Julian Alps, Slovenia
The Julian Alps are located in the Eastern Alps that stretch from Northeastern Italy to Slovenia’s Triglav National Park. Many people would struggle to find the Julian Alps on a map, but Slovenia and the Julian Alps are certainly destinations worth visiting as a cyclist! The region offers some of the most epic climbs in the Alps, as well as some of the of the most beautiful nature I have ever experienced in Europe.
If you are traveling to the Julian Alps for the first time and want to experience it all, I recommend staying in Bovec or Kranjska Gora. All of the best climbs and highlights are best accessed through these two mountain towns. So what are the best climbs and highlights in the Julian Alps? In this newsletter, I would like to share with you my favorite climbs and spots in Slovenia’s Julian Alps.
- The Mangart Pass
If you only have time to do one thing in Slovenia, I recommend cycling up the Mangart Pass. I have been lucky enough to cycle some incredible climbs in my life, but the Mangart Pass certainly makes my list of all time favorite climbs.
At 2055m, the Mangart Pass is Slovenia’s highest road. The climb is roughly 12km long featuring over 17 switchbacks, 5 tunnels, and of course unparalleled views of the Mangart Mountain. The fastest time is held by none other than Tadej Pogacar, who used the Mangart frequently as a training climb as a Junior, with a time of just of over 37 minutes.
I found the Mangart unique because of the contrasts and of course the incredible views. For context, when climbing Mangart, we started in the Valley in Bovec at just 434m. On the way up, we climbed through forests, gorges, and waterfalls, all before the climb opened up to the mountains at around 1700m. The last 2km of the Mangart is also a closed road just open to cyclists and pedestrians. Once reaching the top, we had views of the Mangart Mountain, Julian Alps, and we were even lucky enough to be able to see all the way to the Mediterranean.
In my opinion, the Mangart is a climb of beautiful contrasts: different landscapes, changing temperatures, (At 2055m the temperature also dropped nearly in half from the 20C we had in Bovec.) and two beautiful countries (Slovenia and Italy).
- Vrsic Pass
The Vrsic Pass is also a relatively unknown climb, but also one of the best I’ve ever ridden. The Pass connects Kranjska Gora to Bovec at an elevation of 1611m. The Vrsic Pass consists of both asphalted and cobblestone roads. In my opinion, the cobblestone sectors at every corner is what makes the Vrsic Pass so special. With the exception of the Gotthardpass in Switzerland, there is no climb that features sectors of cobblestones in the Alps!
We climbed the Vrsic Pass as the last climb in the Predil - Mangart - Vrsic trilogy and started from the Kranjska Gora side. The climb is 12km with an elevation gain of 815m with an average gradient of 7%. The climb cuts predominantly through the forest, but cyclists can often see beautiful glimpses of the mountains on the Vrsic’s cobblestones corners. At the top of the climb at 1611m, the views of the Julian Alps are second to none and rivals those seen at the top of the Mangart.
The Vrsic Pass is also frequently featured in Pro Cycling in the Tour of Slovenia. The race first climbed Vrsic Pass in 1993 and has since ridden its cobblestone roads fifteen times.
- Soča Gorge and the Soča Valley
Other than incredible climbs and mountains, the Julian Alps offer much more including the incredible Soča Valley and Soča Gorge. The Soča River flows through the Julian Alps and is a turquoise “emerald” color. I was quite impressed by the Soča River when I first saw it. It reminded me a lot of the super clear turquoise waters in New Zealand!
In between climbs, we always rode parallel to the Soča River in the Valley. On our first day in Slovenia, we even rode past the Soča Gorge, which is another highlight in the Julian Alps. The Soča Gorge is known to be one of the most beautiful sights in Slovenia, which features pools of turquoise waters sitting between the 750 foot long Soča Gorge.
If you haven’t already been to Slovenia and the Julian Alps, I highly recommend planning a trip there!
