Image by Eva Taučar

I am not very bird wise so I don’t know if magpies actually live here, or the valley got its name from a local with a wide imagination. It doesn’t matter, really. The thing is, this place is great for spending some time in nature. Wooden paths, huge meadows, small streams, even some cows and horses for the real countryside touch.

For some uphill torture you can head to Rašica hill (30 minutes up from Rašica village) where you will find a cabin and a view tower, but for me the apple strudel is what makes it worth to climb on the top. The area is also great for cross-country and downhill biking – just be careful for grannies and dogs. In Rašica village (an hour walk from Črnuče city part through the woods) a local restaurant offers good traditional Slovenian food, which is otherwise quite hard to find in city center, so if you are on culinary trip you should make an effort to come here.

The valley is located at the upper edge of Ljubljana; you can reach it with bus no. 6 in direction of Črnuce or with bikes (9km from city center); it is just a hint away from city camping Ježica.

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Sracja dolina | Relaxing | Free
Sracja dolina | Surroundings
24 hours daily

Image by Eva Taucar

Animals and people sometimes get too loud, and plants seem the only suitable company. Quietly blooming and growing, proudly showing amazing diversity of mother nature. The botanical garden Volčji Potok, the only one of its kind in Slovenia, is perfect to rest your ears and feed all the other senses. Sweet scent of magnolias, lively colors of tulips, smooth structure of maple bark are things that make this place worth to visit.

Arboretum can compliment itself with more than 2500 different tree species and no-one-knows-how-many flowers. The park itself is gorgeous too, so don’t hesitate choosing this place to stretch your legs. It also offers a big playground area, where you can leave children, who are usually interested in trees only around Christmas time.

Like one wise man once said: “Don’t hurry too much! Stop sometimes and smell a flower.”

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Arboretum Volčji Potok | Relaxing | Entrance adults € 5.50
Volčji Potok 3 | Surroundings | +38618312345
08:00 – 20:00 daily

Image by Lea Ružič

You probably heard, or at least you will soon after arriving in Slovenia, some local proudly saying, that our little country is so small, you can get from the Alps to the Adriatic sea in one hour. Yes that is right – only 60 short minutes, and the landscape around you will be completely changed.

We are all very proud of it and we like to hand over this cool fact to everyone who wants to listen. This “parole” is also supported by the fact, that the closest ski center rises up half an hour from Ljubljana city center. Now tell me, which capital can beat this luxury?

Krvavec is very popular winter recreation point among inhabitants of Ljubljana. They offer 35 km of ski slopes, which is not much and you could hardly entertain yourself there for the whole week, but is great for a day or weekend trip.

But be prepared: on a nice sunny day during the weekend, it can get pretty crowded with half of Ljubljana’s population collecting a sun tan there…and skiing of course.

(note1: every “ski” in the text can be replaced with “snowboard” if it makes you happier:)

(note2: every weekend during winter season there is a ski bus departing from the central bus station)

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Krvavec | Relaxing | Day ticket adults € 28.00
Ambrož pod Krvavcem 50 | Surroundings | +38642525911
08:00 – 17:00 daily (winter season)

Image by Eva Taucar

“Pekel” means hell in Slovenian and Pekel Gorge deservedly got its name. It is hard to reach and steep rocky walls and wild water give it dingy look. But it is a great place if you want to have a break in the wild nature.

You can adapt the length of your walk to how much you want to see. The main attraction of the spot are definitely the waterfalls, five of them actually. The highest one (20 meters) is 1.5 hours walk away from the starting point.

Very attractive are the second and third waterfall with 16 and 18 meters height: appropriate for people who are not really climbers. The idea here is that the further up you go, the more you have to climb on ladders and pitons, which can be quite a challenge if they are a bit slippery. I know flip-flops and white socks are ultra obligatory fashion if you are a tourist (not!:), but please swallow your dignity and don’t use this footwear if you do this trip!

Canyon Pekel is located near Borovnica, on the edge of Ljubljana marsh, half an hour by car from city center. Who would have thought you could experience a bit of ‘mountaineering’ so close to the capital, huh?

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Soteska Pekel – Pekel Gorge | Relaxing | Free
Near Borovnica | Surroundings
Daily during daylight