Dreznica, Slovenia: A charming little mountain town in Soca Valley
Only 6 kilometers north of Kobarid at the foot of Mount Krn in Slovenia, there’s a small town inhabited by welcoming and warm-hearted people.
While most travelers in this area choose to stay in Kobarid, I went to the small town of Dreznica to get closer to the locals and enjoy the countryside.
And what a great idea that turned out to be!
Stick around for the best things to do in Dreznica!
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Why visit Dreznica Slovenia?
Dreznica is surrounded by mountainous hills, meadows, streams, and waterfalls, which makes it the perfect place to relax and enjoy Slovenian nature.
You can find gorgeous nature all around Slovenia, but what makes this particular town special is its church, which is one of the largest in the country.
No matter where you are in town, you can always either hear or see the church. Every hour, the church bells ring to let you know what time it is.
The Sacred Heart Church
The main attraction in the village is the church, dedicated to the Sacred Heart. The belfry was only completed in 1986 and is 52 m high, and the paintings inside the church were made during World War II by Slovene modernist painters.
The church was my main reason for visiting Dreznica.
Amazing Slovenian food
Another great thing about this area is the food. I must admit that I had little to no expectations of Slovenian cuisine, so I was pleasantly surprised when I had my first home-cooked meal in Dreznica.
I stayed at the tourist farm Kranjc – it’s like a bed & breakfast – and every meal was home-cooked. To be a ‘tourist farm’, you need to grow and breed certain things yourself (like cheese, milk, marmalade, honey, eggs, etc.).
For breakfast, I loved the homegrown herbal tea, the Slovenian pancakes, and frika, which is cheese mixed with eggs, bacon, and potato.
One of the things I noticed was how Slovenians like to sneak in cheese in everything. And I do mean everything. Scrambled eggs, tarts, bread, stews. I don’t think I had a single meal that didn’t contain cheese.
And guys – dinner and drinks were just as good! I’ve mentioned this earlier, but the wine is SUPERDELICIOUS – so fresh and tasty.
I had mixed salad, lamb with mashed potatoes, spinach soup, and a dessert cake that I don’t remember the name of. It was all splendid!
Getting lost in the meadows
Aside from the gorgeous cathedral and great food, I had one more thing on my must-do list in Dreznica, and that was visiting the meadows.
You see, I wanted to meet this guy —>
And this one —>
And these —>
Dad Kranjc gave me a lift to a nearby mountain to see his goats and do some hiking. When we reached to the top, he pointed left of the church and said: “home”.
Easy peasy, I thought to myself. I’d have no problem finding my way home in time for my bus to Ljubljana later that day.
Since the area is rich in waterfalls and gorges, I decided to hike to a nearby waterfall on my way down the mountain.
It was supposed to be easy to find, only.. it wasn’t. So, long story short: I got lost, fell down a slippery mountainside, got stuck in a thorn bush, and ended up with bruises, scratches, and a scar on my upper arm.
Two meltdowns and 3 hours later, I found the gravel road for cars and followed it to town. I didn’t see the waterfall.
Ps. What’s up with my sense of direction lately, Self?!
Here’s a tip: If you’re hiking in the area alone, make sure your cell phone has a signal and tell your host family or hotel where you’re going so you won’t get stuck on a mountain like I almost did.
There really are lots of beautiful sights in the area, including Kozjak waterfall (in Kobarid), Curk waterfall, and Snezna Jama (a snow cave).
The waterfalls of Sopota and Krampez are only a 10-minute walk from town.
A cute little mountain town
After descending the mountain, I followed the road through small villages past charming alpine houses.
As I crossed a creek and passed the sign to the waterfall I couldn’t find hours earlier, I thought about the impact this small country had made on me.
I might not have found this particular waterfall, but I did see plenty of others in Soca Valley and at Lake Bohinj so I didn’t mind.
Breathtaking sunsets in Drežnica
Although the church and surroundings were super stunning, they didn’t compare to the sunsets I caught in the evenings.
So far, I’ve seen the prettiest sunsets in the Philippines and Costa Rica. But Slovenia… Oh. WOW. I have seen the most awe-inspiring sunsets and sunrises in this country and they totally made my day.
And with that note and a few sunset photos, I’m saying goodbye to Slovenia. It took me by storm and has become one of my favorite countries. Thank you, amazingly gorgeous Slovenia. You are really something!
Many thanks to Spirit Slovenia for generously hosting me in Slovenia. As always, all opinions and thoughts are my own, regardless of who is footing the bill.
Before you go – don’t miss these posts:
- Slovenia Travel Guide | Ultimate Tips for Your Slovenia Holidays
- 10 Most Beautiful Cities in Slovenia
- 3 best ways to get from Ljubljana to Lake Bled
- 20 unique things to do in Slovenia that will truly amaze you
- Lake Bohinj, Slovenia – the lake at the end of the world
- 10 magical things to do in Lake Bled
- 10 amazing things to do in Ljubljana
- Soca Valley: A road trip through the real-life Narnia
Save it!
Sorry to hear of your encounter with the thorn bush but it doesn’t seem to have influenced your appreciation of the area. I have just got back to my house in Kosec (it’s in your third photo) after being back in Scotland since April and just got an internet connection put in today in time to see your Tweet/post. It is soooo good to be back – it feels like home now and I don’t want to leave, ever.
As much as I adore the landscape and the food and the wine I have been most struck by the welcome from the people since I came here – my neighbours have been wonderful and I cannot praise them enough for their openness and hospitality. This is a very very special place.
Incidentally I think I understand your getting lost – for some reason the trip up from Kobarid seems to distort the sense of direction and I keep thinking that North should be at the back of my house when in fact it is more to the left. GPS and mobile phones may be the modern way but they are no match for a good compass and map!
I hope you’ll have a chance to return here some day.
I will definitely return, Bill. That’s for sure! And next time I’ll bring a compass since my map wasn’t very helpful and there were no signal on my cell.
I hope you have an amazing time in Kosec. I have such good memories from there and the people were so nice.
Hi, I’m from Slovenia and in the last 7 years I only use my phone and GPS for navigation in the mountains.
I suggest to use https://www.locusmap.eu/ for Android. You can use offline maps with this app. These are needed because there is no mobile network available deep in the mountains.
But before you go to a hike you should definitely make a plan first. I sometimes use https://www.gpsies.com to find tracks that some other people posted in the area. I then import these GPX files to my Locus map on my phone and go. But yes. Sometimes even maps and GPS isn’t enough. There are some occasions when you’re on an unmarked “hunters trail”. In such occasions there are websites available where some people post photos and instructions where to go.
I appreciate your insight, Peter! And good tip about the offline maps – I sure could have needed one when I got lost.
Great post, I think these smaller European towns 5 – 20km outside of the ‘go to’ area are awesome. And darn pretty as well. Found a couple in Poland, Italy and France. Thanks for the timely reminder to keep seeking them out! #goatlife
That is so true, Jub. Small villages are the best way to get off the beaten path and meet locals. Especially in Slovenia.
I’ve been following your Slovenia trip for a while and this place seems like the most gorgeous one yet! You’ve sold me officially, now it’s nearing the top of my “places to go to next” list.
I especially liked the carved trunk of wood – it looks kind of like a Native American totem pole! Are they common there? So interesting that people on opposite sides of the world decided to carve things into tall trunks of wood independently of each other (I’m guessing)….
I’m glad to hear that, Lindsay! Slovenia completely took me by surprise and I didn’t think it would be that amazingly beautiful. I hope you visit some time. It’s definitely worth it.
Hi Lindsay, the totem pole was carved by a local artist who’s produced a number of pieces of various styles that are on public show at the roadside – some are in wood and some in metal, and they’re of various cultural inspirations such as pagan, christian and others. Haven’t seen any other totem poles around Slovenia though so I think it’s probably unique to him. There is an ancient tradition of certain trees being considered sacred – I’ve heard that every village had a lime tree where the meetings took place and which was highly revered.
Thanks for explaining this, Bill! I saw some of his other pieces around Dreznica, but didn’t know they were made by the same artist. Glad you could provide some insider knowledge.
Dear Miriam, congratulations on such a great blog post. Drežnica is small village next to Kobarid and you really got deeper into local place. As a local from Soca valley I can say that Drežnica is one of my favourite places where the locals go during the summer time. It is a great place to do some hiking, enjoying countryside, indulging taste buds into local cuisine. I adore goat cheese and Dreznica dumplings. Keep on traveling and welcome back anytime. Vesna
Thanks, Vesna. It means a lot to get complimented by a local! I absolutely loved Soca valley, and Dreznica in particular. I will be back for sure.
WOW ITS REALLY BEAUTIFUL AND ATTRACTIVE PLACE
Right? I’m pretty hooked on it, too.
How difficult was the drive to Kranjc farmhouse? Would like to stay there but saw a few reviews saying it was extremely steep to drive, with locals coming at you very fast in the othet direction on a narrow road.
Hi Heidi,
it’s a little steep, but I didn’t see anyone speeding. Just take it slow and you’ll be alright. It’s worth it when you get there.
Also, any places to eat in Dreznica? I don’t mind driving to Kobarid, bit only if the drive isn’t too steep as we’d have to do it multiple times. I’m a vegetarian who also eats fish, and was fine in Ljubljana earlier this year, but wanted to see what could be accomodated in this area- as next year we will be doing several days in Dreznica area, hopefully!
I actually just had dinner at the Kranjc house. The food was really good so no need to find other restaurants. You can always go to Kobarid (there’s a beautiful waterfall nearby) during the day, and honestly I didn’t encounter that much traffic. It’s a small village.