To the mountains or the sea? This holiday destination question has already caused relationships to fail and marriages to break up. It's a good thing Slovenia exists: There you can find both in a small area. Just half the size of Switzerland, the country is blessed with pretty much everything a holidaymaker could wish for. Let's get going!
Most cycle tourists follow the Soča river from its source in the mountains, cross the Soča Valley and then turn off to Italy, where the Soča - "Isonzo" in Italian - flows into the Gulf of Trieste. We do it differently and stay in Slovenia as far as possible: over the Julian Alps, through the wine country and over the Karst to the sea - the Slovenian Mediterranean.
25 hairpin bends up to the Vršič Pass
Ski fans will recognise Kranjska Gora, our starting point, from the annual World Cup races. From here, a pass road winds its way up to the Vršič Pass in exactly 25 hairpin bends - and back down to the Soča Valley in just as many bends. Shortly after Kranjska Gora, a postcard-perfect little artificial lake stops the ascent: Lake Jasna. Lots of day trippers stroll around Jasna, take selfies and test the water temperature. It's definitely too cold for swimming. But the water is so clear that you can barely see where the shore ends and the lake begins. Martin, the photographer, gets his feet wet twice while taking photos. Fortunately, he has spare dry socks in his pannier. We continue upwards, bend after bend. It's nice that every bend is numbered. So you know exactly how many more there are before you reach the pass at 1,611 metres. Incidentally, the Vršič Pass is Slovenia's highest tarmac mountain pass - and one with a dramatic history: Russian prisoners of war were conscripted to build the road during the First World War. Over one hundred of these forced labourers lost their lives in an avalanche accident, and today a Russian chapel with onion domes stands in the middle of the forest as a reminder.
Curve after curve, the pass road winds its way upwards. The bare rocks come closer, a blue late summer sky stretches above us, making the ascent a little easier. Incidentally, the hairpin bends have cobblestones at their apexes - it takes some getting used to, but it's doable. Bends 23, 24 and then finally 25 - we're at the top! There we meet Chris from Devon, who has got himself an ice cream and a Pass beer at the kiosk as a reward. He had rented a racing bike in Bled and cycled up the pass in the opposite direction. "Just great," he says, before putting on a windbreaker and cycling downhill to Kranjska Gora.
We hurtle down the pass in the opposite direction. At bend number 49, the signpost points to the Soča spring - that's where we have to go. So we head uphill again, park our bikes safely below the hiking trail and continue on foot. It's not far, but the path to the spring has a surprise in store: it gets narrower and steeper, and the last few metres involve climbing through the rock, secured with a wire rope to hold on to. Via ferrata feeling! The spring itself is hidden in a cave, from which it flows steeply downhill over rocks.
From now on, we stay close to Soča. The stream quickly becomes a small river and soon a wide river with shimmering turquoise water. In Velika Koritka, our Soča foams through a deep gorge, its roar audible from the road.
History by the wayside
Where you can enjoy the most beautiful mountain tours today, one of the worst battles of the First World War raged more than 100 years ago: the Isonzo Front ran along the Soča. More than 300,000 people lost their lives during the twelve offensives. In the World War II Museum in Kobarid, large black and white photos commemorate 36 of the several hundred thousand people from 17 nations who lost their lives in this horrific war: from the white-bearded grandfather to the cheerful nurse to the hopeful, beaming young men posing proudly in front of the camera in their uniforms - they all died in the war. "Every evening, before we museum staff go home, we bow our heads to these people," says Mrs Arcet, who works at the cash desk in the Kobarid Museum. Incidentally, Ernest Hemingway set a literary monument to the events of that time in his novel "For Whom the Hour Strikes".
Thoughtfully, we drive on. Only now do we realise how young Slovenia is as an independent nation, how much it has had to struggle to retain its identity. In the space of 100 years, ten national flags have flown over Slovenia, and only since 1991 has it been the Slovenian flag.
A detour into the vineyards
We leave our Soča at Plave because we want to head up into the wine country. The landscape here is a bit like a mini Tuscany - with vineyards, rolling hills and sweeping views across the countryside. We meet Vesna Valentinčič in Šmartno. She and her family have set up a hotel in the old schoolhouse and know everything there is to know about the region. She tells us that wine was already produced here during the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. When Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia, the black market flourished. "My grandmother used to smuggle grappa across the Italian border under her wide skirts," says Vesna, "and our Fiat 1300 had an extra space in the floor for the five-litre bottle of olive oil." However, this was certainly not as noble as the oil that Timon Bratasevec produces at his Vila Eva olive winery. His oil is almost like liquid gold. It burns slightly in the throat, tastes a little bitter and is incomparably flavoursome. Timon proudly shows us his olive trees - he has 600 of them. He has them pressed in Koper by the sea, by a man he calls his maestro. "You need patience to learn all this," says Timon. It's worth it - he has already won many international awards for his exquisite oil. Incidentally, vines used to grow in Timon's olive grove. Even in the days of Yugoslavian President Tito - after the Second World War until 1980 - wine was grown here, but the quality of the grapes left a lot to be desired. "There were only cooperatives," recalls Vesna, "which had a production target of 20 million litres of wine per year. That was only possible with water and sulphite." Today, 450 farmers and 120 private winegrowers produce wine - "only" ten million litres per year. But the quality is good.
We continue down into the Vipava Valley, again through the vineyards. The mist rises decoratively over the mountains as we set off towards the Karst early in the morning the next day. With a heavy heart, we drive past the turn-off to the Skocjan caves - because we need time to visit the caves and underground canyons, and we still have a few kilometres to go before we reach the sea.
And then there it is, at last! The sea. Shimmering before us, illuminated by the early evening sun. Dive in and swim, right away! But it takes a few more bends and climbs before we finally reach Strunjan. Shortly before sunset, we manage an evening swim. What doesn't work out is a stroll through the old town of Piran, which is closed due to filming. Netflix is currently filming an agent thriller there with stars such as Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry. Even film people know where it's beautiful.
Cycle tour Slovenia - Tour character
From the Alps across the Karst plateau to the sea at Strunjan - that's the tour. The biggest hurdle lurks right at the start in the Julian Alps: the pass road to the Vršič Pass. It winds its way up almost 800 metres in altitude over ten kilometres. You are rewarded with a wonderful descent into the Soča Valley. Then it's off along the Soča via Bovec to Plave and once a little steeper up into the Tuscan-style wine country close to Italy to Šmartno in Brda. Before travelling across the Karst plateau, the tour leads via Nova Gorica through the Vipava Valley.
From the Karst, you can take it easy - following the Parenzana cycle path, you roll leisurely towards the Mediterranean. There are only a few climbs on the coast - the views of the sea make up for it.
Tour route & GPS data
Kranjska Gora - Bovec - Kobarid - Tolmin - Šmartno in Brda - Nova Gorica - Dornberk - Štanjel - Sežana - Divača - Koper - Strunjan
You can download the GPS data for the cycle tour through Slovenia download here for free or find them in the MYBIKE Collection on komoot
Information about the cycle tour through Slovenia
Arrival
Car: The start is in Kranjska Gora, half an hour's drive from Villach in Austria. The journey from Munich via Salzburg (A8, A10) takes around four hours. From Frankfurt it's seven hours, from Hamburg a whopping ten, and it takes a similar time from Berlin
Railway: The nearest railway station is in Jesenice, from where buses run every half hour to Kranjska Gora, 20 km away.
Bus connections: www.ap-ljubljana.si/en (in English)
Flight: Only a few airlines (e.g. Lufthansa from Frankfurt) fly directly to the capital Ljubljana. From there, continue by hire car or bus.
Best time to travel for a cycling holiday in Slovenia
May until the beginning of October
Sights worth seeing on the cycle tour through Slovenia
Kobarid: Kobarid Museum - The privately owned museum provides comprehensive information about the battles in the Soča Valley during the First World War. Definitely worth a visit, even if it is a dark chapter in history.
Tolmin: Tolminka Gorge/Dolina Soče Entrance to the Triglav National Park. The gorges of the mountain river are up to 60 metres deep. The two-kilometre circular route takes about an hour and costs an entrance fee.
Škocjan Caves Underground canyons through which the underground river Reka foams, gorges, grottos and stalactite caves - the "Škocjanske Jame" were already sung about by Pliny the Elder and Virgil and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Absolutely worthwhile!
Recommended accommodation for your cycle tour through Slovenia
Kranjska Gora: Hotel Kotnik
Centrally located, friendly hotel with adjoining pizzeria. From 120 euros/double room with breakfast
Near Bovec: Hotel Boka
Located just outside Bovec near the Boka waterfall, larger hotel with great views of the Soča Valley and a very good restaurant. From 120 euros/double room with breakfast
Šmartno in Brda: Hotel San Martin
Very pleasant eco-hotel in the Goriška brda wine country in a former school with a recommendable restaurant. From 110 euros/double room with breakfast
Dornberk: Wine and Glamping Saksida, campsite in the vineyards with pool and holiday cottages (from 98 euros, surcharge for a single overnight stay). In the evening, you should treat yourself to the tasting menu (68 euros, for 6 courses without drinks).
Strunjan: Hotel Salinera
Large hotel directly on the beach between Strunjan and Piran. From 80 euros/double room with breakfast
Food and drink
Regional, often Austrian-inspired cuisine dominates. More and more chefs are using regional and seasonal ingredients. One speciality is air-dried pršut, raw ham that is dried in the Karst wind for several months. The Tuscany-like Goriška brda wine region in particular produces excellent wines. A Slovenian speciality is the dark red Teran wine, which is grown in the Karst region and elsewhere. Slovenia's mineral waters also taste really good, especially the Radenska water with the three hearts.
MYBIKE tip: Mamma Marija in Kranjska Gora.
Head chef Miha has already won several awards, including an entry in the Michelin Guide: the young chef puts a modern twist on traditional recipes and uses regional ingredients, but also draws inspiration from the cuisine of neighbouring Italy and Austria. Each course is accompanied by the right wine.
Bike hire in Kranjska Gora:
- Intersport Bernik
- Bike Kekec
Luggage transport:
www.bike-kekec.si or: via-avantura.si/en/transfers
Further addresses
Slovenian Tourist Board: www.slovenia.info
Organiser on site: https://slovenia-outdoor.com
The local tourist offices are very helpful, for example in Kranjska Gora: kranjska-gora.si/en
