Kranjska Gora, Slovenia

We couldn't check into our apartment in Kranjska Gora until later in the afternoon, so we booked a morning tour of Vintgar Gorge. This is a very popular attraction in the area, and its proximity to Lake Bled means that it can book up so it's a good idea to make a reservation in advance. The Radovna River has cut a steep one-mile gorge that culminates in an impressively loud waterfall, Šum Falls. The word šum literally means "noise" and I would say that is an accurate name.

The walls of Vintgar Gorge are between 150 and 330 feet high and it is very narrow in places. The river rapids combined with the sheer walls of the canyon meant that this gorge was mostly inaccessible until the 1890s when the first wooden walkways were installed. It has been a popular tourist stop ever since. Due to frequent rockfalls, all visitors are required to wear a helmet.

So we have now driven up around Triglav National Park to the town of Kranjska Gora, on the park's northern side. Kranjska Gora is a charming ski town and our apartment is in a great location, walkable to the small chairlift, a great bike path, cafes, restaurants, and everything in town.

Our apartment building is on the southwest edge of town just beneath Mount Rušica with a great view towards the Martuljek mountains. In the photo below, it's the brown wood-paneled building just above the two people on the walking path. 

A twenty minute walk from our apartment is the beautiful and popular summer spot of Lake Jasna. It's actually two connected lakes -- there is a peninsula that cuts almost all the way across providing more shoreline for a beach. These two lakes are artificial, and even combined they are much smaller than Lake Bohinj and Lake Bled but it's still a very popular cooling-off spot. The shores are lined with vacation homes, cafes, restaurants, and a majestic bronze statue of an ibex.

There are about half a dozen bike rental shops within a stone's throw of our apartment. We discovered that there is a car-free bike trail that goes all the way from here to Italy, so on Saturday we got "back on the horse" so to speak and gave e-biking another try. Be impressed by my photography skills -- I managed to snap a few photos with my phone and not fall off of my bike!

It was such a pleasant day for a ride. The bike path is a converted abandoned railway line and runs past some of the prettiest scenery.

After a few kilometers, we locked up the bikes and took a walk in the forested Zelenci Nature Reserve. Zelen means "green" in Slovenian and there is a jewel-toned emerald green lake right in the heart of the reserve. The ground is marshy here and they have installed wooden walkways and an observation tower.

We didn't linger too long at the nature reserve and hopped back on the bikes to head to the border. Saying "we biked all the way from Slovenia to Italy" sounds much more impressive than "we rode about 4 easy, flat miles to the border", doesn't it?

It was actually a longer bike ride, around 7 miles, to get all the way to the Mangart Lakes (aka Laghi di Fusine -- in this part of the world most places have 2 or 3 names in different languages). The lower lake is Lago di Fusine Inferiore and it was like an emerald mirror reflecting the the sky and surrounding landscape.

At the upper lake (Lago di Fusine Superiore) we were hoping to get great views of the Mangart massif towering above. Mount Mangart is the fourth tallest peak in Slovenia and is usually visible from this part of Italy. Unfortunately some low-hanging mist obscured the mountaintops from view. 

On Sunday we got an early start and headed to the next town over Gozd Martuljek (try saying that ten times fast, I dare you). Gozd Martuljek is nestled at the foot of the Martuljek mountain group. In my opinion, this town has the most jaw-dropping mountain panorama I've ever seen - I actually gasped out loud the first time I saw it as we rounded a corner while driving. The perfect pyramid in the center is Špik.

After taking in the majestic view we continued on to the trail that leads through town to the Martuljški falls. The lower of the two waterfalls was absolutely beautiful (the upper falls trail was closed according to a sign we translated at the trailhead -- thank you, Google Translate!). We continued past the waterfall up some tight switchbacks and along a frighteningly narrow cliffside trail before re-joining a wide forest road towards the Jasenje Alpine Meadow. That stretch getting up to the forest road was probably the scariest part of any hike of this trip and I wouldn't recommend it. I was very worried about how on earth I was going to get back down without losing my footing and plummeting to my death.

Once we got to the forest road we realized that there were a lot of other folks hiking up from wherever the road originated -- people of all ages, families, older couples. So I guess we could have taken a less treacherous path if we'd only known better. We assumed everyone must be headed for the popular Brunarica Pri Ingotu mountain hut that opened for brunch/lunch around 10am. We had planned on stopping there too after our hike but at this point I was concerned it would be too crowded. But I needn't have worried -- as we continued on through the woods toward the hut we heard people singing. Of course -- Sunday church! All those people found parking down in town and hiked for an hour to attend mass at a forest shrine known as the Chapel of Mary of the Snows. People were spilling out and around the tiny wooden structure. We would have stopped to listen but the service was already well in progress (and in Slovenian), so we instead continued reverently on through the woods.

On Monday we visited the Planica Nordic Center. If you are into extreme sports, this is the place for you! For your wintertime adrenaline rush, it has huge hills for ski jumping and something even more extreme called ski flying. Fearless athletes speed down these massive hills and launch themselves into the air, jumping for distances over 250 meters/820 feet. In 2025, the world record jump/flight was set here at 835 feet/254.5 meters by Domen Prevc (a Slovenian, of course). In the summertime, you can ride down the world's steepest zipline which follows the skijump hill and sounds absolutely terrifying (judging from the blood-curdling screams we could hear whenever someone was foolhardy enough to give it a try).

If the summer heat is getting to you, you can also head to the Center's indoor cross-country ski facility. It's basically a parking garage coated in man-made snow, but it offers a welcome blast of icy air if you crack open the door. 

We were underdressed for indoor skiing and too risk-averse for ziplining, so we opted to spend the morning doing a peaceful hike from the trailhead at Planica Nordic Center. The 2 mile walk to Planinski Dom Tamar mountain hut was easy and scenic. Plus there was a fantastic hut/restaurant at the end.

On Tuesday we headed over to the town of Mojstrana to check out the Slovenian Alpine Museum. We also took the free shuttle bus to the dramatic Peričnik Waterfall.

The waterfall cascades like a curtain over a rock overhang. Just a short hike lets you walk right behind the wall of water.

Yesterday we did our most challenging hike yet -- the hike to Slemenova Špica in Triglav National Park. This hike begins just off a road called the Vršič Pass, a high mountain pass that was constructed by Russian prisoners of war during WWI. It's one of the most scenic stretches of road in Slovenia but also very congested with tourist traffic in the summertime. The Slovenian authorities have set up a free bus route over the pass to alleviate parking issues and traffic. We caught an early bus and were very glad we did as we rode past full parking lot after full parking lot. The bus dropped us off right at the trailhead, too.

This was an incredibly challenging hike for me since I am partway through rehabbing a torn meniscus in my knee. While it was beautiful with amazing views, it was also very steep (a 10% grade climbing 600 feet in just the first half mile). Overall it was a 1500 foot elevation gain for a 3.5 mile hike -- a lot of up and down. I look happy in this photo because we were still on our way up and hadn't yet started the descent.

For Kevin, it was by far his favorite hike. The whole way we had had spectacular views of the peaks in this part of Triglav National Park.

I was so exhausted from yesterday's climb that for today's activity we took the easy option and rode the chairlift here in town to the top of Vitranc mountain. Stunning views without any work!

This area around Kranjska Gora has been our favorite part of Slovenia by far. It has easy access to great hiking in Triglav National Park, lots of restaurants and things to do, and beautiful sunsets too! We had a truly idyllic time here and would gladly return someday!