Velika Planina Hike

By Vicky · Published Sep. 4th, 2025 · Updated Sep. 8th, 2025

When you buy through links highlighted with an asterisk (*) on this site, we may earn a small affiliate commission at no cost to you.

This hike around Velika Planina is one of the best in Slovenia, with glorious Alpine views, cute wooden houses, and little difficulty.

Velika Planina Hiking Map

Location

This hike starts from a car park below the plateau of Velika Planina. There’s a small hut at the entrance where you pay (it’s closed if you arrive very early, but you can pay after the hike). It’s roughly 1 hour’s drive from Ljubljana, with the last section on fairly windy mountain roads.

To get to Velika Planina via public transport, you can take buses from Ljubljana to the Cable Car lower station (about 1hr15). You can then take the cable car to the plateau (walking up would involve an extra 1000 metres climb….).

Tips

Velika Planina is very popular and can be busy with tourists, especially on sunny weekends/holidays. Arrive as early as possible or visit on a weekday.
Gorgeous purple crocuses bloom on Velika Planina in Spring, from roughly mid-April to mid-May, though it depends on the year.
There are several mountain huts on this hike that sell food and drink. We visited Restaurant Zeleni Rob at the far end of this hike and had delicious Štruklji (a cottage cheese-filled dumpling).
Did you know, Velika Planina means ‘Big Plateau’ or ‘Big Pasture’? You’ll find many places called Planina (Plateau/Pasture) across Slovenia.
If you’re driving from the south, the small town of Kamnik is a nice stop-off on the way back.
A popular, alternative route to hike on Velika Planina is to get the Cable Car from the opposite side of the Plateau. This would allow for a walk with several hundred metres less climb.
For another walk with flowers, hike up daffodil-covered Golica Peak. Walking up Logar Valley is another lovely, easy hiking route in Slovenia.
Check out other great hikes in Slovenia.

Velika Planina Hiking Route

From the car park, continue up the road, which turns into an unpaved track. At the second corner, take the smaller track to your left, following the hiking signs to Velika Planina. Continue on this track, which bends around the corner and you’ll see a first example of the cute wooden huts which dot the mountainside and plateau above.

After the last house, take the path to the left leading up through the woodland. This is the steepest part of the hike, but you’ll soon be out into the open again and on the plateau. You’ll soon reach another track and see many more cute wooden huts. Take a left on the track and at the pond, continue straight on along the smaller hiking path to the right of the hut.

Mala Planina

Hiking in Slovenia in the mountain plateaus

This path leads up through flowers to the plateau of Mala Planina (Small Plateau). This is a collection of the cute huts and it’s very scenic. There are a couple of route choices here, and it doesn’t really matter which path you take. We took the grassy path leading diagonally upwards to a mountain hut with many outside tables and great views.

Walk through the outdoor seating and out the little gate on the other side to follow a path leading along and up to the right. You’ll soon reach a larger track. Continue along here and past another mountain hut.

Velika Planina

After crossing the fence, you get your first views of Velika Planina, and if you’re lucky, the mountains beyond and the purple crocuses in the foreground. Follow the track as it bends right, and you’ll soon reach the little village of wooden huts.

You can spend a while looking around the village, but don’t miss the church to your right on a small hilltop. When you’re ready, head through the village to the other side and up along the track. Continue on the track as it contours around the hill and keep left to reach the far point on this hike – Restaurant Zeleni Rob. This is also close to the cable car and can get busy.

When you’re ready to move on, return a short distance the way you came, then take a right at the large track junction to head towards the top of the hill – Gradišče Peak. There’s a large, flat grassy area by the top, but to get to the highest point, you need to walk along a small, slightly rocky path in the vegetation.

The Return Journey

Head down from the top and down a path to the right, on the opposite side to the cable car station. You’ll now be back at the top of Velika Planina village, but instead of heading through like last time, keep left down the track. Hike around the edge of the village, joining another track, then turn left along a hiking trail.

This leads gradually downwards, then take a smaller path to the right, which leads to another little collection of wooden huts. Keep right after the buildings to return towards Gojška Planina. This is the collection of huts at the top of the woods you walked up at the beginning.

To take a different way down, walk along the path just to the left of the huts at the far end of the village. This will bring you down to a forest track. Turn left here, and you’ll come out on the road just below the car park. This is the end of the Velika Planina Hike.