Do you recommend us booking ahead online for the cable car/chairlift in early September or just turn up?
We will be driving that day from Ljubljana with a short stop at Kamnik so not sure what time we would book to arrive.
We’re not keen on waiting too long in a queue though as we’d like to enjoy our visit to Velika Planina without rushing. We are then driving to Solcava after that for a 4 night stay at Farmhouse Lenar and hope to be there before 5.
What do you think?
We were just there on June 20th, and the way things seemed to work makes me think pre-booking is not necessary. You bought tickets and then got in line for the cable car that, at least in June, comes every hour. If you missed the car for the first round of rides up because the car was full, you just waited for it to come back down. And they actually started slightly before the hour, perhaps due to the car typically filling each time.
The system might change on/after June 25th, though, since that is the first day of "summer" for students.
Thank you Carly. That is very reassuring, we will wait till we get there to buy the tickets.
Did you enjoy your time there? it sounds like a very unique place.
Yes, it was cool to see/experience. However, they had brochures in about 6 languages, the most offered of any location we visited in the country, but somehow none in English. So we felt a bit lite on information/context outside of what was in the RS book.
On that note: Velika Planina was one of two locations where I really felt like a guide would have significantly improved our experience --- the other being the Panoramic Road drive, not for the driving itself, but for the farm visits.
We stayed at Lenar, by the way. The Logarska Dolina area was perhaps my favorite part of the trip. I'd really love to return someday. We enjoyed the Robanov Kot walk, by the way. Consider hoping over to do it!
An excellent guide for Kamnik and Velika Planina is Irena Grmek. She would help you see the sites you want to see efficiently but also give you a lot of good information on what you are seeing. In Kamnik, I would suggest not missing the chapel in St Jacob Church that was created by Plečnik.
My comments on a day spent with Irena in my 2019 Slovenia trip report:
Irena in Kamnik. Irena and I spent a long but EXCELLENT day together at Velika Planina, Mala Planina, Bela Partisan Hospital, and finally, Kamnik. We had talked about my interest in Plečnik during the day. In Kamnik, she took me to a candlemaker’s shop to see if they would show me their still-preserved black kitchen. While there, she scored us an invitation to see a dining area in the candlemaker’s father’s apartment; the dining area was created by Plečnik himself for the family. It was spectacular.
I was with Irena from 9 am to 7 pm that day. I was going to cut out at around 5 pm after Bela Partisan Hospital, but Irena knew Plečnik treats awaited me in Kamnik and gently pushed me to complete our original plan. Oh my, I'm so glad I did.
And... Velika planina was a great stop for me. A short walk across an alpine meadow takes one from Velika planina to Mala planina. If you have interest in WWII history, a US B17 Flying Fortress crashed at Mala planina after a bombing run on Vienna, and there is a small memorial there. Lt Otto Hinds was the pilot in control and steadied the wounded aircraft as the crew bailed. He was only about 1000 ft above the ground when he finally bailed and his parachute did not open completely, resulting in significant injury that ultimately led to his death at Bela Partisan Hospital, a hidden field hospital in a nearby valley. The herdsmen did not give the Nazis hunting the airmen any information on them, and everything on Velika planina and Mala planina was burned to the ground. So... the buildings you see there have been re-built since 1944/1945.
Forgot to leave the url for the website for Irena... http://www.irenagrmek.com/home2/turizem/
You might find this website helpful. https://www.velikaplanina.si/en/
Thank you so much Carly, Dave and Michael for your informative replies. You have certainly helped us with our planning and raising our excitement levels and I have saved and bookmarked the pamphlet Michael. The cheesemaking demonstration sounds interesting too.
We may not have time for a guide on that day Dave but my husband is very interested in WW11 history so thanks for your tip on Mala planina. (On a side note we had read your trip report previously and it was one of the things that made us extend the Slovenia part of our trip to 18 nights.)
Nice. You will not regret extending the trip to 18 days. My trip to Slovenia is definitely one of my very favorite trips!
You mentioned interest in WW2. If you're near Kobarid, there are WW I bunkers at the hike to Kozjak Waterfall.
