Introduction
In late August 2023, Angela and I flew to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, to meet eight of our cycling friends for a two-week, self-organized tour of the northwest of Slovenia. Our route took us from Ljubljana to Bled, then into the Julian Alps and over the Vrsic pass, the highest mountain pass in Slovenia. From there, we descended the Soca River valley into the Vipava Valley wine region. Cutting through Italy we then rode to Piran, a vacation center on the Adriatic Coast. A day ride in Croatia along the Istrian coast using the Parenzana Trail completed our trip.
This page is a placeholder for our photos from the trip, as well as information about each bike ride. Each activity includes:
- a photo album on its own page
- a Strava record of the rides. Note that these are my rides, and I sometimes wander from the prescribed route! Hikes are recorded in AllTrails
- each ride has a link to the route in RideWithGPS.
- each ride also has an animated playback on a 3D map, using Relive, again based on my rides
But First! A mini Family Holiday
We took advantage of our trip to spend some time with our middle daughter Heather and her boyfriend Sam. They live in the UK, so we don't get to see them often.
We managed to get settled into our hotel, the Petkovsek in central Ljubljana, get our bikes unpacked, and do a short city ride to check out ourselves and our bikes. We got the route from VisitLjubljana.com: website
- RWGPS Route: SL 1a Ljubljana Waterside Loop
- Strava Log: Ljubljana Waterside Loop
The next day we met up with Heather and Sam and spent the day walking around Ljubljana and sampling flights of Slovenian wines at a wine bar near the hotel, and eating good food. of course!
The next morning we rented a car and drove to the Postojna Cave south of Ljubljana, in Slovenia's Karst region. They were spectacular and well worth the drive!
We drove from the caves through Ljubljana and on to Bled, where we spent three nights at Apartments Skok, in Zaslip a village in the foothills above Bled.
On our first full day, we borrowed city cruiser bikes from our apartments and rode into town and around Lake Bled. We stopped halfway around to hike up to the Mala Osojnica lookout - a short but steep climb, with spectacular views. On the way back we stopped for a charcuterie lunch at farm Dornk. Everything, the beer, cheeses, meats, and bread is made on the farm. We were even offered a tour of the 200-year-old farmhouse with its traditional "black kitchen".
After a short rest back at the apartments, we headed out on an afternoon hike through Vintgar Gorge. We found a classic loop hike that included the gorge that passed near Zaslip, so we could walk right from our accommodations. It was a great hike, but we were not overly impressed with the Gorge, given it's such a popular attraction and has an admission fee.
On our last full day in Bled we drove to Lac Bohinj, another beautiful lake and popular tourist area west of Bled. We started with another gorge hike - Mostnica Gorge. We did a couple of short hikes (west end and east end) along Lac Bohinj to take in the spectacular scenery.
On our last full day in Bled we drove to Lac Bohinj, another beautiful lake and popular tourist area west of Bled. We started with another gorge hike - Mostnica Gorge. We did a couple of short hikes (west end and east end) along Lac Bohinj to take in the spectacular scenery.
The following day we dropped off Heather and Sam at the train station, where they were taking a train to Salzburg, we drove back to Ljubljana, dropped off the car, and met up with our 8 cycling enthusiasts.
The Cycling Tour
Introduction
Our group of ten spent a couple of days enjoying the Ljubljana sights, food, and wine before we headed cross-country tour proper. Our trip was 100% self-organized, with different folks taking on the various work that's needed for a successful cycling trip. I handled the RWGPS route design. We had Bled Shuttle handle all our transfers, as well as carrying our baggage from town-to-town - No panniers needed!
Sept 1: Ljubljana Green Tour
We did a short "shakedown" around the Ljubljana area, using the route from VisitLjubljana.com. To the delight of some and the chagrin of others, this turned out to be a mixed-surface gravel ride, with a number of off-road paths and some steep hills up & down. A great way to get us ready for the mountains to come!
- RWGPS Route: SL1B Green Ljubljana Tour
- Strava Log: Green Ljubljana Tour
- Relive Video: Ljubljana Mixed Surface Tour
Sept 2: Ljubljana to Bled
A hot sunny day for our first day on the road! It took a while to ride across Ljubljana on busy city roads to get to the Sava River. We followed the river northwest to Medvode where we diverted from the river to visit the medieval town of Skofja Loka. After a short visit we headed back to the Sava via some pancake-flat open farmland, with views of the Alps bordering Austria in the distance. We rejoined the Sava at Kranj, where we stopped at a Hypermarket for lunch. After lunch, we rode through rural countryside, and into the foothills of the Alps. The clouds moved in and threatened rain, but fortunately, only resulted in occasional drizzle. Besides the wet, we had some construction to navigate around. Fortunately, the heavy equipment operator stopped his digging to let us pass!
- RWGPS Route: SL 2a Ljubljana-Skofja Loka-Bled
- Strava Log: Ljubljana to Bled
- Relive Video: Ljubljana to Bled
Sept 3: Bled - Lake Bohinj Loop
We stayed three nights at the Villa Anna, so we had time to take in the Bled region. Today, we did a loop ride west from Bled to Lac Bohinj, another scenic lake in the foothills. The day started sunny and hot. Great scenery on the ride, through the valley between Bled and Bohinj, but especially in the alpine pastures and villages above the valley that we rode through on the way out. Stop for iced coffee and Slovenian sweet bread at a Gostilna on the way out. And a swim in Lake Bohinj at the beach on the east end of the lake.
On the way back we stopped for for coffee and strudel at Gostilnica Štrudl, which was delicious. But the rain was starting - we tempted fate and lost! Back on our bikes, the heavens opened - we rode through a massive thunderstorm with heavy rain, wind, lightning, & even a bit of hail on the way back. And on a busy highway to boot! That’s what we get for starting our ride at 9:30 on a day when thunderstorms are likely in the afternoon!
- RWGPS Route: SL 3a Bled Lake Bohinj (Sitnica)
- Strava Log: Bled to Lake Bohinj
- Relive Video: Bled - Lake Bohinj Loop
Sept 5: Bled to Kranska Gora
The day started nice, but rain was forecast for early afternoon so Angela and I elected to have an early start, which meant riding on our own. We began on quiet rolling roads, onto a flat floodplain, and then into the mountains. A beautiful ride on idyllic cycling roads. We are in the Slovenian Alps now!
A drizzle began just as we entered Kranska Gora, a ski resort at the base of Vrsic Pass, the highest mountain pass in Slovenia. We arrived too early to check into our accommodation at Apartments Vitranc, so Angela walked around the town, while I went on my own and did the Vrsic Pass climb solo from Kranska Gora (which is the easy side).
It’s the highest pass in the Slovenian Alps. 24 numbered cobblestone switchbacks. 880 meters of climbing over 11.5km. And it started to rain again just after I started the climb! Not too bad, but I went extra slow on the rough cobbled hairpin turns on the descent!
- RWGPS Route: SL 4b Bled - Kranjska Gora (without the Vrsic climb!)
- Strava Log: Bled to Kranska Gora + Vrsic Pass
- Relive Video: Bled to Kranska Gora (+ Vsric)
Sept 6: Over the Vrsic Pass to Kobarid
A cool, drizzle day dawned for the first of the two big climbing days on our tour. And the Vrsic Pass climb started as soon as we left town. The Vrsic Pass climb from Kranska Gora is 818 meters over 11.5km with 24 rough cobbled switchbacks. The road steepens as you climb, and there are several sections over 13%. It can also get quite busy. We arranged our tour to do the climb on a weekday, we were in the offseason, and it was foggy & wet. But the road still had a fair bit of traffic. Some major construction at the top did not help! It is a hard climb.
But then we were treated to a fabulous descent 1,200 meters down over 24km, with 26 switchbacks, with good road and no cobbles. And some amazing views down the steep side of the Soca Valley. We followed the valley to the town of Kobarid, and our accommodation at the Apartments Pri Nas
- RWGPS Route: SL 5a Kranska Gora - Kobarid (Vrsic Pass)
- Strava Log: Kranska Gora to Kobarid over the Vrsic Pass
- Relive Video: Over the Vrsic Pass to Kobarid
Sept 7: Hiking in Kobarid
We had a "rest day" in Kobarid. While a few folks did a short bike ride, several of us hiked from our apartments, across the famous Napolean Bridge, to the Slap Kozjak waterfall.
- AllTrails: Slap Kozjak
Sept 8: Kobarid to Vipava
Our second big climbing (and descending) day. We left early to avoid potential thunderstorms, which never occurred, and we made good time. There was lots of climbing again today, but the largest was only 450 meters vertical, and nothing was very steep. We stopped in Solkan, just before Nova Gorica at the Caffè Bar Solkan Memedi Abdula for coffee and snacks before heading into the Vipava valley. We are now deep in wine country- vineyards everywhere! Our accommodation was Hiša Posebne Sorte, a lovely Agriturismo inn on a vineyard near the village of Kodreti.
- RWGPS Route: SL 7b Kobarid-Vipava
- Strava Log: Kobarid to Vipava Valley
- Relieve Video: Kobarid to Vipava
Sept 9: Around the Vipava Valley
It was raining until 11 am, so five of us took advantage of a break in the rain to do a short ride through the vineyards of the Vipava and Branica valleys. We are in the karst region, out of the Slovenian Alps, but it’s still hilly when one crosses between valleys!
We went on an exploration, following a route from the Vipava Valley Tourist Website. On the way back we decided to take a shortcut, and even though Google Maps claimed we were on a motor vehicle road, ended up on a very rough, rocky, narrow path with 12% grades, through the middle of vineyards - suitable for tractors, or a really rowdy gravel ride, but for a road ride, not so much! So we did some hike-a-biking.
Still, it was a lot of fun, the scenery was great, and the wine grapes we sampled were incredibly flavourful and sweet!
We also enjoyed a wine-tasting session and nice dinners in the stone cellar restaurant of Hiša Posebne Sorte, and chatted with the owner about life in a rural wine-growing region.
- RWGPS Route: SL 8b Vipava - The Branica Valley
- Strava Log: Tour of the Branica & Vipava Valley
- Relive Video: Tour of the Branica & Vipava Valley
Sept 10: Vipava to Piran
A beautiful sunny day as we rode through the karst region to the Adriatic coast and then south along the coast to Piran. We rode through the Lipica Stud Farm, the home of the Lipizzan horse. Then we crossed into Italy for a screamingly steep descent to Trieste to meet the Adriatic coast. But before the beauty of the Adriatic, we had to navigate the crazy busy traffic and doge crazy Italian drivers to get through Trieste (So we can say we visited Italy on this trip!).
Outside of Trieste we met up with the Parenzana Trail, an old railway line, and followed it most of the way into Piran. This included two lovely railway tunnels! The ride along the coast was beautiful, as were the countless vineyards and olive orchards along the way.
After navigating the busy beach areas of Piran, a seaside resort town, we arrived in the pedestrian area of the city centre and the Miracolo di Mare, our final accommodation on this trip.
- RWGPS Route: SL 9 Vipava - Vilenica Cave - Piran
- Strava Log: Vipava to Piran
- Relieve Video: Vipava to Piran
Sept 11: Along the Istrian Coast to Croatia
For our last day, we all went on a short scenic ride along the Istrian peninsula on the Adriatic coast from Piran through resort/beach areas in Croatia to Bašanija, the westernmost point of Croatia. We started our ride along the beaches of Piran and then into the very interesting salt flats south of Piran, which are preserved as a national park. We rode along the EuroVelo 8 route for part of the ride, which runs on the old Parenzana railway trail. This included a very rough gravel climb on the way out and descent on the way back. We had lunch on the coast at Bašanija, overlooking the Adriatic sea.
We also enjoyed walking around the large pedestrian town centre of Piran, some fabulous seafood meals, and a spectacular sunset.
- RWGPS Route: SL10 Piran - Croatia
- Strava Log: Piran to Croatia along the Istrian Coast
- Relieve Video: Along the Istrian Coast to Croatia
And Onward!
After having great weather for our trip, a severe storm blew in over Europe on September 12th, with heavy rain, flooding, and cold temperatures. We waited shivering in the rain for our Bled Shuttle vans to take us onward. Four of us were headed directly back to Ljubljana in one van. Angela, myself, and four others took another van, first to Bled, where two folks were dropping off rental bikes. Then Angela, myself, Tim and Linda were shuttled to Villach in Austria where we were to catch a train to Salzburg to head onward for a two-week pannier trip on EuroVelo 15 down the Rhein.
The normally 2-hour van ride took 6 hours due to flooding and snarled traffic. We missed our train in Villach, but after waiting 3 hours in the train station, wet and cold, did get a late train to Salzburg. It was snowing pretty heavily, and the conductor informed us that we were on the last train before the tracks were closed due to snow & ice! But we made it to Salzburg after midnight, considering ourselves lucky - and onward to the next adventure.