Excellent EDEN finalists

Green, active and healthy Slovenia is excellent everywhere. In addition to being winners, the EDEN finalists are also attractive and tempting. Anywhere you go, you will be warmly welcomed by local people who will share with you the most beautiful stories about their love of Slovenia.

In Kranj, the centre of the Gorenjska region, the charming old town centre with its picturesque houses combines two worlds: the town and what lies beneath it. Experience the tunnels under old Kranj. They served as shelters during the Second World War. Admire actual stalagmites and stalactites and cave dwellers, such as the cave cricket, the European cave spider and bats. Play hide-and-seek with Kranček, the inquisitive dwarf who has been living in the tunnels for almost 2,000 years. Then return to the surface and take a walk along the Kokra River. Go to the 1,400 metre long canyon, a former town bathing area. Find some peace and quiet on the gravelly terraces.

One of the exiting EDEN finalists is the Land of Living Water with its clear Tolmin Gorges between Tolmin and Kobarid. Absorb the power of water and wild nature when visiting the gorges, which the green-blue water has majestically cut into a canyon more than 60 metres deep. There are many breathtaking sites: the mysterious thermal spring, sleek trout, stony Bear’s Head, Zadlaška Cave, which inspired Dante Alighieri, and the thundering of water under the Devil’s Bridge.

Visit the medieval castle from the 11th century in Podsreda in Kozjansko Park or take a short walk to Levstik Mill by the Bistrica River, which is over 400 years old and still working. There are not many mills with wheels still turning. You can get freshly ground floor here, or sit on the bench where the great Slovenian poet, Anton Aškerc, used to find inspiration. At the Kozjansko Apple Festival in Podsreda in autumn try the old apple varieties, such as pisani kardinal or carjevič.

Visit Lake Bohinj, the largest fresh water lake in Slovenia, which is suitable for swimming and the perfect refreshment in hot summer months. The waters from Pohorje to Bohor which run down the lesser known parts of Slovenia are also inviting. Invigorate your circulation with traditional bucketing, hydrotherapy with hot and cold water from wooden buckets in the garden. The therapy is followed by a pleasant rest in the midst of the Kneipp herb garden. Have you ever enjoyed a massage bath under a thatched roof?

Discover the underground world of Mt Peca in Mežica. You can walk along the tunnels of the former mine. Or ride a bike – that’s even more exciting. But be careful, King Matjaž is sleeping at a table under Mt Peca. According to legend, this Slovenian king will awaken when his beard has grown around the table nine times. Visit the Green Karst. The beauty of the outstanding Karst phenomena may also be enjoyed by the physically disabled, blind and visually impaired visitors.

A somewhat different mining experience can be tried at the Coal Mining Museum of Slovenia in Velenje, where you will be served a traditional miners’ lunch. A walk along the lakes above the coal mine is recommended in the youngest Slovenian town. In Slovenske Konjice, you can learn about the monastic heritage of Žiče Charterhouse, which offers a retreat from the city’s hustle and bustle in its impressive building and serenity. Walk around the herb gardens and admire the monastery which dates to the 12th century when the first French monks settled in the valley and were so successful that Žiče was considered the centre of the Carthusian order in the 15th century. One of the oldest Slovenian restaurants is located nearby. Give your palate a treat.

One of the sweetest destinations of excellence is the honestly sweet Radovljica. Visit the old town centre and take a walk along the last surviving town moat in Slovenia. Drink a cup of coffee in Linhart Square surrounded by 16th and 17th century town houses and take a look of the Sava River Valley and the Julian Alps. Visit the Museum of Apiculture dedicated to the native Carniolan honey bee and the collection featuring items by renowned Slovenian bee-keepers. The museum houses over 600 painted beehive panels. Stop at the gingerbread workshop and decorate your red gingerbread heart honey dough like true masters who used to be highly esteemed craftsmen and preservers of folk heritage.

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