Welcome to Velika Planina: a mesmerizing alpine wonderland tucked away in the breathtaking country of Slovenia! On my first trip to Slovenia in 2016 and my second in 2020, I never even knew about this place and that’s such a shame! This has to be one of the best surprises of my third trip to Slovenia as it’s such a magical and unique place! So, let me convince you with this blog post to also visit Velika Planina!
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For your information, all these pictures were taken in September 2023.
Velika Planina is a high-elevation settlement of mostly herders dwellings and is located in the Kamnik Alps of Slovenia. It’s a special sighting, because of the wooden huts and barns that are spread across the pasture.
The huts and barns are single-room dwellings with shingled oval roofs that are almost floor level. They are used for sheltering livestock and some are used for permanent residents during the summer months, where the herdsmen bring their flocks to the highland pastures.
Velika Planina is one of the very few herder settlements that is still preserved in Europe of this size. As it’s such a large settlement, this location attracts a big number of visitors every year.
The roads in Slovenia are pretty good and well marked, so the easiest way to reach this plateau is by car as we did. There is also a car park near the entrance of the cable car.
When we visited this place in September, there were already a lot of them occupied. A good thing to know is that there is a public toilet available at the parking, for free.
By car: You can find the parking lot near the cable car. The parking is free of charge.
With public transport: There is a bus that goes from Ljubljana all the way to Žičnica Velika Planina and it stops right at the entrance of the cable car. For timetables, click here.
Slovenia is an all-year travel destination, but the peak season would be between June and August in the summer months. July is the busiest month in summer, because of the start of the summer vacation around Europe. The summer is so popular, because of the pleasant temperatures, and longer days.
The difference between summer and winter for Velika Planina is that the summer months are perfect for hiking, but the winter months more for skiing and winter sports around the area.
As Velika Planina is located on an elevation of 1611 meters, the plateau is reachable by cable car and then a chair lift. The operating times of the cable car and chair lift depends on the season and on the day of the week, so it’s best to search it before arriving. Find out more here. The price for a return ticket for both costs €26.
When I was there in September, the chair lift was getting repaired and I needed to hike an extra 30 minutes. Normally, this isn’t the case anymore, but just know that this could happen. As there is also just one cable car going down, it’s important to calculate the time you need to hike back down as you don’t want to wait a long time.
One of the highlights of Velika Planina is without a doubt the collection of the traditional wooden shepherd’s huts spread across the pasture. These traditional huts are also known as “koče” and are used in the summer months where the shepherds bring their livestock here to graze.
The plateau is such a pleasure to wander around with all the shepherds huts in the background. In the summer period, it even gets better as the plateau is covered with lush alpine meadows and wildflowers are in full bloom!
Preskar museum is located in the one of the herdsmen’s settlement and is opened every day during the pasture season or the summer months.
The Preskar museum has a different shape that other huts. And that’s because, after the Second World War, Andrej Preskar built his hut with the original oval floor plan. After the war, they built the huts as they are now.
There is a wooden church on Velika Planina, known as the Church of St. Primus and Felician. The church adds a cultural and historical touch to the natural surroundings. It’s a bit further away from other huts, but it’s so much worth to take a look!
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Hello, I’m Ellen and welcome to this blog! I’m in love with exploring the world and hopefully I get to inspire you with these blog posts and pictures to feel the same. You will find detailed itineraries, hidden gems, tips and so much more!
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