Slovenia & Croatia Photo Tour | Undiscovered Gems

• Two nights in the delightful former Venetian seaside town of Rovinj on Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula.

• Three nights at the magical Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia. Experience sixteen lakes, cascading streams, bubbling creeks, and waterfalls all accessed by wooden boardwalks and paths. At times you feel as if you are walking on water.

• Three nights basing out of Lake Bled, Slovenia. We think that this is one of the richest areas for photo ops in all of Europe.

• One night in the historic center of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

• Stay in quaint, cozy, alpine-style B&Bs in Plitvice, Lake Bled, a charming former Bishop’s palace hotel in the center of Rovinj and a modern hotel in the historic center of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

• In addition to great photo opportunities on our Slovenia & Croatia Photo Tour, we will be lecturing (mostly in the field) on photographic topics including:

• • Composition
  • Digital Workflow
  • Panoramic Photography
  • Depth of Field calculation
  • Focal Blending
  • Blue Hour Photography
  • Filters, Neutral Density, and Neutral Density Grads
  • Photoshop & Lightroom Tips and Tricks
  • Nik software

Oct. 3, 2021 (the day before the tour starts)

Plan on spending this evening at the hotel meeting location or nearby. This will allow you to get some rest before the tour begins and also ensure that you arrive on time for the following day’s departure.

Please do not fly to Ljublanja on the day of our departure! 

Oct 4, 2021

Our group meets at the Best Western Premier Hotel Slon at 10 am for the beginning of the Slovenia & Croatia Photo Tour. We will then depart via van to our first destination, the Venetian, and Habsburg-inspired beautiful harbor town of Rovinj on Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula. This is a roughly 2.5-hour drive not counting our lunch stop and any possible photography along the way.

After the hotel check-in, we will meet as a group, get to know each other, check our equipment, and go over the agenda for the next ten days.

We’ll enjoy an early dinner in the old town of Rovinj before heading out for our first blue-hour photography session. Rovinj is a fantastic location for the magical blue hour with its crooked cobbled lanes and plenty of old-time street lamps.

Oct 5

We will spend this day in the wonderful town of Rovinj. We will photograph the morning and evening blue hours with time during the day to rest and explore the inner core of the town.

Oct 6

Today we leave at 9 am for the 2.5-hour drive to the magical Plitvice Lakes National Park. We will spend three nights in a cozy, alpine-style B&B located only 3 minutes from the park entrance.

We’ll make the first foray into the park before the friendly staff of our B&B serves a local feast for dinner (and, if so desired, bathtub-sized glasses of wine and complimentary plum brandy).

Oct 7

Today our host will have a light breakfast ready for us at 5:45 am. We depart for the park entrance at 6:20 am in order to catch the first boat at 7 am. A short 25-minute walk will take us to some of the best photo ops in the park and we will have 2 to 3 hours of good photography time before the tourist crowds show up.

Back to our cozy B&B for a nap/rest/downtime/post-processing.

We’ll enjoy lunch at a wonderful local restaurant featuring delicious Croatian fare.

Late in the afternoon, we head back into the park, this time in the opposite direction. The tour groups will have thinned out and the light will be better as evening approaches.

Dinner again at our B&B.

Oct 8

Today is a repeat of the day before. We will have the opportunity to further explore some of our favorite locations in greater depth.

Oct 9

9 am departure for a roughly 3.5-hour drive north into Slovenia to the charming village of Bled on the shores of Lake Bled where we will spend the next three nights. This is one of our favorite places of all our travels . . . very tranquil and beautiful. The highest mountain in Slovenia, the mysterious snow-peaked Triglav, can be seen near our hotel.

We’ll have an early delicious dinner before heading out for blue hour photography around the lake.

Oct 10 & 11

Two full days to explore and photograph the Lake Bled area, including blue hour photo sessions along the lake, as well as at the Chapel of St. Primoz in the hills nearby.

Oct 12

Today we leave the beautiful Lake Bled at 10 am for the 45-minute drive to Ljubljana. After checking into our hotel we head out for a delicious Slovenia lunch and afternoon photography. We will have ample opportunities for stellar blue hour photography this evening.

Oct 13

The Slovenia & Croatia Photo Tour ends. If you have the time you may wish to extend your stay in the delightful and historic city of Ljubljana.

Dates: Oct 4-13, 2021 (9 nights) 

Cost: $4,495 | single supplement $695

A 5% discount will apply to those participating in the  Venice photo tour.  The 5% also applies to the Venice tour.

A $500 deposit will secure your spot.

Click here to make your deposit for October 2021 »

What is included?

• 9 nights lodging
• All breakfasts
• Daily van transportation to photo locations
• All entrance fees and tolls as well as ground transportation except for transport to and from the airport.
• Jim’s & Magrit’s expertise in guiding and photographic instruction

Level of physical difficulty: 3 out of 5

Involves walking for distances up to 5 miles per day at Plitvice Lakes National Park.

For Terms & Conditions and insurance recommendations, please click here »

Join us after your Slovenia & Croatia Photo for the 4 days The Magic of Venice Photo Tour.

There is a bus leaving downtown Ljubljana each morning for the 3.5-hour journey to Venice.

Take 5% off of the total costs of any tours when you sign up for 2 or more.

Personal Items and Weather Conditions

October in Slovenia and Croatia can be rainy and also a bit chilly in the mornings and evenings. Therefore we really suggest following the advice below. Waterproof and breathable rain jacket, warm insulation under the rain jacket, light gloves, stocking cap, rain pants, and an umbrella.

Temperature range for this time of year: 45 to 66º F

Average monthly rainfall for this time of year: 5.75 ”

Please pack light, as we will not have room in the van for more than one piece of luggage plus a camera bag for each of us. Magrit & I both travel for 4-5 months with 25-26 inch Travel Pro Max Lite luggage. Most airlines are now charging for more than one piece of checked baggage. Keep in mind that laundry service is usually available.

Two pairs of shoes: One sturdy pair for in the field that you can get wet and muddy. One pair for evenings.

Lightweight rain jacket and rain pants. You don’t have to go all out here, but if we have some wet weather and it is not raining too hard we can still go out and get some good photos. * I really suggest a rain jacket if nothing else. We have worn cut open Hefty bags as skirts and they work great when we did not have rain pants. The rain gear will keep you dry when walking in tall, wet grass.

Small umbrella for rain and shade. I use an umbrella often to block the sun from hitting the front element of my lens. Black is the best.

Sweater or light jacket for a possible chill on early morning shoots. A light layer underneath a rain jacket can be surprisingly warm. Magrit and I both carry lightweight down vests and jackets. We also carry stocking caps and gloves as well as rain protection for our cameras.

Hat for sun and rain protection.

For equipment recommendations, please click here »