Located midway between the Slovene capital at Ljubljana and the iconic lakesides of Bled, Kranj has crowned the alpine hillsides between the Sava and Kokra rivers since at least the 5^th century AD. Its long history has afforded it one of the most picture-perfect old town centres in the country: a handsome array of Romanesque churches and Slavic spires set against a bulwark of limestone rock and the soaring summits of Triglav, the Karawanks and Storžič to the east.

Recent centuries have not been so kind to this mountain town, bringing Soviet-style industrial works, stoic factories and blocks of brutalist apartments to its fringes, all of which now juxtapose solemnly with the whitewashed rises of Kieselstein Castle, the romantic St Cantianius church and the informative Town Hall at the centre. That said, those who linger here for a while are in store for some real treats, from sweeping highland views and authentic Slovene eateries cooking up Carniolan sausage and Štruklji to royal living quarters in the Brdo Castle and exploring tunnels under the Old town with your Kranj tour guide.