Why walk the Vipava Region?
With
its mix of imposing mountains, karst landscapes and verdant rolling
hills smothered with vineyards and attractive villages, all within easy
reach of Ljublana’s Joze Pučnik airport, the Vipava region makes a great
place for a short and varied walking break and a great introduction to
Slovenia. There are good reasons why Lonely Planet described the Vipava
region of Slovenia as one of the top 10 European destinations of 2018.
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| View of Nanos taken on Vertovec Trail |
My friend and walking partner, Nicole and I spent three days sampling some of the well-known walks (and wine) in this region in April 2019. We had no trouble researching the area and found all the information we needed to plan the trip on some excellent Slovenian websites. We chose 3 very different walks, located close to Ajdovščina, the largest town in the region. We decided to scale Nanos (an imposing summit that borders the region), climb up to the Otlica Window and the Trnovo (translated as “Thorn”) Plateau (to the north of Ajdovščina); and have a gentle walk around the wine villages of the Vipava hills. All three walks are described as blogs on this site
Plan your trip
The Walks
You will find blogs on the three walks Nicole and I completed here:
These walks were taken from the Vipavska Dolina Official Tourist Site.
I have also mapped them onto Viewranger (an excellen free walking app):
View of the Vipava hills (Vipavska Brda) taken on decent from Nanos
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| Otlica Natural Window |
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| Vertivic Trail |
Getting There
You can fly to Ljublana (Joze Pučnik) airport (100km from Ajdovščina) or Trieste in Italy (45km from Ajdovščina).
Or you can drive.
From the UK the drive can be completed over 2 days. The shortest route is from the Hook of Holland (12 hours / 1350km). From Calais it will take 14 hours or 1465km. The drive can easily be extended to take in sights en-route.
Or you can drive.
From the UK the drive can be completed over 2 days. The shortest route is from the Hook of Holland (12 hours / 1350km). From Calais it will take 14 hours or 1465km. The drive can easily be extended to take in sights en-route.
Where to stay and eat
We stayed in budget accommodation, at the Tourist farm Na Hribu, in Slap. Dinner, bed and breakfast was just €33 each per night (2019). The home cooking was great.
If you prefer something more upmarket, you could try Majerija on the outskirts of Slap, which has a good reputation for its food and accommodation, offering “simple, traditional cuisine with a contemporary touch”.
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| View of Nanos the range from Tourist Farm Na Hribu |
The Ajovščina Youth Hostel located at the Pale Sports Park (the starting point of the Otlica Window walk) also looked very clean and modern.
The Guesthouse Mirjam, is located in Razdrto, close to Nanos. Faladur Wine Bar, in the centre of Ajdovščina is a great price to try local wine, cured meats and cheeses.
Other things to do in the area
In addition to stunning walks there are plenty of other activities available in this area. If we had longer we would have visited the museum at Ajdovščina to see the fossils, but we decided to try wine tasting at Faladur Wine Bar in the centre of Ajdovščina first. The wine, and the bread, cheeses and meats they serve it with were all delicious. By the time we had finished we didn’t have time for the museum!
It isn't too far to experience some of the gems of Slovenia tourism from here, the Postojna Caves, Skojan Caves (my preferred choice) or the Lipizzina ponies at the Lipica Stud Farm, Lipa (Try to see one of the shows if you can).
It isn't too far to experience some of the gems of Slovenia tourism from here, the Postojna Caves, Skojan Caves (my preferred choice) or the Lipizzina ponies at the Lipica Stud Farm, Lipa (Try to see one of the shows if you can).
Maps
This region is covered by the Kartografija Tourist Map (1:40000) of Skofjelosko - Idrijsko - Cerkljansko Hribovj.
We picked up the free Vipava municipality map (1:6300) from the Vipava tourist office. It showed walking routes along the Nanos range well. Also pick up the free leaflet describing the Vertovec Trail if you can.
All the routes we did are freely available on the Viewranger app.
We picked up the free Vipava municipality map (1:6300) from the Vipava tourist office. It showed walking routes along the Nanos range well. Also pick up the free leaflet describing the Vertovec Trail if you can.
All the routes we did are freely available on the Viewranger app.
More information
For more information on walks and accommodation in the area visit the Vipavska Dolina Official Tourist Site.
For further information on holidaying in Slovenia see the Slovenia Official Tourist Site
In May 2018 Lonely Planet picked the Vipava Valley among Europe's top ten most worthwhile summer destinations.Read their article below.
Lonely Planet: Exploring Slovenia's Vipava Valley
For further information on holidaying in Slovenia see the Slovenia Official Tourist Site
In May 2018 Lonely Planet picked the Vipava Valley among Europe's top ten most worthwhile summer destinations.Read their article below.
Lonely Planet: Exploring Slovenia's Vipava Valley
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