Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Slovenia active: the Julian Alps, Lake Bled, Bohinj and Soča rafting
8 days from Ljubljana: Vintgar Gorge and a row on Lake Bled, a Pokljuka plateau hike, the Vogel ridge above Bohinj, the Vršič Pass, and three nights in Bovec for Soča rafting, the Soča Trail and Kobarid.
8 days · Round trip from Ljubljana · up to 12 guests
Rowing on Lake Bled, below Bled Castle Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bled_Lake_and_Bled_Castle,_Slovenia,_20240504_1110_8448.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Ljubljana
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 3 h on day 5No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Moderate
Five active days of 3 to 6 hours each: about 5 km through Vintgar Gorge and back over the hill by St Catherine's church, then an hour rowing on Lake Bled (day 2); about 12 km there and back and 400 m of ascent on the Pokljuka plateau at about 1,300 to 1,500 m (day 3); about 8 km on the Vogel ridge at 1,500 to 1,880 m and, if you want it, 500 steps at Savica (day 4); grade II to III rafting, about 3.5 hours with the company (day 6); about 10 km on the Soča Trail (day 7). Paths are forest tracks, grassy ridges and rocky in places. Every active day has an easier choice, and any part can be sat out.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 825 (estimated price)
- Season
- Summer
Highlights
Why this trip
- Vintgar Gorge on a 9:30 timed slot, returning over the hill by St Catherine's church
- Rowing yourselves to Bled Island and ringing the bell in the church
- The Pokljuka plateau: herders' huts at Zajamniki under Triglav, and lunch at a mountain hut
- The Vogel cable car and a ridge walk towards Šija, with Lake Bohinj below
- Over the Vršič Pass at 1,611 m, past the Russian Chapel, to the source of the Soča
- Rafting grade II to III on the blue-green Soča, all equipment included
- The Soča Trail past the Great Soča Gorge, then the Kobarid Museum of the Isonzo Front
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 825 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 3 h, on day 5.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Ljubljana
Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (LJU) to your hotel in Ljubljana, then on foot in the old town
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Ljubljana
- Drive about 30 min
Fly into Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (LJU), about 25 km north of the capital. A driver meets you in arrivals on the day you land (pick-up times subject to ops confirmation) and takes you about half an hour into the centre, to a hotel within about 10 minutes' walk of Prešeren Square.
Afternoon
In the late afternoon your See Sight Tours guide meets the group and leads an easy first walk of about an hour and a half to stretch travel legs: the Triple Bridge, Plečnik's riverside market colonnade, the Dragon Bridge and the old-town lanes under the castle hill. Most of the centre is closed to cars, so it is a gentle start on flat streets. Back at the hotel the guide runs through the week: which five days are the active ones, how long each walk and drive is, what to wear for rafting, and where the free afternoons fall.
Evening
Then we walk to a welcome dinner of Slovenian dishes, with a glass of wine from the country's own vineyards.
Included
- Pick-up at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (LJU)
- Guided walk in Ljubljana's old town: the Triple Bridge, the market colonnade and the Dragon Bridge
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner in Ljubljana
Free time: Free until the late-afternoon walk
Activity: Plan to land by about 3 pm to join the walk; later arrivals are met and join the group at dinner.
Vintgar Gorge and a row on Lake Bled
Ljubljana to Vintgar Gorge, on foot and back to Podhom, then Bled and the lake
- Breakfast
- Stay in Bled
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
We leave Ljubljana at 8:30 and drive about 50 minutes north to Vintgar Gorge, on a timed entry slot of about 9:30 booked ahead, before the late-morning crowds. Wooden boardwalks and bridges run about 1.6 km along the Radovna river between limestone walls to the Šum waterfall. The boardwalk is one way only, so from the waterfall a marked forest path climbs over the hill past the church of St Catherine and drops back to the Podhom entrance, about two hours on foot in all with stops. The van meets us there and takes us ten minutes on to our hotel in Bled, a short walk from the lake.
Afternoon
After lunch on your own by the water, we row ourselves to Bled Island in traditional wooden rowing boats, three or four to a boat, taking turns at the oars. Climb the 99 steps to the Church of the Assumption and pull the bell rope for a wish, then row back.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Vintgar Gorge entry on a timed slot
- Guided walk through Vintgar Gorge and back to Podhom by St Catherine's church
- Rowing boat hire on Lake Bled
- Church of the Assumption on Bled Island
Optional experiences
- Bled Castle (extra, price shown at booking)
Easier option: Walk the boardwalk only and take the shorter path back to Podhom, and take a pletna, the oarsman-rowed canopied boat, to the island instead of rowing.
More active option: Before dinner, climb to the Ojstrica or Mala Osojnica viewpoint above the lake's west end (steep, about an hour return).
Free time: Lunch on your own; evening free
Activity: Active day: about 2 hours and 5 km on foot with a climb of about 150 m on the return path, then about an hour rowing at your own pace. The gorge boardwalk is one way, from the Podhom entrance to the Šum waterfall. Vintgar is open from spring to autumn on timed tickets; we confirm the slot and the return path for your dates.
The Pokljuka plateau
Bled to Rudno Polje on the Pokljuka plateau and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Bled
- Drive about 1.5 h
A short drive of about 35 minutes climbs from Bled through spruce forest to Rudno Polje, at about 1,340 m on the Pokljuka plateau, inside Triglav National Park. We leave at 8:30 to be walking while it is cool. The main hike goes out and back by the same path, about four hours on forest tracks and paths to the high summer pastures of Zajamniki, a row of wooden herders' huts with Triglav, at 2,864 m the highest mountain in Slovenia, rising behind them, and on to Uskovnica, a wide meadow below the peaks. Cows still graze here from early summer, and the huts are used by the families who take them up.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal at a mountain hut on the pastures, with local cheese if the herders are making it. We are back in Bled by mid-afternoon. The rest of the day is free: swim from the lakeshore, walk the flat 6 km path around the lake, or try the cream cake the town is known for.
Included
- Guided hike on the Pokljuka plateau: Rudno Polje, Zajamniki and Uskovnica
- Sit-down lunch at a mountain hut
Easier option: A shorter walk of about 2 hours from Rudno Polje to Zajamniki and back, meeting the group for lunch by van.
More active option: Climb Viševnik, at 2,050 m, from Rudno Polje instead (about 3.5 hours return, about 700 m of ascent on rocky path), and join the group for lunch.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Bled
Activity: Active day: about 4 hours and 12 km on foot, out and back, with about 400 m of ascent and descent on forest tracks and paths. Hiking boots or trail shoes with grip. Mountain huts on the pastures open in summer; we confirm lunch for your dates.
Lake Bohinj: the Vogel ridge and Savica
Bled to Lake Bohinj, the Vogel cable car and the Savica waterfall
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Bohinj
- Drive about 1 h
Half an hour up the Sava Bohinjka valley brings us to Lake Bohinj, the largest permanent lake in Slovenia, with almost no building on its shore. We leave luggage at our hotel at Ribčev Laz, the east end, and drive about 10 minutes along the shore to Ukanc at the west end, where the Vogel cable car lifts us from about 570 m to about 1,535 m in a few minutes. From the top the whole lake lies below, with Triglav across the valley on a clear day. Our walk follows the ski slopes and then a path along the ridge towards Orlove glave and, for those who want it, the grassy top of Šija at about 1,880 m, where the view runs west towards Italy. Allow about three hours up there.
Afternoon
Back down at Ukanc we sit down to lunch by the lake. Then, for those who want it, we drive a few minutes further up the valley to the Savica waterfall, which drops about 78 m out of the limestone, reached by about 500 steps through the forest; anyone who has walked enough is dropped at the hotel first.
Evening
The evening is free by the lake.
Included
- Vogel cable car return
- Guided ridge walk from the Vogel top station towards Orlove glave and Šija
- Sit-down lunch at Lake Bohinj
- Savica waterfall entry (optional on the day)
Easier option: Stay near the top station with a coffee and the view, or walk the level path along the lake shore while the others are on the ridge; skip Savica and rest at the hotel.
More active option: Go on to the top of Šija, about 1,880 m, on a steep grassy path (adds about an hour).
Free time: Evening free in Bohinj
Activity: Active day: about 3 hours and 8 km on the ridge with about 350 m of ascent, plus, if you choose it, about an hour and 500 steps at Savica. The Vogel cable car runs summer hours and closes in strong wind or for servicing; we confirm it for your date, and if it is shut we walk the Mostnica gorge instead.
Over the Vršič Pass to the Soča valley
Bohinj to Kranjska Gora, over the Vršič Pass to Trenta and Bovec
- Breakfast
- Stay in Bovec
- Drive about 3 h
This is a travel day with short walks, not one of the five active days, and about 3 hours at the wheel and about 130 km, in stretches of an hour or less. We leave Bohinj at 8:30 and drive back past Bled and up the Sava valley to Kranjska Gora, with a stop at Lake Jasna below the peaks. Then the road climbs the Vršič Pass, at 1,611 m the highest road pass in Slovenia, on hairpins that are numbered all the way up. Near the top is the wooden Russian Chapel, built by Russian prisoners of war who were building this road in 1916, in memory of comrades killed by an avalanche. At the pass there is time for a short walk to a viewpoint.
Afternoon
We wind down into the Trenta valley, stop at the source of the Soča for those who want the short, steep climb to it, and reach Bovec by mid-afternoon.
Evening
Lunch is on the way at your own choice, and the evening is free in Bovec.
Included
- Drive over the Vršič Pass with your guide, with stops at Lake Jasna, the Russian Chapel and the top of the pass
- Stop in the Trenta valley at the source of the Soča
Easier option: Stay at the vehicle at each stop; every viewpoint is a few minutes from the road.
More active option: Climb the short, steep path with cables to the Soča spring (about 20 minutes each way).
Free time: Lunch on your own; evening free in Bovec
Activity: Leave Bohinj at 8:30; in Bovec by about 3 pm. The Vršič road has 50 hairpins; if you get car-sick, sit at the front and tell your guide. If snow or a storm closes the pass, we drive round through Italy by the Predel Pass, which adds about an hour.
Rafting the Soča
Bovec, on the Soča river
- Breakfast
- Stay in Bovec
- Drive about 30 min
The Soča runs a clear blue-green over white limestone, and the stretch below Bovec is one of the best-known rafting rivers in the Alps.
Morning
In the morning we go out with a licensed local rafting company: wetsuits, boots, helmets and life jackets are supplied, and their skippers give the safety briefing on the bank. Then we paddle about 8 to 10 km of grade II to III water, with rapids, gates of rock and calm pools where you can swim if you can stand the cold, about an hour and a half to two hours on the river and about three and a half hours in all with kitting up. The water is about 8 to 12 °C even in summer, so the wetsuit matters.
Afternoon
Back in Bovec we have lunch on our own, and the afternoon is free: a nap, a coffee on the square, or an easy walk with the guide to the viewpoint below the Boka waterfall, which drops out of a cliff above the valley.
Included
- Soča rafting, grade II to III, with a licensed local rafting company and all equipment
- Guided afternoon walk to the Boka waterfall viewpoint
Optional experiences
- Canyoning or a zipline in the Bovec area (extra, price shown at booking)
Easier option: Skip the raft and walk the riverside path to the Virje waterfall near Plužna with the guide instead (about 2 hours, gentle).
More active option: Paddle a smaller inflatable kayak, two to a boat, if the rafting company runs them on your date (price difference shown at booking).
Free time: Lunch on your own; afternoon and evening free
Activity: Active day: about 3.5 hours with the rafting company. You need to be comfortable in water and able to swim; age and weight limits are set by the rafting company and confirmed at booking. Rafting runs from spring to autumn; very high or very low water can change the stretch.
A stage of the Soča Trail and Kobarid
Bovec to the Trenta valley, on foot down the Soča, then Kobarid
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Bovec
- Drive about 1.5 h
We drive half an hour back up the Trenta valley at 8:30 and walk a stage of the Soča Trail downstream, about 10 km and three and a half hours on a mostly level or gently falling path. It crosses the river on small suspension bridges and stays within sight of the green river most of the way, ending at the Great Soča Gorge near the village of Soča, where the water has cut a slot only a few metres wide. The van meets us there.
Afternoon
After lunch together in Kobarid, about 25 minutes south of Bovec, we spend about an hour and a half in the Kobarid Museum, which tells the story of the Isonzo Front of the First World War, where Italian and Austro-Hungarian armies fought in these mountains from 1915 until the breakthrough at Kobarid, called Caporetto in Italian, in 1917; Ernest Hemingway set part of A Farewell to Arms here.
Evening
We are back in Bovec by late afternoon, and in the evening the group meets for a farewell dinner.
Included
- Guided walk on the Soča Trail from the Trenta valley to the Great Soča Gorge
- Sit-down lunch in Kobarid
- Kobarid Museum entry
- Farewell dinner in Bovec
Easier option: Walk only the last 4 km of the stage to the Great Soča Gorge, about an hour and a half; the van drops you where the trail meets the road.
More active option: Walk on from Kobarid to the Kozjak waterfall in its rock chamber, about an hour return, while the others finish the museum.
Free time: Afternoon free in Bovec
Activity: Active day: about 3.5 hours and 10 km on foot with short climbs, roots and suspension bridges; the bridges sway, and each has a way round for anyone who prefers not to cross. The museum is about 1.5 hours.
Back to Ljubljana and home
Bovec to Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (LJU) or central Ljubljana
- Breakfast
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
The trip ends after breakfast. We leave Bovec at 8:30 and drive about two and a half hours to Ljubljana, down the Soča past Tolmin and over the hills by Idrija, with a coffee stop on the way. Only if that road is closed do we go round by the Predel Pass and Kranjska Gora, which takes about 3 hours. We reach Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (LJU) by about 11 am, then central Ljubljana, where the guide says goodbye. The easiest flights leave after about 2 pm; if yours is earlier we arrange a separate, earlier transfer.
Evening
If you are staying on, a night or two in Ljubljana gives you time for the castle, the Central Market and the river at an easy pace. If you want more of Slovenia, our other Slovenia trip adds Postojna Cave, Predjama Castle and Piran on the coast, and we can quote extra nights when you request to book.
Included
- Drop-off at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (LJU) or in central Ljubljana
Optional experiences
- Extra nights in Ljubljana or Bovec (quoted on request)
Free time: Early morning free in Bovec
Activity: Book a flight after about 2 pm to travel with the group transfer.
- Ljubljana1 night
- Bled2 nights
- Bohinj1 night
- Bovec3 nights
- Ljubljanaend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: June has full waterfalls at Vintgar, Savica and Boka, high water on the Soča and late snow on the high peaks; July and August are warm and busiest at Bled; September is settled and quieter, with lower, gentler water for rafting. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in the mountains in summer, so the hikes start in the morning. If low cloud hides the view, we swap the Pokljuka and Vogel days. On the pastures you may see marmots near Vogel and grazing cattle at Zajamniki.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Regular walkers who want 3 to 6 active hours a day in the mountains, with a hotel bed every night
- First-time rafters who want an easy-to-moderate river with a professional company
- Travellers who want the Julian Alps, Bled and Bohinj without changing hotel every night
- Solo travellers who want a small group and a clear single price
- People who would rather hike than spend the week in a vehicle
Not for you if you want
- Non-swimmers or anyone uneasy in cold, moving water on rafting day (the walk instead is fine, but you would miss the river)
- Travellers who want a sightseeing week; our Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Bohinj and Piran trip walks less and adds Postojna and the coast
- Multi-day hut-to-hut trekkers: these are day hikes from hotels, not a Triglav summit
- Step-free access: paths are rough, steep in places, with steps and suspension bridges
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Ljubljana1 night
- Bled2 nights
- Bohinj1 night
- Bovec3 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 7 nights: 1 in Ljubljana, 2 in Bled, 1 at Lake Bohinj, 3 in Bovec
- Central hotels of at least 3-star-plus standard, named when we confirm your dates; within about 10 minutes' walk of Prešeren Square in Ljubljana, the lakeshore in Bled and Bohinj and the main square in Bovec (each walk time confirmed with the hotel and shown when we name it)
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (LJU) on day 1 and drop-off there or in central Ljubljana on day 8
- Our own air-conditioned vehicle and driver for the whole trip, with luggage moved between hotels
- Rowing boats on Lake Bled
- Vogel cable car at Lake Bohinj
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for all 8 days, on every walk
- Licensed rafting skippers from a local company on the Soča
Activities
- Ljubljana: guided old-town walk
- Bled: Vintgar Gorge on a timed ticket, the walk from Vintgar to the lake, rowing to Bled Island and the Church of the Assumption
- Pokljuka: guided hike to Zajamniki and Uskovnica
- Bohinj: the Vogel cable car and ridge walk, the Savica waterfall
- Julian Alps: the Vršič Pass, the Russian Chapel, the source of the Soča
- Bovec: Soča rafting grade II to III with all equipment, the Boka waterfall viewpoint walk, a guided stage of the Soča Trail
- Kobarid: Kobarid Museum
Meals
- 7 breakfasts
- 3 sit-down lunches: a mountain hut on Pokljuka, Lake Bohinj and Kobarid
- 2 dinners: welcome dinner in Ljubljana and farewell dinner in Bovec
Not included
- International flights to and from Ljubljana
- Travel insurance (it must cover hiking and rafting)
- Any Schengen travel authorisation fee, such as ETIAS once it starts
- Lunches and dinners not listed above
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities, such as Bled Castle, canyoning or a zipline
- Hiking boots, poles and personal outdoor gear
- Extra nights before or after the trip
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 825 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Seven nights in central hotels, 7 breakfasts, 3 sit-down lunches and 2 dinners, both transfers, our own vehicle and driver throughout, your See Sight Tours guide for all 8 days, Soča rafting with all equipment, the Vogel cable car, Vintgar Gorge, the rowing boats on Lake Bled, the Savica waterfall and the Kobarid Museum.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests and is never merged with another group. That fits one vehicle, three rowing boats on Lake Bled and two rafts on the Soča, and the guide can walk with everyone on narrow mountain paths.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group for all eight days and leads every walk, from the old-town walk in Ljubljana to the Soča Trail. On rafting day, licensed skippers from a local rafting company take the rafts, with our guide on the bank or on the river.
How fit do I need to be for this hiking trip?
You should be able to walk 3 to 4 hours on uneven mountain paths with up to about 400 m of climbing, five days in a week. It is graded moderate. Every active day has an easier choice, such as a shorter walk or the van, and a harder one, such as Viševnik at 2,050 m.
Do I need rafting experience, and do I have to be able to swim?
No experience is needed: the grade II to III stretch below Bovec suits first-timers, and the company gives a safety briefing and supplies wetsuits, helmets and life jackets. You do need to be able to swim and be comfortable in cold water. If you would rather not raft, walk to the Virje waterfall with the guide.
I am travelling solo. What does a single room cost?
A room of your own is from CAD 825 extra, shown before you book with no surprise later. Solo travellers are welcome on every departure and join the same hikes, boats, rafts and tables as everyone else.
When is the best time to go hiking in Slovenia?
June to September, when the Vršič Pass road is open, the mountain huts on Pokljuka are serving and the Soča is running for rafting. June has full waterfalls and high water, July and August are warmest and busiest at Bled, and September is settled and quieter.
How does booking work?
Choose a date and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. The small group starts from CAD 4,855 per person sharing, with taxes included.
Can we travel on our own dates?
Yes. The private style runs for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 8,740 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, drivers and rafting company.
Do I need a visa for Slovenia?
Canadian and US citizens do not need a visa for short stays in Slovenia, which is in the Schengen area. The EU's Entry/Exit System records your fingerprints and photo on arrival, ETIAS, the EU travel authorisation, is not yet in operation and has no start date; we will tell you when it is required.
What if it rains in the Julian Alps?
Summer storms usually come in the afternoon, so hikes start in the morning. If a whole day is wet or the tops are in cloud, the guide swaps the Pokljuka and Vogel days or picks a lower walk, such as the Mostnica gorge at Bohinj. Rafting goes ahead in rain; you get wet anyway.
How is this different from your other Slovenia trips?
This is the active one: five days of hiking and rafting, three nights in Bovec on the Soča. Our Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Bohinj and Piran trip is easier, adding Postojna Cave and the coast, and our Slovenia and Croatia trip continues south to Plitvice, Split and Dubrovnik.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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