The Julian Alps, from Bled to Kranjska Gora

Lakes, gorges and waterfalls at the foot of Triglav

From Ljubljana, the motorway heads up the plain towards the Karawanks range. On a clear day, you can see Triglav to the west, 2,864 metres, the highest peak in the country. In less than an hour, you are in Bled: a green lake, an island with its church, a castle on its cliff. Close by, the Vintgar Gorge is walked on wooden walkways.

Further on, Lake Bohinj is bigger and quieter, with shores that have stayed largely unbuilt. At its western end, Savica Falls drops 78 metres. If you have the time, a forest road also links Bled to Bohinj across the Pokljuka plateau.

To the north, the Sava valley leads to Kranjska Gora, a ski resort in winter and a hiking base in summer. On the way, near Mojstrana, a path runs behind the Peričnik waterfall. From Kranjska Gora, one road climbs to the Vršič and another runs to Planica, the valley of the ski-flying hills.

In the middle of the lake, Bled Island holds the Church of the Assumption, at the top of a Baroque staircase of 99 steps. By tradition, the groom carries the bride up the steps on their wedding day. Inside the church, you ring a bell and make a wish.

You reach the island by pletna, a flat-bottomed boat that the boatman rows standing up. In 1740, Maria Theresa granted the crossing to 22 families from the lake. The trade is still regulated today.

Bohinj, Triglav and their legends

Lake Bohinj is the largest permanent lake in Slovenia: 318 hectares, 45 metres deep. It lies at the heart of Triglav National Park, the country’s only national park. Legend has it that a chamois with golden horns, the Zlatorog, guarded a treasure in these mountains. The German poet Rudolf Baumbach made the story famous; a statue of the Zlatorog stands on the lakeshore.

France Prešeren, Slovenia’s national poet, set “The Baptism on the Savica”, published in 1836, here. In Ribčev Laz, near the Church of St John the Baptist, a statue honours the four men who first reached the summit of Triglav, in 1778.

What not to miss

1. 1The Vintgar Gorge1.6 kilometres of gorge carved by the Radovna, open to the public since 1893.
2. 2Savica FallsA 78-metre waterfall, about twenty minutes’ walk from the car park.
3. 3ZelenciThe source of the Sava Dolinka, a small green lake at 5 or 6 °C all year round.
4. 4PlanicaThe valley of the giant ski-flying hills, where Sepp Bradl became the first to jump beyond 100 metres, in 1936.
5. 5RadovljicaThe Museum of Apiculture, its painted beehive panels, and the gingerbread hearts of Lectar.
6. 6Škofja LokaA medieval town whose Passion play, written from 1715 onwards, is the oldest surviving play in Slovene.

The Julian Alps in pictures

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A walkway in the Vintgar Gorge, above the Radovna.

Food in the Julian Alps

In Bled, try the kremšnita, a puff-pastry cake with custard cream and whipped cream. The pastry chef Ištvan Lukačević introduced it in 1953 at the Hotel Park, from a recipe from his native Vojvodina. In the inns, river trout is often on the menu.

Bohinj is a land of mountain cheeses, including mohant, with a very strong taste. Everywhere you will find štruklji, rolls of dough with a filling, often of cottage cheese. To finish, honey: this is the home of the Carniolan honeybee.