Soca Valley
5
Day Itinerary •
Slovenia
Five days in the Soca Valley lets you explore the complete length of Slovenia's most extraordinary river landscape, from the source high in Triglav National Park to the Adriatic plain, taking in the finest waterfalls, gorges, WWI battlefields, alpine villages and wild swimming spots in the Julian Alps. This route follows the full valley from north to south. The Vrsic Pass, the Soca source hike, the extraordinary Kozjak waterfall, the Kobarid ossuary and Michelin-starred restaurant, the Tolmin gorges, the Idrija mercury mines, the Vipava Valley wine country and the finest local trout, Tolmin cheese and Rebula wine in Slovenia.
Best Time To Visit
May to September
Getting There
Fly into Ljubljana (LJU), drive 2.5 hours to Bovec
Getting Around
Rental car essential throughout
Budget Per Day
Approx 80 to 130 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy to moderate, walking and driving
DAY 1
VRSIC PASS AND BOVEC
MORNING
VRSIC PASS, THE ROOF OF THE JULIAN ALPS
The Vrsic Pass at 1,611 metres is the highest mountain road in Slovenia, built by Russian prisoners of war during WWI. Fifty hairpin bends ascend above the treeline to extraordinary views over the Triglav massif and the Soca Valley below. The Russian Chapel halfway up, built by the prisoners in memory of colleagues killed in an avalanche in 1916, is extraordinarily moving. The descent into the valley reveals the Soca river for the first time, an impossible turquoise that no photograph accurately captures. Drive: 1 hour drive to Soca source trailhead
MIDDAY
HIKE TO THE SOURCE OF THE SOCA
The Izvir Soce, the source of the Soca river, is a 90-minute hike each way into Triglav National Park from the valley road below Vrsic. The river emerges from a cave in a sheer limestone cliff in a shade of electric blue that is extraordinary even by Soca standards. The hike passes through old-growth forest and along the infant river as it widens from a trickle to a stream. One of the finest short hikes in Slovenia. Free to enter the national park on foot. Drive: 30 min drive to Bovec
AFTERNOON
BOVEC AND THE GREAT SOCA GORGE
The Great Soca Gorge just outside Bovec is the finest introduction to the river on the valley floor, where the turquoise water forces through a narrow limestone canyon on a short signed trail. Bovec is the adventure capital of the valley, a compact mountain town with the best selection of river operators, guides and evening restaurants. Check in and explore before dinner.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Predel Pass road just north of Bovec leads to the extraordinary Kluze Fort, a Habsburg military fortress built into a sheer cliff face above the Koritnica gorge. Used in both WWI and WWII, the fort is remarkably preserved and gives extraordinary views down into the gorge below. Entry approx 3 euros.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Kranjska Gora Coffee before the Vrsic ascent. The town at the base of the pass has excellent bakeries. | Lunch: Picnic at Soca source Pack lunch from Kranjska Gora. There are no facilities on the source hike. | Dinner: Letni Vrt, Bovec Local venison, mushroom risotto and the finest Primorska white wine in the valley.
DAY 2
BOKA FALLS AND KOZJAK
MORNING
BOKA WATERFALL, THE HIGHEST FALLS IN SLOVENIA
The Boka Waterfall above Bovec is the highest waterfall in Slovenia at 106 metres, visible from the main valley road as a white thread dropping from a sheer limestone cliff. A 40-minute hike from the road reaches the base of the falls where the spray and sound are extraordinary and the full scale of the drop becomes apparent. The trail continues beyond to a viewpoint above the falls with extraordinary views over the upper Soca Valley. Free to access. Drive: 30 min drive to Kozjak
MIDDAY
KOZJAK WATERFALL, THE HIDDEN WONDER OF THE VALLEY
The Kozjak waterfall near Kobarid is the most extraordinary waterfall in Slovenia. A signed trail follows the Kozjak stream through a narrow limestone canyon before the path passes behind a curtain of rock into an extraordinary natural amphitheatre where the waterfall drops into a vivid green pool. The light inside the cave is unlike anything else in Slovenia. Go mid-morning when the light enters the amphitheatre directly. Entry approx 3 euros. Drive: 15 min drive to Kobarid
AFTERNOON
NAPOLEONIC BRIDGE AND RIVER SWIMMING
The Napoleonic Bridge outside Kobarid is a reconstructed stone bridge over the Soca at one of the finest swimming spots on the entire river, where the water widens into extraordinary emerald pools with a gravel beach. The walk along the Soca from Kobarid follows the river through meadows and under limestone cliffs for 90 minutes, returning via the extraordinary viewpoint above the town with the best view of the valley bend.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Drežnica viewpoint above Kobarid is the finest aerial view of the Soca Valley from anywhere along its length. A 40-minute drive up a narrow mountain road reaches an extraordinary panorama of the river bends below and the Triglav massif beyond. Almost no tourists ever come here. Free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Bovec Early coffee before the Boka hike. The waterfall trail is best in morning light. | Lunch: Picnic at Napoleonic Bridge Pick up supplies in Kobarid and eat on the river beach. The finest picnic spot in Slovenia. | Dinner: Kotlar, Kobarid Traditional Slovenian cooking, local trout and exceptional Rebula wine from the Brda region.
DAY 3
KOBARID AND THE ISONZO FRONT
MORNING
THE KOBARID MUSEUM, FINEST WWI MUSEUM IN EUROPE
The Kobarid Museum tells the story of the Isonzo Front, where twelve battles were fought between 1915 and 1917 in the mountains above the Soca Valley with catastrophic losses on both sides. The museum won the Council of Europe Museum Prize and is considered the finest WWI museum in Europe. The collection of photographs, maps and personal testimonies from soldiers of multiple nationalities is extraordinary. Entry approx 7 euros. Drive: 20 min walk uphill
MIDDAY
ITALIAN WWI OSSUARY, 7,000 SOLDIERS ON THE HILL
The Italian Ossuary on the hill above Kobarid contains the remains of 7,000 Italian soldiers killed on the Isonzo Front. Three concentric terraces of burial chambers lead up to an extraordinary chapel at the summit with views over the valley where the battles were fought. The scale and silence of the ossuary are profoundly moving. The walk up from the town takes 15 minutes through mixed forest. Free to enter. Drive: 30 min drive along valley
AFTERNOON
SOCA RIVER BEACHES AND AFTERNOON SWIMMING
The section of the Soca between Kobarid and Tolmin contains the finest river beaches in the valley, where the river widens over gravel bars into shallow swimming areas with the Julian Alps as backdrop. Several unmarked access points along the valley road lead to empty beaches even in summer. The water is cold but extraordinarily clear. Several local operators run guided canyoning trips on the Soca tributaries in the afternoon.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Walk of Peace is a 300km marked trail along the entire Isonzo Front from Log pod Mangartom to the Adriatic. The section above Kobarid passes extraordinary WWI fortifications, gun emplacements and mountain trenches preserved in the forest above the valley. A half-day walk accesses the finest section. Free, maps at the museum.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Kobarid bakery Fresh bread and local cheese before the museum opens at 9am. | Lunch: Hisa Franko, Kobarid Michelin-starred lunch by Ana Ros. Book weeks ahead. Worth every euro. | Dinner: Gostilna Surca Local farmhouse cooking, wild mushroom soup and aged Tolmin cheese to finish.
DAY 4
TOLMIN GORGES AND IDRIJA
MORNING
TOLMIN GORGES, THE DEEPEST CANYON IN SLOVENIA
The Tolmin Gorges at the southern end of the Soca Valley are the deepest river gorges in Slovenia, where the Tolminka and Zadlascica rivers cut through extraordinary vertical limestone walls. A signed trail descends into the canyon past the Bear's Head rock formation and the Dante's Cave thermal spring where the water reaches 22 degrees even in winter. The confluence of the two rivers at the bottom is extraordinary. Entry approx 7 euros. Drive: 40 min drive to Idrija
MIDDAY
IDRIJA, UNESCO MERCURY MINE AND EXTRAORDINARY LACE
Idrija is one of the most extraordinary small towns in Slovenia, built around the second largest mercury mine in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Antonijev Kop mine shaft, opened in 1500, descends into extraordinary underground galleries and chambers. The town is also the home of Idrija lace, one of the finest traditional crafts in Slovenia, with an extraordinary lace museum in the town centre. Mine entry approx 12 euros. Drive: 30 min drive to Vipava
AFTERNOON
VIPAVA VALLEY AND THE FIRST WINE OF THE EVENING
The Vipava Valley opens out from the karst plateau in an extraordinary sequence of wine villages along the foot of the limestone escarpment. The indigenous Zelen and Pinela white wines grown here are almost unknown outside Slovenia and represent extraordinary value. Several small producers offer afternoon tastings. The medieval village of Vipava itself, with its extraordinary multiple springs emerging in the town centre, is worth an hour.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Zelin geological reserve near Idrija contains the finest exposure of mercury ore seams in the world, visible as vivid red cinnabar in the rock face of an extraordinary ravine. A short signed trail from the road leads to the exposure. The colour of the ore against the grey limestone is extraordinary. Free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Gostilna v Tolminu Local breakfast before the gorges. Excellent coffee and fresh Tolmin cheese. | Lunch: Gostilna Barbara, Idrija Traditional Idrija dishes including the extraordinary Idrijski zlikrofi dumplings. | Dinner: Guerila, Vipava Valley Outstanding natural wine restaurant in a converted farmhouse. Book ahead.
DAY 5
VIPAVA VALLEY AND DEPARTURE
MORNING
AJDOVSCINA AND THE ROMAN TOWN
Ajdovscina at the western end of the Vipava Valley contains extraordinary remains of the Roman town of Castra, with the best-preserved Roman city walls in Slovenia still standing to their original height in several sections. The Lavric Gallery houses the finest collection of works by the extraordinary early 20th-century painter Veno Pilon, who documented the Soca Valley and Isonzo Front in extraordinary detail. Entry to gallery approx 4 euros. Drive: 20 min drive up escarpment
MIDDAY
STANJEL, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGE ON THE KARST
Stanjel on the karst plateau above Vipava is one of the most extraordinary fortified villages in Slovenia, its medieval stone streets and extraordinary Ferrari Garden clinging to a limestone ridge with views stretching from the Julian Alps to the Adriatic coast on clear days. The restored castle gives the finest panorama. The village is almost entirely car-free and extraordinarily well preserved. Entry to castle approx 3 euros. Drive: 1 hour drive to Ljubljana
AFTERNOON
DRIVE TO LJUBLJANA FOR DEPARTURE
The drive from the Vipava Valley to Ljubljana takes one hour on the motorway, passing through the extraordinary Postojna karst landscape and crossing the watershed from the Adriatic to the Danube drainage. Ljubljana airport is 30 minutes from the city centre. If time allows, a final stop at Postojna Cave for the extraordinary cave railway into the largest cave system in Slovenia before departure. Cave entry approx 28 euros.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Lipica Stud Farm near Stanjel is the original home of the Lipizzan horse, the famous white stallions of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. The stud has operated continuously since 1580. Guided tours of the stables and paddocks run throughout the day. The horses are extraordinary up close. Entry approx 16 euros.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Vipava Coffee in the town square by the extraordinary springs before departing. | Lunch: Pri Lojzetu, Zemono Outstanding restaurant in a restored manor house in the Vipava Valley. Book ahead. | Dinner: Restaurant in Ljubljana Final dinner in the capital before the flight. Old Town restaurants along the Ljubljanica.
Where To Stay
Bovec, Nights 1 to 2 Hotel Mangart or Dobra Vila. Approx 80 to 150 euros per night. Kobarid, Nights 3 to 4 Hisa Franko area or Kobarid guesthouses. Approx 70 to 130 euros. Idrija or Vipava, Night 5 Boutique hotels in Vipava valley. Approx 70 to 120 euros.
Top Tips
1. Hike to the Soca source from Vrsic before visiting the valley. The electric blue spring emerging from the rock is extraordinary.
2. Kozjak waterfall is extraordinary alone. Go at 8am before the day groups arrive and you will have the cave pool to yourself.
3. Book Hisa Franko at least three weeks ahead. Ana Ros is one of the finest chefs in Europe and the tasting menu is outstanding.
4. The Idrija mercury mine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The guided tour into the tunnels takes 90 minutes and is extraordinary.
5. Vipava Valley wine is almost unknown outside Slovenia. The indigenous Zelen and Pinela white wines are extraordinary value.
6. Swim in the Soca at Kobarid rather than Bovec. The river is wider, calmer and more beautiful further down the valley.
Total Budget
80 to 130 euros/day