Follow me through beautiful Slovenia, including a stretch of hut-to-hut hiking through the Julian Alps, rowing on Lake Bled, tracing WWI history and finally washing it all off in the Adriatic Sea.
Slovenia is a small and beautiful country that packs an amazing variety of natural wonders all within close proximity to the capital, Ljubljana. We're talking the Julian Alps, the Adriatic Sea, the Soča River valley and what you're most likely to have seen on Instagram, Lake Bled. Though it borders well-known places such as Italy, Austria, and Croatia, Slovenia sees comparatively few tourists, making for more relaxing travel and providing the opportunity to authentically experience the local culture and connect with Slovenes, who I found really fun and welcoming.
Orientation
Slovenia is nestled between Austria, Italy and Croatia, with it's south-west corner running along the Adriatic Sea and it's north-west corner being home to the Julian Alps, and Slovenia's highest peak, Mt. Triglav. My travels focused on the western half of the country.
Ljubljana
I landed in Ljubljana on the heels of a big summer thunderstorm. Sadly, my hiking poles did not land with me. The airline staff said they'd deliver them to me, but I was skeptical they'd find me before I entered the Julian Alps in a few days...
My AirBnB was near Dragon Bridge, right in the city center. It was an easy bus ride from the airport into town, although I felt a bit strange searching streetlights for the lockbox my host had left the keys in.
After a quick refresh in the apartment, I ventured out to climb the hill to Ljubljana Castle and watch the sun set over the city. Sitting on the ramparts, I got a sense of how relaxed and peaceful Ljubljana is. The Ljubljanica River winds through downtown and outdoor dining was abundant. After dinner on the riverside, I grabbed some gelato and admired Triple Bridge and Prešeren Square and it's laid-back nightlife.
The next morning I joined a stand up paddle board tour on the river. The skies were ominous but we ventured out, eventually getting caught in a deluge. Though soaked, I enjoyed watching a drunk middle-aged British guest fall repeatedly into the river while attempting to flirt with the guide.
I spent the next few hours taking shelter in cafés and street arcades before the skies cleared and I picked up a rental car to drive north to my first taste of the countryside.
Rental Car: I can't say enough good things about IdealRENT. They're a local company with personal service and very flexible. They really seemed willing to make anything work. I picked up one car in Ljubljana, dropped it off in Bled, hiked for 5 days and picked up a new car on the other side of the mountains, which I dropped off at the airport. I got to meet the owner, Dejan, at dropoff and he was very nice.
Velika Planina
Velika Planina is Europe's largest shepherd's settlement, set upon a plateau. After a precarious drive to the trailhead, it was a gentle hike up to a rolling hillside filled with cows and unique alpine cottages with spruce-shingle roofs that extend almost to the ground.
I spent the night with an interesting crew at a mountain hut: an ex-rugby player named Casper, a Czech couple who shared great beer, and two young hut employees from Slovenia and Bosnia. We were the only ones staying over night so we all ended up chatting around an outdoor picnic table after dinner. Casper kept buying us rounds of very bitter shots, but he got more aggressive as he drank, especially when another Slovenian started talking to his girlfriend. As the person sitting next to him, I was privileged to a lot of slurred speech about how he would mess this guy up:
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“To you, I am like teddy bear, but I like to hit people . . . I played rugby—y’knoww.”
After the group persuaded Casper that things were fine, we all stumbled up into our classic wood-paneled quarters for the night. The next morning at breakfast, everyone was a bit less talkative!
Lake Bled
After hiking down from the Velika Planina to my rental car, I drove about an hour west to Bled, where I returned the car. This corner of Lake Bled was touristy with resorts and selfie sticks, but it thinned out quickly as I rounded the lake towards the towering clifftop castle. I was staying at the Old Parish House in Bled, a beautiful and affordable accommodation run by the church, located meters from the shore in the shadow of the cliffs.
I spent the early afternoon hiking the many steps up to the castle, exploring it's courtyards and sampling its iced tea. It was a warm, clear day and the lake was a dazzling rich turquoise.
A popular thing to do on Lake Bled is to catch a ride on a "pletna" boat to the small island with picturesque church. You can also rent your own antique rowboat, which I did. I learned that taking pictures in a rowboat by yourself is challenging—every time you take your hands off the oars you start spinning!
Bled Island is famous for a pastry called potica but I accidentally ordered a different (although still tasty) dessert! I guess I'll have to go back...
My day in Bled ended with a pleasant surprise: the airport had delivered my hiking poles to the Parish House just in time for me to leave civilization behind and enter the Julian Alps.
Triglav National Park: Hut-to-hut Hiking the Julian Alps
After some great sightseeing, it was time to start the real adventure: 5 days of hut-to-hut hiking through the Julian Alps and summiting Slovenia's highest peak, Mt. Triglav (pronounced ‘tree-glow’).
After Lake Bled, I travelled by bus a short distance to Lake Bohinj, where I took a boat ride across the lake and entered Triglav National Park. I hiked through the Seven Lakes Valley, up into the high alpine past Dolic Pass to the Kredarica hut, summited Mt. Triglav, then crossed back to Dolic and descended into the Trenta Valley on the west side.
For the full experience, read my standalone post on trekking the Julian Alps. (Coming soon)
The Soča River Valley
I emerged from my hiking in the village of Trenta, along the Soča River, a beautifully pure alpine river providing all sorts of recreation and sightseeing. I was spending the night near the source of the river at Kekčeva Domačija, a beautifully renovated farm serving upscale home cooking (and home of Kekec, an old Slovenian film character).
The gracious host couple cooked and served a 3-course dinner themselves, which myself and a few other guests ate outside under the stars in the growing dusk. It was a delicious mystery: the only word I understood from my host's description was "lasagna." But I wasn't disappointed. First came a cream-colored soup with bread, followed by a salad and lasagna, and finally a scrumptious rhubarb pie. After snapping some twilight photos from the field, I retired to my room to enjoy the comfort of a fluffy duvet and pillow after 4 nights in mountain bunks.
Breakfast in the morning was again served in the great outdoors and involved a locally sourced herbal tea. The host encouraged me to dip in the picturesque stone-lined pool and as said "We'll see you next year, but stay longer!"
Setting off, I re-walked the river path to Trenta in the heat where I caught a bus to Bovec, the hub for this sporty region. My first order of business was to find more comfortable footwear. I would soon be heading to the Adriatic coast and knew I'd need some flip flops. I popped into a small shoe store, hoping to grab something cheap, but was mortified when the girl working there insisted on helping me try on the sandals—there was a very real chance that she would pass out if the inside of my boots and socks were allowed to air out in such close quarters. Thankfully, no one lost consciousness, but after baring my dogs I paid and left as quickly as possible.
Newly casual, I strolled into Bovec center for some delicious avo toast with pomegranate seeds and goat cheese. I remembered that during my research I'd found a live web cam here in Bovec center and thought it would be fun to tell my friends back home to look for me on the feed. Sadly, none of them were awake yet.
It was time to hit the road and see some sights along the Soča River. I was happy to find my next rental car left for me in an unassuming shopping plaza with the key hidden on top of the wheel. Thanks for the incredible flexibility, Dejan!
Velika Korita Soča
Now with wheels, I started cruising down the valley. My first stop was The Great Gorge of the River Soča (Velika Korita Soča). The water was an incredibly vivid turquoise and cut through steep chasms in the rock, creating wild rapids with waterfalls streaming down the sides. There were some easy paths along the banks and some exciting footbridges crossing above.
Kobarid and Drežnika
Passing south of Bovec, I continued downriver along the Soča to the town of Kobarid. This was a significant location in WWI, known for the Battles of the Isonzo, fought between Italy and Austria-Hungary, and it's featured in Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. After the war, it was occupied by Italy until being liberated by a partisan uprising during WWII. It was then retaken by Nazis before being eventually liberated by the Yugoslav People's Army in 1945.
It's hard to imagine this peaceful and natural region serving as the frontlines in a world war, let alone soldiers battling over the mountains, but in the grand scheme of things, the violence wasn't that long ago! In my experience, Kobarid was a bit sleepy but beautifully situated among the mountain foothills. I visited the Italian Charnel House which is an outdoor military shrine housing the remains of over 7,000 Italians who died here in WWI, with elegant stone archways framing the nature around.
I crossed over to the north side of the river by way of the picturesque Napoleon Bridge and walked a short path to Slap Kozjak (Slap translates to waterfall). The walk along the river was super scenic, with more suspension footbridges, and the waterfall felt enchanted in it's serene grotto.
I was staying the night in a mountain village called Drežnica. I drove my little rental up a set of hairpin switchbacks and emerged onto a gorgeous alpine meadow in the shadow of the Krn mountains. The small town is anchored by it's massive cathedral, who's white steeple cut a dramatic shape against the silhouette of Mt. Krn behind it.
Drežnica felt like a hidden gem and was one of my favorite places in Slovenia. For such a scenic place, the town was quiet with very few visitors. I had dinner at an inn specializing in paragliding (wasn't on my agenda, sadly). It was a fixed-menu, 3-course meal with beer for only €16! After dinner, at the advice of my host, I found my way to two waterfalls nestled into the mountainside as dusk fell.
Tolmin Gorges and Šcocjan Caves
The next day, I began my drive out of the mountains and down to the coast. Before leaving Soča Valley, I stopped at the Tolmin Gorges, which featured huge cliffs, boardwalks, bridges, caves and rapids. To my surprise, a road race was passing right through the gorge during my visit.
Further downriver, I stopped for lunch at Most Na Soči, a summer-y little town where the river bulged out like a lake It felt sleepy and forgotten, and I ate lunch at a tiny tiki-like grille before taking a dip in the water to cool off (the heat had not abated).
Driving south, the winding roads eventually met highways, and I arrived at Šcocjan Caves just in time for their last tour. It was a massive cave system with stunning underground rivers and canyons—essentially the Mines of Moria, down to the stone bridges high above us. Readers will have to trust my telling because no photos were allowed!
Piran and the Adriatic
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Finally, I arrived at the tiny labyrinthian city of Piran, jumbled into a narrow peninsula jutting into the Adriatic Sea. Italian became as common to hear as Slovenian and in many ways the town could have passed for an undiscovered Venice. I left my car at a garage uphill from town (no cars on peninsula), and wandered down with my luggage to find my AirBnB.
Tartini Square is Piran's main plaza, a relaxed oval at the mouth of the harbor ringed by cafe/bars. Above it rises the Church of St. George, with a bell tower that provides one of the best views of town. For another view, climb the hillside at the base of town to explore the imposing 7th-century city walls, great for climbing and surveying the peninsula below.
The peninsula itself is a maze of alleys packed with apartments and cafes with a wide strollable promenade around the perimeter dotted with outdoor dining and occasional steps down into the Adriatic. This isn't a place for sandy beaches, but with the steps, you can get yourself into the water without ever needing to touch bottom. And that water is warm and buoyant!
I settled into a relaxing rhythm after so many days trekking: cafe breakfasts, a dip in the Adriatic, lunch, another dip, gelato, a drink... Piran seemed to exist outside of time. Every day was 88° and sunny and the city woke up and closed down as if on repeat until I finally had to go back into the world to catch my flight home.
Departure
As I drove back to the airport in Ljubljana, I had one final challenge: find a way to package my hiking poles so they could fly home with me. I found a Home-Depot-like hardware store (Merker), bought a cardboard box and a roll of duct tape and attempted to jerry-rig a luggage container for my poles. It looked ridiculous, but the airport accepted it (however, they did not keep track of it. The poles eventually showed up on my front steps weeks later in the soggy and half-disintegrated cardboard box.)
I finally met Dejan, the owner of the rental car company, at the airport. He was on his way back from vacation and told me where I needed to travel next: Montenegro. It's on the list!
Živjo!
