Slovenia is probably one of the best-kept secrets of Europe. Beautiful environment, ranging from Alps to hills, flatlands or seaside make it an excellent country to explore on foot, more so as you will easily find many well-maintained and marked hiking paths.
Our pages contain photo galleries from over 180 hikes in Slovenian hills and mountains, some of them also have brief English descriptions – they are marked with red dots on the above map; you could also find them by browsing individual regions. You might also want to check out our biking ideas.
You could also list all the excursions in our database, or just those with English descriptions.
Recent Hikes with English Descriptions
These hikes have English descriptions (the long ones were translated from Slovenian original by Margaret Davis).
Pomjan Fairy Tale (350 m, Δ=430 m, 2.5 hours)
Pomjan is a village on a hilltop high above the Slovenian coast – an ideal destination for a family excursion or a wake-me-up morning hike starting at the outskirts of Koper.
From Osp to Socerb (437 m, Δ=420 m, 2 hours)
Socerb is a castle above the steep cliffs of Karst Edge with a beautiful view of the Bay of Trieste. You can get there by car (the castle restaurant has excellent food), but it’s more fun to hike there from Osp, a village better known for its extensive climbing areas.
Hrastovlje – Podpeč – Brežec – Zazid (566 m, Δ=700 m, 5 hours)
We decided to take a somewhat longer hike in Istria, and found a path that took us from Hrastovlje to Karst Edge and back around the upper Rižana Valley.
Kojnik (802 m, Δ=290 m, 2 hours)
Kojnik is a wooded hilltop south of Slavnik with an excellent view of Slavnik and Golič ridges. You might want to go there when you see hordes going to the vastly more popular Slavnik; it might also be a lovely destination for a longer family hike.
Golič (890 m, Δ=580 m, 5 hours)
Want to experience expansive meadows with beautiful vistas in the middle of nowhere? Golič, a multi-peak ridge south of Slavnik, might be just what you’re looking for.
Cerje (343 m, Δ=150 m, 1.5 hour)
Hiking to Cerje, a hilltop with a fantastic view high above Vipava valley, was fun before it was graced with a gigantic Monument of Peace. Gravel roads got a needless coat of asphalt, and the old footpaths turned into wide rocky trails… but if you’re creative and take plenty of detours, you can still have a lovely Karst experience.
Vipava Old Castle (240 m, Δ=140 m, 1 hour)
Every self-respecting European city has a castle (or, at the very least, the castle ruins) on a nearby hill, and Vipava is no exception. Ascending to Vipava’s Old Castle is a lovely family hike worth combining with phenomenal ice cream at Bar Marjanca.
Saint Paul above Vrtovin (498 m, Δ=360 m, 2 hours)
High above Vipava Valley, on a limestone terrace jutting out of the slopes of Čaven ridge, is a tiny church dedicated to Saint Paul – a fantastic hiking destination on dry autumn or spring days.
Otlica's Natural Window (820 m, Δ=580 m, 3 hours)
Otliško okno (Otlica Window) is a large natural window at the edge of the Gora plateau high above Vipava valley. It’s just a short walk from Otlica, a village on Gora, but it’s more fun to hike there from the valley.
Slavnik from Prešnica (1028 m, Δ=520 m, 4 hours)
Goldilocks would love the hike from Prešnica to Slavnik. It’s not too long nor too short, it’s not too steep nor too dull, and it’s in a lovely shade, but the forest is thin enough to let some winter sunshine through.
Roblekov Dom (1657 m, Δ=950 m, 5 hours)
Roblekov Dom is a legendary mountain hut high on the slopes of Begunjščica ridge with a great view of Stol, Vrtača, lake Bled, and the Julian Alps with Triglav.
Saint Ana above Ljubljana Marsh (484 m, Δ=190 m, 1 hour)
The hilltops south of Ljubljana Marsh are dotted with small churches; the most popular of them is probably the church of Saint Ana – you can reach it in half an hour from any nearby starting point.
Kavčič from Rakitovec (883 m, Δ=400 m, 3 hours)
Kavčič is the easternmost peak in the Kraški Rob (Karst Edge) ridge, with a beautiful view of surrounding meadows and hills.
Planinica (1136 m, Δ=450 m, 2 hours)
Planinica is the lowest-lying alp on the southern slopes of Begunjščica ridge. Hiking there will take a tad longer than an hour, and the hut on the alp promises all sorts of local delicacies and even ice cream – a perfect family hike.
Vrtača (2181 m, Δ=1150 m, 7.5 hours)
Vrtača is one of the highest peaks on the Slovene-Austrian border. It’s a bit off the beaten trail – you’ll be able to enjoy a few quiet moments, but it takes quite a while to get there regardless of where you start.
Zelenica (1536 m, Δ=480 m, 2.5 hours)
Zelenica is an alpine pasture in a valley between Begunjščica and Vrtača. It takes a bit more than an hour to hike there from the Ljubelj pass, and there’s a mountain hut at the end of the hike – ideal ingredients for a great family trip.
Goričica Alp (Planina Goričica) (1340 m, Δ=750 m, 4 hours)
Goričica is a forgotten alp high on the slopes of Kanin massif. It’s a perfect place when you’re seeking solitude – even though a waymarked path crosses the alp, it was utterly overgrown when I was there.
Orlovca (860 m, Δ=320 m, 2 hours)
Orlovca (Eagle Rock) is a large overhanging cliff at the edge of Gora plateau high above Vipava Valley. It’s one of the highlights of the Angel Mountain Trail (Pot po Angelski Gori); we’ll use a tiny bit of that trail to get there.
Zgornji Kras and Socerb Castle (440 m, Δ=80 m, 1 hour)
When our kids were still in kindergarten, they loved hiking around the place with the Bora wind – the meadows of Zgornji Kras, a karst plateau above Trieste with beautiful views of surrounding hills and the Adriatic Sea.
Rock Shelters in Veli Badin (410 m, Δ=300 m, 2 hours)
The cliffs at the boundary between limestone and clay parts of Slovenian Istria end with enormous rock shelters – a must-see for every hiker visiting these parts of Slovenia.
Polhograjska Gora (824 m, Δ=450 m, 2.5 hours)
Imagine you were living in a small village in the 17th century. How would you call the hilltop behind it? If it’s high enough, it’s bound to be The Mountain. Fast forward to the times of mass tourism – the townspeople want to know which Mountain they visited when they brag about their weekend trips. Welcome to the etymology of Polhograjska Gora (Polhov Gradec Mountain), a lovely hilltop with a church of Saint Laurent.
Saint Nicholas above Vipava Valley (445 m, Δ=210 m, 2 hours)
As you’re traveling on the highway from Postojna toward Vipava, you might notice a tiny church high on the slopes of Nanos plateau (look right just before the gas station) – the Saint Nicholas church, a perfect destination for a short family hike.
Karst Edge: Around Črni Kal (420 m, Δ=210 m, 2 hours)
We love exploring paths around the Karst Edge from Črni Kal to Zazid, and it’s even more fun if they happen to be unmarked. This time we’ll do an easy hike along old dirt roads – an ideal family weekend trip.
Škavnica (734 m, Δ=490 m, 3 hours)
Škavnica is a giant limestone slab in the middle of a pine forest on the west slopes of Nanos plateau. I usually hike there to admire its limestone pavement crisscrossed with deep fissures; the view of Vipava valley, Adriatic sea, and the Italian Alps is just the icing on the cake.
Krnica Alp (Planina Krnica) (1252 m, Δ=650 m, 4 hours)
Planina Krnica (Krnica Alp) is a rocky alp high on the southern slopes of Kanin massif with a wonderful view of the peaks across the Soča valley. If you’re stubborn enough you can get there by road; if you love long hikes start in Bovec. We decided for an interim approach.
Lake Krn (Krnsko jezero) (1394 m, Δ=820 m, 4 hours)
The wonderful Lake Krn on an alp north of Mount Krn is the largest Slovenian high mountain glacial lake. I found most of the hike from Lepena thoroughly boring, but the views from the alpine meadows and the lake itself are spectacular and well worth the effort.
Kobilja glava (1475 m, Δ=430 m, 2.5 hours)
Kobilja glava is a grassy peak east of Tolmin with a wonderful view of southern peaks of Julian Alps. You could hike there from Planina Stador (Stador Alp), or start way lower on the road to extend the hike for another hour.
Lačna, Kuk and Kvirik (497 m, Δ=500 m, 4 hours)
We love visiting Lačna in autumn to enjoy the fiery fall colors of the European smoke bush, and we try to do a slightly different hike every year. This time, we went for a long roundtrip visiting Lačna, Kuk, Movraž, and Kvirik.
Lačna from Gračišče (451 m, Δ=150 m, 1.5 hour)
A leisurely walk from Gračišče (a village in Slovenian Istria next to the main road toward Buzet) to Lačna is an ideal short family hike that you could easily extend into a much longer experience, depending on how enthusiastic your kids are.
Mala Mojstrovka (2332 m, Δ=720 m, 4 hours)
Mala Mojstrovka is one of the most popular peaks in the Julian Alps. The crowds of hikers have successfully worn out the most accessible trail leading to the top, making the hike a somewhat disgusting experience. Fortunately, there are other less popular ways to the top – we’ll get there from Nad Šitom Glava.