Juliana Trail Itinerary
Day 1: Lake Bled
We flew from Paris to the Ljubljana airport, but you can also fly into Venice and get to Slovenia fairly easily. Lake Bled is the start of Stage 5 of the Juliana Trail, and due to time constraints, we decided to start our trek here.
Pro Tip: you can hire a taxi or airport shuttle to take you directly from LJU to Lake Bled. It's super easy and very affordable.
Things to do in Bled:
Highlights of Bled include walking around the lakeside and rowing to the Assumption of Maria Church on Bled Island. The row was a little bit more difficult than we expected--the rowboat was definitely more unwieldy than a paddleboard or kayak, but worth the adventure. It cost about $20 and took a little over 2 hours for the whole experience.
What to Eat:
If you need food recommendations, don't hesitate to ask the owners of Penzion Kaps. We wandered to a steakhouse down the street on Peter's request, and it was amazing!
Day 2: Lake Bled to Goreljek na Pokljuki
We started our first day of trekking with high spirits, but quickly got defeated by the constant downpouring of rain. The trail signs were fairly easy to follow, however we did lose them once or twice in the neighbourhoods.
We started getting nervous when we noticed it was starting to snow and didn't want to get stuck hiking dangerous conditions. Luckily, we made it to Zgornje Gorje, and found some very helpful people at the tourist center that called us a taxi to our destination for the night: Pokljuki.
Things to Do in Goreljek:
No idea!
We don't know much about what to do here, mostly because, if it's snowing and you've planned for hiking, you end up stuck in the hotel. There is a sauna, gym, and game room, but there's not much else to do in bad weather.
Day 3: Goreljek na Pokljui to Bohinjska Bistrica
Due to the snow, we again didn't make the trek, but booked a taxi with our fellow hikers to take us from Goreljek to Stara Fužina-the next stop on the trail. You can do this in two stages on the trail, and spend more time in Stara Fužina, but we decided that we should compress both stages into one day. This worked out well timewise, since we didn't hike either stage due to the snow.
Stara Fužina
This place is so beautiful and quiet (at least during early April).
Bohinjska Bistrica
To get to our Airbnb for the night, we took a local bus down to Bohinjska Bistrica. The taxi driver that dropped us off told us where the bus would pick us up, which was super helpful. The bus was super easy to use and right on time! There is an information center by the bus stop, which does make it easy if you have any questions.
Things to Do:
On our way to grab groceries for dinner, we stopped at the St. Nicholas church. It was a nice place to sit and eat a sandwich while we waited to check in to our Airbnb. We don't have much else on the list, as just wandering this small town was very enjoyable and beautiful.
Day 4: Bohinjska Bistrica to Podbrdo
Hooray! Our first real day of trekking began at Stage 8!
The trail was a gradual incline for the first several hours and we started to see more and more snow as we kept climbing. However, because we are very stubborn people, we just kept hiking. It wasn't super strenuous until we hit the Vrh Bače saddle (I think that's what it's called). This is where things were starting to get a little dangerous because we were now hiking through thigh-high snow.
We stopped at someone's hunting cabin (thank you for the use of your front table!) for a quick power bar and drink stop before continuing on. Due to the snow and complete lack of a trail, we did lose the trail markers a few times. Thank heavens for the trail app, which kept us on track. After about 45 mins of hiking, we starting to make the descent towards Bača...and eventually, Podbrdo. This part isn't physically difficult, but when you add in completely soaked pants, shoes, and socks, and about 13km of hiking, you are just mentally exhausted.
Things to Do in Podbrdo:
There is an amazing bar where you can access the internet and grab a cup of tea (or something stronger) while you try to contact your Airbnb host. It's an amazing place filled with some really eclectic decor.
Day 5: Podbrdo to Grahovo ob Bači
This 17km day started off well. However, you gain a lot of altitude very quickly, which can be super tiring.
After a few hours of hiking up, you reach a saddle and start the descent towards Kal. Our Airbnb host told us that this town has only 2 permanent residents-very believable once you see how small it is! Honestly, compared to the hike the day before, this was a really pleasant day.
The only issue we faced on this day is that our Airbnb was not actually in the town of Grahovo, but past it. Thankfully, it was just hiking on the road, but it did add in almost another hour of walking that we weren't prepared for.
Day 6: Grahovo ob Bači to Tolmin
Due to time constraints, we completed Stages 10 and 11 of the Juliana Trail in one day. Again, the hiking wasn't too difficult, but there was a long and slow incline for several hours at the beginning of the day. However, we decided that going up is infinitely going down when your legs are tired, so we powered through some pretty big hills.
You *have* to take a rest break at the overlook of Most Na Soči, because it's one of the most beautiful views on the entire trail.
The worst part of the stage from Most Na Soči to Tolmin is that we were promised a riverside walk by the app, but then it took us up and around another freaking mountain.
Because we were trying to get to our hostel and make it to the Tolmin River Gorges, we did not linger in Most Na Soči. However, it looks like there's a really beautiful riverside park.
Once we made it to Tolmin, we dropped off our belongings at the hostel and walked an additional 30 minutes up to the Gorge. This is an absolute do-not-miss, bucket list, incredible place to see. Words really can't describe how awe-inspiring it was, so we'll drop some pictures below.
Things to Do:
Tolmin River Gorge!!!
Also if you need a bus or a taxi or any information at all, please go to the Tourist Information Center! They are so kind and helpful. Also...free WiFi!
They helped us get set up with a bus back to Ljubljana, which was amazing.
Day 7-9: Ljubljana
The bus from Tolmin to Ljubljana only took about 2 1/2 hours and was very scenic. The capital of Slovenia is....adorable. The historic downtown is full of beautiful architecture and the castle is incredible.
Things to Do:
Just start walking! You can walk or take a funicular up to the Castle, which has an incredible overlook of the city.
Other sites to see include the Dragon Bridge, the main square (Prešernov trg), the market near the end of Butcher's Bridge, and the Cathedral of St. Nicholas.
What to Eat:
This might not be around anymore, but the Chef Ana Roš (Netflix A Chef's Table) had a pop-up right next to our hotel. It was a bit pricey, but a really fun experience with local produce and traditional recipes.
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