Visiting the Logar Valley: Best hikes and things to see
The Logar Valley β called Logarska Dolina in Slovene β is one of our favorite destinations in Slovenia. Located only 1h away from Ljubljana, the Logar Valley is the perfect place to go to escape city life and dive right into incredible, lush green nature. The valley offers a wide variety of things to do, suitable for hikers, couples, or families. In this post, we have prepared a complete guide to help you plan your visit to the Logar Valley.
Where is the Logar Valley located?
The Logar Valley is located in the north of Slovenia, very close to the border with Austria. If you are a visual person like us, check the map below so you can have a better idea of its location.
PS: We have bookmarked all the locations we mentioned in this post on the map.
The valley is located right in the heart of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, an incredibly beautiful area of Slovenia where you can really be immersed in untouched nature.
How to go from Ljubljana to the Logar Valley?
The best way to get to the Logar Valley from Ljubljana is by driving with your own or aΒ rental car. Since it is an area tucked in the mountains, it is not easily accessible via public transport, so we do not recommend taking this alternative, but we will explain how to do it below.
Going to the Logar Valley by car
The Logar Valley is located 63km away from Ljubljana, and it will take you approx. 1h20 by car to get there. You will drive through the highway around half of the time, and then the other half will be on smaller mountain roads.
Spoiler alerts: This drive is extremely scenic, with amazing views!
PS:Β From April to October, access to motorized vehicles is controlled. The price for entering with a car is 10 EUR (cash or card), and there is a maximum number of vehicles allowed. We strongly recommend arriving early in the morning to guarantee you will get in without problems. If the park no longer has room for vehicles, you can still go in on foot or by bike. During the low season, entrance to the park is free.
Going to the Logar Valley by bus
As we have mentioned above, getting to the Logar Valley by public transport isnβt easy, but it is possible. If you decide to take this option, please bear in mind that you will need a bit more planning to coordinate your trip with the bus schedule.
There arenβt any public direct buses going from Ljubljana to the Logar Valley, so theΒ best option is to go through Celje.Β You can get either a train or a bus from Ljubljana’s main station to get to Celje (check the bus scheduleΒ on the Ljubljana bus stop websiteΒ or on theΒ Nomago website). From Celje to SolΔava, there are several buses daily. During the main season, there are also buses running to Rinka Waterfall. The best thing about those buses is that you can transport your bicycle on them as well. You can check the detailed schedule here.
Other ways of getting from Ljubljana to the Logar Valley
If you do not like the options above, the other alternatives are to hop on a guided tour or book a private transfer. You can find a couple of day trips from Ljubljana – leaving in the morning, and returning in the late afternoon. See this tour, that takes you to Logar Valley and Jezersko.
Hiking in the Logar Valley: The best trails
One of the things that makes the Logar Valley special is the variety of hiking trails available, ranging from easy to expert level of difficulty. All types of travelers will be able to find something that suits them.
Below we have listed our favorite hiking trails in the Logar Valley that have easy & moderate levels. If you are looking for more experienced-level hikes, we recommend checking the suggested hut-to-hut trails on Hike.uno.
1) Trail through the Logar Valley
One of the best things about the Logar Valley is the view of the valley itself, and there is no better way to admire it than walking the trail through the Logar Valley. This is a very well-marked walking path, mostly flat and with an easy hiking level. The path is 7km long and is also suitable for families, strollers, bikes, etc.
The path goes side-by-side with the road, so you donβt have to walk the whole 7km if you donβt want to. There are several parking spaces along the way, where you can just leave your car and walk some parts of the trail through the Logar Valley.
2) Trail to Rinka Waterfall
The Rinka Waterfall is theΒ largest waterfall in the Logar Valley, 90m high. Despite its impressive height, Rinka usually doesnβt have a large volume of water. Both factors, combined with the surrounding nature, make it a very unique fall.
The Rinka Waterfall is located at the very end of the Logar Valley; to reach it, you simply have to drive (or walk) all the way until the end of the road. There is a parking lot and a little cafΓ© at the end. Access to the waterfall is free.
I am not sure it is fair to list this one as a hike since the path from the parking to the waterfall takes only 10 minutes, and is very easy. However, Rinka Waterfall is a starting point for many other hikes in the Logar Valley, so we thought it deserved a place on our list. Continue reading to see our favorite hike from here.
3) Hike to the Frischaufov dom na OkreΕ‘lju Refuge
This hike is considered of moderate level due to the steep climb in the first kilometer. It takes around 1h30 each way, being 1,6 km long. Even though the distance isnβt long, the path is very diverse. You will have stretches of open trail, and other parts under closed forest. The coolest part is that you will cross the river on the top of the Rinka Waterfall and have an amazing view of the valley.
This hike will lead you to OkreΕ‘lj, which is a glacial cirque. Right on the edge, there used to be a hut called Frischaufov dom na OkreΕ‘lju, built in 1876. The original mountain lodge was swept away by an avalanche, and the replacement burnt down in 2019. Currently, they are building a new modern hut in the same place.
Even though the hut isnβt yet functional, there is a small pop-up bar set up in the same location to welcome the hikers and provide them with a place to cool off and chill. From there, several different hiking and climbing trails will take you further up the mountains, but most of them are advised only for experienced people, with proper equipment.
Here are two recommended paths if you want to hike further (provided by locals when we asked which ones were the most interesting paths):
- Ledinski Vrh β Moderate level trail, 2h long.
- KamniΕ‘ka koΔa na KamniΕ‘kem sedlu β Experienced level trail, equipment necessary. This trail connects two mountain huts. The one called KamniΕ‘ka koΔa is located 1h30 minutes away from OkreΕ‘lj.
4) Hike to KlemenΔa jama mountain hut
This hike is considered easy, takes around 1h30 each way, and is 2.1 km long.
The starting point for this hike is the parking lot located next to Eko hiΕ‘a Na razpotju. The trail is well-marked right from the parking lot. Throughout most of the path, you will be walking in the closed forest, but there are a few interesting spots along the way, including a rock tunnel and a wooden bridge.
The trail leads to the mountain hut called KlemenΔa jama, where they usually have a bar/restaurant (working only during high season – see picture above). Just like in the previous recommendation, you will also find several longer trails starting from this hut. However, they are more demanding paths so we advise you to check the information carefully before going.
One thing I find a bit of a pity with this trail is that, when the trees are very high and full of leaves, you have very few moments with views from the valley. However, the walking path is nice and quite easy to follow.
If you want to continue your hiking trip from here, we recommend going on the trail to Strelovec. From this refuge, you will need another 2h of walking, but supposedly have some of the best views of the valley.
Hiking Gear recommendation
Check out our favorite hiking gear and essentials which we always bring with us.
The SolΔava Panoramic Route in Logar Valley
The SolΔava Panoramic Route is one of the biggest attractions in this area and is a place you should not miss. This route is unfortunately not accessible via public transport (which is just another reason why we strongly recommend renting a car for this trip!).
If you came to the Logar Valley for the views, this is where you will find some of the most amazing ones. The SolΔava Panoramic Route has 39km in total, of which 21km is the main road. You can access the route in the village of SolΔava or a couple of kilometers after the park entrance.
During the 21km extension, there are 12 marked spots with viewpoints or points of interest. In each of them, you will find a small sign with a little history of what you are seeing. Our favorite stops are numbers 4, 6, 7, and 8. Number 7 is where you will have the best view of the Logar Valley. Number 6 is also very special as it is just next to a typical small church and one amazing gastronomic farm called Strevc Tourist Farm.
Stop number 5 is a spring with natural water that, according to legends, has rejuvenating power. To get to the spring, you need to walk a short path, but it is also accessible through a longer hiking trail that starts at the entrance of the park. Following the SolΔava Panoramic Route was one of our favorite parts of exploring the Logar Valley. It is perfectly doable to combine a small hike during the day with the drive-through SolΔava Panoramic Route in the afternoon.
Waterfalls in the Logar Valley
The Logar Valley officially has over 20 waterfalls. The largest one is Rinka; the remaining ones have much less volume of water in comparison. The water flow, however, will depend heavily on the rain.
At all times we have visited the Logar Valley, the other waterfalls were quite empty with water. If you visit the valley after heavy rains, you will probably find a much different scenario.
Here is the list of the top 4 waterfalls in the Logar Valley:
- Rinka WaterfallΒ β 90m high, Rinka is the star of the park in terms of falls
- Palenk β Located just after Hotel Palenk, this waterfall sits right by the side of the road
- RastovΔki β The road that leads to this waterfall is located 1km after the entrance of the park, after the parking lot. Follow the signs on the left
- SuΕ‘ica β This waterfall is very hard to find as the path is not well-marked. The best way to get to it is by parking next to Dom Planincev and following by foot in the direction of KlemenΔa Jama. On the road fork, take the left and keep your ears open for the sound of water coming from your right. The sound will help get there.
Best places to eat in the Logar Valley
Throughout the valley, there are not many options of places to eat, but you can be sure to find good food at the local restaurants.
The place we recommend the most is called Penzion kmeΔka hiΕ‘a Ojstrica, which is a restaurant and accommodation. This is the perfect spot to go to at the end of the day to enjoy the sunset or have a hearty meal after hiking. We had amazing food at really good prices. The cost of the menu was 14 EUR and included entrance, main dish, and dessert, but they also have an a la carte menu.
Here are a few other good places to eat in the Logar Valley:
- Logarski Kot Hut β Located almost at the end of the road that leads to Rinka, this hut is a former dairy farm that serves typical food from SolΔava.
- Dom Planincev Mountain Hut β Located 3km away from the Rinka Waterfall, this place is easily accessible as it is just by the side of the road.
- Eko hiΕ‘a Na razpotju β It is a family-run restaurant specializing in dishes from the Savinja region. It is a good restaurant option if you will be traveling to the Logar Valley with kids since they also have a playground.
- Hotel Plesnik β Why not have lunch at the best hotel in the valley? Hotel Plesnik offers fine-dining cuisine, mixing regional and international dishes.
Gastronomic farms in the Logar Valley
It is impossible to talk about visiting the Logar Valley without including recommendations of the gastronomic farms. This region of SolΔava is so rich with homemade products, that it would simply be a pity not to try it out.
Most of the gastronomic farms also offer accommodation options, which is a great alternative if you want immersion in the local culture.
The farms in this region have a strong dairy tradition, where they make their own dairy and charcuterie products. There are three farms located inside Logar Valley, but if you are willing to stay outside of the park premises, you will find many more options.
These are the gastronomic farms located in the Logar Valley:
- Lenar Tourist Farm
- Plesnik Tourist Farm
- Juvanija Tourist Farm
Where to stay in the Logar Valley?
To visit the Logar Valley, you essentially have two options for accommodation: places located inside the park or in the vicinity.
Places inside the park:
- Hotel Plesnik β By far the best place to stay in the Logar Valley if you are looking for comfort. This hotel has a great structure and incredible views. If you visit during the summer, you can also take advantage of their panoramic pool.
- Penzion kmeΔka hiΕ‘a Ojstrica β This is another great option for accommodation, very accessible and with good service.
Places outside of the park:
During our trip, we decided to stay in LuΔe, which is a small village located only 16km away. Here are our recommendations of places to stay in LuΔe:
- Guesthouse S β When we first visited Logar Valley, we practically opened this small guesthouse as they had barely started receiving guests. The place was very simple but nice and had a great price.
- Glamping Raduha β If you are a fan of unique accommodations, we suggest looking up this property. Glamping Raduha has a great structure and we were dying to return and book a stay there next time.
Best time of the year to visit the Logar Valley
It is possible to visit the Logar Valley throughout the entire year, but the high season goes from the end of April to October.
Since the best thing about the valley is the variety of activities you can do there, such as hiking, cycling, and climbing, we recommend scheduling your trip to the Logar Valley during the summer. We believe the best months are May/June and September. During this period, the valley may be full but usually, it is not crowded. Also, you will have nice temperatures to enjoy your time outdoors and see the nature in the valley in its full lushness.
Check some other activities available in Slovenia:
Other hikes in Slovenia
Organizing your trip
To help you plan your trip to Slovenia, we have put together our favorite planning resources:
- Check out our page with curated Slovenia experiences
- Travel insurance: Make sure you are protected during your trip. We use SafetyWing whenever we are traveling abroad.
- Renting a car: We always use Discover Cars to get the best car deals.
- Accommodation: Find the best hotels and apartments on Booking.com.
- Activities: Get fun ideas of what to do and buy unique activities with Get Your Guide.
- SIM Card: Stay connected during your trip with Airalo.
- Slovenia Map: Check out our custom-made Map with 290+ must-see spots!
- Slovenia itineraries: Check out our pre-made Slovenian itineraries!
- Recommended hiking gear: Check our recommendations on Amazon if you will be hiking in Slovenia!
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