Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
KAMNIK & VELIKA PLANINA
The town of Kamnik and the nearby Alpine pastureland of Velika Planina are less travelled by visitors but worth a
detour if you've got an extra day.
Start your exploration in Kamnik, with its attractive medieval core. From near central Glavni trg, climb to the
Little Castle
(Mali Grad)
, which dates to the 11th century, for a look at the adjoining
Romanesque Chapel
(adult/
child €5/3; 9am-7pm mid-Jun-mid-Sep)
, with its 15th-century frescoes and Gothic stone reliefs. Other import-
ant sights include the
Church of St James
(Cerkev Sv Jakoba; Frančiškanski trg; admission free; 8am-6pm)
and its tent-like
Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre
(Kapela Božjega Groba; Frančiškanski trg; admission free;
8am-6pm)
, designed by Jože Plečnik in 1952, just off the main altar.
Leave at least half a day for Velika Planina, situated about 11km northeast of Kamnik. The journey to the top un-
folds in two stages: first a dramatic
cable-car ride
(žičnica; 01-839 71 77;
www.velikaplanina.si
; adult/child
return €16/14, cable car only €11/10, chairlift only €5/4.50; hourly 8am-6pm Mon-Thu, 8am-8pm Fri-Sun mid-
Jun-mid-Sep, shorter hrs rest of year)
and then a 15-minute chairlift. Once on top, there's not much to do except
walk the pristine fields and admire a herding and dairy economy little changed for hundreds of years. The pastures
are scattered with around 50 traditional shepherds' huts that are unique to Velika Planina. Regrettably, all but one of
these, the tiny two-room
Preskar's Hut
(Preskarjeva Bajta;
www.velikaplanina.si
; Velika Planina; admission
€2.50; 10am-5pm Sat & Sun late Jun-early Sep)
that's now a small museum, are replicas. The originals, dating
from the early 20th century, were burned to the ground by Germans in WWII.
While at the top, have a meal at
Zeleni Rob
(
www.velikaplanina.si
; Velika Planina; mains €6-8; 8am-8pm
Jun-Sep, 8am-8pm Fri-Sun Oct-May)
, a small restaurant situated a short walk from the first (lower) stop on the
chairlift. It's rumoured to have Slovenia's best
štruklji
(sweet dumplings stuffed with curd cheese) - something we
can personally attest to.
Transport from Kamnik to the cable-car station is limited to a few buses daily (inquire at the Kamnik TIC) or ar-
range transport through your hotel.
Back in Kamnik, there are two acceptable choices for lodging, depending on your budget: the
Hotel Malograjski
Dvor
( 01-830 31 00;
www.hotelkamnik.si
; Maistrova ulica 13; s/d €68/92; )
, a family-run, three-
star hotel with 21 stylishly appointed rooms, and
Hostel Pod Skalo
( 01-839 12 33;
www.hi-kamnik.com
; Mais-
trova ulica 32; s/d/tr from €30.50/45/67.50; )
with around a dozen doubles and triples, all with en suite
baths, and a lively pub next door. If you have your own wheels, head out of town a couple of kilometres to
Gostilna
Repnik
(
01-839 12 93;
www.gostilna-repnik.si
;
Vrhpolje 186; mains €10-15;
10am-10pm Tue-Fri,
noon-10pm Sat, noon-3pm Sun;
)
for gourmet-quality Slovenian cooking, based on locally sourced ingredi-
ents and traditional recipes.
Kamnik's helpful
Tourist Information Centre
(TIC; 01-831 82 50;
www.kamnik-tourism.si
; Glavni trg 2;
city tours adult/child €5/3; 9am-8pm Jul & Aug, 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-2pm Sun Jun & Sep, 8am-4pm
Mon-Fri, 8am-noon Sat Oct-May; )
has a wealth of brochures and free internet access, and can assist in work-
ing out transport details to Velika Planina.
Buses from Ljubljana (€3, 50 minutes, 25km) run almost every 20 minutes on weekdays, half-hourly on Saturday
and hourly on Sunday. Kamnik is on a direct rail line to/from Ljubljana (€2.50, 45 minutes, 23km, up to 15 a day).
