The adventure is long finished by now, yet I’m still enchanted — completely head over heels. Zgornje Jezersko, at 890 m, an alpine village in the heart of the beautiful Jezersko municipality in the Kamnik–Savinja Alps, inspires with its magic, authentic culture, friendly people, good food, and fairytale-like charm. The water-rich valley, where horses and sheep roam verdant meadows, creeps into vertical walls of high, rocky peaks, while gentle, low-lying green peaks line the length of the valley.
All you need is two days in Jezersko and you’ll fall in love for life. Stay any longer, and it’s likely you won’t want to leave again.
There are just 595 people in the village, and it felt as though every one of them greeted me as I cycled and hiked from one alpine valley to another. Many were outside tending their gardens, some men debated eagerly in front of their garages, and a few rare souls greeted me on the trail. It was quiet and beautiful. Early May is not the beginning of the hiking season in Jezersko yet, nonetheless, the nature was fully awake and lush with greenery, meadows blooming with countless wildflowers, and mountains calling out to be explored. Perfection in its highest sense.
Still relatively undiscovered, Zgornje Jezersko is the perfect place to hide away for a mini holiday at any time of year. There are countless walks nearby, and even at the height of the season, it’s likely you won’t be sharing the summit with anyone but yourself. It’s my go-to place when I need to unwind and take on a good challenge, yet I rarely take the time to truly settle in. In May, I finally did.
Exploring Slovenia’s best day hikes:
Goli Vrh above Jezersko
Stunning Julian Alps
Fairytale hike in Karavanke
Flower hike on Golica
Accommodation in Zgornje Jezersko
Of the few hiker-friendly accommodations that dot the Jezersko valley, I decided to stay at Villa Planinka, a five-star boutique hotel housed in a large chalet right in the center of Zgornje Jezersko. I was welcomed with a drink, and the exceptionally friendly hotel manager showed me to my room on the first floor. The room was spacious and rustically cozy, designed with natural materials — local wood and stone. My balcony featured comfortable reclining chairs and offered astounding views of the boldest, highest peaks of the Kamnik–Savinja Alps. Watching the sunset from there? Simply dreamy, especially after a delicious dinner.
The food at Villa Planinka? Beyond dreamy. With the restaurant featured in the Michelin Guide, I expected excellent cuisine—but what truly sets it apart is its warm, welcoming alpine character. I’ve never felt more at home in a hotel.
The manager kept me company at dinner as we were treated to a four-course menu, finished with a selection of intriguing local schnapps: walnut (lovingly called the “memory eraser”), sweet berry, an herbal “antivirus,” and Jaga Baba, made from six different alpine herbs to aid regeneration. No wonder I was ready for more hiking the next morning!
If dinner impressed me, breakfast the next morning truly floored me. From a mountaintop at 8:30 a.m., I texted the hotel manager to ask if they could save something for me, knowing I’d be late. Two hours later, they served a spread beyond anything I expected—entirely homemade and largely local: fresh fruit and vegetables, marmalades, cottage cheese, pumpkin seed spread, yogurt, eggs, cold cuts, cheeses, and a flawless Kaiserschmarrn.
I was blown away – not just by the food, but by the generosity behind it. This place gets it.
Exploring Slovenia’s best multi-day treks:
Hut-to-Hut Trek in the Julian Alps
From Bohinj to Soča Valley Trek
7 Triglav Lakes Trek
Activities in Jezersko
You don’t come to Jezersko for museums. You come for nature; breathtaking, immersive, and irresistibly pulling you outdoors when the weather cooperates. Easy walks or demanding hikes, road cycling or mountain biking, climbing, nature photography, even cross-country skiing in winter – this is a place shaped by movement.
Back in May, with just two days to explore and a head full of plans, I did exactly that—packing every hour with hikes and e-bike rides (and yes, Villa Planinka even rents e-bikes to their guests!).
Day 1 | 22 km · 1,530 m ascent/descent
What a day of alpine adventure! I set off from Planšarsko Jezero, a mirror-like lake reflecting the surrounding peaks, and rode my e-bike from one valley, over gentle mountains, down into the next. Midway, I scrambled up to the 1,459 m summit of Visoki Vrh, where sweeping, glacially carved valleys stretched below before I continued my ride through this rugged, yet surprisingly gentle, landscape.
From Makekova Kočna, I rode back up to the Mlinarjevo sedlo pass, then climbed a brutal 470 m in just 1.4 km to reach the scenic 1,742 m Veliki Vrh – pretty damn intense hiking! Here, the land sheds its softness, rising abruptly into bare limestone and wind-shaped grasslands. From the summit, I looped back toward the lake and ended the day with a well-earned, delicious dinner at Villa Planinka.
Guided Goli Vrh above Jezersko
Day 2 | 27 km · 1,600 m ascent/descent
It was still dark when I set off, beginning the day with a 900 m ascent to the 1,787 m Goli Vrh. Before sunrise, the mountains feel suspended in time—silent, watchful, and untouched. I had long wanted to do early-morning landscape photography in this part of the Kamnik–Savinja Alps, and staying overnight in Jezersko made that possible. (Hey, some of us love our sleep!)
I reached the summit at 7:40 a.m. and, unfortunately, missed the sunrise. Still, the low morning sun ignited the green summit meadows and the snow-covered peaks across the valley. Light moved slowly across the landscape, revealing textures of rock, grass, and lingering winter snow. The peak was completely empty—so empty that a large chamois buck emerged from the slope, briefly sharing the mountain with me before disappearing into the terrain.
Jezerska Slatina spring
After a feast of a breakfast at Villa Planinka, I followed a local tip about jezerska slatina—a mineral spring tucked into the mountains and freely accessible just off the main road. Long before bottled water, these springs sustained shepherds and travelers, their mineral-rich flows rising directly from fractured alpine rock. Said to be the richest magnesium water in Slovenia, it felt like nature’s own recovery drink after two demanding days.
Perhaps I wasn’t listening carefully, or I was simply too eager to ride more, because I somehow missed the “easy access” part and ended up pushing my bike 200 m uphill to the natural spring itself. But hey—there was a beautiful waterfall along the way, which now serves as my cover story.
Planina Roblek (1,284 m)
From Ank’s waterfalls, I could have climbed directly to the high pasture of Planina Roblek via a steep trail. Instead, the weight of the bike suggested a wiser approach. I reached it via a gentle gravel road starting at the Roblek farm; a beautiful route that reveals the jagged limestone walls of the Kamnik–Savinja Alps layer by layer.
To close out a beautiful visit to Jezersko, I filled all my bottles with mineral-rich jezerska slatina and headed home just as light rain began to fall. In the mountains, weather often marks transitions rather than endings. This trip sparked many more returns—whether guiding hikes with Exploring Slovenia or simply spending active days here with friends.
I’ll be back. Until then, here are a few photos from my 2025 Jezersko mountain adventures.
Explore Slovenia on our Blog:
Best mountain tours of 2024
Wow winter hike in Slovenia: frozen Snežnik
Safe winter trails that will blow your mind
Hikes in Soča Valley and Western Julian Alps
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