often hear stories of youngsters who choose a life in the city above staying back in the countryside so it was refreshing to hear how they made a deliberate choice to remain at their farm and produce dairy products.
They have a sizeable herd of goats, and from the milk, the youngsters produce all sorts of organic dairy products, from fresh goat’s milk to cheeses and yoghurt. The yoghurt and cheeses were delicious! It was very cool to see how they do everything themselves: from taking care of the herd to production, marketing and sales!
A lovely lunch
My next stop was lunch at Gostišče Grič, a rustic-looking restaurant situated on a hilltop above the village. Gostišče Grič turned out to be the biggest surprise of the day! The restaurant specialises in traditional Slovenian dishes, prepared with locally-sourced ingredients, with a contemporary twist. The contrast between the modernist presentation of the food and the restaurant’s traditional wooden interior was certainly striking!
Lunch was a delightful affair complemented by gorgeous views of the surrounding hills and the village below.
Polhov Gradec
After lunch, we moved on to our next stop: the village of Polhov Gradec. Situated in a valley and surrounded by forested hills, this village can trace its roots back to the 13th century. In its heart is the Polhov Gradec Mansion, the former residence of Count Blagaj, a renowned botanist and the first mayor of Polhov Gradec (19th century). Before visiting the mansion, we walked up the road to a bee-keeping centre where we got to learn about the region’s bee-keeping tradition and taste some of the fabulous honey products.
The Polhov Gradec mansion has been in existence since the 14th century but rose to prominence in the 18th/19th centuries when it was inhabited by the Blagaj family. These days, the mansion is home to the Postal Museum and several beautifully-restored rooms.
We were greeted at the door by an actor and actress in period costumes (representing Count Blagaj and his wife). I chuckled but quickly began to admire how well they stayed in character as they gave us a tour of the mansion. We were even treated to a little opera, performed by a young singer with a remarkable voice! After the tour, we sat down for afternoon tea with the Count and his wife. It turned out to be a fun, rather surreal tour of the mansion, which ended with a sip of the ‘elixir of youth’, a herbal liquor which the Count served to us in the mansion’s cellar.
It was a lovely tour of the countryside and we were back in Ljubljana in time for pre-dinner cocktails. Hehe! This was just a small taste of the Slovenian countryside but it reinforced my resolve to see more of this wonderful country. Read about things to see in Ljubljana.
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Note: my trip to Ljubljana was part of the #EuroCityTrip campaign organised by iambassador with Ljubljana Tourism. As always, all views mentioned above are mine, and mine only.
[…] recommend spending at least a few days in Ljubljana, then exploring the Slovenian countryside, other attractions in Slovenia such as the Julian Alps, Lake Bled and the Slovenian Adriatic coast. […]
Loved the pictures in this article. It took me to those places in my imagination.
Thank you for sharing this.
Hi Christine,
Hehe, that’s one reason to return! 🙂 Hope you get to visit one day – Ljubljana and Slovenia are fabulous!
Cheers,
Keith
One of my biggest regrets when I had my epic Euro trip is when I skipped of Slovenia. It was in my original plan but I ran out of time I decided to just go straight to Croatia from Germany. Then I started seeing beautiful and awesome pics of Slovenia I want to punch myself ? haha. This trip looks amazing!
What a beautiful place! I want to go there before mid of 2018 . looks so interesting to visit on that place.
great site and beautiful view.
Hi Doreen,
It has indeed been a while! Hope you’re well. It was my first time in Slovenia and I can definitely recommend it. I can’t wait to return and see more of the country.
And those goats were soooo adorable!
Cheers,
Keith
Hi Edward,
Thanks so much for your kind comment. I greatly appreciate it. Supporting local communities and local products is always important to me so I was really happy to visit this farm. I thought it was so cool of the sisters and brother too and it looked like they were doing a great job! Three cheers to them! 🙂
Cheers,
Keith
Hey Keith, It’s really remarkable how the sisters and their brother are passionate about taking care of the farm and make great products even though their parents have chosen different careers. I love your willingness to go off the beaten path. What you did here helps keep local places alive – just by you visiting and buying things… and more importantly you’re making them proud to share their culture. The world needs more people like you, stepping into the unknown and thirsty to support these travel treasures. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Cheers,
Edward
Nice to come across your post on LinkedIn, Keith. I was just thinking about you and wondering why I hadn’t seen your name come up.
Lovely post. I’ve not yet been to Slovenia, but would love to visit someday. Those goats are super cute!
Great post! We were also really taken with Ljubljana and Slovenia in general. Had the same feeling of wanting to get back and explore more. In the meantime, you’ve just made me hungry with all that talk of delicious local food!
Hi Rob,
It’s so pretty! Next time I’m in Slovenia, I’ll check out the Alps and the coast! 🙂
Cheers,
Keith
What a beautifull countryside, wow!
[…] The pearl of Europe – on the busy crossroad between East and West, has managed to blend to its traditional charm the finest features of various foreign dominions. What’s more, relatively cheap hotels and […]
[…] Read about my day trip to the countryside from Ljubljana. […]