From 4 September to 11 October 2026, the Soča Valley opens its trails and roads: some thirty guided hikes, road and e-bike rides, talks by champions and one day when the Tolmin Gorges, Kozjak Waterfall and Kluže Fortress are free. Most guided hikes are free of charge, several start from a station on the Bohinj railway, and the festival opens on the same weekend as Mad Alps. I have lived next to Tolmin since 2004: here is the programme sorted out, what I would pick, and how to do it without a car.
The festival at a glance
| What | 2026 details |
|---|---|
| Dates | 4 September to 11 October 2026 |
| Where | Bovec, Kobarid, Tolmin, Trenta, Podbrdo, Breginj and valley villages |
| Organiser | Turizem Dolina Soče (Soča Valley tourist board) |
| Guided hikes | about fifteen, mostly free, registration often required |
| Cycling | road rides (Vršič-Predel, Učja, Bovec-Most na Soči) and guided e-bike tours |
| Free day | 27 September: Tolmin Gorges, Kozjak, Kluže |
| Highlights | opening with the Blitz Bovec Marathon (4 Sept), Čuki concert (5 Sept), Jestival in Kobarid (3 Oct) |
The full programme and registration links are on the Soča Valley tourist board website. Below is what I extracted from the 34 event pages as of 25 August 2026; times can change, check the day before.
Opening weekend, 4-6 September: Bovec, Mad Alps and two passes
- Friday 4, 9 a.m., Bovec main square: official opening together with the Blitz Bovec Marathon (trail race). At 9:30, a free guided e-bike tour on Elan e-bikes around the Bovec basin (not for children). At 7:30 p.m., a talk by Olympic cross-country champion Petra Majdič.
- Saturday 5, 9 a.m., Tarvisio: the Vršič-Predel road loop, 90 km, ridden as a group, registration required, yoga at the finish. It is the flagship ride of Mad Alps, the new cycling festival at the three-border point. Same day: Livška štorja hike from Livek (8:30), the guided “A Soldier's Story” experience on Kolovrat (10 a.m.), Čuki concert on Bovec main square (6 p.m.).
- Sunday 6, 9 a.m., Bovec airfield: the Učja and Sella Carnizza road tour, 50 km and 1,300 m of climbing, apple strudel at the top. In parallel, a free guided section of the Juliana Trail near Bovec (registration, limited places) and the First World War cavern labyrinth on Vodice (€30, 3.5 to 5 hours, meeting below the Sveta Gora basilica).
The free guided hikes I would pick
- Saturday 12 September, 8 a.m., Tolmin P2 car park: the Zadlaščica valley and Tehnika Krn, the Partisans' clandestine printing workshop, with a snack in Zadlaz-Čadrg. Register by 10 September.
- Saturday 19 September, 7 a.m., Podbrdo railway station: 22nd gathering of mountaineers on Črna prst (1,844 m). Starts at the station, so reachable by train on the Bohinj line.
- Saturday 19 September, 7 a.m., Zadnjica (Trenta): ascent of Bovški Gamsovec, 2,329 m, free guiding, paid parking.
- Saturday 19 September, 8 a.m., Breginj: Mount Stol with guided birdwatching, free, limited places.
- Sunday 20 September, 8 a.m., Kanin cable car station B: from Bovec to the Kot pasture above Resia (Italy) via Skutnik, 12.2 km, 7 hours, T3. Free, registration required by 18 September, 6 p.m.
- Sunday 20 September, 9:30, Hudajužna: 16th Bevk Trail hike as part of the France Bevk days (fee reduced to €3 if you bring one of the writer's books). Hudajužna has a halt on the Bohinj line.
- Thursday 24 September, 3 p.m., Most na Soči: “Taste the Eye of the River”, an easy 4-hour walk around the lake, free, register by the 23rd at noon. Five minutes from the station.
- Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September, 9 a.m.: the Soča Trail in two stages, from Trenta then from Soča village, free guiding.
- Saturday 26 September: 32nd traditional Breginj-Muzec-Breški Jalovec-Brezje hike, 6 hours, demanding, €5 return shuttle, food in the village; and the Rapallo border hike from Podbrdo (9:30, register by the 23rd).
- Saturday 3 October, 9 a.m., Grahovo ob Bači: 14th hike on the “On My Own Land” themed trail, a village served by the train.
Cycling: road, e-bike and cheese
- Saturday 19 September, 9 a.m., Hotel Alp, Bovec: e-bike along the Soča to its source in Trenta, back via a farm with a cheese tasting. Paid, registration required.
- Saturday 26 September, 9 a.m., Bovec airfield: the Bovec-Kobarid-Tolmin-Most na Soči loop, 85 km and 900 m of climbing, rated easy, on quiet roads and the cycle path between Tolmin and Most na Soči.
- Saturday 3 October, Tolmin P2 car park: “Finding Inner Balance by E-Bike”, 38.8 km via Ljubinj and the Šentviška plateau with a TRE session, €90 with e-bike hire or €50 with your own bike.
For your own rides between events, my ranking of Slovenia's sights by train and bike access puts the Bohinj railway and Tolmin at the centre.
The talks: Majdič, Hauptman, Klinar, Brajkovič
- 4 September, 7:30 p.m., Bovec: Petra Majdič, “Our Path”.
- 11 September, 7 p.m., Kobarid: Andrej Hauptman, Pogačar and Roglič's national team coach, “How Winners Think”.
- 17 September, 7 p.m., Ciril Kosmač Library, Tolmin: Alenka Klinar, climber, on decision-making in the mountains.
- 25 September, 7 p.m., Tolmin: a conversation with Jani Brajkovič, former Tour de France rider.
- 2 October, 7 p.m., Log pod Mangartom: Nadija Šuler on mountain guides in the works of Kugy and Tuma.
- 9 October, 7 p.m., Bovec: screening of “The Future of Climbing”.
27 September: Tolmin Gorges, Kozjak and Kluže for free
For World Tourism Day, entry is free on Sunday 27 September to the Tolmin Gorges (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Kozjak Waterfall in Kobarid (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Kluže Fortress in Bovec (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Two free guided tours of the Tolmin Gorges leave at 11:30 and 3 p.m. (2 hours, easy, registration required), with a performance by Društvo 1313 at 1:30 p.m. The gorges normally cost €10: this is the day to go, and also the day they will be packed. Take the free shuttle from Tolmin's P2 car park rather than driving. Torn between this and Vintgar? My Tolmin Gorges vs Vintgar comparison settles it.
Jestival in Kobarid, 3 October
Kobarid's food and arts festival rounds off the first week of October: valley producers' stalls, Tolminc cheese, Kobarid štruklji, frika, and the town's restaurants in market mode. A fine way to end a week of walking.
Getting there and around without a car
The festival is built for it, and this is the time of year when it works best. The Bohinj railway serves Podbrdo, Hudajužna, Grahovo ob Bači and Most na Soči, all starting points of hikes on the programme; the summer shuttles of Tolmin, Kobarid and Bovec run until the end of September and are included in the Soča Valley Julian Alps Card. Every line and timetable is in the Soča Valley without a car, and the card's prices in my Julian Alps Card guide. From Ljubljana, allow 2.5 to 3 hours by train via Jesenice, or the direct bus to Bovec while it still runs.
Where to stay: Tolmin for the lower-valley events and the train, Bovec for the opening weekend and the alpine hikes. Late September nights are cool and rooms are far cheaper than in August; the Soča Valley destination guide lists my addresses.
A resident's take
If you can only come for one weekend, make it 19-20 September: Črna prst from Podbrdo station on Saturday, Bovec to Resia via Skutnik on Sunday (register before the 18th). That is the valley's mountains at their most genuine, and free. 27 September is the family day: free gorges, a guided tour, Kozjak in the afternoon. And if you ride, 5 September in Tarvisio, the Vršič-Predel loop with Mad Alps is a day you will talk about for a long time.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Soča Valley Hiking & Biking Festival in 2026?
From 4 September to 11 October 2026, opening in Bovec on 4 September together with the Blitz Bovec Marathon, with Jestival, the food highlight, in Kobarid on 3 October.
Are the guided hikes free?
Most are (Črna prst, Bovški Gamsovec, Stol, Bovec-Resia, the Soča Trail, Zadlaščica, Most na Soči). A few provider-led experiences are paid: Vodice caverns €30, mushrooms €95, e-bike with TRE €50-90. Registration is often required, sometimes several days ahead.
Can I take part without a car?
Yes: Podbrdo, Hudajužna, Grahovo ob Bači and Most na Soči are stations on the Bohinj railway and serve as starting points. The Tolmin, Kobarid and Bovec shuttles cover the rest until the end of September, free or included in the Soča Valley Julian Alps Card.
What happens on 27 September?
World Tourism Day: free entry to the Tolmin Gorges, Kozjak Waterfall and Kluže Fortress, with two free guided tours of the gorges at 11:30 and 3 p.m., registration required.
Is the festival the same thing as Mad Alps?
No, but they overlap: Mad Alps is the cycling festival at the three-border point on 4-6 September 2026, and its Vršič-Predel loop on 5 September is part of the Soča Valley festival programme.
Patrick Faust
French expat in Slovenia since 2004. Founder of e-Slovénie, a Slovenia travel guide. Learn more →