Rounding off my Slovenia posts (other than an incoming hotel review), another beautiful little place I visited for the day was Škofja Loka, a mountain town around 45 minutes from the centre of Ljubljana. There’s easily enough to fill a day in the town with a historic town centre, beautiful walking routes and an interesting castle. A visit is so worthwhile and here’s my guide to doing it.
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How to get to to Škofja Loka from Ljubljana
If you have a car this is the easiest option. Driving in Slovenia is super easy and it will take you around 45 minutes with plenty of parking available in the town.
Alternatively you could take the bus. At only EUR3 per person, bus is the cheapest and still relatively easy way to go. Arriva, Slovenia’s best transport company, runs frequent buses between Ljubljana and Škofja Loka throughout the year (and they are even more frequent in summer). Škofja Loka bound buses depart from stand number 28 at the main bus station in Ljubljana, and you don’t need to buy tickets in advance, but you do have to pay in cash so have some with you.
You can also travel to Škofja Loka by train, however the train station is 3km outside of the centre of the town so it’s a bit of a walk if you do.
Things to do in Škofja Loka
The first records of Škofja Loka date to 1248, when it was a busy market town. Historically, it was enclosed by stone walls and could only be entered through one of five gated towers. Today these walls are long gone, but it retains its original city plan with an Upper Square and Lower Square creating lots of lovely alleyways and winding streets with a hilltop castle overlooking over it all. So let’s get exploring.
Škofja Loka Castle
Starting your visit with the town’s main attraction, it’s castle, is a great place to start. Enjoy the climb up with views out across to the mountains and then visit the Loka Museum inside the castle. It’s home to a collection of historical art, handicrafts, taxidermy and weaponry. There’s also a preserved chapel and a few rooms covering war history exhibitions. In total we spent 1.5hrs at the castle, and it’s open from 10am-6pm but closed on a Monday. It costs EUR5 to enter.
The Old Town
After visiting the castle, stroll down to the Lower Square and the beautiful old town. Once home to tradesman guilds, the legacy of craftsmanship is clear in the architecture around the town. the main square is huge and full of lovely buildings including the Town Hall and Capuchin Church.
Homan House
By this point in the day it will probably also be time for lunch, so you can pick one of the nice restaurants or cafes in the town. For me, there was only one choice – the incredible Homan House. Whilst being restored in 1511, original frescoes were found which depict soldiers and St Christopher. The house is now a restaurant and bar and where better to eat lunch than in such a historic building.
Capuchin Bridge
After lunch head to one of the most beautiful views in town and explore down alongside the river. Capuchin bridge originally dates from the 1300s, and gives glorious views out across the river.
Devil’s Bridge
We spent our afternoon enjoying the nature surrounding the town. We walked alongside the river and decided to hike the path from Škofja Loka to Puštal. To enter this path you have to cross the Devil’s Bridge.
According to the legend, the devil dwelled in a cave in the stream and was in the habit of upturning boats as they crossed. Puštal’s residents built a footbridge to overcome this nuisance but in revenge, the devil unleashed a plague of frogs. The devil then launched a rock at the wooden bridge, intending to destroy it. It survived, and this explains why the bridge has a bend in the middle.
Whatever the reason for its shape, the bridge is one of the most picturesque locations in the area, with incredible views out across the river and up towards the mountains.
Hiking to Puštal & Holy Cross church
The Devil’s Bridge is the entrance to Puštal, a lovely little village up in the mountains. Hiking the path upwards to the Holy Cross church takes around 30 minutes and we spent in total 1.5hrs exploring the marked trails in the area around Sten with incredible views out and down the valley.
The church will be locked when you arrive, but the gatekeeper, Mr Bernick, lives in the house next door and can open up the church for visitors on request. We felt too bad asking him for this so we didn’t go in.
And after all that exploring it was time to head back down to Škofja Loka and on to Ljubljana to collapse in our hotel room after a busy day.
What do you think of wonderful Škofja Loka? I had a great time exploring this off the beaten track destination. Bizarrely we saw no tourists other than a retired Australian couple at the top of the hill at Holy Cross church. They were crossing overland from India through to London and were taking 6 months, having already visited UAE, Jordan, Turkey and lots of other countries on their way. I hope one day I get to do such a big adventure and my visit to Škofja Loka served to fuel my wanderlust for a sabbatical. Maybe one day! Stay safe and happy travelling.
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