The Triglav Nature Park stretches across the mountains of north-west Slovenia. This unspoilt area of 880 km2 is well worth exploring during your stay. Its spectacular natural attractions appeal to all visitors. You’ll find beautiful viewpoints, fabulous hikes and wild places. In this immense park, you can admire the high peaks of the Alps, crystal-clear lakes, gorges, waterfalls, crystal-clear springs… You can also go on spectacular hikes.
Discover the best attractions in the Triglav Nature Park!
Several attractions are quite popular in summer, such as the Vintgar Gorge and Lake Bohinj, but others are completely unknown to tourists. In this article, you’ll find the great Slovenian tourist classics, as well as some secret attractions that I’ve discovered over dozens of days exploring the park. They can all be admired in complete tranquillity, with the sound of the wind gliding between the peaks of the Julian Alps.
What to see in Slovenia in the Triglav Natural Park
In this article, you’ll find all the details on how to get to and visit these attractions.
A very important point to remember when planning your holiday
Remember that Slovenia is beautiful everywhere. Don’t think that it’s any less beautiful on the outskirts of the national park or anywhere else in Slovenia, because it is splendid. The National Park protects only 4% of Slovenia. This area includes the highest mountains and the spectacular attractions you will discover in this article. Bear in mind that there are also beautiful places elsewhere in Slovenia and that you don’t have to restrict your discovery of Slovenia’s mountains to the Triglav National Park.
Accommodation: Staying at Lake Bled or Lake Bohinj are two good options for discovering Triglav National Park.
Triglav – Slovenia’s highest mountain
Situated in the centre of the nature park, Triglav is Slovenia’s highest mountain – 2,864 m – and the most popular in summer. It is also the most popular mountain in Slovenia in summer. All Slovenes must climb it one day to become “true Slovenes”. There are several hiking trails to its summit.
The paths to Triglav are very well signposted, but the last part is vertiginous.
Tips: In summer, you can avoid the crowds by staying at the Dom Planika refuge rather than at Triglavski dom na kredarici. It’s best to get up before the sun so that you can complete the last section without the crowds and before the other hikers.
Aljazev stolp, the little tower at the top of Triglav, a symbol familiar to all Slovenians
My advice for the summer
Avoid the Triglav and climb one of the many other 2,000m peaks in the Julian Alps. They are much less frequented and just as beautiful. Your hike alone in the world will be much more enjoyable that way.
To help you choose, and to keep you away from other tourists, here’s a list of great off-the-beaten-track peaks to hike: Trupejevo poldne, Kepa, Crna prst, Visevnik, Struska, Vajnez, Vrh nad skrbino, Jerebica, Travnik, etc.
Two maps of the park to help you find your way around
The official map of the park
Relief map of the national park with lakes Bled and Bohinj
The majestic north face of Triglav
It’s easy to find yourself at the foot of an impressive 1,000m-high north face. You can reach the face by taking a gravel road that passes in front of the splendid Pericnik waterfall (Slovenia’s most beautiful waterfall – a must-see in the rest of this article).
A wild, extraordinary and imposing north face
At the foot of the north face, the old Aljazev dom refuge serves traditional dishes. There are two signposted routes up the face. This is an express but demanding route to Triglav (7 hours one way). You can climb for an hour and then turn back.
The Vintgar Gorge
Magnificent gorges a few kilometres from Lake Bled. You’ll walk on wooden footbridges over a tumultuous stream and leave with some great photos in your smartphone. Full details of this place, which is best visited very early in the morning or at the very end of the day, are in this other article. A visit to these gorges is usually combined with a visit to Lake Bled.
Lake Planina pri jezeru
At 150m long, this pretty mountain lake is one of Slovenia’s largest high-altitude lakes. It lies in a former glacial valley. Here you can admire a mountain pasture, wooden huts and a refuge. It’s a three-hour hike from Lake Bohinj, or a good hour if you take the bus in summer to Planina Blato. A secret tip explained in this blog.
Lake Bohinj, the wildest lake
A majestic lake wedged between the mountains of the Julian Alps. It’s Slovenia’s favourite lake. In fact, although you’ll love Lake Bled, you’ll probably prefer this wilder lake. I went back for several days to explore all its nooks and crannies and write an article about the best things to do and see around Lake Bohinj.
My favourite thing about Lake Bohinj: an almost flat cycle path that runs through the mountain pastures and leads to the lake. It is mentioned in the blog.
The incredible Pericnik waterfall
A splendid waterfall that’s easily reached by car and then a 15-minute walk (be careful, it’s a tough climb!). You can walk behind the 52-metre-high waterfall, a memorable experience that’s a little damp but makes for some great photos. Remember to bring a k-way and a spare T-shirt! In winter, the waterfall freezes over and a few experienced Slovenian climbers climb it.
Little secret: There’s a second, equally beautiful waterfall above it, and like me on my first visit, most tourists miss it!
The Gozd Martuljek waterfalls
A hike that passes through a gorge before reaching a beautiful waterfall and a mountain pasture for refreshments. A must for a trip to Slovenia off the beaten track. It’s still a little-known place, but it deserves your full attention. I’ve devoted a whole article to it, which you can read on the blog.
Zelenci springs
An emerald-coloured pool just a stone’s throw from the Kranjska Gora ski resort. Once you’ve parked in the car park beside the main road, it’s a ten-minute walk through the forest to Zelenci (unlike the Pericnik waterfall, the access path here is flat). It’s the ideal spot for a pretty Instagram photo that will blow up your likes counter (as you can see above, all the tourists are taking the same photo). However, in my opinion, Zelenci isn’t worth the diversions, as the surrounding area is a little less idyllic than the photos posted on Zelenci’s Instagram suggest. That’s why all the Instagram photos are taken from the same angle.
Zelenci can be visited very quickly. There’s no need to spend half a day in Zelenci.
The Soca River
A turquoise, tumultuous river that kayakers from all over Europe are familiar with. Its colour and beauty have attracted many film-makers to shoot films and adverts here. You can raft or hydropseed down it, or even swim in it, but you can’t stay for more than a few minutes as the water is icy cold.
Make the Soca part of your sports and mountain holiday in Slovenia
A river to be admired, but simply following it by car to see it, as I did the first time I went there, is not a good idea. To discover this magnificent region, I advise you to plan some sporting activities, hiking and white-water sports (canyoning, hydrospeed, rafting).
The fantastic Visevnik hike
This is a beautiful, easy 4-hour hike to which I have devoted a full article. You can discover it.
Velika Korita, fabulous gorges
For 750 metres, the Soca has carved out narrow gorges that are incredibly pretty. An exposed, unsecured path follows the gorge very, very closely. A gorge to admire on a hot summer’s day. When the weather’s fine, you can take a dip in the gorges – magical, but the water is freezing cold and you can’t stay in it long!
The Alpinum Juliana garden
Slovenia’sonly Alpine botanical garden was created in 1926 by Albert Bois de Chesne. Covering an area of 2,570 m2, you can admire around a hundred plants and flowers from the Julian Alps. The garden is located at an altitude of 800 m (which is a bit low for some mountain flowers). Ideally visited in late spring, when it resembles a Japanese garden.
Worth knowing: You’re bound to drive past it if you decide to visit the Soca Valley, as the garden is right beside the road you’ll be following.
The Planina Zajamniki chalets
A beautiful string of wooden cottages just off the Pokljuka plateau, but the path to get there is not much fun (it’s a forest track, often with no view). This place is rarely visited. I’ve written an article about it, but in my opinion, if you’re only spending a few days in Slovenia, it’s better to go to Velika Planina. Well, I’m nitpicking, it’s superb all the same.
The secret lake of Krn
A large high-altitude lake 408 m long in a splendid Alpine setting at an altitude of 1,384 m. It can be reached from the Soca valley by a 2h40m walk (740m ascent). To get there, you have to climb through a forest with no visibility and it’s rather long (I didn’t enjoy it). As a result, although the lake is magnificent, I didn’t select it as one of Slovenia’s must-see attractions.
Nice refuge located 15 minutes from the lake (Name: Dom pri Krnski jezerih).
From the lake, you can thenclimb to the summit of Krn (875 m more ascent), a mythical peak, and then descend on the other side to the village of Dreznica. If you do the whole hike, it’s well worth it!
Duration : 2h40 ascent – Ascent 740m
Krn summit (2,243 m)
A mythical summit at 2,243 m with an incredible view over the Soca valley. You first pass the Krn lake before reaching the summit. Along the way, you’ll come across remnants of the First World War. A terrible battle took place in the Soca valley.
Duration : 5 hours’ ascent – Ascent 1,575 m
Zadnjica, a lost valley
A secret, lost valley that you can walk through until you find yourself at the foot of the immense face of Triglav. This easy route starts in the Soca valley at the last bend of the Vrsic pass. It’s a very seldom-visited spot, where you’ll feel all alone in the world in the face of towering mountains.
The Pokljuka Gorge
A secret, dry, impressive and little-visited gorge to which I have devoted an entire article. A must-see if you’re spending several days at Lake Bohinj or Lake Bled. It’s also worth a visit if you’re fed up of meeting other tourists and want to be alone in the world (in early August, you’ll still come across a few hikers).
The Mostnica canyon beside Lake Bohinj
A gorge above Lake Bohinj that you follow on foot through the forest. Lovely, but the views over the canyon are far too sparse for my liking and I think there are better things to do at Lake Bohinj. (Note: some French friends recently hiked this path with young children (1 and 4 years old) and enjoyed the walk because it was so easy).
At the end, there’s a refuge, Koca na vojah, serving traditional Slovenian dishes, and you’ll find a beautiful mountain pasture deep in the mountains.
Prisank
Loska koritnica
A lost valley next to Bovec.
Adojvska deklica
A famous face on Mount Prisant, also known as Prisolnik (2547 m). Slovenians call her Adojvska deklica, the pagan maiden. You can admire her as you drive up the magnificent Vrsic pass, a winding road that takes you from the resort of Kranjska Gora to the white-water sports mecca of Bovec (a village in the Soca valley).
Worth knowing: The two places of note if you want to catch a glimpse of the pagan maiden are Poštarski dom and Erjavec.
Lake Jasna, Slovenia’s most photogenic lake
A pretty artificial lake, or two to be precise, that can be reached in a few minutes by car from the low-altitude ski resort of Kranjska Gora. You can swim here in summer and take some very, very nice photos. It’s an artificial lake. Depending on the lighting of the day, the place can be magical. It’s the most photogenic lake in Slovenia, but not the most beautiful.
Tip: A very pleasant place to have a coffee. I stop here every time. Don’t eat there.
The valley of the 7 lakes
A magnificent alpine valley to hike through. You’ll pass by these 7 small mountain lakes. For Slovenians, this is a classic long hike, so it’s not to be missed if you enjoy mountain walking. You start at the top of Lake Bohinj (from Planina Blato, for example). You can then reach the summit of Triglav. For me, this hike is even more interesting than the summit of Triglav itself. It’s the most beautiful path to the summit and one of the most beautiful in the Triglav National Park.
Information on the 7 lakes hike: 17 km – 2,500 m ascent – No obligation to climb to the summit of Triglav (the last part is more technical than the rest of the hike) – Can be done in two days if you are very sporty, but three days is much better. There are several refuges along the way, but beware, many are only open in summer.
Classic one-way route (9h): Starts from Koca pri Savici (663m) at the end of Lake Bohinj , easily reached by bus or car. A very steep start with a lot of difference in altitude. Head for the Koca pri Triglavski Jezerih hut in 3 hours, then Koca na Dolicuh and Triglaski Dom na kredarici.
Return journey (7 hours): Triglaski dom na kredarici – Vodnikov dom – Voje – village of stara Fuzina (the descent can be made by bus from Planina Blato – check timetables beforehand)
The moving Russian chapel
This wooden chapel was built during the First World War by Russian prisoners of war in memory of their friends who died building the road over the Vršič pass. This is the road you will take if you are travelling to the magnificent Soca Valley. 400 prisoners lost their lives during the construction of this winding mountain road, including 110 in March 1916 as a result of an avalanche. The road linking the ski resort of Kranjska Gora to the Soca Valley was of strategic importance, as the Soca Valley was the scene of a huge and bloody battle during the First World War. Soldiers needed to be supplied with weapons and military equipment.
Goreljek, lost village
A lost village on the Pokljuka plateau with a small marsh that can be explored on foot with explanatory signs, and a lost and original place where I strongly recommend you stay. It’s here.
The high-altitude road to Mangart
This mythical 2,679m summit is approached by Slovenia’s highest road, which passes through Italy and takes you to the foot of Mangart. A magnificent panoramic route. Once you reach the end of the road, you’ll be treated to a magnificent view. Experienced hikers can embark on a two-hour ascent to the summit. Having done it myself, it’s a tough climb through rock. Numerous ropes secure the exposed passages (and there are many of them). Be sure to follow the Italian Smer “Italian path” signs, as the Slovenian path is a via-ferrata. Ideally, you should have a helmet for the ascent. This summit is a little nugget for those of you who read the articles to the end.