DAY 6
Drive to Most na Soči with stops at Skocjan Cave and Kanal ob Soči
After a couple of days in Piran, it was time to leave the Slovenian coastline and head inland. We grabbed our complementary breakfast from the cafe near our hotel and made our way back to the car on the outskirts of town.
Our next phase of the trip would be spent exploring the Soča River Valley, a region in eastern Slovenia known for its beautiful river and plethora of outdoor activities.
Our home base to explore the region was a B&B in the town of Most na Soči, about a two hour drive from Piran. Luna got a solid morning nap in before we made it to our main stop on the drive, Slovenia’s second most-visited cave, called Skocjan.
Our experience at Skocjan could not be more different than the Postojna Cave we’d visited on our way to Piran.
Postojna was a well-oiled tourist attraction that (quite literally) shuttles 1.2 million visitors through the expansive cave every year. In contrast, Skocjan is a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site and feels more natural as a result. The number of visitors is also much more controlled, at less than 200,000 a year.
That said, both were exceptional in terms of their natural beauty and although both are caves, they’re experientially very different. Postojna is remarkable for its stalagmite formations, concert hall, and the expansiveness of the cave system itself (it’s the second longest in all of Europe); whereas Skocjan’s main feature is its underground cavern (the largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world) with an underground River that rushes through its center.
Unfortunately, there are no photos allowed inside the main cave of Skocjan. But frankly, I’m not sure a photo could really do the space justice. This is one of those places that you really just have to visit yourself to fully appreciate. It was easily one of the most impressive natural wonders I’d ever seen. The dimly-lit cavern is absolutely massive, and the sound of the rushing river and resulting mist makes it a really unforgettable experience!
We snapped a few photos at the mouth of the cave, the only sanctioned photo-op, to commemorate our visit.
After 1 1/2 hours spent visiting the main cave, our tour guide gave us our options for how to navigate back to the visitors center before bidding us adieu.
There are three options: a direct, 15-minute route back to the entrance, a slightly longer route that takes around 30 minutes, and a longer route that is closer to 1 1/2 hours.
After some debate, we opted to take the long route, because… YOLO.
The hike back started off at a higher elevation with the path following the edge of the canyon. There were a couple of interesting bridges along the way as well as some out-and-back detours, one of which led to a powerful and noisy waterfall rushing between the walls of the canyon.
Later in the hike we entered the Mahorčič cave, which felt a bit like a much smaller and scaled-back version of the main cave at the start of the tour.
Unlike the other cave, the river was much calmer in this one. The light at either end made for some beautiful reflections on the water. I also loved the way the path was carved into the side of the cave, creating a ribbon of light that led from one end to the other.
While not quite as impressive as the main cave, this was definitely reason enough to take the long route back.
We completed our hike and were soon back on the road. We made one more quick stop at Kanal ob Soči, a small town known for its picturesque bridge over the emerald green Soča River.
There’s not much else to see in town, so we made the most of our pitstop and picked some sandwiches for lunch at a local bakery.
By early afternoon we arrived to our home away from home in Most na Soči.
The B&B consisted of two restored farmhouses on a beautiful plot of land. The place is owned by a super friendly American couple with two young children that had purchased the property only the year before.
They gave us a tour of the property and showed us to our room. We rented the top floor of the farmhouse, known as the Loft Room, which was the perfect size for the three of us.
The B&B had just opened for the season that weekend and we were the first guests, so we ended up having the entire house to ourselves. After several days pent up in hotel rooms, it was really nice to have the extra space!
Where we stayed: Klavže 28
We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the property and the beautiful meadow adjacent to the farmhouse. After a few days on the go, it was nice to have some time to just relax and spend some time in nature.
That evening, we made dinner in the farmhouse’s shared kitchen and enjoyed our meal outside on the covered porch. After putting Luna to bed, Dan and I enjoyed a bottle of wine and played cards in the living room.
DAY 7
Hikes to the Virje and Boka Waterfalls
Our first morning in the valley started with a fantastic breakfast at the lower farmhouse where the owners live. The buffet-style breakfast was stocked with a delicious assortment of locally-sourced produce and dairy products.
For our first day in the valley, we decided to check out two of the most popular waterfalls in the region. First up was the Virje Slap (“slap” is the Slovenian word for waterfall), about an hour drive west from our hotel.
The waterfall was a quick and easy 20-minute walk from the parking lot. In the peak season, this is apparently a very popular place to come for a swim, but given we were visiting in April, we had the place all to ourselves.
While far from the biggest waterfall in Slovenia (we’d see the tallest one next), this was probably the most picturesque one we saw on the trip. The water trickled in small streams over moss-covered rock and into a beautiful emerald green pool. It was like something out of a fairytale.
I can definitely see how this would be an amazing place to spend the day in warmer weather! There were even some nice wooden sunbeds to the right side of the falls.
Back to the car, we made the quick 10-minute drive over to our second waterfall of the day, Boka Slap.
Just as we pulled into the parking lot, a heavy rain started up. We spent a good half-hour in the car waiting for the rain to pass. Luna was starting to get a little stir-crazy being cooped up in the car, so we eventually decided to just go ahead with the hike despite the rain. The weather this time of year can be unpredictable, so we were at least prepared with proper rain coats.
Luckily the hike to the falls was just 15 minutes along an easy, well-maintained path. The trail eventually led us to a viewing platform where we could see the waterfall off in the distance. At 144 meters, Boka is the tallest waterfall in Slovenia. Even at this distance, it was an impressive sight.
It was still raining by the time we made it back to the car, so we were glad we made the decision to just get on with it. It was still a nice hike even in the rain.
By this time it was approaching lunch time, so we did some searching on Google Maps and found a highly-rated pizza place called Pizzeria Zagca on our route back to the B&B. The inside of the restaurant was small but cozy, and the pizza ended up being really delicious. I was pleasantly surprised!
Full from lunch, Luna took a solid nap in the car as we drove the remaining hour back to our home base.
We spent the remained of the afternoon relaxing back at the B&B. The grass was wet from the rain earlier in the day, so the owners let us borrow one of their kid’s rain suits for Luna to wear.
We suited up and walked to the creek on the edge of the property. Luna loved playing with the rocks on the shore and splashing in the water. I can’t imagine having such a beautiful river right next to your property. Must be nice!
For dinner we cooked another meal in the shared kitchen. We made one of our go-to vacation meals, taco soup. After putting Luna to bed, Dan and I sat on the porch and watched the sun set behind the mountains. Such a peaceful way to end our day.
DAY 8
Tolmin Gorge and a picnic by the Soča River
Our second morning in the Soča River Valley started with another lovely breakfast prepared by our hosts.
Our main item on the agenda for the day was a visit to Tolmin Gorge, one of the main attractions in the valley and just a 20-minute drive away from our B&B.
We went a little on the early side with the hopes of getting a good parking spot and just generally avoiding the crowds later in the day. We arrived just before 11:00 and still got a spot right at the entrance and were some of the only visitors of the park, presumably thanks to it being the shoulder season.
We paid our entrance fee and walked the 2 km trail around the base of the gorge. The walk was really pleasant and easy-going (definitely a great option for those traveling with kids). The path follows a one-way loop that eventually leads you from the river up higher into the gorge until you reach your starting point back at the parking lot.
The highlight was definitely the first half of the walk, which followed the river with the occasional bridge spanning the water. The river was the most striking shade of blue — it almost didn’t look real, like that blue-dyed water at miniature golf courses. The rock walls of the gorge were covered in a thick layer of moss and ferns with small purple flowers mixed in, making it even more magical.
By the time we wrapped up at Tolmin Gorge, it was getting to be early afternoon. Luckily we had the foresight to pack a picnic lunch and our trusty blanket that morning, so all we needed was to find a good spot.
We searched Google Maps for a nice spot along the river. We came upon a place called Sotočje Tolminka, a natural area at the point where the Soča and Tolminka Rivers meet. Our packed lunch was nothing fancy (peanut butter sandwiches and some fruit), but the weather and scenery made for a really lovely time.
Apparently this is a very popular location in the summer, and I can see why. If it was just a tad warmer, you could easily spend the whole day here sunbathing on the shore and taking a dip in the icy-blue water.
For our afternoon activity, we headed to Art & Deco Cafe in the nearby town of Tolmin, which was recommended to us by our B&B hosts. We ordered some tasty pic (banana cream and chocolate) to accompany our lattes.
As an added bonus, the cafe is conveniently located next to a really great playground, which Luna thoroughly enjoyed.
The rest of the afternoon we spent back at the B&B. The weather was still fantastic, and given it was our last evening there, we wanted to spend as much time as we could enjoying the farmhouse and property.
The following morning we were continuing onward and upward with a road trip through the Julian Alps. We were excited for the next leg of the trip but equally sad to leave, as this little slice of heaven was our favorite place that we stayed on our trip. We will definitely be back!
Don’t miss it…
This post is a part of a larger two-week trip around Slovenia. Check out the full itinerary and an overview of the trip here!
