🇸🇮 Notranjska

Notes

• Red dots on the map are hiking trips with English description;
• Green dots are biking tours.
• Gray dots are hikes without an English description. You might still want to look at the map, enjoy the photos, or use Google Translate on Slovenian text .

Hikes or biking tours with detailed descriptions

Exploring Hrušica: Polšak Hut and Roman Fortress (19.2 km, Δ=420 m)

We’ll start in Kalce, bike through the forests on the slopes of Hrušica, drop by a renovated homestead in the middle of nowhere, and visit the ruins of a Roman fortress. Take this tour when you need to clear your head, de-stress, or mull over new ideas. You won’t be disturbed by traffic, hikers, or spectacular views.

From Predjama to Stara Pošta on Hrušica (22 km, Δ=420 m)

Starting from a medieval castle built into a giant cave, bike through Hrušica’s dense forests to reach the ruins of a Roman fort and an old post waystation.

From Zaplana to Rovte (22.2 km, Δ=470 m)

This circuitous tour will take you around western part of Rovte hills. Stop at the highest point and enjoy the view of Julian Alps with Triglav.

Javorniki Ridge from Rakov Škocjan (33.8 km, Δ=840 m)

If you love biking on gravel roads through beech forests (autumn colors could be beautiful), the Javorniki ridge might be just what you’’re looking for.

For everyone else: the ascent is pretty steep, and there are no views. Try Slivnica.

Lake Cerknica (18.7 km, Δ=110 m)

Biking around Lake Cerknica was always a pleasant experience, and it got even better since the local tourist organization marked four trails, from a family-friendly one to a slightly more demanding trip to Rakov Škocjan.

Pasja Ravan from Polhov Gradec (28.9 km, Δ=660 m)

Pasja Ravan used to be the highest peak in Polhov Gradec hills until the Yugoslav army decided to level it to build a radar station. Yugoslavia is long gone, and so is the radar station. Still, the gravel road to the top remains – an ideal opportunity to bike there and enjoy fantastic views from the ridge separating Gorenjska from Notranjska.

Pizza @ Tavžentroža (24.4 km, Δ=470 m)

Tavžentroža has the best pizzas in Rovte hills. Let’s bike there from Zaplana to make sure we’ll be building a proper hunger along the way 😉

Planina from Kuren (735 m, Δ=230 m, 1.5 hour)

The hike to Planina above Vrhnika (Špica) from Kuren is an ideal weekend family hike.

Planinska Gora (880 m, Δ=410 m, 2 hours)

Planinska Gora (Planina’’s Mountain) is the easternmost part of the ridge extending from Planina (near Postojna) to Bukovje and Predjama. The hike will take you along wide trails with only an occasional steep section or two, making it ideal for a family excursion with restless kids.

Planinska Gora (on a Bike) (12.1 km, Δ=450 m)

While hiking towards Saint Mary’’s church on Planinska Gora, I thought to myself: “this should be doable on a bike.”

A few months later, I decided to test that hypothesis (TL&DR: barely) and found an unexpected dirt trail.

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 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.

Slivnica (on a Bike) (23.4 km, Δ=580 m)

If you’d like to enjoy the view of Lake Cerknica and don’t feel like hiking to Slivnica, use the gravel road to bike there. Be careful on summer weekends – some people think that “spending a day in nature” means “drive to the mountain hut and have a beer,” and many of them haven’t yet mastered the art of driving on a gravel road.

Slivnica above Lake Cerknica (1114 m, Δ=540 m, 3 hours)

Hiking or biking to Slivnica is always a pleasant experience – we love snowy meadows in the winters, summer flowers on those same meadows in the summer, or the cool shade of the beech forest while biking to the top… and then there’s the view of Lake Cerknica.

Snežnik from Sviščaki (1796 m, Δ=590 m, 4 hours)

Snežnik is the highest peak in south-western Slovenia. You could spend days wandering around huge forests surrounding it; the quickest hike to the peak starts in Sviščaki, a hamlet high above Ilirska Bistrica.

St. Lovrenc from Gorenje (1019 m, Δ=300 m, 2 hours)

The shortest hike to Sv. Lovrenc starts at the hunting hut above Gorenje, leading you across sunny meadows and through a steep forest.

St. Lovrenc near Postojna (1019 m)

If you decide to visit Postojna cave or Predjama castle, drop by Gorenje or Studeno on the way back and hike to Gora (aka: sv Lovrenc), the highest hilltop in the ridge stretching from Planina to Predjama.

Sv. Lovrenc from Studeno (1019 m, Δ=420 m, 2 hours)

The steepest ascent to Sv. Lovrenc starts in Studeno, a village near Postojna. I love to take it when looking for a short but intensive morning hike after dropping the kids off at school.

Velika Milanja on Volovja Reber (18.8 km, Δ=520 m)

Volovja Reber is a long ridge on the southwestern edge of the Snežnik plateau. It’s one of those magical places where you rarely encounter a fellow hiker or biker, even though it’s only a few kilometers away from an overcrowded main road. Let’s enjoy the beauties of karst meadows and pastures while biking to Velika Milanja – the highest peak in the ridge with an unusual rocky top.

Vrhnika – Zaplana – Star Maln (19.2 km, Δ=420 m)

If you happen to be in Vrhnika, take a mountain bike and explore the hills above the town. One of the shorter tours takes you to Kuren, Zaplana, Strmca, Star Maln and back to Vrhnika.

Žibrše (18.6 km, Δ=400 m)

Žibrše are a cluster of hamlets peppered across the southern edge of Rovte hills. You’ll enjoy fantastic views while exploring them, and you might be lucky enough to stumble upon a rare wildflower in late May or early June.

Other hikes in this region

• From Planina to Petričev hrib (Oblenk) (937 m, Δ=450 m, 4 hours)
• Iz Vrzdenca na Samotorico in Kožljek (788 m, Δ=430 m, 3 hours)
• Korena above Horjul (729 m, Δ=380 m, 2.5 hours)
• Korena from Samotorica (729 m, Δ=50 m, 2.5 hours)
• Krim (1107 m, Δ=800 m, 6 hours)
• Kuren (520 m, Δ=220 m, 2 hours)
• Pekel pri Borovnici (650 m, Δ=300 m, 2 hours)
• Planina from Kurja vas (735 m, Δ=420 m, 2 hours)
• Planina from Stari maln (735 m, Δ=360 m, 2 hours)
• Planina from Zaplana (735 m, Δ=70 m, 1.5 hour)
• Pokojišče (732 m, Δ=400 m, 3 hours)
• Polhograjska Grmada from Belica (898 m, Δ=560 m, 3 hours)
• Polhograjska Grmada through Ravnek (898 m, Δ=520 m, 3 hours)
• Polhograjska Grmada via Gonte (898 m, Δ=500 m, 3 hours)
• Saint Trinity (1106 m, Δ=250 m, 2 hours)
• Sivka from Zalog (934 m, Δ=530 m, 4.5 hours)
• Tošč through Mačkov graben (1021 m, Δ=620 m, 4 hours)
• Volovja reber (1099 m, Δ=150 m, 2 hours)

Coming Soon

• Bloška Planota from Cerknica
• Exploring Menišija with a Bike