Slovenia Rooftop Tent Road Trip: Route & Tips

This was our first time travelling with a rooftop tent. The route combined a weekend with friends at Lake Attersee, the wild Soča Valley, warm days among vineyards and beside the sea, and a relaxed ending at Lake Bled. The switch between rain, cold and high summer taught us what rooftop tent travel really involves.

Our route at a glance

17–19 July: weekend with friends at Lake Attersee and our first nights in the rooftop tent
20 July: onward journey to Camp Jelinc in the Soča Valley
21 July: day hike along the Soča and a great deal of rain
22 July: pitch at Butul winery, Piran and swimming in the sea
23 July: day trip to Trieste and a swim in Portorož
24 July: farm stay near Bled, cycle around the lake and dinner in town
25 July: return journey with lunch in Salzburg and rooftop tent drop-off in Landshut

The stages were manageable, yet every stop felt different. We slept outside our friends’ house, at a conventional campsite, among vines and on a farm. It showed us how flexible a rooftop tent trip can be.

Our first time with a rooftop tent

We rented the tent for one week from a provider in Landshut and collected it before travelling. It was a James Baroud hard-shell model that opened vertically. Set-up was quick and there was much more headroom inside than we had expected.

This was our first longer rooftop tent trip. Not having to pitch a complicated tent every evening was convenient, but we quickly learned that bags, cooking equipment and wet clothing need careful organisation inside the car. The hard roof kept the rain out, although the tent still became cold when there was no sun.

17–19 July: Starting with friends at Lake Attersee

Our road trip began at Lake Attersee, where we spent the weekend with friends. We could park directly outside their house and sleep in the rooftop tent for the first time. It was a relaxed setting in which to test everything before continuing to Slovenia.

Breakfast table on a terrace overlooking Lake Attersee and forested mountains — At Lake Attersee, we began our first rooftop tent trip without a fixed programme.

We spent our days together by the lake, swimming, cooking, playing games and enjoying time with our friends. That slow start was ideal because we could learn how the tent worked without also having to navigate an unfamiliar campsite.

Grilled fish, potatoes, bread and wine on a long table at Lake Attersee — Cooking together and lingering at the table were an important part of our weekend by the lake.

Open travel journal and camera on a picnic blanket — Between the lake, games and shared evenings, there was plenty of time simply to arrive.

20–21 July: Rain in the Soča Valley

On Monday, we drove from Lake Attersee to the Soča Valley and checked into Camp Jelinc. The weather had already turned by the time we arrived. We took only a short walk, ate a club sandwich and retreated to the rooftop tent early.

Turquoise Soča River in a wide gravel bed beneath the Julian Alps — The next morning, we followed the turquoise Soča on foot through the valley.

We planned a long hike beside the river and walked downstream for several hours. Eventually, dark clouds gathered. We turned around and reached a small café with a supermarket just as the rain began pouring down. Instead of continuing, we sat inside and ate cake.

Campsite in the Soča Valley beneath low clouds — Low clouds and constant rain shaped our second evening at Camp Jelinc.

A short break in the rain was enough to return to camp and prepare the tent for the night. We spent the rest of the afternoon under cover and cooked an orzo dish in the evening before the rain returned for almost the entire night. The hard shell kept us dry, but the damp air made it noticeably colder.

22–23 July: Vineyards, Piran and Trieste

Because we had allowed only one full day in the Soča Valley, we continued towards the coast the following morning. Our next pitch was at Butul winery among the vines. After the cold rainy days, it was properly warm again, so the first thing we did was spread out our wet belongings in the sun.

Woman in a red dress on a stone promenade beside the Adriatic Sea — That afternoon, we drove to Piran and spent our first warm hours back by the sea.

We went down to Piran on the day we arrived and liked it immediately. The narrow lanes and waterfront promenade make it easy to explore on foot. We swam in the middle of town, ate something small and returned to our vineyard pitch for sunset.

People swimming beside a harbour and waterfront houses on the Slovenian coast — On Slovenia’s coast, town, harbour and swimming spots sit remarkably close together.

The next morning, we took a day trip to Trieste. It was pleasant to walk through the city, but it appealed to us less than other Italian cities. On the way back, we stopped once more on the Slovenian coast to swim in Portorož. We ended the evening with a simple cold supper among the vines at Butul winery.

Table with wine, olive oil, glasses and a lamp in front of a vineyard — A relaxed supper among the vines was the perfect ending to our day on the coast.

24 July: Cycling around Lake Bled

We left early and drove to Lake Bled. Our pitch was on a farm a little outside town, where we met the owner and talked about his animals: goats, a donkey and two small pigs from New Zealand.

Lake Bled with its island church, castle and mountains — The bicycles got us to Lake Bled quickly and helped us avoid the long queues of cars around the shore.

The owner recommended cycling around the lake and even lent us his bicycles for free. One tyre went flat and needed pumping up along the way, but the ride was still a wonderful way to experience the lake. We took time to swim and went to Old Cellar Bled for dinner.

In hindsight, the bicycles were one of the best tips of the trip. Cars queue around the lake and parking is expensive. Staying outside town and cycling gets you to the water quickly without searching for a space. After dinner, we rode back across the fields and spent our final night in the rooftop tent.

25 July: Returning via Salzburg to Landshut

We began the journey home the next morning and stopped briefly in Salzburg for lunch and a walk through the city. We liked that short glimpse enough to know that we would like to return with more time.

Busy Getreidegasse in Salzburg with historic wrought-iron signs — Our return route took us through Salzburg for a brief lunch stop.

We then continued to Landshut and returned the rented rooftop tent. After a week, we knew that we had thoroughly enjoyed the combination of spontaneous pitches, lots of time outdoors and a sleeping space that was quick to set up.

What we would take into our next rooftop tent trip

Open and close the rooftop tent completely when collecting it.
Pack warm sleepwear even if summer weather is forecast on the coast.
Transport wet clothing separately and use every sunny break for drying.
Store rain jackets, spare clothes and cooking equipment where they can be reached without unpacking the whole car.
In poor weather, return to camp early and prepare the tent during a break in the rain.
Near Bled, choose a pitch outside town and ask about bicycles instead of driving to the lakeshore.

Our verdict on the route

For our first rooftop tent trip, this week was exactly right. We could test the set-up calmly with friends before trying several very different pitches. The hard roof proved itself in the heavy rain of the Soča Valley, even if the cold, damp night was much less comfortable than the warm evenings in the vineyard.

What stayed with us most were the hike beside the turquoise Soča, swimming in Piran, evenings among the vines and cycling around Lake Bled. Precisely because not everything went to plan, the trip felt like a genuine little adventure.