Slovenia Guide
Northwest Slovenia
With by far the highest profile of any of the country's eight regions, Gorenjska, Slovenia's northwestern province, offers an outstanding synthesis of natural and cultural heritage, from dramatic alpine mountains, valleys and lakes to startlingly pretty medieval towns and villages. The defining feature of the region is the Julian Alps, a majestic limestone range packed with sawtoothed peaks, fantastically shaped gorges and ravines, deep mountain lakes, and dozens of waterfalls. Most of the Slovene part of the Julians fall within Triglav National Park, Slovenia's only designated national park, at the heart of which is Mount Triglav, the country's highest peak. Bordering Austria to the north are two further mountain ranges: the slender Karavanke chain, and, east of here, the Kamniške Alps, whose gloriously tapered peaks strongly resemble the Julians in parts. The tangle of well-worn paths furrowed across these three ranges heaves with hikers during the summer, though the crowds, rarely oppressive, are easily avoided.
Hiking aside, the region present stacks of opportunities for adrenaline-fuelled activities – typically, rafting, canyoning, hydrospeed and paragliding – as well as more traditional pursuits such as cycling, horseriding, fishing and swimming. Moreover, Gorenjska possesses the country's densest concentration of ski resorts, the largest and most popular of which is in Kranjska Gora, squeezed up against the Italian and Austrian borders in the extreme northwestern corner of the country.
Located at the tail end of the Alps are Slovenia's celebrated alpine resorts, the most known and visited of which is Bled, a once fashionable health resort whose enchanting lake now ranks as one of the country's premier sites. For many though, Lake Bled is surpassed by the fjord-like Lake Bohinj, a majestic body of water settled amidst gorgeous mountain scenery and bound by a huddle of sleepy villages.
Highlights
1 Velika Planina This alluring highland plain is spotted with shepherd's huts, and offers great walking opportunities.
2 Škofja Loka Compact and elegant Škofja Loka is one of Slovenia's most beautifully preserved medieval towns.
3 Beekeeping Museum, Radovljica This most cherished of Slovene customs is explored in this engaging exposition.
4 Lake Bled This fairytale lake comes complete with a romantic island church and cliff-top castle.
5 Lake Bohinj Fish, swim, take a boat ride, or just stroll around Slovenia's most stunning lake.
6 Hiking in the Julian Alps Superb hiking and climbing including, for the more adventurous, Mount Triglav, the country's highest peak.
7 Vršič Pass Slovenia's most spectacular mountain pass incorporates nearly fifty hairpin bends, with dozens of attractions along the way.
Rupnik Line
Sequenced in an almost vertical chain between Soriška Planina in the north and the small town of Žiri some 50km further south are dozens of bunkers, tunnels, casemates and observation posts built by the Yugoslavs in response to border fortifications constructed by the Italians following the Treaty of Rapallo in 1920. Although proposals to fortify the border were initially submitted in the mid-1920s, construction work didn't begin until 1937, under the command of its chief architect Leon Rupnik, a Yugoslav army general who was later tried and shot in Ljubljana for treason. In the event, the line was neither fully completed – due to the onset of World War II – nor were its existing defences pressed into service.
Many of the fortifications have recently been cleaned up and it's now possible (with a guide) to visit some of them, an opportunity that will almost certainly appeal to adrenaline junkies; the descent into the bunkers and tunnels – some nearly forty metres deep – is quite exhilarating. The line has been divided into three stages (each stage is roughly a 6–7hr hike, the first is also accessible to cyclists), with a number of different excursions organized by the tourist office in Škofja Loka. These range from short two-hour tours to day-long hikes, though tours can be tailored to suit individual or group needs.
Price: €4-€9 per person, €18 with lunch