Lake Bled, a 14,000-year-old alpine lake an hour's drive northwest of Ljubljana, is simply stunning, a glacial lake fringed by pine trees and vaulting peaks all around. It may bustle with tourists for much of the year and there are some unsightly developments dotted around the lake's banks, but on a serene morning when the mists clear and the alpine peaks reflect across the water, it is hard not to be spellbound by Bled. The local tourist office, Svobode 10 (tel: (04) 574 1122; website: www.bled.si) can provide further information.

A half hour's drive west of Ljubljana, Škofja Loka boasts a well-preserved old town, where the local authorities have invested in English information plaques on buildings and made a real effort in recently revamping the castle's museum. The most interesting streets are the rectangular ‘squares' of Mestni trg, Cankarjev trg and Spodnji trg. The local tourist office, Mestni trg (tel: (04) 512 0268; website: www.skofjaloka.si) can provide further information.