My sister and I are going to be visiting Slovenia in June and we'll be renting a car. We really want to drive through the Vrsic Pass, but we're not experienced mountain drivers. What do you think? We keep hearing how fabulous it is and really want to give it a try. How does it compare to Pike's Peak or a similar drive?
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6788 posts
There's nothing scary about it. If you're a reasonably competent driver, use common sense, and pay attention to the road, you will be fine. Just slow down when you get to hairpin curves (you'll find more than a few of them). Use good judgement, slow down if you think the conditions warrant it, and be happy. I'd cross this off my list of things to worry about.
Posted by
Southeast US
4043 posts
Agree with David. Not really scary at all. Just pay attention! There are a good number of motorcycles and bikes on the road. Map it on Google Maps and then drag/drop the little guy in the lower right hand corner on the road to see it at street-level; you will see it's no big deal. I drove on scary roads in Slovenia -- this was not one of them!
Posted by
Sioux Falls, SD, USA
3101 posts
It does help to be a little experienced in mountain driving. You can always tell when someone is not - they ride the brakes, and sometimes burn them out.
Posted by
Columbus, USA
396 posts
My husband drove in September when we visited. Several times he said he was glad we rented a car with a good amount of power/torque. We had a 6 speed diesel Renault Kadjar, manual. The year before we were in Crete with a less capable car and it was more of a hassle for him to drive on the hairpin curves there. If you're not experienced driving a manual car this would not be a great place to learn, IMO, and would be better to rent an automatic.
BTW Tonka's Hut is a picturesque place to stop not far from the pass, just next to the Vrsic pass road. There is an outdoor 'patio' next to a gurgling stream with a background of forest: https://www.julijana.info/en/tonkas-hut They serve traditional food, which is interesting to try. There is also another hut right at the top of the pass, but we didn't stop there. There are a good number of parking places at the top of the pass.
An easy and short hike from the Vrsic pass parking area is the Path Of The Pagan Girl. It offers some nice mountain views without taking a lot of time.
https://www.10adventures.com/hikes/julian-alps/the-path-of-the-pagan-girl/
At one point it was difficult to follow the hike due to the intersection of a lot of trails and lack of clear marks, so would be best to have the coordinates for the hike.
Posted by
2 posts
Vršič Pass has a fairly decent road, it's a bit crowded in summertime tho. On the other side (if you go from Ljubljana) there is a most beautiful valley leading to Bovec. Where I can recommend staying for a few days. There is lots to do there specially water sports like rafting, kayaking and there is even a paddleboard tours company opening in case you would like to relax your senses after the drive. Here is the link if you would be interested https://www.bovecpaddleboarding.com/.
Either way have a great time in Slovenia!