Summer hotel prices throughout Europe can be sky high, but I wanted to make my dream of visiting Slovenia in summer a reality. So, I decided to give tent camping in Slovenia a try!

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This summer I found myself with an unexpected chunk of free time and no trips planned to fill it. I usually spend my summers camping around the Pacific Northwest, but getting a camp site on short notice can be next to impossible.

There were so many incredible outdoor places in Europe that I wanted to explore in the summertime, but I was hesitant because summer in Europe is expensive and crowded — two things I hate when I travel.

Just for fun, I started searching for hotels in a few places I wanted to visit, and I was astounded at the prices. They were so far out of my budget.

I looked for housesits through TrustedHousesitters — a website similar to Airbnb that lets you stay in someone’s home in exchange for caring for it and their pets — but I was too late, and there were no desirable options left. And I’m really not a fan of hostels. 

Then I had an idea: What if I went camping in Europe? I’d flown to other states with my gear for backpacking trips before. Could taking camping gear to Europe really be that much harder? And could I even find a campsite with availability?

I started searching, and within five minutes I had a camping reservation in Slovenia.

Why Slovenia?

Slovenia may not be the first place Americans think of for a European summer vacation, but it should be. This small country, tucked between Italy, Croatia and Austria, is an outdoor lover’s paradise. Nearly half of Slovenia is forest, and with the Julian Alps dominating the north, the scenery feels like a postcard at every turn.

With its crystal-clear alpine lakes, emerald rivers and gorges, Adriatic coastline, and endless trails for hiking and biking, Slovenia is full of outdoor activities I couldn’t wait to do! Paddle boarding on Lake Bled, hiking through the gorges of Triglav National Park, and wading in the Soča River were all on my to-do list.

I was also excited to wander Slovenia’s storybook villages, charming seaside towns, and the vibrant capital, Ljubljana, often called Europe’s prettiest capital. On top of that, Slovenia is home to one of the continent’s largest cave systems. Its most famous, Postojna Cave, includes an electric train ride deep into the caverns, and nearby, Predjama Castle is built dramatically into a cave itself.

Unlike many of its neighbors, Slovenia still feels refreshingly uncrowded. The country welcomes between 6 and 7 million visitors each year—modest compared with Italy’s 70 million or Austria’s 45 million. Only about 11% are Americans, giving it an authentic European feel.

With so much to offer, it’s hard to believe Slovenia is still relatively undiscovered!

Camping in Europe

Europeans love camping, and I could easily see why! The campground I chose, River Camping Bled, was incredible! It had several large immaculately clean bathhouses with private hot showers. You could even reserve a private bathroom for your entire stay! There were also two pools, a game area with billiards and foosball, a laundry facility, huge dishwashing stations, a restaurant and a bakery—all well maintained and efficiently run. Despite being fully booked, I never had to wait for a shower or felt overcrowded.

The only downside I found to camping in Europe is a lack of privacy. Campsites are very close together, without even a bush to separate you from your neighbors. For those of us with larger personal space bubbles, it can feel a little unnerving. But honestly, I was never bothered by my neighbors, and it was the quietest campground I’ve ever slept in. They even closed the gates to cars after 10 p.m. so no one was disturbed by engines or headlights.

The location was also convenient. The campground was a 20-minute walk—or a free five-minute bus ride—from the town of Bled. From there, you could connect by bus to just about anywhere else in the country.

But the best part was the price. For my seven-night stay, I paid just $260—about the same as one night in a hotel.

Packing for a Camping Trip Abroad

Camping is nothing new for me. I usually toss my gear in the car and head out on trips across the Pacific Northwest.  But Slovenia was different—I had to figure out how to get all my camping gear across the ocean in a suitcase (or two). It was a balancing act between my lightweight backpacking setup and my more comfortable car-camping setup.

Here’s what I brought:

• Tent: I opted for a larger four-person cabin-style tent. I didn’t want to be crammed into my backpacking tent with all my luggage all week for a week.
• Air mattress: I hate sleeping on the ground, so I brought a thick twin size air mattress and a small electric pump to inflate it up.
• Bedding: I packed three blankets, two pillows and a sheet into two vacuum-seal compression bags I bought on Amazon—they worked perfectly.
• Jetboil: A small backpacking stove. (I didn’t end up using this because I couldn’t find the right fuel for it).
• Chair: My Helinox backpacking chair, which takes up less room than an umbrella and weighs under a pound.
• Lantern: A small backpacking size lantern.
• Power Banks: I brought three power banks to charge my electronics. I plugged them into my rental car while I was driving to recharge.
• Towel: A quick-drying microfiber towel to use for the pool and showers.

I was able to fit all my camping gear, plus all the other essentials I’d normally pack into two checked bags: a large rolling suitcase and a large duffle bag.

My Takeaways

Camping in Slovenia opened my eyes to a whole new way to explore Europe in the summer—comfortable, affordable, and close to everything I wanted to see and do. It really wasn’t that much different than staying in a hotel. The only real difference was at night I slept in a tent instead of a room. 

Slovenia was the perfect first stop, but it won’t be the last. Italy, Austria, Germany—and who knows where else—will be on my tent-friendly summer map from now on.