Nova Gorica Region · Above the Valley
Wild forests, open plateaus and hidden views above the Soča Valley.
From Nova Gorica to the plateau in 30 min · Up to 1,495 m
The Highlands
Half an hour above the streets of Nova Gorica, the city dissolves. The road climbs through beech forest and the air cools — and suddenly you are in a different Goriška: one of deep woods, open meadows and stone villages.
Two landscapes share this high ground. To the north, the Trnovo Forest (Trnovski gozd) — one of the largest continuous forests in Slovenia, a karst wilderness of sinkholes, silence and wildlife. To the south, the Banjšice Plateau — open, sunlit farmland where hay meadows roll between tiny hamlets.
From the edges of both, the whole region unfolds: the Soča Valley below, the Julian Alps beyond, Goriška Brda and the Vipava Valley to the south. This is not a place of crowds and queues. It is a place to discover.
The climb · Nova Gorica → Trnovo
Know Your Ground
Don’t mistake the highlands for one green blur. The forest and the plateau are opposites — and that’s exactly the point.
One of Slovenia's great forests: dense beech and spruce over a limestone labyrinth of caves, sinkholes and hidden springs. Cool in summer, silent under snow in winter, and threaded with trails.
Villages: Trnovo · Lokve · Lazna
Explore the forest
An open agricultural landscape of hay meadows, dry-stone walls and small villages where rural life still sets the rhythm. Quiet roads for cycling, wide horizons, and views that reach from the Alps to the Adriatic haze.
Villages: Banjšice hamlets · Bate · Grgarske Ravne edge
Explore the plateauNature First
People don’t come here for monuments. They come for the smell of spruce after rain, for limestone under their boots, for meadows that still get mown by hand. Nature isn’t the backdrop of Trnovo & Banjšice — it’s the main exhibit.
Trnovski gozd defines this place: old beech and spruce, moss and silence. Some corners feel genuinely primeval.
Under your feet, limestone does its slow work: sinkholes, disappearing streams, caves and dolines. Karst, explained by walking through it.
Banjšice's hay meadows are a living tradition — mown, not planted — and in June they're a wildflower garden.
Roe deer at dawn, capercaillie in the deep forest, eagles over the ridges. Watch quietly and the forest reveals itself.
Year-Round
Flowers and fresh leaves; the forest floor turns white with anemones.
On foot
From stroller-friendly forest loops to long mountain routes above the treeline — every trail here starts where the pavement ends.
“In Trnovski gozd, you can walk all day and meet no one but the forest.”
Trnovski gozd · one of Slovenia’s largest forests
A gentle family circuit through old beech forest and past karst dolines.
Village lanes, forest edge, and the springs below the village.
Open plateau walking between hay meadows and dry-stone walls.
On two wheels
No traffic jams, no crowds at the café — just long climbs, forest gravel and plateau roads where the loudest sound is your own breathing.
The climb from Nova Gorica to the plateau is a local classic: 800+ vertical metres of switchbacks with views that keep getting better.
Hundreds of kilometres of forest roads through Trnovski gozd and across the Banjšice meadows. White gravel, green shade, zero cars.
The highlands without the suffering. E-bikes flatten the climb and turn the whole plateau into a relaxed day out.
Recommended routes
Rent in Nova Gorica or Lokve — an e-bike turns the climb into a breeze.
Basic repairs, pumps and spare tubes in Lokve and Bate.
Horizons
Every edge of the plateau is a balcony. Pick a direction: Alps, Adriatic haze, the emerald Soča, or the city lights below.
Drag or scroll the row · click a photo to view it full-screen
People of the Highlands
These are not museum villages. People farm, keep bees, cut hay and heat with wood. Visitors are welcome — as guests, not audiences.
Gateway to Trnovski gozd; a scattered settlement of farms and foresters’ houses under the trees.
A traditional forest settlement and the natural base for exploring the plateau: trailheads, a café-stop, and locals who know every path.
A constellation of hamlets — Bate and its neighbours — amid meadows and dry-stone walls, where rural traditions are simply daily life.
Highland cooking is not a cuisine — it's what the farm gives. Cheese and dairy from the meadows, cured meats, forest mushrooms, honey, and whatever the season decides.
“The best table up here is somebody’s kitchen table.”
From plateau pastures to the aging shelf; ask at the farm door.
Spruce, chestnut and wildflower; every apiary tastes different.
Žganci, jota, mushroom stews: food built for hikers.
Air-dried in plateau air; also eggs, herbs and seasonal vegetables.
See the dairy, meet the animals, taste where it’s made.
Honey, cheese, herbs and preserves, bought from the people who make them.
Seasonal workshops: hay-making days, mushroom walks, farmhouse suppers.
Deeper Roots
1915–1917 · The Isonzo Front
The Isonzo Front crossed these ridges. Trenches, caverns and supply roads still lie in the forest — overgrown, silent, and powerfully moving. Trnovo & Banjšice are a quiet chapter of the wider Soča Front story that continues north to Kobarid.
Centuries · Forest work
For centuries the forest fed these villages: timber, charcoal, resin, grazing. The relationship between people and Trnovski gozd is the area’s oldest story — and it still shapes the landscape you walk through.
Faith · Stone & timber
A church on every rise, a chapel at every crossroad, and farmhouses built from what the land offered: limestone below, timber above. Read the villages like buildings, and the buildings like biographies.
History here isn't behind glass. It's under your boots.
Places to Find
No ticket offices, no turnstiles — just places worth the walk. Tap one to hear its story.
Don’t know where to start?
Less famous destinations reward a little structure. Take one of these and make it yours.
09:00
Nova Gorica — leave the city, start the climb
09:30
Trnovo Forest edge — first breath of spruce
10:00
Lokve — coffee stop in the mountain village
11:00
Short forest hike on the Lokve loop
13:00
Čaven-edge viewpoint over the valley
14:30
Return to Nova Gorica for a late lunch
08:30
Deep-forest hike — Lokve loop or Lazna
12:30
Forest lunch at a mountain hut or farm
15:00
Trnovo village — church, springs, quiet lanes
18:30
Sunset viewpoint as the valley fogs up
08:00
Nova Gorica — roll out along the valley floor
09:30
The climb to Banjšice — 800 m of switchbacks
11:00
Plateau villages loop — Bate and the hamlets
14:00
Panoramic balcony roads above the valley
16:30
Descend to Nova Gorica — earned dinner
09:30
Easy forest walk — the family loop
11:00
Lokve village & playground stop
12:30
Meadow picnic among the hayracks
14:00
Easy viewpoint — big views, little legs
09:00
Beech-forest walk in peak copper colour
11:30
Mushroom spotting with a basket
13:30
Farmhouse lunch — whatever the forest gave
17:00
Sunset viewpoint above the fog sea
A cooler side of Goriška
the highlands breathe.
Why it works
−6 to −8 °C
vs the valley floor
Shade
under a full canopy
Springs
along the trails
Breeze
on the plateau rim
Where the cool hides
Shaded trails under old beech and spruce.
Plateau roads where the air moves again.
A meadow, a hayrack, a long lunch.
Roe deer at dawn, eagles on the thermals.
Stone, timber and an unhurried hello.
Haze below, Alps on the horizon.
Summer rule of Goriška: valley in the morning, forest at noon, viewpoint at dusk.
Orient yourself
Forest and plateau, trails and tables — toggle the layers, pick your area, and tap any pin for the story behind it.
Area
4 km3 km5 km9 km11 km12 km16 km22 km28 kmDrag to explore · Use + / − to zoom · Tap a pin
Sleep wild
No resorts up here — and that’s the luxury. Farm stays, forest cabins, quiet apartments and star-lit glamping. Stay in nature: wake up in the forest or on the plateau.
Farm stayBreakfast from the meadow outside your window; the farm’s cheese is on it.
Forest accommodationA wood stove, a dark sky, and the forest at the doorstep.
GlampingCanvas, timber and a sky full of stars above the plateau.
“Booking tip: summer weekends and autumn colour season fill first — the secret is out, but only barely.”
Events
Village festivals, guided walks and farm-table evenings — small, local, and run by the people who live here.
Bate
Long wooden tables, an accordion, and dancing until the mist rolls in.
DetailsBanjšice hamlets
Headlamps up, lights off: the plateau has some of Goriška’s darkest skies.
DetailsFarms across the plateau
Farm kitchens open for slow suppers of whatever the meadows gave.
DetailsPlan your visit
Half an hour from the city — and a few things worth knowing before you climb.
From Nova Gorica
30 min by car via Lokve — or earn it: the Grand Climb on foot or by bike.
From Vipava Valley
25 min by car from Ajdovščina up the Čaven road.
From Soča Valley
40 min via Grgar/Deskle to Banjšice.
By car
Mountain roads are paved but narrow; winter equipment required in snow.
By bike
The climb is the point; e-bikes recommended for casual riders.
Highland weather changes fast; check the forecast and expect cooler, wetter conditions than the valley.
Tourist info points: Nova Gorica (main) & Lokve (seasonal)
Maps & GPX: all route downloads free on this page
Guided hikes & e-bike rental booking
Emergency: 112; mountain rescue via 112
Dogs welcome on leash (wildlife & grazing animals)
The highlands stay wild because visitors keep them that way. Six rules, all of them easy.
