In Slovenia in autumn, the air is filled with the aroma of harvest fruits, the vineyards are slowly filling their barrels with freshly brewed wine, and everywhere is filled with the beauty and quietness of autumn. If you are planning an autumn trip, seven unmissable experiences will open the best memories in Slovenia for you.
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- Top things you must experience
- City walks and the smell of roasted chestnuts
- Visit the cellars and taste the wines
- Visit quality restaurants and enjoy local cuisine
- Fallen Leaves and Autumn Fairytale Walks
- Visit the ‘Eight Days Farm’ and savour the local flavours!
- Explore art and history, walk through museums and galleries
- Pamper your body and mind with a wellness spa tour
- Culinary festival and events
Top things you must experience
City walks and the smell of roasted chestnuts
Walking along the streets of Slovenia, the aroma of roasted chestnuts comes to your nose, as if adding a warmth to every city walk. Stop and enjoy a hot roasted chestnut at a street stall, paired with a glass of freshly squeezed grape juice or mulled wine, adding a touch of warmth to the cool autumn days.
Visit the cellars and taste the wines
Autumn is the season of ripening grapes and the time when Slovenian winemakers are at their most joyful. At this time of year, all the major cellars are full of festive atmosphere, and you can taste the freshly made grape juice and new wines at the warm invitation of the locals. This is especially true on St. Martin’s Day in November, when the whole country celebrates the harvest as the grape juice is turned into delicious wines.
Visit quality restaurants and enjoy local cuisine
Slovenia is renowned for its seasonal local cuisine, and autumn is the best time to experience it, with a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables in abundance. Many renowned restaurants offer autumn-only dishes, as well as a variety of food festivals, such as Restaurant Week, 11 November Gourmet, Taste Radol’c. Taste Radol’ca), etc. Food and autumn colours blend together, so you can immerse yourself in the autumn feast on the tip of your tongue.
Fallen Leaves and Autumn Fairytale Walks
Slovenia in autumn seems to be painted by nature’s palette to its heart’s content, and each leaf is like a flower in full bloom, with its unique warm tones. This intertwining of colours attracts countless people who come to stroll on the golden carpet of fallen leaves. Whether in city parks or on mountain trails, the autumn scenery will leave you with an unparalleled visual feast.
Visit the ‘Eight Days Farm’ and savour the local flavours!
In the past, farmers in the Mediterranean and Karst regions of Slovenia had the right to sell their produce and wine tax-free for eight days a year, which is how the ‘Osmica’ (eight-day farm) came about. Today, you can still find such farms in Kras, the Vipava Valley and Slovenian Istria, which are usually open twice a year, in autumn and spring, for ten days, where visitors can taste the most authentic local cuisine and speciality wines and experience the authenticity of Slovenian farm life. Slovenian farm life.
Explore art and history, walk through museums and galleries
With the autumn wind and rain, why not explore the culture and history of the land by walking through Slovenia’s museums and galleries? Slovenia is rich in galleries and museums. Autumn is a great time to delve into the history and culture of Slovenia and learn a lot of new and interesting things.
Pamper your body and mind with a wellness spa tour
As autumn approaches, the body is challenged by the change of season. Slovenia’s abundance of natural spas and healing centres will be ideal for you to relax and boost your immune system. A soothing healing experience in warm mineral waters will prepare you well for the coming cold winter.
Culinary festival and events
In autumn, the smell of the harvest fills the fields, orchards and vineyards, and the generosity of nature tempts every dish on the table. In Slovenia, autumn culinary events take place all over the country, where the richness of local flavours and unique cultural charms make it the perfect place to enjoy the joys of harvest and food.
Culinary Autumn in Radovljica
- When: 28 September – 1 December
- Where: Radovljica
Local ingredients, superb cooking and unforgettable experiences in Radovljica in October and November! This time of year in the sweet town of Radovljica, Slovenia, you can explore the rustic charm of the countryside with a guided tour of the region’s famous chocolates, honeys and wines; visit suppliers of local ingredients to chefs; or enjoy a meal made from locally sourced ingredients in one of the seven ‘Taste Radol’ca’ Or enjoy delicious dishes made from traceable ingredients in one of the seven ‘Taste Radol’ca’ restaurants. Street food, concerts and festive lighting ceremonies add to the season’s festivities.
Restaurant Week
- When: 11-20 October
- Where: Restaurants across Slovenia
As Slovenia’s favourite gastronomic event, Restaurant Week is designed to give diners access to the finest cuisine from the country’s top restaurants at discounted prices. Every spring and autumn, selected restaurants present special menus designed for Restaurant Week, allowing gourmets to discover new restaurants through innovative dishes with fresh ingredients and unique flavours, and making this gastronomic event an important platform for showcasing the creativity and culinary skills of Slovenian chefs.
Chocoljana Chocolate Festival
- Date: 19 October
- Where: Pogačar Square
This is a festival that dessert lovers will regret missing! On Pogačar Square in the capital city of Ljubljana, famous chocolate producers, boutique chocolatiers and confectioners will bring their most delicious chocolates for one of the sweetest days of the golden autumn season.
New Portuguese Wine Festival
- Date: 19 October
- Where: Metelika
If red wine is your thing, head to the southeastern Slovenian city of Metlika for the New Wine Festival and sample the distinctive Mlada Portugalka red wine. Portugalka is a beautiful red wine in the Bela Krajina dialect, which is fresh, easy to drink, fruity, soft and full-bodied, and is therefore rated by many wine connoisseurs as one of the best new reds. During the festive season, roasted chestnuts, which go perfectly with the new wine, are also savoured to experience a unique combination of flavours.
Month of Ptuj Cuisine
- When: All of November
- Where: Ptuj
During the golden autumn months of November, Ptuj’s selection of restaurants and traditional eateries offer visitors a unique adventure for their taste buds by combining a wide range of local flavours and pairing them perfectly with the finest wines from Slovenia’s Slovenske Gorice and the Haloze mountains.
November Gourmet Ljubljana
- When: 2-30 November
- Where: Ljubljana
Every November, Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana transforms itself into a food lover’s paradise. Throughout the month, you can attend seminars and workshops, taste exquisite specialities and aromatic wines created by chefs and winemakers, and delve into the culture of gastronomy while exploring the city’s sights and sounds.
Štanjel Wine Festival
- When: 3-9 November
- Where: Štanjel village
In the charming little village of Štanjel in western Slovenia, the Wine Festival is one of the components of the big St Martin’s Day event in the Karst region. At the festival you can not only taste a wide range of local wines and interact with the region’s best winemakers, but also enjoy authentic traditional cuisine, exciting musical performances and cultural presentations.
St Martin’s Day
- Date: 11 November
- Where: All over Slovenia
Autumn is not only the season of food, but also an important day for wine. As Slovenia’s biggest wine festival, St Martin’s Day takes place every year on the 11th of November, and on that day and for a fortnight afterwards, there will be singing and dancing and celebrating everywhere, whether it’s in the wine regions, along the Slovenian coast, or on the Pannonian plains. Newly ripened wines, the unique cuisine of St Martin’s Day – roast goose or duck, flatbread crumbles, stewed purple kale – and the many exciting outdoor activities throughout the country are all worth experiencing.
Slovenian Wine Festival
Date: 14-15 November
Venue: Prešernova cesta 10, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
At this wine event, Slovenia’s most important winegrowers and winemakers, as well as a number of international master winemakers, will gather in Ljubljana to bring the audience the top wines from Slovenia’s three major wine regions. If you want to experience the essence of Slovenian wines in one place, this will be your best choice.
Tastes of Bela Krajina Food Festival
- When: 16th and 30th November
- Where: Restaurants in Bela Krajina
Tastes of Bela Krajina offers a selection of restaurants in the Bela Krajina region where you can taste local autumn specialities prepared in innovative ways, and some of the restaurants even play live folk music to add a unique cultural touch to the gastronomical experience. 16 November and 30 November you can enjoy seasonal local specialities at Kapušin and Veselič restaurants for €30 respectively. On 16 and 30 November, you can enjoy seasonal local specialities at the Kapušin and Veselič restaurants, respectively, at a menu price of €30.
From fine local restaurants to lively wine festivals, every corner of Slovenia is filled with tantalising flavours. Don’t miss out on the good times and come and experience for yourself what autumn has to offer your taste buds!
