It is raining on Bled, Triglav has vanished into the clouds and the forecast says the same for tomorrow. Do not panic: Slovenia is a wet country (Ljubljana gets more rain than London) and it has learned to live with it. Caves, thermal spas, museums, wine cellars, gostilnas: here is what to do when it rains, area by area, with distances and prices, to turn a lost day into the best day of the trip.
Things to do in Slovenia when it rains: the table
| Idea | Where | From Ljubljana | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postojna Cave + Predjama Castle | Postojna | 50 min | €34.90 (€49.90 with Predjama) |
| Škocjan Caves | Divača | 1 h | €16-24 depending on season |
| Thermal spas | Laško, Dolenjske Toplice, Ptuj, Moravske Toplice, Bled | 45 min to 2 h | €16-30 per day (Laško €19-23) |
| Ljubljana museums | City centre | 0 | Free to €10 |
| Ljubljana Castle | Funicular | 0 | €17.10 online, €19 on site, funicular included |
| Antonijev rov mercury mine | Idrija | 1 h | €15 (€17-22 with the smelting plant) |
| Wine cellars | Brda, Vipava, Maribor (Vinag) | 1 h 15 to 2 h | Tasting €10-25 |
| Bistra Technical Museum | Vrhnika | 30 min | €8 |
| Lipica Stud Farm | Karst | 1 h | €16 (€25 with the show) |
| Kobarid Museum | Kobarid | 1 h 45 | €7 |
| Gostilna by the fire | Everywhere | On the spot | Menu €15-30 |
One thing to know first: Slovenian rain is rarely a whole day. In the mountains it is usually a storm between 3 and 6 pm; on the Karst and the coast, fronts pass in three hours. Check the radar on meteo.arso.gov.si before cancelling everything, and keep the hike for the morning.
Underground: the caves, in any weather
The first thing Slovenians do on a rainy day, and for good reason: it is 10 °C inside, rain or shine. Postojna is the most comfortable in the rain (underground train, paved paths, Predjama Castle 9 km away on a combined ticket). Škocjan is more impressive, but the approach path and the exit through the bottom of the canyon are outdoors: hood up. In Idrija, the mercury mine (Antonijev rov gallery, helmet provided) pairs nicely with a warm plate of žlikrofi.
Thermal spas: rainy Slovenia seen from warm water
The country has about fifteen thermal resorts, most with outdoor pools heated to 32-36 °C where rain on your head is part of the pleasure. The handiest from the tourist areas: Terme Laško and Rimske Terme from Ljubljana or Celje, Dolenjske Toplice to the south, Terme Ptuj and Moravske Toplice (black thermal water) to the east, and in Bled the thermal pools of the Grand Hotel Toplice and the Rikli Balance Hotel, open to non-guests. On the coast, Portorož has its seawater spas and Sečovlje mud treatments.
Things to do in Ljubljana when it rains
Ljubljana is the ideal rainy-day city: small, covered in Plečnik's arcades, and packed with museums less than ten minutes' walk from each other.
- Museums: National Gallery (Slovenian painting, free on the first Sunday), Museum of Modern Art (MG+), Ethnographic Museum (crafts and costumes), National Museum and Natural History Museum under one roof, City Museum with a Roman street beneath the building.
- Plečnik House: the architect's house and studio in Trnovo, guided tour every hour, booking advised at weekends.
- The castle: up by funicular, exhibitions on Slovenian history, a puppet museum, and the only viewpoint in town worth it even under cloud.
- Covered market: Plečnik's arcades along the Ljubljanica shelter fishmongers, cheese stalls and the morning covered market; the Friday Open Kitchen is cancelled in rain, so check.
- Cafés and bars: the city has a Viennese-style coffee culture; the covered terraces on Petkovškovo nabrežje and the bars of Metelkova cope with the rain.
Our Ljubljana city break and where to eat in Ljubljana round off the list. Thirty minutes away, the Bistra Technical Museum (Tito's cars, forges, sawmills) fills a whole half-day under cover.
Bled and Bohinj in the rain
Bled without sun keeps its arguments: the castle (museum, print shop, wine cellar), the kremšnita cream cake at the Park Café, and the hotels' thermal pools. In Radovljica, 7 km away, the Beekeeping Museum (painted hives, see our article on Slovenian beekeeping) and the chocolate shop are the family rainy-day outing. In Bohinj, the Alpine Dairy Museum at Stara Fužina and the cheese shop; and if the rain is light, Vintgar Gorge is more beautiful with the Radovna in spate (the walkways stay open unless there is a flood warning). Our complete Lake Bled guide has the details.
Soča Valley: the Kobarid Museum and the gostilnas
The Kobarid Museum (First World War, Isonzo Front, €7) is one of the best museums in Europe on the subject and fills two hours. Add the Planika dairy, trout fishing (rain does not bother the fish) and Kobarid's walnut štruklji. Rafting goes ahead in the rain: you get wet anyway, and the Soča is livelier. Guides only cancel for storms or floods. See the Soča River guide.
Karst, Brda, Vipava: rain is for cellars
The Karst in the rain means Lipica (stables and show are under cover), the Teran cellars of Lokev and Tomaj and Vilenica Cave. In Goriška Brda and the Vipava Valley, winemakers receive by appointment, and a tasting of rebula or zelen on a grey day is one of the best things to do in the country. In Maribor, the Vinag cellar beneath the city and the world's oldest vine; in Ptuj, the castle and the kurent museum.
A resident's take
In twenty years here I have learned to love rainy days: it is the only time you visit Postojna without a queue, when the Kobarid Museum is yours alone and when a gostilna makes complete sense. My advice: do not move your trip around the weather, move your programme. Caves and museums on grey days, mountains and lakes on blue ones. And a proper jumper: Slovenian rain is rarely warm.
Frequently asked questions
Does it rain a lot in Slovenia?
Yes: Ljubljana gets about 1,400 mm a year, more than Paris or London, and the Julian Alps are among the wettest areas in Europe. But rain mostly comes as showers and storms, rarely whole days, and May-June and October-November are the wettest months. See the best time to visit Slovenia.
What can you do in Bled when it rains?
The castle and its museum, kremšnita at the Park Café, the hotels' thermal pools, the Beekeeping Museum in Radovljica, or Vintgar Gorge if the rain is light.
Can you visit the caves in the rain?
Yes, it is actually the best time: 10-12 °C inside whatever the weather. Postojna is fully under cover; at Škocjan the approach and the exit through the canyon are partly outdoors. After very heavy rain some lower sections of Škocjan may close temporarily.
What can you do in Ljubljana when it rains?
The museums (National Gallery, Ethnographic Museum, City Museum, Plečnik House), the castle by funicular, the covered market and Plečnik's arcades, and the cafés along the Ljubljanica. Everything is within ten minutes' walk.
Is rafting cancelled when it rains?
No, only in storms or floods. In ordinary rain the Soča is livelier and the wetsuits keep you warm.
Adult prices 2026 checked on 3 September 2026 on the official websites (Postojna, Škocjan, Ljubljana Castle, CUDHg Idrija, Lipica, Thermana Laško, Kobarid Museum); forecasts and radar at meteo.arso.gov.si. Photo: Novi trg in Ljubljana in the rain, Norbert Eder, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.
Patrick Faust
French expat in Slovenia since 2004. Founder of e-Slovénie, a Slovenia travel guide. Learn more →