One country, many landscapes – Discover them all by spending your holidays cycling in Slovenia.
lovenia is one of the most picturesque countries in Europe, unrivalled by any other in its diversity. Mountains, valleys, hills, lowlands and the seacoast – all of these landscapes are combined here in this small land. That’s what makes it a perfect destination for cycling holidays since you can have the experience of multiple countries in one.
There are 3 main types of cycling holidays in Slovenia:
Cycling stages: This is where you are biking from accommodation to accommodation – sometimes carrying the luggage ourselves or mostly having its transfer taken care of. This type of a cycling holiday is a more diverse way to experience Slovenia, since the landscape is always changing. The only negative here is that there is less space for improvising and adapting to the weather and different experience levels of the cyclist.
Based in one location: This is especially possible in Slovenia because of its small size and diversity. By driving around a little, you get the benefits of a stage bike tour, while being more flexible. An experienced local biking guide is a must here, since they know best where to go and when to go, depending on weather conditions, your endurance, fatigue and the desires you have for the cycling holiday in the country.
Self-guided cycling tours: This type is for those that would like to be more autonomous in their decision making. The guide won’t be sharing the experience with you, but you will still have all the logistics and accommodation taken care of.
Now, as many as there are different types of bikes, that many different ways there are to discover Slovenia on them.
Let’s look at the most popular ways to do it.
1. Biking on a trekking bike
Being somewhere between a city bike, a road bike and a mountain bike, going on a bike tour with a trekking bike will be one of the more dynamic ways to discover the ever-changing landscapes of the country. While not the easiest (look below), it is one of the less physically demanding manners of doing it.
That makes this kind of bike tour a perfect choice for people who want to be active on their holidays, but not exhaust themselves on the first day.
2. Biking on an E-bike
This kind of bike is becoming more and more popular each year. It is perfect for groups of people with different endurance levels, as the bikes are equipped with multiple degrees of “help”. That means that all of you can ride together, without anybody feeling like they’re not being active while doing it.
If you want to take in as much scenery as possible, but are not yet prepared to take on the many uphills in the hilly Slovenia (or just want to take it easy), then the electric bike cycling tour is for you.
3. Biking on a Mountain bike
For the more courageous and hungry for adrenaline, and the ones who want to take on the challenge the Slovenian mountains pose, mountain biking is the preferred choice.
Going up and down on rugged single track trails or gravel roads, feeling the adrenaline when going downhill and sometimes pushing yourself when going uphill – that is what mountain bikes represent. At each moment in Slovenia, beautiful mountain scenery will be surrounding you. Now, if “pushing yourself” on the uphill feels like too much work and you want to experience the scenery more, the electric mountain bike tour will probably be your choice.
4. Cycling on a Road bike
If you’re a cycling enthusiast who likes to test his endurance on the road, you probably know that world-class cyclists like Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar come from Slovenia. Using the faster road bikes, you can cycle on their local training roads like the Vršič Pass, the Pokljuka traverse and the Alpe-Adria king stage – each day in a new climate and environment, with beautiful scenery all around.
If you have that competitive endurance spirit and want to take on the challenge of cycling the most scenic roads in Slovenia, you should definitely choose the road cycling tour of Slovenia.
5. Bikepacking
Want to feel more adventurous and self-sufficient on your bike tour? Then bikepacking slovenia is for you!
Discover Slovenia while carrying all you need on your bike; sleeping either inside or if you have that little bit extra of an adventure spirit, in tents, cooking your own food. These bikes are made to carry all that luggage and are ready to take on all the different types of roads Slovenia offers.
Cycling is the best way to discover Slovenia
Slovenia is a small beautiful country, full of amazing scenery and diverse landscapes. It’s easy to discover it by car, but if you want to fully experience it, it’s best to do it without the car window limiting your view.
The best way is on a cycling holiday, where you are fast enough so it doesn’t take a month and slow enough so you absorb as much of its beauty as possible and get physically fitter while doing it.
There are many different ways to go on a bike tour in Slovenia. They can be either self-guided or guided and it all depends on your aspirations for this type of an active holiday in the country.
In the end, all you need to do is decide when to go and how to spend your cycling holidays here.
Click here if you want help organizing your Cycling or any other Holiday in Slovenia >
Source: Slovenska turistična organizacija
