Your Julian Alps Guide

If you love drama, you’ll love the Julian Alps. The alpine landscape surrounding the eponymous mountain range is wild and powerful, rugged and beautiful, epic and striking. From the alpine highlands with their imposing mountain passes, through the untamed river landscapes of the Soča, Sava Dolinka, and Sava Bohinjka, you’ll find yourself in no time at the postcard-perfect lakes of Bohinj and Bled. For a touch of cuisine and culture on your mountainbike holiday.

A mountain bike is the best way to experience this dramatic beauty with all your senses. Even if a steam train ride across the Julian Alps on the Bohinj Nostalgia Railway is well worth it, you might want to switch modes of transportation on a whim along the historic k&k lifeline between the Alps and the Adriatic. The spectacular viaducts and 65 bridges spanning the valleys and winding through densely forested hills are a travel adventure in and of themselves.

…are a mountain range covering an area of 4,400 km²? 
… lie on the border between Slovenia and Italy? 
… more than three-quarters of the mountain range lies in Slovenia, including more than 150 peaks over 2,000 m? 
… are the first UNESCO biosphere reserve in Slovenia?
 

But you’ll get an even more immersive experience of the land and its people on a mountain bike. Around 1,100 km of trails—flowing forest paths, gravel roads, and old military trails, as well as challenging alpine tours—cover approximately 33,000 meters of elevation gain across the wild landscape of the Julian Alps. And thus through one of the most unspoiled regions of the Alps.

Here are the 5 things you should do on a biking vacation in the Julian Alps:

The marked MTB routes and trails in Triglav National Park—Slovenia’s only national park—offer alpine panoramic routes and nature adventures, always in harmony with nature conservation. After all, several endemic animal species live here, including wolves, bears, and lynx.

Tours across the imposing high plateaus of Pokljuka, Jelovica, and Mežakla are particularly scenic. The Pokljuka Plateau is part of Triglav National Park and lies at an elevation of about 1,100–1,400 m in the heart of the Julian Alps. The seemingly endless spruce forests, high alpine pastures, and karst landscapes are characteristic of the national park.

The Soča Valley, with its eponymous emerald-green to turquoise-blue Soča River and numerous waterfalls, is considered one of Slovenia’s most spectacular mountain biking regions—and for good reason. Here you’ll find nature at its purest. The Soča Bike Trail, which isn’t too challenging, follows almost the entire route of the traditional Bohinj Nostalgia Railway.

The Long Distance Mountainbike Route Juliana Bike is part of the Slovenian Mountain Biking Route and also a standalone trail that spans a whopping 296 km and 8,206 Hm across a total of 7 stages around the Julian Alps. The individual stages of this well-marked mountain bike loop are about 40 km long and take you along local roads, bike paths, forest trails, and unpaved gravel roads—including through the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Triglav National Park. The highest point of the tour reaches 1,668 m.

A detour to Bled is a must! The crystal-clear Lake Bled, with its striking church on Slovenia’s only island in the middle of the lake, is the landmark for all tours through the region—and Slovenia’s most famous photo spot. Here, the charm of a swimming lake, thermal traditions, and culinary delights come together to form a total work of art. The impressive lake and valley landscapes around Bled offer countless touring options; both the turquoise-colored Lake Bled and the somewhat quieter Lake Bohinj invite you to cool off after your bike tours.

Don’t forget to try a legendary Bled cream slice! Invented in 1953 at the Hotel Park, this Slovenian specialty measures exactly 7x7 cm and is still made fresh daily according to a strictly secret recipe using puff pastry, vanilla cream, and powdered sugar. It tastes best right on the shore of the turquoise glacial lake, after an extensive MTB tour through the historic region of Upper Carniola.

Both bike parks were designed by true bike enthusiasts and set amidst wild, unspoiled forests. Nestled amid dense forests and mountains, near the Austrian and Italian borders, the Kranjska Gora Bikepark offers a total of 20 km of trail combinations—ranging from downhill and freeride to easy Familiy-Flow trails with a 300-meter elevation gain. You can easily reach the starting point via chairlift; bike rentals and service are available at the bike shop in the finish area. 


The Bike Park Bovec, located in the heart of the Soča Valley, also caters to all skill levels—those who love jumps will find the 1.4 km-long Airline perfect, while those seeking flow and pure nature will find their happiness on the 1.3 km-long Jungle Line.