Fall in love with a charming country and embrace ecology with these Slovenian getaways that are good for the planet
Want to experience Europe in miniature? Get those buns to Slovenia. More and more people are waking up to the magic of this Central European charmer, but it remains bizarrely off the radar of the majority. Well, more fool them, as that leaves more of it for those in the know to love and cherish. Yes, you can insert a comment about it having ‘love’ in its name here, if you so desire.
Slovenia is also ahead of the game when it comes to green tourism, with an impressive roster of tourist farms and pedestrian-friendly cities from Kranj to Murska Sobota and everywhere in between. Start your love affair with the country by embarking on a Slovenian getaway that is good for the planet, and these four tick all the boxes.
Forget about driving to Ljubljana. The old city has been vehicle-free since 2007. But this doesn’t mean you have to walk everywhere. Visitors hopping between sights can jump on a free electric golf-cart-slash-tourist-train, or borrow free bikes. Book a stay at Urban and Green B&B for extra eco points.
Slovenia is big on food and drink. ‘Farm to fork’ is a huge deal here – join a foraging expedition, like the one run through farmhouse Hiša Marni, to pluck your dinner from the ground. Also, visit one of the country’s natural vineyards, which have been making on-trend skin-contact wine for centuries. Take a tour at Guerila Wines, then stay at nearby Bio Hotel St Daniel to keep drinking into the night.
If you want to see the future of sustainable fishing, head to Sečovlje Salina Nature Park, where biologists aim to create the ‘best fish in the world’. They hand-feed their sea bass, and visitors can paddle-board their way around (before eating the fish themselves). Stay at the L-Stile glamping site, where you can pick your own veg too. Eating well and not destroying the planet? Sounds decent, tbh.
For a proper alpine experience, head to Kmetija Urška, where you can collect eggs, bake bread and sleep in a hayloft. Fancy a bougier option? Try Bohinj Eco Hotel. It’s heated by a geothermal spring down the road, and apparently uses just 4 percent of the energy a comparable hotel usually would.
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