Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
whitewater rivers with superb fishing, rustic rest stops, thought-provoking WWI sights, and
charming hamlets.
A pair of So
č
a Valley towns watch over the region. Centrally situated Bovec is all about
good times (it's the whitewater adventure-sports hub), while Kobarid has Old World charm
and better restaurants, and attends to more serious matters (WWI history). Though neither
is a destination in itself, both Bovec and Kobarid are pleasant, functional, and convenient
home bases for exploring this gloriously beautiful region.
Planning Your Time
Most visitors do this area as a surgical strike on a full-day side-trip from Lake Bled or
Ljubljana—and even that quick glimpse is very satisfying. But I find that there's enough
here to make it worth slowing down and spending a night (or possibly more). If you'd like
to take advantage of the So
č
a Valley's many adventure sports (especially whitewater rafting
on the So
č
a River), give yourself more time.
Getting Around the Julian Alps
The Julian Alps are best by
car.
Even if you're doing the rest of your trip by train, consider
renting a car here for maximum mountain day-trip flexibility. I've included a self-guided
driving tour that incorporates the best of the Julian Alps (Vrši
č
Pass and the So
č
a Valley).
If you're without your own wheels, hiring a
local guide with a car
can be a great value,
maximizing not only what you see, but what you learn. Cheaper but less personalized, you
couldjoinaday-trip
excursion
fromBled.(Bothoptionsareexplainedunder“ToursatLake
Bled,”
here
.)
In the summer, a public
bus
follows more or less the driving-tour route over the Vrši
č
Pass described below (departs Ljubljana daily July-Aug at 6:30 and 15:00, June and Sept
Sat-Sun only at 6:30, 4.25 hours to Bovec, afternoon bus also continues to Kobarid in 5
hours total, road closed Oct-May). Additional Vrši
č
Pass buses leave from Kranjska Gora
at the foot of the mountains, which is also connected by bus to Ljubljana and Bled. (Yet
another option is to take a direct bus from Ljubljana to Bovec that uses the somewhat less
scenic southerly route via Idrija—but then you'd miss going over the Vrši
č
Pass.) To check
or confirm schedules, see
www.ap-ljubljana.si
.
If you lack the time or transport to reach the Vrši
č
Pass and So
č
a Valley, you could stay
closer to Bled, and get a taste of the Julian Alps with a more convenient day trip to the
VintgarGorgeorLakeBohinj(reachablewitheasyandfrequentbusconnections;see“Near
Lake Bled” in the previous chapter).
