Beekeeping Education Centre of Gorenjska

If you’ve ever needed an excuse to eat your body weight in chocolate (purely for cultural and/or investigative reasons, obviously), this is it.

Every April, my little corner of Slovenia quietly turns into something rather magical. The cobbled streets of Radovljica fill with the smell of melted chocolate, Linhart Square buzzes with people munching on chocolates, and suddenly it becomes the sweetest town in the country.

The chocolate weekend that everyone waits for

The Radovljica Chocolate Festival is back again on 18–19 April 2026, and it’s not exaggerating to call it the chocolate event in Slovenia. In fact, it’s widely considered the biggest and most complete chocolate festival in Slovenia, attracting chocolatiers from across Slovenia and beyond.

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And it’s not just a few stalls and a polite nibble. We’re talking:

Dozens of chocolatiers (from artisan to well-known names)

The Radovljica Chocolate Festival

Tastings – this year a new festival card system has been introduced for tastings
Live cookery shows and workshops

Street performers, music and buzzing festival energy
And not forgetting, plenty to keep kids entertained (and adults pretending they’re there for the kids).

The festival spreads across the old town – Linhart Square, the park, Radovljica Manor – so one can wander through history while eating chocolate. Not a bad combo.

Why Radovljica, though?

People often ask why this festival happens here of all places. Once you know the backstory, it makes perfect sense.

Chocolate has been part of life in this area since 1922, when what would become the famous Gorenjka brand started production nearby. Over the years, that tradition has evolved into a cluster of small, passionate chocolatiers. Hence, the festival isn’t just a tourist event, it’s rooted in something real.

Čokolada z lešniki, Gorenjka, 450 g

It’s not just a one-weekend wonder

For those unable to visit the festival, don’t worry, as Radovljica is quietly sweet all year round. You can still piece together your own sweet experience, featuring chocolate, honey and more. You can find more about culinary activities and experiences in Radol’ca here.

Chocolate stops

You can visit boutique chocolatiers such as the Radolska čokolada chocolatier, located at the entrance to the old town centre, where everything is handcrafted and there is a focus on using local flavours.

There’s also the award winning Molinet House of Chocolate, located in the Lipnica Valley, which has at proper artisan feel. This place isn’t open to the public, however, visits can be arranged by contacting the Radovljica Tourist Information Centre.

Honey

This is Slovenia, after all, a land known for its bees and honey.

Radovljica is also home to beekeeping traditions, and you can taste local honey, visit beekeeping-related exhibits, or just pick up some delicious sweet treats at local shops, including the Radovljica Tourist Information Centre and the Babka Beekeeping Shop at the Beekeeping Education Centre of Gorenjska in Lesce.

Slow, sweet wandering

One of my favourite things to recommend, particulary for first time visitors, is simply:

coffee and cake (or ice-cream) in the old town
a wander through the old town centre (pop into the Tourist Information Centre for a map and information about the notable buildings)
a lazy stroll with views of the Karavanke and Julian Alps

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A few practical tips for visiting the Chocolate Festival

Come early if you want to avoid the biggest crowds (it tends to get very busy at peak hours on both days)
Pace yourself—there is such a thing as too much chocolate (apparently!)
Stay overnight if you can—the atmosphere in the evening is lovely
Come with friends and family so you can ‘share’ the experience

Final thoughts

If you can’t make it to the festival, it’s not the end of the world. Whenever you visit the Radovljica area, there’s plenty to see and do, whether you are looking for an active, relaxing, gourmet … holiday, or even all of the aforementioned!

© Adele in Slovenia

I don’t know about you but I find February a rather depressing month.

One the one hand, the days are getting longer and spring flowers have already begun to spring, but on the other, it’s still winter, and I tend to find myself asking where my mojo has gone and how to find it again.

So, this February I decided it was about time I did something positive in terms of seeking my mojo and thus devised a three-pronged strategy:

I needed a massage.
I needed some ‘me time’.
I needed to do the above with as little effort as possible!

So, when pondering where to go and what to do, I remembered that on a recent visit to the Gorenjska Beekeeping Education Centre in Lesce, I noticed that, in addition to all the beekeeping-related activities there, massages are also available.

So, an idea sprang to mind for a few hours of ‘me’ time, which would only involve a ten-minute walk from home, i.e. little, or no, effort on my part.

The plan was to starting with a massage, then have a relaxing drink in the onsite BeeJoy caffee (sic), followed by a bit of retail therapy(!) in the Babka beekeeping shop. That should do the trick!

The Centre is a ‘hive’ of activity, for both beekeepers and other visitors.

I headed straight downstairs for a massage, which I had been soooo looking forward to, and wasn’t disappointed. Denis adopts a holistic approach, whereby he doesn’t just try to solve the problem of various aches and pains (of which I have many!), but also find their source.

After a massage, I headed upstairs towards the cafe. On the stairwell there is a wood carving of St. Ambrose, the patron saint of bees, beekeepers and candlemakers. The carving was done by Radovljica’s mayor, Ciril Globočnik.

In summer, customers can sit outside and watch the busy bees coming and going from the traditional Slovenian apiary in the garden of the Beekeeping Centre.

Obviously, with it being winter, I didn’t sit outside and preferred instead to admire the view from afar!

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Relaxed and quenched, I ended my visit to the Centre with a visit to the Babka beekeeping shop, where beekeepers and the public alike can find everything they could possibly need, from a myriad of types and flavours of honey, which you can try before you buy…

… to beekeeping equipment, clothing, books and more.

From May to September, guided tours of the Centre are available, which include honey tasting.

For more information, and to discover all the other ‘buzzing’ activities in Radovljica, including the Museum of Apiculture, and the ‘Follow a Bee Through Radovljica’ family beekeeping adventure, contact the Radovljica Tourist Information Centre.

Here’s hoping that by next month, when I write my next blog, spring will be well and truly here. Until then…

Adele in Slovenia

My life and adventures in Radovljica and throughout Slovenia

Category Archives: Beekeeping Education Centre of Gorenjska

The Sweetest Weekend of the Year!