Day 12 - August 30, 2026

From the Julian Alps to the Adriatic

Today marked another transition in my European journey—leaving the mountains of Slovenia behind and heading for the Croatian coast.

My GoOpti shared transfer picked me up at Hotel Bohinj exactly on schedule at 12:45. The journey to Rovinj took just under five hours, arriving around 5:30 PM. Along the way we stopped several times for other passengers, including Ljubljana Airport, Ljubljana itself, and Portorož/Piran. Despite the multiple stops, the drive never felt tedious.

The driver was Croatian but worked for a Slovenian company, and he turned out to be friendly and surprisingly talkative. I enjoyed our conversations and watching the scenery roll by outside the window.

One unexpected pleasure of the drive was recognizing places I had already visited over the past week. It was satisfying to reconnect the different parts of Slovenia in my mind while also discovering new landscapes on the way toward Croatia.

The only downside was that I skipped lunch, so by the time I reached Rovinj I was definitely hungry.

After checking into Hotel Eden, I headed straight into town for my first Croatian dinner.

I chose Maestral Restaurant on the waterfront and couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to Rovinj.

As the sun slowly descended over the Adriatic, I enjoyed an octopus salad followed by beautifully grilled sea bass fillet with vegetables and potatoes. After a day without lunch I happily accepted that this wasn’t the evening to worry about an extra piece of bread.

I paired dinner with a small glass of local house white wine—almost certainly Malvazija—which immediately confirmed why everyone recommends this Istrian variety. Light, fresh and wonderfully enjoyable.

Watching the sun set over the Adriatic while enjoying fresh seafood felt like the perfect welcome to Croatia.

After dinner I continued along the waterfront toward Rovinj’s famous old town.

The atmosphere was completely different from Bohinj.

Instead of peaceful mountain silence, the streets were alive with people strolling, chatting at outdoor cafés, listening to live music and simply enjoying the warm summer evening. There was an unmistakable Mediterranean energy that immediately drew me in.

Along the harbor I noticed several small stands advertising sunset and dolphin boat tours for only €20—something that instantly went onto my list for the coming days.

Naturally, gelato was next.

At L’Amore I ordered a small scoop of mocha, which turned out to be an excellent choice.

From there I wandered uphill through the narrow stone streets of the old town, eventually reaching the Cathedral of St. Euphemia at the highest point.

The cathedral itself was beautiful, but what made the moment memorable was the gentle instrumental music drifting through the square. I never quite identified the instrument, but it perfectly matched the peaceful atmosphere at the top of the hill.

Rather than retracing my steps, I chose a different route back down, discovering more hidden alleyways and corners along the way.

I already know I’ll enjoy exploring Rovinj again in daylight.

Back near the harbor another unexpected gift was waiting.

A remarkably talented guitarist and singer was performing live, mixing his own original songs with familiar English and Italian classics. I found a place to stand and ended up listening for nearly forty minutes without even realizing how much time had passed.

It became one of those simple travel moments that no itinerary could ever predict.

By the time I finally returned to Hotel Eden, I wasn’t quite ready for the evening to end.

I wandered through the hotel grounds in the dark, getting my bearings for the days ahead. I found the pool, located the beach, and immediately fell in love with the tall pine trees stretching almost to the sea.

The mountains of Bohinj may be behind me now, but tonight I felt something equally exciting beginning.

If Bohinj felt like a peaceful retreat into nature, Rovinj already feels like a celebration of Mediterranean life.