Boutique hotels in Slovenia

Slovenia is compact, green and quietly stylish, and its boutique hotels reflect that: a 17th-century riverside house in Ljubljana, a Renaissance villa among the vines of Brda, Tito's former lakeside residence at Bled, a Michelin Green Star lodge in the Logar Valley. Most are family-run, serve local wine and farm food, and are within an hour of mountains, caves or the sea.

Ljubljana and the Julian Alps

Ljubljana has a handful of design hotels by the Ljubljanica river. Lake Bled, Bohinj, Radovljica, Kranjska Gora, Kamnik and the Logar Valley offer Alpine lakes and peaks, and Bovec and Kobarid lie on the emerald Soča river.

Wine country and the Karst

Goriška Brda, the Vipava Valley and Štanjel are hills of vineyards and stone villages near the Italian border. Postojna, with its great cave, and the Karst plateau are close.

The coast and the east

Piran, Izola and Portorož on the short Adriatic coast have Venetian-style towns and spa hotels. Maribor, Ptuj and Rogaška Slatina in the east have old wine cellars, a castle town and a spa.

When to go

May to June and September are best; Bled is busy in July and August. Winter suits Kranjska Gora and Bovec for skiing.