The Ultimate Guide To Hiking Vintgar Gorge In Slovenia

Hello fellow hikers! Are you looking for a serene and at the same time breathtaking activity to combine with your visit to the super famous Lake Bled in Slovenia? I’ve got the perfect proposal for you, Vintgar Gorge. Picture this: a meandering river with crystal-clear emerald and turquoise water carving its way through towering rock walls adorned with lush greenery. Sounds appealing right? Then keep reading my ultimate guide to hiking Vintgar Gorge to find out everything there is to know about this fantastic place.

WHAT IS VINTGAR GORGE?

Vintgar Gorge is a 1.6 km long gorge located on the eastern part of Triglav National Park. This natural landscape has been carved by the Radovna, a river with aquamarine-colored water that makes a beautiful contrast with the sharp rocks and lush beech forest that cover them. Throughout the 1600 m-long gorge you will be walking through elevated walk boards that zigzag over the river while you enjoy the many rapids, small waterfalls, and erosion potholes created through time.

Walking along these boards makes for a very nice experience, allowing you to see the river from every angle. Sometimes, you will even be hanging over it!

HIKING VINTGAR GORGE - PRACTICAL INFORMATION

How To Get To Vintgar Gorge?

The easiest way to get to Vintgar Gorge is by car. However, if you don’t want to go through the hassle of driving, during July and August, there is a free shuttle bus that will take you from Bled to the gorge.

Next to the entrance of the gorge, there are several big parking lots. The most convenient one is P1 (see map at the end of this blog to get the exact location). However, this parking lot is a bit more expensive and it tends to fill up quite fast. If you can’t find a spot in P1, you can always park in P3 and get the shuttle bus to the gorge.

Distance and travel times from the main nearby locations:

Bled: 5km – 10 minutes
Lake Bohinj: 33km – 45 minutes
Ljubljana: 65km – 45 minutes

Things To Know Before Hiking

Here are some things that are good to know before visiting Vintgar Gorge:

Price: To visit Vintgar you will have to pay an entrance fee of 10€ for adults. In addition, you will also have to pay for the parking (10€ if you park in P1). These prices are from 2023, make sure to check Vintgar’s official website to get updated information.
Book your ticket online: During the summer months, the gorge will get quite busy. If you want to make sure you get a spot to visit the gorge, I recommend to book your ticket online.
Opening Hours: The opening hours will change depending on the season. In addition, the gorge is closed during the winter months. Updated information is again available on Vintgar’s official website.
Route. The gorge is a one-way visit only. This means you will not be able to return to the parking lot through the gorge and will have to take a different route instead. There are 2 options, the green route which will take you up to the clifss next to the gorge (total walking distance 4,3km), or the red route which will take you to St. Catherine’s church (total walking distance 5,7km). Both routes are shown on the map at the end of this blog.
The gorge is not suitable for people with mobility issues. To visit the gorge and on the return trail, you will have to go up and down numerous stairs.

When Is The Best Time To Visit Vintgar Gorge?

In my opinion, the best time to visit the Gorge is either in spring or autumn. During these months, the temperatures are still ok and there will be fewer people visiting with you. During the summer months, you will have to share the walking boards with many other people.

However, I visited the gorge in August and it was still a very nice activity to do. Maybe I got lucky but I was expecting it to be way more crowded than it was.

PLAN YOUR TRIP TO SLOVENIA

Book your flights with WayAway.com
Book your car with Rentalcars.com
Find the best places to stay with Booking.com
Get reliable travel insurance.
Find the best activities to do like with Get Your Guide.
Don’t forget to pack your Airtag to always help you locate your checked-in baggage.
Remember to bring with you your portable battery and Insta360 Flow to capture the best photos and videos.

MY EXPERIENCE VISITING VINTGAR GORGE

Hike Summary

Trail Start/End: P1 Parking Lot
Distance: 4,3 km
Elevation Gain: 200 m
Route Type: Circular Route
Estimated Time Needed: 1 – 2 hours (This will depend on how often you stop to take amazing photos).

Exploring The Gorge

We arrived at the gorge around noon and managed to park our car in P1 parking. Even though we had booked our tickets for 1 pm, we were allowed to enter the gorge early.

Immediately after validating your ticket, you start walking on the boards and the canyon starts to narrow down. In the beginning, we had to walk a couple of groups walking a bit slowly but we managed to pass them and had the opportunity to enjoy the gorge without a lot of people around us.

In the first half of the trail, the canyon is narrow and the river flows through it quite fast. During this part, you will get to enjoy amazing views of the river while the walking boards cross the Radovna River from one side to the other.

This area is the perfect place to practice your long exposures!

In the second half of the trail, the canyon becomes wider and the water slows down. In some parts, you can even get a bit closer to the water and enjoy the peacefulness and serenity of the area.

Sum Waterfall

At the end of the gorge, you will reach a small dam that creates a waterfall under an arched bridge.

At this point, there is a small hut selling some snacks and drinks. If you go down the stairs and continue a bit further, you will reach a viewpoint from which you will get to enjoy views of Sum waterfall.

Unfortunately, we got confused and mistook the waterfall created by the dam for the actual natural waterfall so I don’t have any photos to share of it.

Return To The Parking Lot

After the waterfall, you will have to choose which way you want to return to P1 since it is not possible to return through the gorge anymore.

We chose the shortest way back which meant hiking up to the borders of cliffs near the gorge. This route is not so special but at least it was mostly in the shadow under the trees.

MAP WITH ALL LOCATIONS

And that’s it for my blog about Hiking Vintgar Gorge. I hope you liked it and it encouraged you to include this beautiful place in your itinerary in Slovenia. Let me know what you think in the comments!

Happy hiking!

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