Slovenia charming destination

Transcription

1 Slovenia charming destination Slovenia is one of Europe s most unexpectedly charming destinations. At the intersection of the Slavic, German and Italian worlds, it is an exciting mix of the best of each culture. Remarkably diverse for its size, with rolling countryside, quaint alpine villages, mysterious underground world, healing waters, vibrant cities and a touch of Mediterranean Sea, it offers a wide scale of unforgettable experiences. These can be topped up with delicious culinary treats that vary from region to region. Because of its great location in the middle of Europe, easy access and not being overcrowded with tourists, it offers a great ambience. That is why you should consider Slovenia as your next destination. PRE-CONFERENCE TOUR: SALTY COASTLINE The Slovenian Coastline only has a handful of towns and the gem of this part is surely Piran, who has kept itself charming and in remarkably good repair. Piran is small, everything is within a few minutes walk. Crowded onto the tip of the peninsula, the town can t grow. It clusters itself around a small harbor and main square, Tartini Square. Up the hill behind the square is the landmark bell tower of the Cathedral of St. George, meandering down the streets a concrete promenade with forma viva invites you for strolls and breath-taking views of the sea. Our tour will introduce to you the fame and the glory Piran once have, we will get to know the stories behind the famous campanila of the Cathedral, get to know the famous composer Giuseppe Tartini and discover a love story between a Venetian merchant and a local girl. Our visit will be topped up with salt and chocolate, so join us in the town stroll. Just before

2 departing for some seaside adventures we will have some free time for explorations and lunch and then we will head a few miles south of Piran, a literal stone s throw from the Croatian border, where enormous salt fields are located, used since the Middle Ages for harvesting salt back when salt was more precious than gold. This nature park has two parts: Lera, to the north, that harvests salt using the modern techniques, while Fontanigge, to the south, are no longer in operation except to demonstrate traditional salt-harvesting methods to tourists. You will learn the way salt was harvested from medieval times up until 1960s. Main focus is describing the lifestyles of the people who eked out a hard living on these salty marshes and most likely, the show off of gathering salt from the old days will be shown. The easiest way to travel to this nature park is using the boat and this is how our tour will take you there. At the end of our visit we will splurge at the only salty-spa in Slovenia, called Lepa Vida, where we can enjoy in the healing effects of salt for the human body and mind. On the way back to Ljubljana we will stop at the local winery and try some delicious wines from the region, accompanied with Karst ham and cheese. 25+ pax 80 EUR/per person Transportation en route Ljubljana Piran Koper Ljubljana, guided walk through Piran, salt and chocolate tasting, salt pans entrance fee, wine tasting : - departure time 9.00; - tour day Tuesday, August 26th 2014

3 OFFICAL TOUR MOUNTAIN PARADISE The Julian Alps area is the most beautiful and peaceful area of our country. Indulge your senses in the silence of the mountains, singing of the birds and resting your eyes on the spectacular mountain tops. Discover the secret paths through forests and explore the nature from the horse-saddle. Turn yourself into a bird and fly over this green oasis. Explore the charming countryside and reveal the local secrets. The countryside in Slovenia is spectacular, with the area of the Julian Alps being the crescendo of the mountain experience. Here, the mountains are laced with hiking paths, blanketed in a deep forest and speckeld with beautiful flora and fauna. Beyond every ridge there is a peaceful alpine village nestled around the quaint steeple of a church. And in the center of it all, is Mount Triglav, Slovenia s symbol and tallest mountain. The best option to spend time in the Julian Alps is spent by crossing over the 50 hairpin turns of the breathtaking Vršič Pass and back down via Soča River Valley. As you curl on twisty roads between the cut-glass peaks, you ll enjoy stunning high-mountain scenery, whitewater rivers with superb fishing, rustic rest stops, thought-provoking World War I sights and charming hamlets. The tour will continue on with a stop at the Kobarid WWI museum and then head back crossing a second mountain pass, pass Predel. 25+ pax 50 EUR/per person Bus transportation Ljubljana Julian Alps Ljubljana, tourist guide, museum entrances, mountain treats, WWI sights, lunch. - main bus station Ljubljana or at the conference center - departure time 8.00; - tour day Wednesday, August 27th 2014

4 OFFICAL TOUR: CULTURE, ART AND BEAUTIFUL NATURE WALK HAND IN HAND Enjoy a day inspired by crafts, art and beautiful nature and discover where Slovene traditions come from. Our path will go through Bled, a famous tourist resort and afterwards we will discover the rustic beauty of countryside villages. Besides the panoramic views, your stomachs will be pampered by the culinary treats made by Slovene chefs. Lake Bled comes complete with a sweeping alpine panorama, a fairy-tale island, a cliffhanging medieval castle, a lazy lakeside promenade with its typical desserts. Since the Habsburg days, lake Bled has been the place where Slovenes wow visiting diplomats, Tito had one of his vacation homes here and more recent visitors have included Prince Charles and many others. We will start our day with a traditional cream cake and coffee, and wander part of the dreamy path by the lake and feed some of the lake s resident swans, taking in the view of Triglav, Slovenia s favorite mountain, after we will hike up to Bled Castle for amazing vistas, ride the pletna boat to the Bled Island and make a wish and ring the bell at the island church. A short drive will bring us to Radovljica, first stop will be at a newly opened Vila Podvin restaurant where we will spoil our taste buds with some traditional taste s of Radovljica and then head for exploration through its medieval old part, with St. Peter s church, beekeeping museum and ginger-bread making factory. Our next stop will be a quaint little hamlet of Kropa, known for its blacksmithing tradition that brought the fame and fortune in the old days and made a big impact on this little village history. After visiting the museum and an old forge, we will slowly start returning back to Portorož. 25 pax+ 85 EUR/per person Bus transportation Ljubljana Bled Ljubljana, tourist guide, cream cake and coffee, entrance fee Bled Castle, entrance fee Bled Island, boat ride, lunch Taste of Radol ca, entrance fee Beekeeping Museum, entrance fee Ginger-bread making factory, entrance fee Musuem of Blacksmithing and an old forge : - Pick up at main bus station Ljubljana or at the conference center - departure time tour day Thursday, August 28th 2014

5 OFFICAL TOUR THE MYSTERIOUS KARST The Lipizzaner horses, the mysterious underground world, hill-top villages, smoked-dry ham, wine and tasty local cuisine all this and more awaits you here. Discover why the area in known as the most unique and traditional in Slovenia and reveal some of the secrets that the area hides. In Slovenia s Karst region, you will find some of the most impressive cave systems on the planet, a chance to see the famous Lipizzaner stallions and taste some local delicacies, from olive oil to prosciutto and full bodied Teran wine. The term karst is used worldwide to refer to an arid limestone plateau, but Slovenia s is the original. Since this limestone terrain is easily dissolved by water, karstic regions are punctuated by remarkable networks of caves and underground rivers. The best one by far is the spectacular Škocjan Caves, one of the largest underground river canyons that we will visit on our tour. Afterwards a typical Karst lunch will be offered to us at a nearby conference center, from where we will depart to our second stop the fascinating world of the most spectacular horses in the world, the famous Lipizzaners. After lunch we will explore a nearby hill town and finish up with a delicious wine and prosciutto tasting at a local winery in Dutovlje. 25+ pax 90 EUR/per person Bus transportation Ljubljana Karst Ljubljana, tourist guide, entrance fee to Škocjan caves, entrance fee for Lipica, guided walk through Štanjel, local-style lunch, wine and prosciutto tasting - departure time 8.30; - tour day Friday, August 29th 2014.

6 OFFICAL TOUR LJUBLJANA S CITY FEEL MEETS THE UNDERGROUND MAGIC IN POSTOJNA Batted around by history, Ljubljana has seen cultural influences from all sides most notably Prague, Vienna and Venice. This has left a city with traces of all these cultures. Being the midpoint between the Slavic, Germanic and Italian worlds gives Ljubljana a special spice. It has a healthy dose of Breezy Adriatic culture, with a Slavic accent and a local architect, Jože Plečnik. Just a stone s throw away from the capital city lies a unique underground world of Postojna, one of the most magnificent cave systems in the world that invites us for discoveries. The tour will bring us to the busy and working town of Ljubljana in the morning. We will learn about its long and interesting history, meander with the river Ljubljanica, cross bridges, visit churches, marvel at art-nouveau architecture of Jože Plečnik and feel the vibe at the riverside market. Fueling ourselves with an excellent gelato, we will head up to Ljubljana Castle for views and lunch. Lunch will be served in mixture of traditional Slovenian style with an added touch of the 21 st century. With full stomachs we will head out of the city to explore the underground world of Postojna, seeing the Giant and the Brilliant, two unique columns, symbols of the cave. Waving goodbye to the indigenous human-fish we will depart from Postojna ad head back to our hotel in Ljubljana pax 75 EUR/per person Bus transportation Ljubljana Postojna - Ljubljana tourist guide, guided walk through Ljubljana, funicular ride, gelato taste, lunch at Gostilna na Gradu, entrance fee Postojna Cave - departure time 9.00; departure time 14.00; - tour day Saturday, August 30 th 2014

7 ON-REQUEST TOUR TRIGLAV NATIONAL PARK WONDERS Forget about the daily stress and indulge in the simple things of Slovenian countryside. Listen to the old stories, get to know the traditional crafts, pamper yourself, breathe the fresh countryside air and forget about the rush of every single day. The pearl of the Julian Alps is Bohinj, an area with spectacular mountain sceneries and breath- taking lake. Join us for a visit of this beautiful part of the world. The drive will take us through scenic countryside villages into the heart of the mountains. We will walk by the lake and take a boat-ride, climb up to waterfall Savica and take a cable car to Mount Vogel. You can indulge in the amazing natural environment and enjoy in the peaceful hidden areas that wait for you nearly behind every corner. Driving back to Ljubljana we will pass some local villages with typical Alpine architecture including the famous double hayracks, known all over the country. We will climb up Pokljuka highplateau and finish our visit with a walk through Vintgar gorge. 25+ pax 75 EUR/per person Bus transportation Ljubljana Bohinj Ljubljana, tourist guide, entrance fee to Savica waterfall, entrance fee for church of. St. John the Baptist, cable car ride, lunch, boat ride, cheese tasting, Vintgar gorge entrance fee - departure time 8.00;

8 ON-REQUEST TOUR MEDIEVAL ŠKOFJA LOKA Close to Ljubljana lies an architectural gem of medieval days. Colorful Loka has its name after colorful facades, famous throughout the country. Together with stunning setting and a quaint countryside feel, Škofja Loka is a fascinating and a historic place worth visiting. Our tour will take you from Ljubljana on a short ride passing some local countryside villages into the heart of this beautiful town. We will explore the city and the stories will be revealed to us on every footstep. We will see some old manuscripts and explore the Castle, that sits high above the old town. Numerous churches will open their doors to us while we set our heads to the new discoveries. There are some crafts worth mentioning in the region as well secrets behind lace making and ginger bread making will be shown to visitors who will be able to even try in some of them. 25+ pax 35 EUR/per person Bus transportation Ljubljana Škofja Loka Ljubljana, tourist guide, entrance fee Škofja Loka castle, entrance fee Library, lace-making presentation, ginger-bread making presentation - departure time 15.00;

9 ON REQUEST TOUR WHERE OLDEST WORLD GRAPEVINE AND ROMAN RUINS MEET Second largest city in Slovenia, Maribor, is a delightful cultural haven of Slovenia. Vicinity of numerous wine roads and the oldest grapevine nicknamed it the wine capital of the country. Close by lies Ptuj, called Petovia in the roman times. Walking through the city gives you a great glimpse of the past times and shows you some interesting aspects and traditions of today. Our tour will take you to Maribor, where we will make a guided walk through the city, to explore its numerous historical sights and buildings. Close to river Drava we will see the oldest grapevine and the point of every year's traditional festival called Lent. We will visit the only working synagogue in the country. Lunch will be served at an idylic location out of the town, surrounded with grapevine. After lunch we will depart to Ptuj, a town settled already in the roman times. We will walk in their footstep and discover numerous sights connected with its glorious past. We will also visit the famous Ptuj castle and an exhibition on Kurent's, a traditional Mardi Gras mask, a curiosity of Slovenia. 25+ pax 80 EUR/per person Bus transportation Ljubljana Maribor Ptuj - Ljubljana, tourist guide, entrance fee for the oldest grapevine museum, entrance fee Synagogue, lunch with wine tasting, guided walk through Ptuj, entrance fee Ptuj castle and exhibition on Kurent's - departure time 9.00;

10 ON REQUEST TOUR 2- DAY TOUR (pre- and post- congress tour) Our two day tour of Venice will introduce this beautiful city in depth. The bus will pick you up in the hotel and take you on a ride all the way to Venice. We will enter the city crossing the bridge of Liberty where a private boat will take us on the Grand Canal into the center of the town. We will check into our hotel and head out for our exploration will through the city with a local guide, covering the major sights that the city has on offer. We will finish up with a traditional Venetian meal and set you free for the afternoon, to visit the major churches and museums. In the evening we will meet again for a Bellini and go for a night-gondola ride, after which we will head for the traditional giro d ombra or the traditional Venetian pub crawl, with wine and light snacks for dinner. The next morning will be free to explore some more, after the lunch our private boat will meet us again and we will board the boat with bags and explore the Venetian lagoon. We will visit the island of Murano and learn about the glass-making production. Our next stop will be the island of Burano, where the crafts hands have been making beautiful and fragile lace through centuries. The last stop will be the island of Torcello, which is the birth place of Venice and with that also having the oldest church in the city with amazing mosaics. Late afternoon departure back to Ljubljana. 25+ pax 290 EUR/per person Bus transportation Portorož Venice Portorož, overnight stay, tourist guide, local guide through Venice, Museum Pass, private boat ride through city and Venice lagoon, visit of Murano, Burano and Torcello, gondola ride, lunch, giro d ombra (pub crawl) : - main bus station Ljubljana or at the conference center - departure time tour day pre and post congress tour, after request! Reminder: reservations in advance needed, due to hotel booking in Venice!

11 POST CONFERENCE TOUR A DAY IN THE SPA Slovenia is famous for its numerous spas with their healing waters. Among them the area of lower Slovenia is the most famous. Besides beautiful and renewed centers, you are able to go on a path of discovery of the traditional countryside of the region. Our tour will take you to Rogaška Slatina first, which has been famous through the past as a glass making place. We will discover the magic of this secret art and then continue on with new discoveries. Nearby lies the town of Olimje, that waits for us. We will visit an old monastery and a pharmacy, explore the wonders of the chocolate world in their local factory and head for lunch at a traditional farm tourism, Jelenov greben, where reindeers will be surrounding us. After lunch we will head for some enjoyment and pleasure. Slovenia's best spas is waiting for us. In Orhidelia we can rejuvenate our body and soul, let worries go away and gather new strenght for new adventures that will be coming up. After a relaxing afternoon we will return back to Ljubljana. 25+ pax 100 EUR/per person Bus transportation Ljubljana Rogaška Slatina - Olimje - Ljubljana, tourist guide, glass making presentation, entrance fee monastery and pharmacy, lunch at a reindeer farm, chocolate tasting, entrance fee for spa Orhidelia - departure time 8.00; - tour day Saturday, August 30th 2014

12 POST CONFERENCE TOUR TIMELESS VENICE Engineers love Venice a completely man-made environment rising from the sea, with no visible means of support. Romantics revel in its atmosphere of elegant decay, seeing the peeling plaster and seaweed-covered stairs as a metaphor of beauty and decline. And firsttime visitors are often stirred deeply, awaking their ordinary lives to a fantasy world unlike anything they ve ever seen before. Venice is unique. Built on hundred islands with wealth from trade with the East, its exotic-looking palaces are laced together by sun-speckled canals. The car-free streets suddenly make walkers feel big, important and liberated. By day it s a city of museums and churches, packed with great art. Cruise the canals, climb towers for stunning seascape views, shop for local crafts such as glass or lace, high fashions or tacky souvenirs, linger over lunch and sip some wine. At night, another Venice appears. Dance across the streets, glide in a gondola through quiet canals while music echoes across the water, soak on the stories this marvelous city is telling you. 1-DAY TOUR (Saturday) One day tour of Venice will make you board a boat in Piran and then travel on the sea to this unique city on the water. You will explore the best Venice has on offer. The tour will start with a guided walk from St. Mark s square through streets and across numerous bridges where the history of Venice will be revealed in front of your eyes. The tour will include a visit to the Murano glass factory, where the secrets behind this interesting craft will be displayed. The tour finishes in the area of Rialto bridge where we will take you on a small lunch crawl, where we will get to know culinary delights of this part of the world. After a free time in the early afternoon, we will board back on the boat and by exiting through the Venetian lagoon, we will wave our last goodbye s to Venice. 25+ pax 145 EUR/per person boat ride Piran Venice Piran, tourist guide, local guide through Venice, Murano glass factory visit, lunch-crawl. : - departure time 5.30; - tour day Saturday, August 30th 2014 Reminder: reservations in advance needed, due to seat-booking on the boat!

13 POST CONFERENCE TOUR IDYLLIC ISTRIA Idyllic Istria at Croatia s northwest corner reveals itself to you gradually and seductively. Pungent truffles, Roman ruins, striking hill towns, quaint coastal villages, carefully cultivated food and wine and breezy Italian culture all compete for your attention. The wedge- shape Istrian Peninsula has a lot to offer. Its coastline with gentle green slopes is more serene than sensational. It s lined with pretty resort towns of which one reached the rank of greatness Rovinj. Down on the tip of Istria is big industrial Pula, offering a bustling urban contrast to the rest of the time-passed coastline and impressive Roman ruins, including an amphitheater so remarkably intact, you will marvel that you haven t heard of it before? But Istria is more than the sea and diverse Istria offers some of the country s most appealing reasons to head inland. In the Istrian interior you will find vintners reviving a delicate winemaking tradition, farmers pressing the last drop of oil out of their olives, trained dogs sniffling out truffles in primeval forests and fortified medieval hill towns with sweeping views over the surrounding terrain. Our tour will take you through the heart of the roman Pula, meandering in the colorful streets of Rovinj, visiting an agriturismo and enjoying in their foods. The tour will conclude in indulging all your senses on a top of a hill town Motovun, where we will see the sun set just before departing back to Ljubljana. 25+ pax 110 EUR/per person Bus transportation Ljubljana Istria Ljubljana, tourist guide, local guide through Pula, entrance for the Amphitheater in Pula, local guide through Rovinj, lunch at a local tourist farm, wine and truffle tasting in Motovun : - departure time 7.00; - tour day Saturday, August 30th 2014

14 HALF DAY TRIPS NATURAL BEAUTIES OF BLED Enjoy an afternoon in the most famous tourist resort of Slovenia, Bled. Visit the oldest castle of the country and marvel in its stunning views, ring the bell of wishes on Bled island that sits amidst this beautiful alpine lake. Listen to the stories that the area will reveal just for you. Lake Bled comes complete with a sweeping alpine panorama, a fairy-tale island, a cliffhanging medieval castle, a lazy lakeside promenade with its typical desserts. Since the Habsburg days, lake Bled has been the place where Slovenes wow visiting diplomats, Tito had one of his vacation homes here and more recent visitors have included Prince Charles and many others. The town of Bled has been known for over 1000 years. It is a breath-taking place that lies in the middle of the Julian Alps. The drive from Ljubljana will take about an hour, and then we will board the pletna boat and explore the island with its magical bell of wishes. The castle of Bled, our next stop, has numerous collections, from the old fashioned printing press, 16th Century chapel to tiny wine cellar and fascinating museum. With the stunning views of the area we will finish with our tour and head back to Ljubljana. 25 pax+ 55 EUR/pp Bus transportation Ljubljana Bled Ljubljana, tourist guide, entrance fee Bled Castle, entrance fee Bled Island, boat ride, - Pick up at square of French Revolution - departure time tour day Friday, August 29th 2014 UNDERGROUND MAGIC OF POSTOJNA CAVE Just a stone s throw away from the capital city lies a unique underground world of Postojna, one of the most magnificent cave systems in the world that invites us for discoveries. Marvel through numerous underground formation, listen to the dripping water and search for the protected specie, called the human fish. This half day tour will take us into intriguing underground world of Postojna cave. Postojna cave is one of the biggest underground formations in the world and a number one sight in Slovenia. It was discovered in the early 19 th century. We will explore the numerous stalagmites and stalactites, see the Giant and the Brilliant two unique coloumns and symbols of the cave, get to know the human fish and ride a small train through the cave. 25+ pax 50 EUR Bus transportation Ljubljana Postojna Ljubljana, tourist guide, funicular entrance fee Postojna Cave and a guided walking tour through the cave.

15 - pick up at Square of French Revolution - departure time 8.30; departure time 15.30; - tour day Saturday, August 30 th 2014