Julian Alps
A view of the Soča and the upper Sava river valleys spreads below Mount Triglav, Slovenia’s highest mountain. Lying between the two rivers is Triglav National Park, which protects numerous endemic animal and plant species in a region of high rocky mountains, deeply cut river gorges, high-mountain karst shafts, and attractive low mountains as well as the traditions of the once difficult life of mountain farmers and alpine dairymen.
To the south is the Soča Valley and the gorges of its tributaries. The spots beside the emerald river attract seekers of tranquility as well as those seeking adrenalin challenges. Here, numerous water sports are available, from kayaking and canoeing to rafting and canyoning. Visitors can also experience the valley with parachutes, hang-gliders, and mountain bikes.
Slovenia’s highest ski center on Mount Kanin is accessible from the valley where the majority of accommodations and restaurants are to be found in Bovec, Kobarid, and Tolmin. Roads lead along the Idrijca River toward Cerkno and Idrija. Idrija is the home of a famous bobbin lace tradition, and visitors are also invited to tour the once world-important mercury mine and Gewerkenegg Castle with its museum collections.
The Posočje region, where every step reveals exceptional natural, also holds emotional memories of the most terrible battles of World War I. They are presented in the Kobarid Museum, which has received numerous awards for excellence. In the upper part of the valley is the picturesque village of Trenta, which hosts the Triglav National Park Information Office, a museum, and the Julijana Botanical Garden, Slovenia’s most important alpine botany center.
In the north side of the Mount Triglav kingdom is the Upper Sava Valley. The popular tourist destination Kranjska Gora attracts summer visitors with opportunities for recreation and sport in nature (hiking, mountaineering, bicycling, horseback riding, paragliding, fishing) and winter visitors with its excellent trails for different kinds of skiing as well as with other winter delights (dog-sledding, night descents on sleds from Mount Vršič, snowmobiling). Guests in Kranjska Gora also enjoy its casino and wellness programs, while children enjoy the original country of the children’s book hero Kekec. In nearby Planica, the best ski jumpers in the world compete each year in the shelter of two-thousand-meter mountains.
The Julian Alps are bejewelled by two picturesque lakes. Bled with its legendary island in the middle of the lake, overlooking castle, hot springs, and beneficial climate has attracted numerous cosmopolitan visitors for centuries. Organized swimming areas, hotels with pools, walking paths, tennis and golf courses, a casino, rowing regattas, a sports airport in Lesce, and the nearby natural and cultural sites provide plenty of reasons for a visit.
The Bohinj region with its unspoiled high-mountain lake inspires visitors not only with the beauties of the nature and the Vogel, Kobla, and Soriška planina ski centers but also with its rich ethnological heritage and many interesting cultural and sacral sites. The nearby Pokljuka plateau is a paradise for hikers, mushroom hunters, and cross-country skiers and is the site of major world biathlon competitions.