Tolmin Gorge in Triglav National Park in Slovenia gets really different ratings in the reviews on Google Maps. From “beautiful” to “totally overrated” everything is there. This almost scared us off, but thank God we visited the Tolmin Gorge in October 2022 anyway. It is the only gorge near the famous Soča River and the only one in the Triglav National Park besides the Vintgar Gorge.
The nature and landscape at the Tolmin Gorge are really beautiful and the water of the Zadlaščica River shimmers in the most beautiful shades of blue as it rushes past you. We will tell you now what you can experience when visiting Tolmin Gorge, where you can park and what else you should pay attention to.
Last updated: July 2026
Open: roughly April to early November
Trail: 2 km, one-way, ~500 steps, 1-2 hours
Entrance fee: €8-12 depending on season, dogs free
Accessibility: not suitable for strollers or wheelchairs
Thermal spring with 20°C warm water
Bear’s Head rock formation
Devil’s Bridge with a view from 50 meters up
Free wifi at the turnstile
The Tolmin Gorge Slovenia
The Tolmin Gorge (also called the Tolmin Basin) covers the entire area of the basins of the two rivers Zadlaščica and Tolminka before they flow together. The basins (or the gorge) of the Tolminka River are about 200 meters long, 60 meters deep and up to 10 meters wide. The basins of the Zadlaščica River are slightly shorter at 100 meters, almost 50 meters deep and only 3 meters wide at the narrowest point.
After you have paid the entrance fee and received an overview map of the gorge, you first descend a staircase. From here you can already look down on the extensive area of the Tolmin Gorge. At the bottom you are directly at the river Zadlaščica and can also go to the water, so that our dog Aaro could drink and play in the water, on a leash of course – dogs must stay leashed throughout the entire visit. Funnily enough, there is a very small piece of real sandy beach here!
***Fun Fact #1:*** You are just at the deepest and southernmost point of the Triglav National Park!
The Thermal Spring
On the Tolmin Gorge trail you will cross a wooden bridge and continue to the left. There you walk along the Zadlaščica river, which is much wilder than before on the sandy beach. The colors, which range from turquoise to emerald blue, are also much stronger here.
At the end of the gorge – or the area you can reach on foot – there is a thermal spring, where water with about 20 degrees flows into the otherwise only 5-9 degrees cold river.
Surface water here seeps into the depths, where it is heated by geothermal energy and rises to the surface again. This is common in Slovenia, but very rare in the Julian Alps.
However, the thermal spring is so inconspicuous that you wouldn’t notice it if there wasn’t a sign about it.
From here you go back to the fork and meet the Tolminka River, which joins the Zadlaščica here. Here is a quite nice suspension bridge that stretches across the Tolminka River and takes you out of the area of the gorge. Here you can leave for other hiking trails in the surroundings.
By the way, you have to scan your ticket at a turnstile here if you want to get back in. The only reason to leave the area through the turnstile is to take a picture on the suspension bridge. This is not absolutely necessary, so don’t worry if you lose your ticket.
***Fun Fact #2:*** At this point there is free wifi. This really only works around the turnstile, but it’s very helpful because otherwise you’ll hardly have reception in the gorge.
From the Bear’s Head to the Devil’s Bridge
In the further course you go back up the stairs to the so-called Bear’s Head. This is a small rock wedged between 2 high rock walls and reminded us a bit of Kjeragbolten in Norway. On the complete trail you’ll climb around 500 steps in total, so sturdy footwear is a must here.
Everywhere here the rock walls are quite wet and shimmer green from all the moss that grows on them.
You then continue up and past Dante’s Cave, which is only accessible on a guided tour, and then up to the exit of the Tolmin Gorge. Important: since the new one-way system was introduced, you can no longer walk back the way you came – you have to continue through this exit, which also means another highlight is still waiting for you.
At the top, you will end up on a road with little traffic, which will lead you over the so-called Devil’s Bridge (by the way, a very popular bridge name in Slovenia). Here, and on the way back to the entrance of the gorge, you have a wonderful view of the Tolmin gorge, as you look down on the river from a height of about 50 meters.
If you follow the road further, you will be back at the entrance after a few minutes. We spent a total of 2 hours in the gorge. If you don’t dawdle as much as we did, you can probably do it in an hour.
How long does the Tolmin Gorge trail take?
The full trail takes between 1 and 2 hours. We took our time and stopped for lots of photos, so we needed 2 hours – if you move faster you can do it in a bit more than an hour.
Tolmin Gorge Tips
Overnight stay near the Tolmin Gorge
Hotel Recommendation near Tolmin Gorge
- Large apartments with kitchen & living room
- Pool right outside the door, mountain views
