explore the Upper Vipava Valley
Many visitors to Green Slovenia will be forgiven for wondering where on earth the Vipava valley is, let alone making plans to explore just the Upper Vipava valley!
Well, this stunningly beautiful 40km long green wine valley starts just round the corner from the Lodge at the last Slovenian mountain, Nanos.. the point where Slovenia's Mediterranean bit properly starts..
The Vipava river runs all the way through the valley to Italy and starts it's journey from seven different springs that pop out of the sheer rock face in the pretty town of Vipava.
The valley is stuffed with vineyards and cute little churches going from near sea level by the river up to 1,000m plus mountains that sit like a green wall along its entire length to Nova Gorica, where the valley ends and meets the Lower Soca valley.. the Vipava river eventually joins the Soca river in Italy and flows into the Adriatic.
From our experiences exploring around here we know the best way to discover this amazing Green valley is get off the speedy motorway that whizzes tourists from the Alps to the sea in 2 shakes of a dragon's tail.. instead much better to get onto the smaller local roads asap.
By doing exactly this and hopping on E Bikes to explore around too, we have found so much secret stuff to tell you about in the upper bit of the valley which spreads below Nova Gorica back to the middle bit near the unpronounceabubble Ajdovscina..
You could have an absolute gift of a day out at the top of the valley if you just knew where to go and what to choose from to see..
Let's face it you might not have heard much about the Vipava valley and if you do make the excellent choice to go explore one of Slovenia's 7 wine regions, you might be thinking half a day would do it, a day at the max.. think again!
That is why we are using the term Upper Vipava Valley .. cos you need to know there is SO MUCH to do and see in this amazing valley, it would be a great idea to spit it into several days and spend one of them touring the secret places we are gonna tell you all about in this article!
We have heard this valley being marketed by some local agencies as "Paradise Valley".. the English language has so much power, but also great subtlety.. there are plenty of valleys around the world that could also be called Paradise Valley and plenty of old folks retirement homes called Paradise Valley too!
But there is ONLY one Vipava Valley in the world and if Lonely Planet has taken notice and described this valley as one of the TOP TEN best secret places in Europe to visit, then let's just stick to this beautiful name please and as an extra bonus.. this is also one of the few Slovenian place names visitors can actually say properly!
So now it is time to get your hiking stick and water bottle out and a map will help too, so we can jog off and explore the Upper Vipava Valley..
There are MANY ways to explore and approach the Upper Vipava Valley from the Lodge, but probably the best way to get to see most of it in a day is to arrive quickly just before Nova Gorica at the top of the valley and then spend your day meandering back tot he Lodge..
We will include a really fantastic suggested route a bit further below that circles the tiny villages, vineyards and snakes back up the river in the far corner of the valley, which will hopefully give you the confidence & knowledge to go see for yourselves!
Another geographical reminder, just before we start.. the Valley runs up from the prettiest town of Vipava (20 mins from the Lodge) to the biggest town of Ajdovscina (or something like that, but we will call it Adjective from now on), to Nova Gorica at the top of the Valley and base of the Soca river..
So the bit of the valley we are talking about is the huge chunk that runs up from Adjective to Nova Gorica and across to the village of Miren, where the Vipava river leaves Slovenia on the Italian border..
There is a motorway straight down the middle of the entire 40km long valley from Vipava to Nova Gorica which is so handy for Lodge guests to whizz up to see the Soca river, the Alps and the Gorica Hills wine region and you could also do this special Upper Vipava valley day out by whizzing up to Gorica on the motorway first and then spend the rest of your day off the motorway exploring the whole way back!
It is also easy to stay completely off the motorway all day and there are multiple routes and places to see, so we will mention a few ideas here for you to decide what to fit into your very unexpected day out..
Whenever you get a little bit lost for direction in the Vipava valley, remember the old main road also goes from Vipava to Nova Gorica, so if you want to go UP the valley head towards Gorica, if you want to go DOWN the valley head towards Vipava, or Postojna.
The old main road is the perfect conduit for today's adventures in the Upper Vipava valley.. the new motorway has taken lots of cars off it and so the old road will seem pretty quiet, but we will try to even get you off this road onto the smaller roads for your day out!
So leave Nova Gorica and follow the main road out into the top of the Upper Vipava valley not far to the village of Kromberk.
The green vineyards roll up the hills and you can find a quite stunning Italian style rennaiscence castle here set within beautiful hedge trimmed gardens and stone statues.
It is lovely and do not be surprised if you get to explore the castle on your own! Like most Slovenian castles it has become part of the local community, which is wonderful and often there are dispalys of local or national artwork and other temporary exhibits.
Green Slovenia has such a fantastic mix of pretty much every type of castle in all shapes, forms and conditions you could imagine and the Rennaiscence styles, tiled floors and grand rooms of this castello are no exception.
For us the chilling exhibition on the first floor is the one for foreigners to check out as it is a pretty rare story worth knowing.. It tells how the local Slovenian population around here were treated in the Italian occupation after WW1 which ultimately moved on to the regime of Mussolini and fascism.
Have a pleasant stroll in the gardens, you will keep pinching yourself to remember you are in Slovenia, not Italy, but there is another very good reason to visit this castle as there is a fabulous restaurant housed in the side basement of the castlello that specialises in creative fish dishes and we love it!
So maybe lunch here or circle back later for a special evening meal.. In the Upper Vipava valley there will be no shortage of dining options.. all accompanied by a glass of local Vipava valley wine..
From Kromberk there are a series of pretty little roadside villages with other smaller Vipava settlements stacked into the steep green hills that rise up to enclose the valley.
There are several roadside restaurants too, one which may surprise you, called Teramika at a campsite in a beautiful location, very popular for paragliders to float down off the steep hills and land in the flat green meadows.
Termika offers high quality menus of the day and you can choose how many courses to go for..
We stopped off to explore in Osek with old church and small village centre.. It is worth stopping off at any of the many roadside villages for a walk and nose around, maybe find a place for a coffee or a glass of wine..
If you want to hike up into those long endless steep hills for green adventures and excellent views, then you could leave your car in one of the higher up villages and go from there.
the Zebra Waterfall..
One of the larger roadside villages is Crnice and we saw a small brown road sign with the word Soteska on.. we know this means "gorge", so we doubled back, found somewhere to park and followed the sign.
This is exactly what you need to do around here, OK we will tell you about this secret waterfall walk now, but there are secret places all over the place to be found if you just go have an explore. We did a blog about the local lingo to help you navigate the signs too if you are interested..
So we knew from this sign we were looking for a gorge and we walked past some houses till we got to the end of the road and a yellow sign for SLAP which means waterfall.. this was getting very promising indeed!
There is a lovely riverside track up the gorge for about 15 mins until you reach a little communal area where it looks like the locals gather for parties and celebrations.
Not much further up is a little wooden bridge and the waterfall feeding the river. When we were there in March, surprisingly there had been little rain, so the waterfall was quite weak, but still very beautiful indeed.
We noted on the map the river continues up behind the waterfall, so this might be an adventure for you to find the source of the river, but it certainly goes onto our own list to do!
This discovery was exactly when we realised we needed to be writing an article about just the Upper Vipava valley.. It is thrilling, quiet, green and you feel a bit like an adventurer here. It is another magical example of somewhere sooooo different from the rest of Green Slovenia..
You will not be spending your whole day at this waterfall of course, but it is so fantastic to find these little places and build your day with other little visits and a nice local meal into a very special one.
Despite the lack of rain, it had rained a little that day and this was enough to bring out the little yellow and black fellas called "Fire Salamanders".. They are both beautiful and scary at the same time, but quite small and lots of fun watching as they wander around as if drunk by the waterfall!
There will be lots and lots of other springs and waterfalls, just like this one, to find along the massive green walls and cliffs of the Vipava valley as so much crystal clear water bursts out from the Karst rocks to find a way of getting down to the Vipava river that sweeps along the the long green floor of the valley.
If you haven't eaten by now, then there is a very local, friendly restaurant in the next village of Potoce, just park on the opposite side of the road and walk back across.
Potoce is an excellent point to turn off that main road into the centre of the valley direction Brje or Branik to maybe get closer to the riverside, go wine tasting or go visit the majestic Rihemberk castle, which literally towers above Branik!
You need to check exactly when this wonderfully restored castle run by volunteers is open, but weekends are a good bet and some weekdays in the summer.
Yet again this castle has it's own character with huge thick walls and battlements and sensational views from the top of the highest castle tower in Green Slovenia.
You can see all the way over the Upper Vipava valley and wander around exploring the castle grounds following the excellent info boards.
Why not have an amazing & very unexpected river day out, following the Vipava River? Up or Down river..
This will be the subject of yet another entirely different daytrip adventure as this river is probably one of the least know rivers in Slovenia, but it is very beautiful. You can swim in it, walk or bike along it and you might decide to use it as a big part of your day to explore the Upper Vipava valley.
Here is another suggested route for exploring the very top of the Valley..
In brief.. drop down from Sempeter at the bottom of Nova Gorica hugging the border with Italy to reach the pretty village of Miren, where the Vipava river leaves Slovenia and the Valley ends.. Visit the Miren Castle and drive up into the massive forest where the rocky Karst Teran Kras region begins.
Visit the stunning Cerje Tower for amazing views and a really emotional and detailed micro museum about the effect of WW1 on this mini region..
Then head back from Miren going village hopping, stopping where you like to take photos, eat, maybe try some wine, reach the river.. the choice is yours..
This is how to do it.. from MIREN head towards BILJE, BUKOVICA and here if you want to get close and personal with the river then turn off and do a detour to RENCE for some exploring.
Back at BUKOVICA head towards VOLCJA DRAGA, then DOMBRAVA, DRAGA and DORNBERK.. here you are in the heart of river wine country..
This area is hot, green and absolutely FULL of VINEYARDS. You could hug the river or go off and find a vineyard cellar to visit and maybe try some of the delicious Vipava wines.. In this particular area they also do a very good Cabernet Sauvignon!
From DORNBERK head to ZALOSCE, then BATUJE and from here you will pop back onto the main road we have mentioned runs through the entire valley!
The next village is POTOCE on that main road and if it is lunch time then park up in the generous car park at Crni Caven, for some amazing roadside local food and wine!
We will need to do another separate secret place article on Miren, the Miren Castle hill and the Cerje tower museum and nature park as these could easily be the main focus of a complete day or half day out too!
Sadly the rocky Karst forest high up here almost to Miren was engulfed in a massive forest fire in the summer of 2022, so it is incredibly eerie up here, but still beautiful and a reminder for us all to respect and enjoy nature..
Like we said there are MULTIPLE routes, if you have come instead on the main road from Kromberk, then you could head home another way from Potoce or Branik along the river aiming for the villages of Mala and Velika Zablje, which mean Little & Big Frog! From there you can hug the river along tracks and zig zag in and out of vineyards, maybe go for a swim or paddle.
This is another very secret, very quiet, very beautiful part of Green Slovenia, but wherever you are in the Vipava valley your view will be dominated by the steep green slopes stacked with vines that fan along both sides.
You will a fantastic vista of ALL of this than from right in the heart of the vallley in a little hill top village called Vipava Kriz and we highly recommend you conclude your adventures to the Upper Vipava valley with a final visit here.
Vipava Kriz Hill Top village is a stunning little walled village with castle, old crumbled gaol and amazing views across the valley, with an easy 20-30 min walk through history around the whole village, with 360 degree views of the valley.
The car park must be the parking place in Slovenia with the very best views, which is saying something, but give it a go.. and there is a fantastic cafe in the village centre where you can taste unique Vipava wines, have a local snack or relax with a coffee. There are also lots of trails you can follow from here down into the valley on foot or by bike, for E Bikes around here, check out our friends at Rockvelo..
The way home to the Lodge.. more fun decisions..
You might decide to return to the Lodge straight back down the Vipava valley trying one of the amazingly good restaurants that cluster around the town of Vipava.. in our opinion ALL 6 of these local restaurants are amongst the best restaurants in ALL Slovenia and so it can be a tricky decision which one to choose!
You could also head from Branik or further down the valley up into the neighbouring Teran Kras wine region which snakes down next to the Italian border and again is stuffed full of pretty hill top villages, churches and another unique Teran wine.
Or maybe you will leave the valley to go up the 1,000m high slopes from where the paragliders fly from for more fantastic views and a stunning Karst rocky road via an amazing Rock window viewpoint over the valley back to the Lodge via Predjama castle..
You can do so much here that you will not have expected, but the one thing you cannot do in the Upper Vipava valley is to see it all in just one day!
We hope you do make time to see at least some of these tips and leave that motorway behind for some really unique Slovenian green adventures!
French Connection en Slovenie
