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Where to spend 7 nights in Slovenia mountains 2nd week of May

Hi,

We are interested in easy walks (because we can't hike like we used to...too many birthdays), & beautiful scenery. We have 7 nights allotted to the mountains the 2nd week of May, so I'm thinking the mountains are going to be full of snow, but we could do the lower level walks. I sure hope the Trsic Pass is open. We drove the Grossglockner road in Austria 2 years ago and it was gorgeous. And these 2 roads are close to one another. I'm trying to decide how to divide up our time there. We have been to the Alps in Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, so Slovenia is the only place left we haven't explored yet. I'm considering staying in Kobarid, Bohinj area and Lorgarska Dolina. I've got 7 nights to work with so I'm not sure how to divide those up. I'd prefer to stay 3 nights in one place and 4 nights in another to avoid so much moving around, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not. We will be arriving in Slovenia from Rovinj, stopping en route at Skocjan Caves, so that first night will be check in, eat, sleep. When our 7 nights are completed, we will head to Zagreb to spend the night before flying home. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Posted by
3811 posts

Hi, Ellen. I think there is a lot of good information in your previous thread. I'm not sure anyone can tell you exactly which 2 of the 3 places to pick. From Emily's post and other information I've gleaned from poking around the web, I don't think snow is going to be a huge problem for you, but issues might pop up. For example, my understanding is that Vršič Pass is generally open by the beginning of May, but it apparently had to be closed on May 9 last year due to a late season snow storm that dumped a foot of snow on the area. I looked at a couple of reviews of the Solčava Panoramic Road from people who did it in May -- one said it was great, one said it was great except they met a road block that kept them from reaching 2 sites.

Bohinj/Bled may be best set up for easy hikes. There's Vintgar Gorge (expected to open in April if no excessive damage from winter snow/ice) -- the out and back walk is easy. Mostnica Gorge is a valley hike that is gorgeous and leads to Mostnica Falls and its nearby restaurant (I took Emily's recommendation to eat the blueberry strudel -- it was great!). The Bohinj cable car should be running and (on a sunny day) would give you a nice view over of the mountains from on high and a nice view of the valley. You could also use the area as a base to visit medieval Radovljica and other nearby towns.

The Soča Valley has some reasonably flat hikes. I did some valley hikes with herbalist and tour guide Vesna from Slocally. It was helpful to have 2 cars so that we could park at one spot and then drive to a second spot and hike back to one of the cars. Her prices are very reasonable, and she offers an assortment of excursions in the Soča Valley and the adjacent Goriška Brda wine region. The cable car for the area (Kanin) will not be running in May, so there will be no easy way to get up high and see the mountains from above.

The Logarska dolina area also has options. There is a nice flat out-and-back hike for Robanov kot valley that starts at the restaurant/guesthouse mentioned in the previous thread. There is what is considered an easy, short hike to the base of Rinka Waterfall, but I saw a review from one older person complaining that the incline to get there was too steep (it is a little steep). The Solčava Panoramic Road was delightful, but I did it with a guide, too -- the very kind Mojca; we ended our day in her mother's kitchen, drinking warm mountain herbal and talking with her family.

So... what tempts you?

I would think your best bet (especially with where you are coming from, including a stop at Škocjan Caves), an itinerary that looked like Soča Valley x 3 nights and then Bled-Bohinj x 4 nights makes the most sense. While I'm not a fan of one-night stays, I would encourage you to even consider taking a night from Bled-Bohinj and spending a night in Ljubljana. As others have mentioned, it really is a lovely place.

Posted by
3811 posts

Oh yeah, don't miss the the World War I Museum in Kobarid if you stay in the Soča Valley. It is excellent.

Posted by
31 posts

Thanks for the detailed information. As usual there's more to see than there is time. I'm having a hard time allotting my time. And of course, the weather is a wild card no one can predict.

Posted by
426 posts

Every year can be different, but we were in Kobarid on May 17-19 in 2016 and loved it - no issues with the weather. We visited the WW1 museum, did short hikes, and took a whitewater kayaking lesson.

Posted by
31 posts

Tigerfan,
Any recommendations for short hikes in Kobarid? Or anywhere else? Thanks.