Alpine Lakes of Slovenia

This seven-night escorted tour by Explore Worldwide begins in Ljubljana, a city built along the Ljubljanica River under its old castle. After an unhurried first evening, the tour heads to the medieval town of Skofja Loka before arriving at Lake Bled, where a baroque church and a castle perched on a steep cliff offer steady companions to swans and water lilies on the lake.

Heading west, the journey continues to Lake Bohinj and Triglav National Park which covers 82,000 hectares of Julian and Kamnik Alps. The walk to Savica Waterfall involves a climb up steps for views of cascading water, followed by options including a cable car ride over mountain ridges or cycling along quiet country roads.

After a scenic train through the Vipava Valley, an underground tour of the Skocjan Caves reveals rivers disappearing into a colossal hollow. The Adriatic coast comes into view at Izola, a fishing port with Venetian architecture, before heading back to Ljubljana with a stop at the castle built into a 123-metre cliff, complete with dungeons and drawbridges.

These are the places the trip visits, in order. Explore Worldwide publishes the day-by-day itinerary on its own site.