Valleys

Where there are mountains, there are valleys. We will only mention a few of them now as we couldn't even begin to list them all, but if you avoid the excellent motorways you will find equally excellent country roads sweeping through unpronouncabubble valleys whose names will quickly leave your memory, but their simple majesty will remain with you for life.. only then will you really begin to understand the incredible beauty of Slovenia.

There are numerous stunning valleys here, packed full of walks, features and other little green gems for you to find and enjoy. You can spend the whole day exploring a single valley or wind your way in and out of different ones in your day's adventures.

 

the Vipava Wine Valley..

Possibly the best kept and biggest secret in the whole of Green Slovenia.. (and this is saying something), is the huge Vipava valley, (15 mins from the Lodge).

Just on the other side of our local Nanos mountain runs a beautiful long valley stuffed with vineyards, Roman villas, deserted castles, hill top churches and riverside villages, with some very, very good restaurants hidden away.

The steep mountain slopes form a stone wall along one length of the Vipava valley, (for Games of Thrones fans, it’s a little bit like a natural “Wall in the North”, but of course much bigger and infinitely more beautiful).

sweeping vista of the Vipava valley..
sweeping vista of the Vipava valley..

 

From the top of these towering cliffs you get amazing views 1,000m down to the valley floor at close to sea level.. opposite are the Italian foothills and at the other end of the valley and beyond you can even see the snow topped peaks of the Italian Dolomites.

The slopes on both sides of this valley are the perfect height and temperature for growing a variety of high quality wine grapes, including several wines where this valley is the only place in the world you can get unique wine, like Vipava Zelen (Green) or Pinella.

There is such passion for producing wine here that most producers we have gotten to know, would prefer to sell just one bottle to a guest interested in their wine and the vineyard than 1,000 to some faceless supermarket..

vineyard in the Vipava valley..
vineyard in the Vipava valley..

 

There is even a wine university here in the pretty little town of Vipava, (20 mins), where 7 rivers gush down from the mountains under bridges and trout swim freely.     

A great way to explore this special valley is to visit one of our partner vineyards, which will encourage you to drive off the beaten track into the grape covered hills to find hidden villages, remote churches and stunning views at every turn.

Or how about E Biking around here.. A lot of our guests do and it is a great way to see the valley.. we have a great partner Rockvelo, based in the heart of the Vipava valley, you can rent E Bikes from them or go on a tour if you prefer!

E Biking in the Vipava valley..
E Biking in the Vipava valley..

 

A quiet, narrow motorway sweeps visitors through this valley, which is very handy for accessing other parts of Slovenia for our guests, but also the main reason why so many people completely miss the wonders of this enchanting place.. just venture off the main road and you will encounter miles of smiles.

 

the Soca Valley.. Upper & Lower..

This super fast motorway is VERY handy though, for Lodge guests to whizz up to explore the most beautiful river in Europe.. the Soca river, which flows down from the Alps through the Upper Soca valley and then into the Lower Soca valley, departing Slovenia at Nova Goricia, which is at the top of the Vipava valley motorway and just 45  mins from the Lodge.. 

top of the Soca valley..
top of the Soca valley..

 

The valley is defined by the unbelievably beautiful Soca river, which starts half way up the Vrsic Pass and flows past the pretty Alpine villages of BovecKobaridTolmin and Kanal.. there are many secret green places hidden away in this these valleys, waterfalls, gorges and hikes squeezed under some really big mountains! 

It is so worth planning your daytrip to the Soca valley as there are so many things to do there and it is perfectly possible to have the sound of running water in your ears for most of the day as there are also lots of stunning tributary rivers pouring into this emerald river!

iconic view of the Soca valley..
iconic view of the Soca valley..

 

Just check out a few of the amazing places along the Soca valley.. the Kozjak waterfall, Tolmin Gorge, Javorca church hike, the Soca lake, Kanal on Soca, the Virje waterfall, Boka.. the Big One and the Soca gorge!!

      

the Loz Valley..

This is a really secret valley, called Loska Dolina in Slovene (dolina means valley) and just 40 mins from the Lodge!

It is home to the uberamazing Green Heart Walk. a 5 hour hike around the base of the valley following the shoreline of a disappearing lake and traversing pretty little villages, going through the grounds of the beautiful Snow Mountain, Sneznik castle!

carriage ride in the Loz valley..
carriage ride in the Loz valley..

 

This is also one of the very best valleys for responsible bear watching and has one of the best show caves in Green Slovenia, the Krizna cave, (35 mins). 

Its perfectly possible of course to do shorter treks here and some of our guests have gone horse carriage riding in the forest at Sneznik, Snow mountain castle. This is where the oldest and thickest forests in Europe expand out towards Slovenia's largest non Alpine Mt Sneznik, (Snow mountain, 1,796m) and off to Croatia. 

 

the Logar Valley..

We were very excited to visit the wonderful Logarska Dolina (Hunters valley) (2 hours from the Lodge) and were not disappointed at all to find a huge valley floor carved out into the Alps, with rivers, pretty little villages and lots of hiking and biking.

They have a great concept here for tourism as the valley is completely enclosed, so you pay a small fee to enter, which goes into the upkeep of all the natural facilities here.. it's a really good blueprint for Green tourism elsewhere in Slovenia.  

the Eagle's Nest Cafe at the end of the Logar valley..
the Eagle's Nest Cafe at the end of the Logar valley..

   

At the end of the valley there is a fantastic walk up into the forest to see a waterfall and the "Eagle's Nest" café.. the walk is not too demanding and it's a fab place to sit up in the clouds sipping a coffee and enjoying the water gushing down against the steep mountain sides.

This valley is so less busy than Bled with plenty of water sports and hiking available. There is also a huge mine at nearby Mezica, in fact it is the only mine in Europe where you can kayak in the morning and bike in the afternoon if you want and there is another ride down in the same train that the miners used to start their shifts for the walking tour!

 

the Poljane valley..

We found another super secret valley just over an hour from the Lodge to the west of Ljubljana called the Poljanska Dolina.

the top peak of Mt Blegos in the Poljane valley..
the top peak of Mt Blegos in the Poljane valley..

 

The mountains soar up into the sky here and we found a fab company.. HourAway adventures who took us on an E Bike tour to the top of Mt Blegos (1,562m) for an amazing view of 3 Slovenian Alpine regions.. 

One of Slovenia's oldest towns, Skofja Loka is just down the road with castle and old town to explore, so you could easily have a quite unexpectedley surprising day here in Green nature.

the Postojna or Pivka Valley..

Lipizzaner Lodge is itself located in the very pretty Postojna Valley dominated by the Nanos mountain plateau and there are numerous mountains to walk or climb up and try to see our little village of Landol across the Valley!

view of Nanos mountain across the Postojna valley.. the Lodge is below the mountain on the left..
view of Nanos mountain across the Postojna valley.. the Lodge is below the mountain on the left..

 

It is a short walk up to the next village of St Michael (Smihel Pod Nanosom) for the very best viewpoint over this valley.. tried and tested over 2,000 years ago by the Celtic tribe that had a settlement here, safe on the hilltop and protected by a network of sharp wooden spikes all the way around the hill top..

Archaelogical digs have revealed the Celts and other tribes held off the Romans for hundreds of years in this Postojna valley control centre! You can go up to the little hillock on top where there was a wooden tower and then you will see how the warriors could watch the entire valley.

 

A final mention now of a terrific little valley not to be missed if you are travelling from lake Bled to lake Bohinj..

A little over halfway into the 25 min journey there is a steep right turn at Bitnje that goes up a narrow road before dropping you into a side valley.. you might think twice about doing this slight detour as the road from Bled to Bohinj is also incredibly beautiful, but give it a go, cos this valley is even more lovely!

The mountains roll and twist around into stunning shapes, there are little wooden hayracks, narrow village roads and meadows covered in Alpine flowers.. it is idyllic and you pop out in Stara Fuzina, which is just over the other side of the Bohinj lake bridge with the pretty church.. just perfect!

Email: info@lipizzanerlodge.com

Address: Landol 17, Postojna 6230, Slovenia

Phone: +386 5620 3443
Mobile: +386 40 47 0239 or +386 40 37 8037

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