Slovenia Food Experiences

Top Slovenia Food Experiences

Slovenia is perhaps a country you’ve never considered as being an innovative culinary destination but thanks to its incredible wine scene, farm-to-table cuisine and chefs focused on locally sourced produce, it is emerging as one to rival traditional European destinations. And in 2021 it will become the European Region of Gastronomy.

With more than 20 gastronomic regions to explore some are influenced by its neighbours Austria, Italy and Hungary while others are home-grown, but all are prepared with the freshest ingredients in season. Discover traditional farms making their own sausages, mountain huts preparing savoury stews for hikers, and coastal towns offering fresh seafood from the Adriatic. Whether you’re a passionate foodie or casual traveller, life here tastes pretty sweet.

Have a look through the below Slovenia food experiences.

Ljubljana Food Experiences

One of Europe’s top new culinary destinations, Ljubljana offers an exciting food scene. Focusing on recreating traditional dishes you’ll find fine dining alongside a thriving street-food culture, the highlight being a weekly “Open Kitchen”—or Odprta kuhna—which runs from spring to autumn.

Taste Ljubljana - Slovenia Food Experiences

Taste Ljubljana Food Tour

Explore the flavours of Ljubljana. This tour provides an insight into the traditional dishes of Ljubljana which today are mostly prepared using modern cooking methods and have recently been given new life as part of the much-acclaimed Taste Ljubljana project. Your guide will take you to several centrally located restaurants popular with the locals and let you taste the best of different cuisines, from traditional Slovenian dishes to those traditionally prepared in the Balkans. The tour includes six restaurants where you can taste nine different dishes, three different wine varieties, and three different non-alcoholic drinks while getting acquainted with the history and culture of Ljubljana and its region.

Ljubljana Beer Experience

This guided culinary tour gives you an opportunity to taste various local beers while learning about the rich history of brewing in Ljubljana.Ljubljana has a very long tradition of brewing, proof of which are 3,900-year-old beer barrels excavated at the Ljubljana Marshes. The earliest known brewery in Ljubljana dates back at least to 1592, and by 1796, the city had six breweries. Recent years have seen a rapid growth in the popularity of craft beers made by different microbreweries in Ljubljana and its surrounding area. During the tour, you will visit five different drink outlets, including a pub, where you will taste seven different beers made by five different breweries, two based in Ljubljana and three in other parts of the Central Slovenia region. You will also visit the Brewery Museum, set up by the Pivovarna Union brewery, where the popular Union beer has been brewed since 1864, and round off your experience at the Pivnica Union pub.

Istria

Sandwiched between Italy, to the north, and Croatia, to the south. The food of the Slovenian Istrian Peninsula is heavily influenced by it’s culinary neighbours.

Lisjak Vintage Gourmet Tours

Enjoy award-winning olive oil olive oil and traditional Istrian dishes while you visit the largest family oil extraction plant in Slovenia, mix your own favourite combination of olive oil and, while tasting traditional Istrian dishes, learn about the wide range of applications of olives in cosmetics and industry. In just under three hours, you will learn how to recognise high-quality olive oil – and much more.

An unforgettable day at the Fonda Fish Farm

Learn about the story of the best-farmed fish in the world and enjoy its incredible taste. Hear a story about a family of biologists, who decided to farm the best fish in the world. While sailing towards their ‘sea garden’, listen to their passionate and delicious story. This experience takes place in the southern-most part of the Slovenian coast, at Slovenia’s only fish farm in the protected environment of the Sečovlje Salt Pans Landscape Park. While enjoying this experience, take a bite of raw Fonda sea bass, a pinch of Piran fleur de sel, a splash of Istrian olive oil, along with a glass of Malvasia wine, which will convince you that the family have succeeded in their endeavour. This fish boutique in the middle of the sea stands out for its sustainable sea bass farming.

Truffle Hunting

The hills over the Adriatic are known for the hidden delicate wild tubers called truffles! Look for them with experienced truffle hunters, get to know their methods and preparation, and have a taste of the local pasta style fuži, spreads and other truffle delicacies.

Istrian culinary bike adventure

This cycling-culinary adventure in the heart of Slovenian Istria is a bike tour you do not want to miss! This eco-experience allows you to enjoy the pristine nature of the breathtaking Dragonja valley, where the single track, found in the valley itself, guides you through the many vineyards and olive groves. A morning walk through one of the world’s oldest Refosco vineyards with a welcoming local winemaker and tasting homemade cured meats (prosciutto) at one of the last mills on the Dragonja River is just the beginning of an unforgettable adventure. Once we have finished our locally sourced brunch we will head off on a path that takes us by the pristine river and stop off along the way to dip our toes into one of the many pools. Looking out onto the olive groves in this idyllic valley is the special location for the tasting of the renowned Istrian olive oil and other products made from our local olives. The afternoon will take us to one of the most beautiful Istrian villages where our culinary trek continues. To top off this unforgettable day we will enjoy a late Istrian lunch at an Istrian homestead right at the centre of this amazing valley.

Bohinj Cheese Tour

The Bohinj region has a long and rich history in the dairy industry stretching back to the 13th century. The ring of cow bells across the pastures can still be heard today as local alpine herdsmen continue this tradition, producing award-winning dairy products with Bohinj cheese being§ some of the best in the country. Learn how these cheeses are made, visit a local eco-farm and the Alpine Dairy Farming Museum. The best way to experience “Bohinj cheese tour” is by bike but you can also do it by car.

Hisa Franko

The recent recipient of two Michelin stars Ana Ros and her team are at the forefront of sustainability, foraging mushrooms and herbs from nearby woods and marshes, pulling marble trout from the Soca River, and sourcing meat, dairy, and produce from mountain pastures, neighbouring farms, and an on-site garden (Kramar ages the local Tolminc cow’s milk cheese in an extension of his wine cellar). Almost nothing goes to waste here, so diners might see some unusual ingredients on the 11-course menu, such as leftover apple peels, fermented and ground into homemade sourdough bread.

Contact the Slovenia team for a tailor-made holiday with unique Slovenia food experiences.

Lake Bled

Lake Bled is one of the most visited attractions in Slovenia. The beautiful views of the lake and the small island it surrounds brings thousands of visitors every year. The best way to reach the island is taking a pletna, a traditional gondola in the Bled area. Once on the island, visitors must walk up ninety-nine steps to reach the island’s church. It is considered good luck to ring the church’s bell when visiting the island.

Ljubljana

Slovenia's capital city is as romantic and charming as they come—and clean, having been named the “Green Capital of Europe 2016” by the European Commission. Stroll through the pedestrian-only Old Town, sip coffee by the leafy banks of the Ljubljanica River, or take in the baroque architecture and hilltop sixteenth-century Ljubljana Castle.

Maribor

Slovenia's second-largest city is provincial and charming, with a medieval Old Town, pedestrian-only central streets, and a skyline defined by orange roofs and rolling hills. The town is also the site of a glorious landmark: "the oldest vine in the world." Stara Trta (literally "Old Vine") is more than 400 years old, and is a symbol of the rich wine culture in Maribor.

Piran

Situated on a picturesque peninsula on the Adriatic coastline, Piran is one of Slovenia's most beautiful cities. Its pedestrian-only Old Town is reminiscent of Venice in miniature, with Gothic architecture, alfresco wine bars, narrow alleyways, and glowing sunsets.

Lipica Stud Farm

Lipica Stud Farm has been breeding Lipizzaner horses since the sixteenth century. Once used by royals for their private stables, the farm is now open to visitors and allows them to admire this beautiful breed of horse. When visiting the Lipica Stud Farm, guests can stroll through the barns and join one of the farm’s guided tours. Three times a week the Classical Riding School performs, and guests can see the Lipizzaner horses in action.

Triglav National Park

The Triglav National Park, named after the country’s tallest mountain, is the only National Park in Slovenia. With beautiful views of the mountains, hills, lakes, rivers, and pastures, this park is a nature lover’s paradise. Aside from hiking, Triglav National Park offers great activities such as kayaking, rafting, skydiving, and parasailing.

Ljubljana Airport

Slovenia main airport, Jože Pučnik Airport, is located just outside its capital city and is well served by international airlines.

More

Trieste Airport

A small regional airport, Trieste in Italy is located about an hour away from Slovenia’s seaside resort town of Portoroz. Ryanair flies to and from Trieste multiple times a week from Stansted Airport.

More

Sečovlje Salina Nature Park

The Salt pans in the Sečovlje Salina Nature Park are one of the few places in the world where sea salt is still produced by using a centuries-old method. When walking on the park trails, visitors can observe salt being harvested manually by local workers.

Planica Nordic Centre,

Planica is home to the biggest ski jumping hill in the world. For over twenty years it has hosted one of the most important ski jumping competitions in the world. In 2015 Planica received a much-needed update, and the new Planica Nordic Center was built. Aside from the ski jumps the center also features an athletics stadium, a zipline, a wind tunnel, cycling and walking paths, and a visitor’s center. Planica zipline has the steepest descent in the world, which creates the sensations that ski jumping champions feel when flying through the air.