Switzerland's Little Sister

Vacationing in Switzerland has become so expensive that it might be worthwhile to try Switzerland’s funkier, cheaper, little sister, Slovenia. Read about Slovenia in Slovenia at Fifteen: Hip, But Unspoiled, by GoNOMAD.com writer Christine H. O’Toole.

“If it weren’t for its sliver of sparkling Adriatic seacoast, you’d take Slovenia for a Mini-Me version of Switzerland. Its attractions, from skiing to swimming to hang-gliding, are similar, and it offers the same smooth English-speaking welcome. But it’s half the size — and half the price.

Vacations here can be miniature, too. You can “do” the country in less than a week. But my sojourn left a few more tolars in my pocket. A $60 Swiss dinner costs $30 here; hotel rates are a bargain, too. The vibe is relaxed, instead of ripped-off.

We entered the country on a short train ride from the Italian port city of Trieste; a RailEurope Selectpass made it easy to slip over the border.
At Nova Goriza, we were greeted by a looming mountain with the inscription “NAS TITO” (Our Tito). That homage to Yugoslavia’s larger-than-life leader, who died in 1980, pointed us along a stunning valley railway to our destination: his former summer home, Lake Bled.”