If you have one day in Slovenia and you want to experience in true essence what this petite but wonderful country has to offer, Triglav national park should be your obvious choice.

Triglav national park is the only national park in Slovenia. It is home to many breathtaking glacial lakes, valleys, waterfalls, and mountains. It also has Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia which is the symbol of the national park.

Fun fact: It is said that to be a true Slovenian, you have to climb Mount Triglav at least once in your life. In fact, it is also very common to hike up there as a bachelor’s party activity. How cool is that? In your face, getting-drunk-and-wasted-on-streets kind of bachelor’s party. You can already imagine how culturally significant Mount Triglav is for Slovenia. No wonder that it can also be seen on the flag and coat of arms of Slovenia.

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After exploring Ljubljana and Postojna caves, we were all set to indulge in the refreshing experience of Triglav national park. We booked the tour from 3glav adventures and highly recommend the tour and you will soon see why. We took an early morning bus from Ljubljana to Bled and got down at the stop our tour guide recommended us. The views on the way already excited us to the unforgettable day we were heading towards.

By the way, if you want to follow the same route and visit all these highlights, I have made an exclusive map, which you can access at the end of the article.

Things to do in Triglav national park

1. Get lost in the mirrored beauty of Lake Jasna

Jasna, the alpine lake, was our first stop for the day and we were stunned. The mirrored reflections of the Alps in this clear water lake was a million-dollar view. It is undoubtedly my favorite lake in Slovenia and maybe also in Europe. It means I should update my list of the most breathtaking views in Europe.

2. Rub the horns of Zlatorog in Kranjska Gora

Zlatorog is a mythical mountain goat with golden horns. According to a legend, this goat guards the lake. You can read the whole mythical story here.  Hint: It is a love story blinded with greed and involves a furious Zlatorog.

I can’t even tell you how jealous I am of people living in those houses. Is there any problem in your life that you cannot solve gazing through these colorful reflections, every day! I mean, you can always rub the lucky horns as the backup plan!

3. Appreciate the scenery at Tromeja

You can see the mountain ranges from three countries, Italy, Austria, and Slovenia at Tromeja (triple border) as it is the crossroad between these countries. If you want, you can plan the hike using this website. You can also spot these mountain ranges from Vršič Pass as we did.

4. Or spot the pagan girl’s face at the mountain

According to another legend, the mythical creature, Ajdovska deklica, prophesied to the son of a hunter that he will shoot the goat with golden horns. Blinded by the prophecy, he kept hunting all the Goldhorn goats in the region but of course, he could not find the one with golden horns. Another heathen woman got upset with this continuous greedy hunting and turned the prophetess into a rock. I am telling you, do not mess around with Slovenian mountain goats!

Need more reasons to visit Slovenia?

5. Dive into history in the Julian Alps

This area of Julian Alps provided a perfect ‘peak point’ for the armies in the World war I. It was always under fight for control over this beneficial point, making it one of the bloodiest war front of World war I. Approximately 1.7 million soldiers died in these mountains. You can do a long walk or a guided tour along the peace route.

6. Drive all the way to Vršič Pass

You can drive all the way up to the Vršič Pass to witness the stunning landscapes, but not before you soak yourselves into such breathtaking views on the way. Be careful of the hairpin bends on the mountain road. It might also be tricky to drive through in winters due to snow or even worse, icy roads. The views on the way and the top are remarkable and very peaceful.

7. Source of Soča, the emerald river

Although the whole of Soča river and all its canyons are beautiful, karst spring where the emerald beauty originates from is definitely worth a visit. You can reach the starting point of the path on the road from Bovec to Kranjska Gora, at the second hairpin bend (number 49) of the Vršič pass road.

8. And be proud of crossing all the hurdles

The path to the karst spring is not the easiest one but still manageable. The first ten minutes are easy but the last ten minutes are strenuous. There is no path or even steady ground but there are fixed wires that you can hold and make your way ahead. I mean, I did it, how hard could it be 😀 I was very proud of myself. But I would not try it during rain as rocks become slippery.

9. Canyons along Soča river

Explore the unlimited canyons along the Soča river. I cannot pick one favorite. So just ride along with it and stop by wherever you like the most. Some of these canyons will be crowded and some of them will offer you the utmost seclusion you might be looking for. If you have your lunch packed with you, this can be a perfect spot for a small picnic.

10. Connect to nature

Let your brain be restless and at peace at the same time. Restless- to indulge in this beauty as much as possible and at peace- by letting it all sink in! I was surprised by how underrated this stunning country is. Sad and happy both at the same time. I know, I am one of those evil travelers who want to see the world, inspire everyone to see it along but still do not want crowds everywhere. Actually, let me correct it, I do not mind fellow travelers, I just do not want insensitive crowd all around. If you have been to Louvre and have waited for the people in front to click 500 photos before every next step you can take, you know what I am talking about.

11. Slap Boka

Slap (waterfall) Boka is one of the highest waterfalls in Slovenia. You can hear it roar already from a distance. You can walk ten minutes up to the viewing platform to have a better look at this natural marvel.

12. Adventure sports at Soča river

Due to many twists and turns along the way, Soča river is a one way stop for channeling your adrenaline rush. You can find several kayakers and rafters along the way. I would recommend booking a course especially if you are a novice. And beware, some sections of the river are very dangerous and only professional kayakers can cross them (I think you need a certain permit for that as well).

13. Or just sit and appreciate the emerald river

If you are like me and believe adrenaline rush is overrated (and life safety is not), then you can skip the adventure sports plan and just sit by the river and appreciate the colors around. I am telling you watching the kayakers pass by is rewarding in itself and does not involve any life threats.

Don’t miss the 20 most stunning pictures from Slovenia!

14. Forget everything at Slap Kozjak

While Jasna lake was my most favorite lake, Kozjak was my favorite waterfall in Slovenia (very close to my love for Icelandic waterfalls). This stunning beauty can be reached through a beautiful trail in the forest and believe me when I say this, the trail itself is more stunning than the dreamy Kozjak. We were lucky (some people might disagree) to have some rain on the way to the waterfall and the surroundings turned more charming. It made me lose all sense of space and time and I felt I was walking in some deep-rainforest somewhere. If you want to see just one waterfall in Slovenia (although I don’t know why would you do that to yourself, I am not here to judge! :D), this should be the one!

15. Just drive around

Apart from all these highlights, the routes between them are equally stunning. Paying attention to the road ahead will be difficult if you are driving. So make enough halts on the way 🙂

Tired after such a day, by the time we reached back to Lake Bled, all we wanted to do was to fall in our beds, sleep, and dream about the Slovenian landscapes once again. I think a piece of my heart is still somewhere there. I don’t know if I lost it already at Lake Jasna or at Slap Kozjak but I know I have to go back to get it back (or lose another piece, we will see).

Reaching Triglav national park

You can reach the Triglav national park easily by both car and public transport. Almost two hours from the Slovenian capital Ljubljana, this park can also be accessed easily from Italy and Austria due to its proximity to the borders. There is a hop on hop off bus from Lake Bohinj three times during summer. Alternatively, you can also plan to arrive at different highlights of the national park separately. Get more details about reaching there in this article. As I can’t drive and still wanted to make the most of our day (without worrying about the mostly non-existing public transport between the above-mentioned highlights), we decided to be part of the guided tour and highly recommend it if you also don’t want to drive around.

Tips for the Triglav national park day trip:

If you want to do all these attractions in one day, prepare accordingly as it might get tiring by the end. Bring enough water bottles, snacks etc, unless you want to grab something at the small Slovenian villages on the way.

You can stop by at small villages in between for grabbing a bite. We stopped at charming Bovec, which is also a good place to stay if you intend to participate in multi-day adventure activities.

This region of Slovenia is famous for its micro-temperature changes. So be prepared for rain, wind, sunshine, and all kind of weather changes within a day.

Bring sturdy shoes if you want to hike up to most of these attractions. Though not very challenging, they still need good shoes. Heels are a strict No-No. I cannot emphasize this enough.

There are several adventure activities you can do in this region, like kayaking, paragliding, hiking, zip-lining, climbing, etc. If you are interested in them, calculate your time accordingly.

We came from Ljubljana for this tour but we spent the night in Bled afterward. Considering how tired we got by the end of the tour, I recommend the same to you if you come from Ljubljana. Bonus points: you can enjoy lake bled early the next morning before it gets crowded.

You can drive to all these sights by yourself but we booked 3glav adventures for our one day trip to the Triglav national park. We can highly recommend their services. With a maximum of eight people group, we had fun with our group and the amazing Slovenian guide. He provided us with amazing stories not only about our destination stops but also gave us insights into the Slovenian lifestyle and culture. They can pick you up from your accommodation from Bled or from the bus stop if you are coming directly from Ljubljana as we did. Again, we were not paid or provided a discount or free service from them, as mentioned in the disclaimer. We are recommending them because we loved the trip.

You can access the map I exclusively made for Triglav national park below. This map includes all highlights mentioned above, with pictures, to help you plan your own trip to this magnificent national park.

This is in no way a complete list of everything this park offers but still includes everything you can manage in one day. As mentioned before, you should definitely include Triglav national park in your Slovenian itinerary and if you do not have a Slovenian itinerary yet, this is the time to make one! This will one of the most memorable trips of your life and won’t cost you a fortune. If you have any other questions about your Slovenia visit, just shoot me an email from the contact page and I will be happy to answer 🙂

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