Why Kamnik is the Perfect Base to Explore Ljubljana and Velika Planina

Why Kamnik is the Perfect Base to Explore Ljubljana and Velika Planina

Press trip - my hotel stay and tickets to Velika planina were provided by Visit Ljubljana. This post also contains affiliate links, meaning that if you purchase a product through one of my links I'll get a small commission at no cost to you. 

One of the places that I was most excited to visit on my seventeen day trip through the Balkans was Slovenia – not only did Ljubljana look beautiful, but the rest of the country offered an array of lakes, mountains and, arguably most importantly, vineyards. As a result, I decided just to visit Ljubljana but also spend some time in Maribor (for some luxurious vineyard glamping) Kamnik and Velika Planina.

Kamnik and Velika Planina: Nell posing in a feel slovenia love heart with views of Kamnik and the alps in the background

I’d not actually heard of Kamnik before, but when Visit Ljubljana offered me an overnight stay in Kamnik and cable car tickets to visit Velika planina, I discovered that these were places that I didn’t know I was desperate to visit!

Furthermore, I found that Kamnik was the perfect base to explore not only Velika Planina but also Ljubljana, offering a much quieter spot just 30-40 minutes away from the city. In this blog post I’ll tell you a bit about Kamnik as a destination and then why Velika planina was one of the highlights of my whole trip.

Kamnik – A Base for Velika Planina & Ljubljana

What’s it Like and What is There to Do in Kamnik?

Kamnik is the ultimate pretty city! Well, town. It’s a medieval town set amongst the Kamnik-Savinja Alps and is part of the Ljubljana region. It’s a fairly quiet town full of cobbled streets, beautiful buildings and rich history. You can wander around the beautiful street of Šutna at leisure, stopping for coffee or lunch, before visiting one (or both) of two castles: Mali grad and Stari grad.

Kamnik and Velika Planina: The town of Kamnik in the Ljubljana region, showing an empty but very pretty street

Mali Grad in particular shouldn’t be missed, as it sits on Mali grad hill giving you stunning views over Kamnik, with the Kamnik-Savinja Alps in the background. Although there’s no impressive castle complex that would have been present back in the 11th Century, there’s a two-storey Romanesque chapel with a preserved crypt, which is one of the main symbols of Kamnik.

Kamnik and Velika Planina: A view over Kamnik in the Ljubljana region from Mali grad hill

You could also visit the Kamnik Regional Museum or get lost in the Franciscan library, which sits within Kamnik’s Franciscan Monastery and keeps a number of early books printed before 1550, a copy of the first Slovenian translation of the Bible and over 10,000 other books printed before 1799. Pretty impressive! There’s also the Budnar Museum Farmhouse, which is over 100 years old and has an open-fire smoke kitchen which is still used today, and you can visit to taste some local delicacies.

Kamnik and Velika Planina: Nell sitting on a white bench in Kamnik in the Ljubljana region, with a bright yellow wall behind her.

Kamnik is also perfect if you’re a fan of hiking. I didn’t have the chance to explore the various trails due to time restrictions, but I’d love to return to the area and hike through the Tuhinj Valley (stopping off at the highest spa in Slovenia!), explore the Kamniska Bistrica Valley or use Kamnik as a base to climb the peaks of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps.

Where To Stay in Kamnik

As Kamnik isn’t a huge town, I wasn’t sure if there would be much accommodation and how good it would be. However, I stayed at Malograjski Dvor (Hotel MD) right in the town centre and it was gorgeous!

We were given a very warm welcome before heading up the beautiful wooden staircase towards our room, which was light and spacious. The first thing that put this hotel VERY high in my hotel rankings were the chocolates on the pillows. And I don’t just mean one little chocolate on each pillow, I mean a good couple of handfuls of chocolates on each pillow!

Kamnik and Velika Planina: The town of Kamnik in the Ljubljana region

The second thing that put this hotel up there was the bed. It was genuinely one of the most comfortable mattresses that I’ve ever slept on, and I was still talking about it weeks later. The third thing that I loved about this hotel was that there was parking!

We’d been travelling around by train and bus, but had decided to hire a car for a few days and I was concerned about parking spaces especially knowing it’s location in the town centre. Luckily there is a car park directly outside the hotel – practicality is always a winner in my eyes. I haven’t even mentioned how clean the room was, how beautiful the bathroom was or how tasty the breakfast was!

Where to Eat in Kamnik

There’s a project in Kamnik called Taste Kamnik which collects traditional, local dishes which represent the area and also show the social diversity of the area. The primary aim of Taste Kamnik is to encourage local restaurants to include traditional dishes on their menus, and they also host foodie events and recommend restaurants, making it easy to taste authentic dishes.

We ate at two very different restaurants during our time in Kamnik. We stumbled across the first, La Pinata, when we saw a blackboard outside advertising a delicious sounding special and a sunny courtyard. Upon sitting down we realised that we were actually in a Mexican restaurant, albeit a Mexican restaurant that also served traditional local dishes.

Although the Mexican dishes looked excellent, we were determined to eat traditional food and both ordered ram steak with egg and chips. I loved that this restaurant brought together traditional dishes, local ingredients and something a little different, and the food was great too – like a twist on the British staple of ham, egg and chips!

The second restaurant was much more traditional and one that I would without a doubt return to if I was in Kamnik again. A short walk (about 15 minutes there and 30 minutes back due to very full stomachs) from the town centre was Gostilna Repnik. Family owned and oh-so cosy, this place perfectly combined traditional cuisine with modern cooking techniques.

Kamnik and Velika Planina: A selection of local meats and cheeses at Gostilna Repnik restaurant in Kamnik, near to Ljubljana

To start I had the taster board, which was supposed to be for two people but I was on holiday so ate it all myself. This offered a selection of local meats, cheeses and accompaniments and I absolutely devoured it. For the my main course I had a deliciously rich veal dish. If you’re visiting Kamnik and only have time to visit one restaurant, make sure its Gostilna Repnik.

Velika Planina: Visiting From Kamnik

If you have the opportunity to visit Velika Planina then please, please do. Even if you have to travel from further away in Slovenia I can assure you that it’s totally worth it! It’s about a 20 minute drive from Kamnik, so if you’re elsewhere in Slovenia you could always treat yourself to a night in Kamnik before spending the day at Velika Planina.

What is Velika Planina?

Velika planina is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been, and somewhere that I didn’t want to leave. It’s a stunning alpine pasture, which can be reached by cable car and chair lift, home to a herdsmen settlement where traditional pastoral methods are preserved.

Valika Planina near Kamnik in the Ljubljana region. Image shows herdsman huts on green pasture with mountains in the background.

The settlement comprises 63 huts, a chapel (Mary of the Snows Chapel), a dance floor and a museum (the Preskar Museum Hut), and is protected as a cultural landscape. Every year in early June, the herdsmen come to Velika Planina with their cattle and make it their home for the summer, living in the huts.

There’s no electrical wiring so solar energy is used for lighting, and there’s one spring so water is kept in three concrete containers which are connected with taps located between the huts, and special water reservoirs are arranged for cattle.

Summer is said to be the best time to visit Velika Planina because you can see the herdsmen and their cattle, but we visited just after the season had ended in September. This was perfect because there were still a few herdsmen and their cattle around, but the large groups of tourists and the guided tours had stopped so it was lovely and quiet.

There was certainly still an atmosphere up there, and I loved walking past one of the huts where a group were cooking outside, having a few beers and singing loudly together. I’ve also seen some stunning pictures of Velika Planina in the snow and I believe you can ski there in the winter.

Kamnik and Velika Planina: Nell smiling at the camera

What Do You at Velika Planina?

There are a couple of different walking trails depending on how active you’re feeling: there’s one that just goes around Velika Planina or there’s a longer one that includes the areas of Mala Planina and Gojška Planina.

We took an even longer route because we weren’t paying attention and got a bit lost! Whichever trail you follow, you’ll come across various signs which tell you a little bit about the history of Velika Planina and the lives of the herdsmen.

Kamnik and Velika Planina: cows looking out into the distance

For example, you’ll learn that a herdsman’s day starts with a 5am milking session (milking of the cows, not the herdsmen), a morning of chores such as removing poisonous plants or repairing fences, an afternoon of butter and cheese making and an evening of socialising with other herdsmen.

This happens alongside the constant tasks of checking on cattle, keeping the fire burning in the stove and gazing at the sky. You’ll also learn about the development of the huts over time and how they were destroyed by German troops during the winter of 1945, and stories involving wolves and bears.

Valika planina near Kamnik in the Ljubljana region

Is There Food at Velika Planina?

Yes there is food at Velika Planina! In the summer you can knock on the door of any hut and ask for sour milk, buckwheat mush or cheese and you’ll get a warm welcome and some stories of mountain life.

As the season had ended when we visited a lot of the huts were empty, but we did find one that had turned itself into a mini restaurant. My favourite part of the day was sitting outside this hut on one of two tables whilst eating buckwheat mush and sour milk.

Washing hanging up where we enjoyed our buckwheat mush on Valika Planina near Kamnik in the Ljubljana region.

Now I know that buckwheat mush sounds disgusting – to be honest we just ordered if for the novelty factor – but it was actually really tasty! It’s kind of stodgy, crumbly… mush? Served with sticky pork crackling on the top and a side of sour milk, which is similar to the sour cream we might have with our nachos at home but thinner. It was was very enjoyable!

Kamnik and Velika Planina: Nell eating traditional buckwheat mush in Velika planina

Still wanting more, we stopped off at Zelini Rob before heading back down in the chair lift and cable car. This small restaurant serves traditional food and has spectacular views – there’s also plenty of outdoor seating so that you can fully enjoy your surroundings whilst you eat. It was a bit cold for us to sit outside, but we did sit by a window so that we could still admire the view.

The food was equally spectacular: we shared some ičet (a stew made from pearl barley with vegetables and sausage) and some traditional dumplings called štruklji, which were sweet and filled with cottage cheese. Both dishes were hearty, delicious and set us up for our journey on to Ljubljana.

Kamnik and Velika Planina:  Barley and sausage stew at Zelini Rob Mountain Lodge in Valika Planina
štruklji enjoyed at Zelini Rob Mountain Lodge in Valika PlaninaKamnik and Velika Planina:

The final, but probably most important, thing to mention whilst we’re on the subject of food is Trnič cheese. This is a hard cheese produced by the herdsmen on Velika Planina, made from cottage cheese, cream and salt. Patterns are stamped onto the cheese using carved wooden sticks to make them unique.

Trnič is referred to as being the most romantic cheese in the world because it would be made in pairs, with two cheeses having the same decoration. One would be kept by the herdsman and the other given to his wife or girlfriend when he returned from pasture as a sign of love and faithfulness. It could also be a promise of marriage, and I can tell you for a fact that if I was given cheese as a proposal I would most definitely say yes!

During the summer season you can take part in cheese making workshops, but all year round you’ll have the chance to taste the cheese, which is often used in many of the restaurants in Kamnik and the surrounding area.

Useful Information About Kamnik and Velika Planina

I’m going to finish this blog post with a few bits of useful information to help you plan your trip to Kamnik and Velika planina. As I’ve already mentioned, if you’re visiting Slovenia you should absolutely make time to visit this area of the Ljubljana region – I promise you won’t regret it!

  • There are trains between Ljubljana and Kamnik which take around 45 minutes, and also buses which take around 50 minutes
  • Cable car and chair lift times for Velika Planina differ between summer season and off-season so make sure you double check. The cable car runs from 8am-6pm Mon-Thurs and 8am-8pm Fri-Sun during the summer season and 8am-4pm Mon-Thurs and 8am-8pm Fri-Sun during the off-season.
  • When visiting Velika Planina, you’ll take the cable car first, and then you can either walk the final stretch (about 30 minutes) or take the chair lift. On the way back down, the last chair lift runs at 5.15pm Mon-Thurs and 6.15pm Fri-Sun during the summer season and 4.30pm during the off-season.
  • Tickets for the cable car and chair lift are 17€ per person for a return ticket
  • There are guided tours in the summer every Saturday which cost 6€ per person 

I hope this post has been useful and inspired you to explore further afield than Ljubljana, whether or not that’s Kamnik and Velika Planina. If you’d like to read more posts from this same trip, you might be interested in these:

Nell xx

If you're looking for day trip ideas from Ljubljana, you absolutely must visit the town of Kamnik and the alpine pasture of Velika Planina. Slovenia, Balkans, Europe, travel inspiration, city breaks, european travel, days out.

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Press trip - my hotel stay and tickets to Velika planina were provided by Visit Ljubljana. This post also contains affiliate links, meaning that if you purchase a product through one of my links I'll get a small commission at no cost to you. 


7 Comments

  1. July 25, 2020 / 9:44 am

    That food looks incredible! I’ve actually not seen a lot of Slovenia so I think I’ll use this for my next trip to the Balkans!

  2. July 25, 2020 / 12:28 pm

    Living in Austria, Slovenia is always on my radar. I’ll definitely consider Kamnik as a base to explore Ljubljana on our next visit.

  3. July 25, 2020 / 1:40 pm

    Kamnik looks like such a lovely town! I just visited Ljubljana, Soca Valley and Bled a couple of weeks ago but I haven’t heard of Kamnik. I love the nature there!

  4. Rachel
    July 25, 2020 / 1:46 pm

    Wow that town looks so pretty and the mountain views are lush! Ive only been to Bled in Slovenia and really want to go back! Thanks for sharing

  5. Vanessa Shields
    July 25, 2020 / 8:30 pm

    I’ve always wanted to visit Slovenia as the photos are so beautiful and green. I can see why you especially liked Velika Planina as it is charming and unique. That would be cool to see the herdsmen in the summer as something you don’t see normally. That is so odd and super romantic that cheese is used as a proposal! Definitely cheaper than a diamond and I agree, I’d say yes too to the cheese! 😁

  6. Linn
    July 25, 2020 / 9:23 pm

    I haven’t been to Ljubljana yet, but it’s definitely somewhere I want to go! But Velika Planina, WOW! I have to go there, it looks amazing! Thanks for sharing!

  7. July 26, 2020 / 10:46 am

    What gorgeous photos!! I must visit here. We were supposed to go to Slovenia this year but have delayed it. Saving this for later for when we make it there 🙂

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