15 Unique Things You Can Do In Dolenjska

Dolenjska is a region located in southeastern Slovenia. Sometimes also written as Lower Carniola in English. It is known for its vineyards, castles, rivers, monasteries, and thermal springs. This hidden gem should not be missed when visiting Slovenia. Dolenjska is just a short drive from Ljubljana and full of surprises. I wanted to share some of my recommendations and what I think are the most unique or interesting things you can see or do in Dolenjska.

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dolenjska slovenia — Credit: User: Andrejj / Wikipedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0 / Altered by me

Table of Contents

15 Things to Do in Dolenjska

1. See Otočec Castle on a river island.

There are a lot of castles scattered around Dolenjska but none more special than Otočec Castle (Grad Otočec). It is on an island in the Krka River. The castle houses a hotel and restaurant but you can still walk around the grounds. Surrounding the castle is a park and it’s really beautiful to visit with lots of wildlife around.

Read | The Ultimate Guide to Castles in Slovenia

2. See the Venice of Dolenjska.

It might take longer to say Kostanjevica na Krki than it does to walk across it but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit this tiny town near the Slovenian-Croatian border. Built on an island in the middle of the Krka River this town is something off the beaten path. On the island, you can visit Lamut’s Art Salon which is a small art gallery which doubles as a great tourist information center.

3. Go to the Land of Hayracks.

Traveling around Slovenia you might have seen these wooden structures near farms, in fields, or even next to some homes. In Slovene, they are called kozolec and they are (almost) exclusively found in Slovenia. They are often historical structures but some you will see still in use today.

Hayracks are for drying and storing hay or grain. In Dolenjska, you can visit the Land of Hayracks (Dežela Kozolcev) a museum all about these hayracks, which sounds funny but honestly, it was really interesting and cool to see them up close and even go inside some.

4. Drink Cviček.

Cviček is only made in Dolenjska and is a very unique wine made from a mix of red and white grapes. It contains grapes from the oldest known type of grapevine found in Europe. It has a ruby color and low alcohol content (7.5-10% compared to average ~12% as are most wines). Because of the low alcohol content, this wine is not very sweet, but rather more acidic. It is said that because of the flavonoids in Civček, it has healing properties so don’t be shy to have another glass!

Wandering Recommendation If you are visiting Ljubljana and would like to buy a bottle of Cviček or try some other foods from the Dolenjska region stop by Dobrote Dolenjske. (Don’t forget to say I sent you!)

Read | Wine Tasting in Ljubljana with Dobrote Dolenjske

5. Visit the First Lady’s birthplace.

Thanks to Melania Trump, Slovenia has become more familiar to Americans. You can visit her birthplace in Sevnica, and more of my personal interest, you can visit the Sevnica Castle. This castle has been around (in various forms) since the 1300s! Also, the views from the castle are quite beautiful. For those who love to wander around the smaller lesser-known towns, this is a perfect stop.