The rising star of the wine world - Slovenia
Caution! The following trip is only suitable for true connoisseurs of life!
Elamus+ The first wine tour takes us to a little-known wine tourism destination, Slovenia. But don't be scared, because Slovenia is a country where thousands of years of tradition and modern winemaking meet, and which has not yet been spoiled by the commercialism associated with tourist crowds - a true gem, the likes of which are few left. In addition to the Slovenian drinking and dining culture, we will visit the largest karst caves in Europe for wine tasting, experience mountain nature on horseback, of course see real winemaking and plantations, and explore the party life on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. During all this, we will be accompanied by refreshing wine, Mediterranean-Slavic hospitality, and rich food!
Overview - short & sweet
Goal: Fall in love with Slovenia
Dates: 23.10-31.10.2021
Activity: Wine and cultural tour
Adventure guide: Hannes Teiss
Technical difficulty: 0,5/5 (non-existent, holding a wine glass could be practiced)
Physical difficulty level: 2/5 (we mostly travel by car, but the days are long and we also take a few 1-2 hour hikes)
Group size: 9
Trip cost (from 01.07.2021) — 990€
Please note: For community members discount of -5% applies
Travel cost
Price includes
Luxury minibus VW Crafter 2017 with Elamus+ with a cart so that no wine is left untaken home
Fuel, customs and road tolls, parking fees
All overnight stays (hotels, homestays, wineries) with breakfast
Horseback riding and prior training
Wine estate visits and all tastings
Image material
Elamus+ wine shirt
Travel arrangements
A wine sommelier's unbridled chatter
Price does not include
Travel insurance
Most lunches and dinners
Wines outside of tastings
Tickets to museums and caves (max €45)
Optional boat trip on Lake Bled (~15€)
Unscheduled excursions, transportation, etc. (or if you want to do something extra)
Overnight stay on the return trip (if we decide to stay overnight)
Registering for the tour
Before registering, please read travel conditions. To secure your place on the trip, a deposit (3%) must be paid within 20 business days of receiving the confirmation and invoice by email; if there are less than 30 days left until the trip, the total cost (100%) must be paid. Read more: frequently asked questions.
[If the trip is canceled due to pandemic circumstances, we will refund the advance payment in full!]
Schedule and activities
Day 1 - Let's go!
At 10:00 we will depart from Tartu in a superlux by rental bus Towards the Alps. In addition, we hitch a ride on the back of the bus Elamus+ trolley to make being on the bus as comfortable as possible. So you can take all your party dresses with you and bring 10 cases of wine home when you come back. Luxury stuff! We talk, have fun and feel good. In the evening we arrive in southern Poland and spend a short night in a hostel.
Day 2 - Chill, wine, comfy bed
The increasingly beautiful views take us through the Tatra Mountains and in the second half of the day we reach the starting point of our Slovenia tour, Lake Bled. Check-in to the hotel and if we have time and energy left, we will do an evening hike to the picturesque island in the middle of the lake. Dinner, wine and a good night's sleep, because the next day will be busy!
Day 3 - Roadtrip through Triglav National Park
We start the morning with an easy hike in the nearby Vintgar Canyon, known for its exceptionally clear and green rapids.
After a refreshing meal (and a glass of wine?), we head towards the mountains! The ride takes us through the Vrsic Pass, the most beautiful road in the country. A day amidst mountains, canyons, valleys and everything else geographically special. A bit of history too.
Triglav National Park is truly magical, and the three peaks of the country's highest mountain are so important to Slovenians that they are the subject of countless legends and fairy tales, and are depicted on both the national flag and coat of arms.
In the evening, we will reach the Goriška Brda wine region on the Italian border along mountain roads, check into the Vipava Wine House, where we will enjoy dinner with a view of the hillsides covered with grape fields, and drink wine made from the harvest of these very fields! We will spend the night in a wine estate.
Day 4 - Wine 500, please
Goriška Brda is known for its red wines, it has even been called the Slovenian Tuscany!
We will spend the day enjoying the charms of the region and visiting various wineries, including two world-class wineries (Kristančič and Movia), but if time permits, we will also visit others, because there is no shortage of wine estates here. In short, we will taste (read: drink) a lot! We will spend the night at the hotel.
Day 5 - Cave Explorers
Let's eat our fill and have a change kondimootorA little more active day. We drive south and discover something new and interesting - one of the largest karst caves in Europe (Postojna). We have lunch when we get back into the daylight with a view of Predjama Castle. The sun is shining, because it's still summer in Slovenia!
If we have the strength and desire, we will go through another very cool cave (Skocjan) and in the afternoon we will reach the Adriatic coast, a picturesque town called Piran, also called the Slovenian Riviera. With dinner with a sea view in our stomachs, let's go and check out what the local nightlife has to offer.
Day 6 - From the capital to the bubble
We will enjoy the first half of the day by the Adriatic Sea and the local Venetian-era architecture. We will have lunch in Piran and if we missed a cave the day before, we will do it today. In the evening we will reach the Posavje wine region in eastern Slovenia, where our first stop will be Istenič, one of the best sparkling wine houses in the country. There, the owner of the house, Miha Istenič, will be waiting for us, who will give us a proper tour of his estate, show us the wine cellar and introduce us to his philosophy of wine production. Of course, we will drink a lot of bubbles! Dinner and overnight stay at the wine house - very exclusive!
Day 7 - Oops, more wine culture
We will drive to the Podravje wine region, which mainly focuses on white wines, to a village called Ormož. We will visit a very nice winery called Verus, which produces world-class white wines (their Furmint was one of the wines that made me fall in love with the world of wine after trying it). We will do a proper tour and tasting at the winery.
After lunch we explore the village, load Elamus+ A cart full of souvenirs (read: wines) and for the evening we are waiting for a visit to the Puklavec family winery. Another warm meeting with a family whose life has revolved around grapes and their most wonderful product, wine, for several generations. Dinner and overnight stay at the winery.
Day 8 - Ciao, Slovenia!
When morning comes, we pack our bags and, as soon as we feel like it, we set off towards Estonia. We drive all day and decide whether to spend the night in a hostel along the way or to stay straight home. Tired from our eventful trip, we arrive home on Sunday (deciding to stay overnight in Poland - on Monday).
NB! There may be minor changes to the plans, because when a particularly good opportunity arises, you have to seize it!
Travel documents and footnotes
An ID card/passport is required for the trip, and (potential) drivers should also bring a driver's license. :)
Travel insurance and a European Health Insurance Card are also required.
Euros are used in Slovenia and card payments are common - however, it's worth taking some cash just in case.
The weather is summery, about like August in Estonia (10-20 °C).
COVID-19 situation: Slovenia is currently among the green countries and there is no quarantine obligation in the destination country or in Estonia; however, the situation is constantly changing and we are keeping an eye on the situation. The good news is that starting in September, you can also take a coronavirus test as an alternative to self-isolation upon arrival in Estonia - read more.
Read more also Elamus+ travel conditions ja frequently asked questions.
