Visiting Tolmin Gorge in Slovenia

Tolmin Gorge is the lowest entry point to the Triglav National Park, in Slovenia. The gorge is a must-see location for anyone exploring the Soča Valley, and it is one of our favorite places to take people when they come to visit us in Slovenia.

In this post, we will guide you through all you need to know for visiting and hiking the Tolmin Gorge.

The trail in Tolmin Gorge

• Trail length: 2km in total
• Duration: The visit usually takes 1.5 – 2 hours including stops
• Difficulty level: Easy
• Opening hours: During the high season (July and August), the Tolmin Gorge is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Since the opening hours change a lot based on the month you visit, make sure to check here the working hours before you plan your visit.
• Ticket price: Price varies based on the season, going from 6 € in the winter to 10 € during the summer.
• Suitable for kids? Yes, the Tolmin Gorge trail is suitable for all the family. However, we do not recommend going with strollers because there are quite a few stairs.

The trail through Tolmin Gorge is a great combination of a pleasant short hike and amazing views. Even during the high season, if you arrive early, you can always find the place quite empty and have a really good time exploring the gorge at your own pace.

The Tolmin Gorge is often compared to the Vintgar Gorge, located close to Bled. In some ways, they are similar as you get to walk through the gorge and explore the beauty of the river. However, Tolmin Gorge is much smaller and emptier than Vintgar.

If you are already planning to visit the Soča Valley, I would definitely recommend visiting Tolmin Gorge. However, if your trip to Slovenia will be focused on other regions of the country, Vintgar is probably a better alternative as it is bigger and more easily accessible.

Where is Tolmin Gorge located?

Tolmin Gorge is located only 2,2 km from the center of Tolmin. It is located right at the start of the Triglav National Park, Slovenia’s only national park and largest protected area.

PS: Many of the signs you see along the way will say “Tolminska Korita”, which is the name of the gorge in Slovenian.

One of the things that makes Tolmin Gorge special is that you get to see the confluence of two rivers, Tolminka and Zadlaščica, that will later confluence into the Soča River.

See below a map to help you understand where is Tolmin Gorge located. We have marked the Gorge and Ljubljana as a reference.

How to get to Tolmin Gorge

In order to visit Tolmin Gorge, you basically need to get to Tolmin as the attraction is located right outside the city. During the summer months, there is a free shuttle bus that connects Tolmin to the entrance of the gorge.

The best way to get to Tolmin Gorge is by car. Driving from Ljubljana or Bled to Tolmin Gorge will take around 2 hours. If you will be staying in the Soča Valley, you will have faster access to the canyons. Going from Bovec to Tolmin Gorge takes around 45 min, for instance.

Still need to rent a car for your trip? Get a quote here!

If you rely on public transport for moving around, you can get to Tolmin from Ljubljana using the national bus system. During the summer, there is also a daily bus line going from Kranjska Gora to Tolmin operated by Nomago – check the schedule on their website.

Pro tip: If the shuttle bus is not operating during your trip or if you travel with pets (that are not allowed on the bus), there is a path connecting the parking lot to the entrance that is only 1 km long (around 10- 15 min walk).

Is there parking at Tolmin Gorge? Is it free?

There is a small parking located right in front of the entrance to the Tolmin Gorge called P1. During the low season months, it can be rather easy to find a spot at this parking lot if you arrive early enough.

During the high season, most vehicles park at the parking lot located in the center of Tolmin which is essentially dedicated to visitors to the gorge. The parking lot is well signaled, look for the signs that say “P2 parking”. This is where the stop of the shuttle bus is located.

The first parking is payable, but parking at P2 is free of charge.

Ticket prices for visiting Tolmin Gorge

To visit the Tolmin Gorge, you will have to buy the ticket at the entrance booth located at the start of the trail. The ticket price varies depending on the season. Below you will find a few price examples for an adult single ticket in 2023:

• High season (July & August) – 10 EUR
• Mid-season (May, June & September) – 8 EUR
• Low season (March, April, October, November) – 6 EUR
• December, January, February – Closed

There are different ticket and price options for visiting Tolmin Gorge if you are a student, for children, families, groups, etc. See their official website for updated pricing. 

Tickets can be bought online in advance or directly at the entrance booth.

Guided tours for visiting Tolmin Gorge

There are individual or group-guided tour options for visiting Tolmin Gorge.

• The individual guided tour is only available on Mondays in July and August. It starts at 13h and visitors that are interested in joining the tour have to pay an additional 1 EUR fee for it.
• Group-guided tours are arranged based on individual requests. If you would like to book a guided visit, you have to send a request to info.tolmin@dolina-soce.si at least 3 days in advance. The cost is 80 EUR per group.

Tolmin Gorge hiking trail – Points of interest

Now that you know the basic information you will need for organizing your visit to Tolmin Gorge, let’s walk you through the trail and the main points of interest along the way.

The Tolmin Gorge trail is a loop, starting and finishing at the entrance booth where you buy your tickets. However, if you do not want to do the second half of the path, you can also just turn around and come back the same way. 

Confluence of Tolminka and Zadlaščica rivers

You first start by going down steep steps until you reach the river, right at the confluence of the Tolminka and Zadlaščica rivers. This spot is special because it is the lowest point of the Triglav National Park, with only 180 m elevation.

The confluence is where the two rivers meet, Tolminka being the largest one that keeps on flowing until it reaches Soča later on. This is the only place in Slovenia where you will see two gorges meet and become one.

This area of the confluence is one of the nicest ones to enjoy by the water. It is possible to swim, so many people bring their bathing suits and jump in. It can be quite chilly in the morning before the sun makes its way into the valley, but if you visit Tolmin Gorge with nice and warm weather, it may be a great opportunity to swim. The river in this part is usually shallow and calm.

Tolmin Gorge and the Thermal Spring

After you cross the wooden bridge over the confluence, turn left towards the thermal spring. The path leads you by the side of the Tolminka River until the end, where you have an amazing viewpoint facing the Tolmin Gorge.

From here, you can have a really good feeling of the size of Tolmin Gorge. It is about 200 meters long and only 5-10 meters wide, forming a very narrow canyon with irregular rocks that lead to incredible views.

The thermal spring located in the gorge has temperatures between 18.8°C and 20.8°C. It may not seem warm when saying it like this, but consider that the average temperature of the Tolminka River is 5-9°C

Head towards the Bear’s Head in Zadlaščica Gorge

To go towards the next location, you need to make your way back in the direction of the bridge, but instead of crossing it back, just keep straight towards the signs that point to the Bear’s Head. After passing the bridge, the path becomes a climb again. If you want to avoid the steep climb, you can skip the next attractions and go back towards the entrance from here (even though I certainly don’t recommend it as you will be missing out on half of the points of interest).

Before reaching the Bear’s Head, you will pass by a wooden bridge hanging to your left. You can cross the bridge if you want (you have to swipe your ticket but you can return after). However, there is nothing on the other side. The walking paths are closed so all you get to do is cross the bridge and come back, checking the view from the Zadlaščica Gorge in the meantime.Follow the path and you will get to the viewpoint that faces the Bear’s Head, which is a small rock hanging on the walls of the valley. The name comes from the fact that the rock resembles a bear’s head, but I admit you have to be a little creative to see it.

Check out Dante’s Cave

Continuing your way up following the marked path, you will pass by Dante’s Cave. Its original name was Zadlaščica Cave since it is located in the gorge of the same name, but it is mostly known as Dante’s Cave because of the poet Dante Alighieri. 

Dante’s Cave is actually quite deep, but the only way you can fully explore it is with a guided tour because it is very tight and with absolutely no illumination. Visitors without a guide can only check out the start of the cave, which already gives you a bit of a feeling of how different an environment you would find deeper in.

Enjoy the views at Devil’s Bridge

I personally love places that save the best for last. The Tolmin Gorge trail does exactly that!

The last stretch of the trail of your Tolmin Gorge visit gives you some of the most amazing views of the valley, with the turquoise river flowing 60 meters down. From this point, you can spot the path you have followed down below, which gives a sense of proportion of how big the gorge is. 

Follow along the path and you will get back to the entrance spot.

Best areas to stay next to Tolmin Gorge

If you plan on visiting Tolmin Gorge early in the morning, the best solution would be to sleep at a location nearby so you can easily be one of the first ones to arrive. For this purpose, the best towns to sleep in are located within the Soča Valley.

We recommend staying either in Tolmin or in Bovec. If you will be exploring more of the Soča Valley during your trip, sleeping in Bovec is probably the best solution as Bovec is the main town within the valley and the location that has the best selection of hotels, restaurants, and attractions.

To help you out, we have gathered a couple of suggestions for places to stay near Tolmin Gorge.

Accommodations in Tolmin:

• Hotel Dvorec – This hotel is located in the center of Tolmin and will give you easy access to everything Tolmin has to offer. The hotel offers free parking, and you will also be able to rent a bike at the property.
• Glamping Resort Labrca – If you would like a slightly different stay, we would definitely recommend Glamping Labrca. The glamping is located close to the river and a natural beach.

Accommodations in Bovec:

• Hotel Sanje ob Soči – One of the best hotels in Bovec, this property is high-rated and has an extremely beautiful design. The rooms are very comfortable and the guests always compliment the friendliness of the staff.
• Hotel Soča – Another great hotel option in Bovec. This property is very new and modern, but it has already been getting quite nice reviews from its guests. A big advantage is that they have a swimming pool, which will for sure come in handy during the extreme heat that hits during summer in Slovenia.
• Garni Hotel Alpine – Located only a 10-min drive away from Bovec, this place is a hidden gem. From every room, you will have amazing mountain views and the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. It is a small, family-run business, that offers breakfast included in the price. We’ve been to Hotel Alpine on our last visit to the Soča Valley and absolutely loved it.

The most asked questions about the Tolmin Gorge trail and hike

Check other things to do in Slovenia

Read more about Slovenia

• Best hikes in the Logar Valley
• Hiking to Velika Planina
• Hiking to Krn Lake

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