Slovenia walking holidays

“Slovenia’s Tuscany” – think rolling hills and excellent vineyards – is very close to the Italian border, found between the Alps and the Adriatic. Not just known for its wine, the region also has many cherry trees set between charming villages. It’s lovely undulating hiking terrain, and a 60km offshoot of the Juliana Trail heads south down here.

The centre of the Julian Alps, and Slovenia’s only national park, Triglav is the most obvious walking destination in the country. It’s named after the mountain in the centre, which is Slovenia’s tallest. The park contains the fantastically beautiful Soca River, its milky turquoise river dashing between stark white rocks in the Trenta Valley, plus many walking trails, including a climb over Vrsic Pass.

This long-distance walking trail was designed to combat overtourism – its route leads walkers away from the very popular summit of Triglav (2,863m), and instead on a circuit around its base, which takes longer and sees more of Triglav National Park. It was designed to be totally accessible via public transport, too. But it’s no second-rate route. The 270km loop (with a 60km extension) is spread over 20 stages, visits Italy, Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj, and the less visited Koritnica Valley.

Slovenia called itself the ‘sunny side of the Alps’ in early tourism promotional materials, and the name stuck. Found on the border with Austria, these mountains invite comparison to their immediate neighbours. This is seen as a softer, gentler alpine landscape, with few craggy limestone peaks. It has challenging walking, too, among slopes covered in white narcissi and under green, grassy ridges devoid of walkers but full of beauty.

Up here in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, you’ll find Velika Planina, Slovenia’s largest shepherd’s pasture. The soil is poor and the weather harsh; the mountain huts are built in ovals to withstand the wind, their long roofs shingled in pine extending down close to the ground, the cattle sheltering beneath. Shepherds wear coats made from lime liber – strips of wood from lime trees – as waterproofs. But in the dazzling sunshine this is a green fairway of rolling hills, a secret and high up world, best reached by mountain lift.

In World War I, twelve bitter battles were fought on the Isonzo Front, which is mostly found in Slovenia. The conflicts were between the Austro-Hungary and Italian armies, the Austro-Hungary army including many Slovenian soldiers. Shockingly, almost half of all the Italian casualties for World War I were on this front, with its difficult geography and trench warfare. Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms is partially set here. The entire front has been turned into a walking route, with 300 historic war monuments set across 500km.

With landscapes like this, it’s no surprise that Slovenians are a nation of walkers. Accordingly, there’s a strong, safe local walking community and the network of hundreds of well-marked trails, including several fantastic long distance thru-hikes. Then, there’s the general ease of finding hiking here: the country is dense and compact, there are no long transfers on point-to-point treks.

Public transport services all the main trailheads in the high season. The “Knafelc” waymark – a red and white circle on prominent signs – indicates routes; the signs are so numerous that you’ll probably start seeing them in your dreams.

“Whether you prefer challenging mountain trails or gentle strolls through picturesque countryside, Slovenia has it all in an area of just over 20,000sq km.” Martina Zepina is a guide at our Croatia-based Adriatic and Balkan specialist, Terra Magica Adventures. “On the route to Slemenova Spica (1,911m), we walk on rugged terrain while enjoying the view towards some of the giants of the Alps, like Jalovec (2,645m). On the hike to Velika Raduha (2,062m), we will walk on paths that are part of the Slovenian Mountain Trail, one of the oldest long distance hiking trails in Europe.”

The best memories come from the unscheduled moments. Simona Dolsina is a trip designer from our partner Slotrips. The team had childhoods recognisable to many Slovenians – of weekends spent hiking with the family. “For me it's always special seeing the wildlife there,” says Simona, “such as ibex, chamois, foxes, mountain rabbits, wild roosters and others. Seeing them in big groups from very close sometimes, this feels really special.”

There are thought to be over 500 bears in Slovenia, secreted deep in the woods. This is Europe’s third-most forested country, with around 60 percent of it covered in trees – mainly beech, spruce, and pine. Wolves became protected year-round in the 1990s after years of persecution. As a result the wolf population doubled in the 2010s. There are also lynx, but very few.

And Slovenia’s natural capital is preserved through the country’s sustainability efforts. You can see it even in the compact, eco-orientated capital. Ljubljana was named a green capital in 2016 and is a repeat recipient of a ‘Tree City of the World award’ since 2019 for its care towards inner city trees – in the metaphoric and literal sense (the green slopes below its castle; its large parks).

The country made waves in the 2010s with a series of ‘green’ awards, the first ever country to be declared a ‘Green Destination of the World’. The Good Country Index ranks Slovenia fourth of 169 countries for positive contribution to the planet and the climate. “And it’s important to mention that over a third of Slovenia’s territory is protected,” says Martina.

Our holidays continue these efforts, Martina designing her walking route to be heavy on beauty, “While minimising the carbon footprint. I created a route which keeps driving to a minimum. We also prioritised locations where we could support small businesses – by staying two nights in Logar Valley, for example, we support the local family that hosts us on their farm.”

In the early 2020s, swathes of the country was underwater, thanks to flash flooding after unprecedented rainfall which affected two thirds of the nation. The prime minister called it the worst environmental disaster Slovenia had ever seen. Flash flooding is an increasing problem with climate change – in a country of steep sided mountains, a risk has become a reality. The fact that Slovenia is a sustainability pioneer gives the events a tragic irony.

The country built back, increasing its flood defences in the process. Visitors can be part of the restoration after floods, as walking tourists provide economic benefit to the same rural areas that were so devastated by flooding. “Everything is more or less 'back to normal', at least in the hiking areas where our guests go, so they won't notice much or any damage,” says Simona. “But people are still dealing with the renovations of their homes and some roads still need to be fixed.”

For many visitors, Slovenia’s landscape is Narnia-like in its beauty (indeed, one of the films was set here). The floods were a reality hit for those who’d seen the country as a fairy tale destination, a gentle land of bears, gingerbread museums, beekeepers and flowers, dancing white horses and castles.

The reality of the country is far more interesting than its tourist image. “It's very easy to meet the autochthonous [indigenous] activities of the country such as shepherds and farmers. These traditions are still alive. They aren’t just here for tourism purposes,” says Simona.

After rain in the Alps, fire salamanders come out on the mountain trails. Usually creatures of the dawn and dusk, they emerge, shocking at first with their black and yellow skin, then simply fun to spot as you walk. And walking remains one of the best ways to honour a country with so much interest, colour and nature.