If you have the time, the drive from Bovec back to Ljubljana can be so much more than just a quick two hour drive. We decided to make the most of our day by planning a few pitstops along the way.
Just three miles past Bovec, you will cross a bridge. Shortly after, if you look up at the gorge in the rock wall, you will spot the Boka Waterfall. I don’t think it’s necessary to walk all the way up to the waterfall because you can get a great shot from the road. As you drive onward, following the beautiful Soca, you’ll be approaching Italy — actually, you’ll only be four miles away from the border!
After some driving, you will see signs for Kobarid on your right. We missed the turnoff the first time, so be on the lookout! Soon after you drive through the main square of the town, you will see a road on your right — take that and drive up to the Italian Mausoleum overlooking the town. We also missed this turn off, but using Google Maps helped us quite a bit! The Mausoleum offers fantastic views over the cute little town nuzzled between the mountains. According to a plaque on the church, the current church (Church of St. Anthony of Padua) was built in the area of the pre-historic site of an ancient fort above Kobarid that was consecrated on September 16, 1669. The church itself is really quite simple, but it’s worth a slight detour for the view.
From Kobarid, we decided to take the Nova Gorica Route back to Ljubljana. Along the way, we passed the hydroelectric dam…
…a 1906 rail aqueduct…
…a picturesque bridge similar to that of the one in Mostar in the town of Kanal…
…and the Solkan Bridge, the longest single-span stone bridge in the world…
After the Solkan Bridge, it was a straight shot toward the Skocjan Caves, the biggest underground canyon in Europe that was deemed a UNESCO in 1986. We took a guided two-hour hike for 15 euros, but you can spend hours exploring the premises. A fantastic detour indeed.
We arrived in Ljubljana just in time for a beautiful sunset off our balcony at Hotel Park.
