Velika Planina - Greener than you Thought Possible
Velika Planina is nestled in the Julian Alps, about an hour’s drive from Ljubljana. The least taxing of our outdoor activities - you just walk around the plains - it is one of my very favorite things we did in our six weeks in Slovenia. Top three for sure!
About 20F cooler than Ljubljana, it is a great destination during a heatwave. Of course, you won’t be alone in thinking so. Still, on a hot Saturday in the summer it was populated, but not crowded. Probably half of the visitors and hikers we passed were international.
To start, you take the steepest gondola I have ever seen up a 1,000 meter cliff. So naturally, while everyone was giddily taking pictures, I was cowering in terror and focused exclusively on the tip of my neighbor’s hat.
Contrary to expectation, the gondola doesn’t take you all the way to the Planina. You need to cover another kilometer uphill either by foot or on a €6 minibus, or - if it’s running - on a free ski lift. As the road is very windy and bumpy, I recommend avoiding the bus if possible. Masha and Alya thought it was worth it on the way up, however.
The Planina itself is not very large, despite the implication of its “Velika Planina” name. Although we did not do the full loop, we got to the Mala Planina and came back in about three hours. We did this at a very leisurely pace with many stops to take in the view, swing, eat, drink and take pictures.
Once you make it to Zeleni rob at the top of the chairlift/bus drop off, you’ll see a restaurant with tasty treats (NOTE: they close early at 5, so don’t make our mistake and plan to get something there on the way back!). From there it’s a short walk on…
to see…
and feel…
It turns out that Slovenia used to be a big skiing destination (it has the highest mountains and the most snow in the former Yugoslavia). Unfortunately, many of the ski resorts have closed down recently due to climate change, leaving old lift towers scattered across the country in various states of decomposition.
Velike Planina also has ski lifts; I don’t know if it still runs in the winter, but at least in the summer they convert a few of them to colossal swings, making for a mystical experience. A kids version
And an adult version
Roughly in the center of the Planina is a cluster of homes (small alpine village) of the locals who tend cows and make various milk products like “kislo mleko” and a cheese specific to this mountain - trnic. It’s hard for me to call it a village, though, since we didn’t see any other buildings besides residential huts turned to cafes or rooms for rent, a residential hut set up as a museum and a tiny church —
Of course, the place wouldn’t be the same without your bovine guides and the center of the local economy, which were nothing but friendly
Beyond the village, there were almost no people at all and it seemed like we had the plain to ourselves
Between the emerald green fields, the snowcapped mountains in the background and the clean mountain air, the place is absolutely gorgeous. Even these pictures hardly to the place justice.
Logistics
The gondola goes up every half hour (or more frequently in peak times) until about 6 (or later at peak times). Be ready for sticker shock, as it’s €25 for each adult. There are hiking trails to the plain from the parking lot, but at a 1k elevation gain, it’s not for the casual visitor. I’ve heard there is also a way to drive at least part of the way up, but haven’t researched that option.
The parking lot is quite large but was almost full when we came back, so it’s better to come in the morning, especially on hotter days as there is virtually no shade on the plain. And take a wind jacket as it did kick up in the afternoon (part of the beauty of it cooling down).
There are bathrooms at two restaurants up on the Planina - about 30 min walk apart. And definitely bring some cash for the big bowl of kislo mleko (like a rich slightly sour yogurt - aka Ryazhenka), a bowl of cheese and a shot-glass of schnapps… the mountain hut soups are pretty great too!
