Ride the roads of Slovenian champions: Fully customized road cycling tours
What makes the world’s best road cycling racers so good? Of course, Slovenian stubbornness adds something, but being born among the mountains and having the privilege of training just next to your home town means being one step ahead of others. Now you have the opportunity to test yourself on the roads where some of the best cyclists in the world train and compete. And we’re talking about real cycling, not simulations on your indoor bike in your living room. Interested? Read on!
Get to know the roads where some of the world’s best train their skills. You all know Tadej Pogačar – Pogi, the four-time winner of the Tour de France, Primož Roglič – Rogla, the former ski jumper with victories at the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana under his belt, and Matej Mohorič, the master of technical descents with stage wins in all three Grand Tours. We can’t promise that you’ll actually meet any of them, but… it’s not impossible.
What we can promise, however, are idyllic asphalt roads with sometimes brutal climbs to mountain passes and adrenaline-pumping descents into beautiful Alpine valleys. If we add the opportunity to taste renowned local cuisine at the crossroads of the Alpine, Mediterranean and Pannonian worlds – in cyclists’ language this means delicious replacement of burned calories – the result is the perfect cycling holiday, tailored to your abilities and the length and timing of your holiday. Are you with us?
Design your own road cycling tour program with us
Design your own road cycling tour program with us
In a race, things are clear: you accept the rules of the game and try to give your best, and someone has to be first and someone has to be last. Holidays are different, though, and because we want the length, elevation, and everything that comes with an adventure – food, culture, views, accommodation … – to be just right, we will tailor each tour to YOU.
Send us your wishes:
- Number of days.
- Approx. length/elevation per day.
- Type of tour (guided, self-guided; van-supported YES/NO).
- Your interest in destinations (food, wine tasting, culture, wellness)?
- Which month/dates would suit you most? Our cycling season is from May to Sept in general, depending on the destination.
- Do you need to rent the bike/s? If yes, let us know your height/s.
And we will send you a proposal with pricing options.
Map of some of the best road cycling rides in Slovenia:
You can explore and have a taste of a small part of our network of road routes here:
Tell us how you want to ride — and we will take care of the rest. From your landing at the airport to “Goodbye, we hope to see you again sometime” at this very same point.
Follow epic local and international road cycling races
On your (or our – rented) bike, you can experience the roads of some world-famous cycling competitions. The following races take place in Slovenia:
- Tour of Slovenia, the country’s flagship professional international race. In 2025, the race consisted of five stages with a total length of 804.4 kilometers and 12,401 meters of ascent.
- Pogi Challenge, the climb on Tadej Pogačar’s training road. It’s like a game of cat and mouse, sorry, hundreds of mice. The cat that hunts on the climb to the Krvavec ski resort is Tadej Pogačar himself.
- L’Étape Slovenia by Tour de France, part of the official global L’Étape series. From 34 to 130-kilometer races with the start and finish in the pre-Alpine town of Kranj, a city that already hosted the finish of the Giro d’Italia back in 1994. By the way, Visit GoodPlace is the official tour operator of the L’Étape Slovenia by Tour de France*.
- The Franja Marathon, the legendary and most popular Slovenian road cycling race, began in 1982 when it was organized by two cycling enthusiasts. The race is enjoyed by cyclists of all ages and levels, with the longest race being 156 kilometers long.
- Navkreber na Strmo Reber, a local race in Kočevje, the most forested municipality in Slovenia, is an 8.4-kilometer climb with an average gradient of 8.8 percent, finishing at the slightly less than 1,000-meter-high Strma Reber pass. The serpentine road is also known as the Bear’s Gut.
- Red Bull Goni Pony looks like a fun joke. And it is – it is actually a cycling party. Which doesn’t mean that many pros don’t also participate in the climb to Slovenia’s highest road pass, Vršič in the Julian Alps, on vintage folding city bikes. Your ‘Pony’ must be original, with 20-inch wheels and with no gears. And with working brakes – you have to get back down, too!
*As an official partner of L’Étape Slovenia by Tour de France, we can integrate the competition into your road cycling holiday program in Slovenia, allowing you to combine a structured road cycling journey with participation in one of the most prestigious amateur road cycling events in Europe. In fact, we can adapt your cycling itinerary to any of the races described. (But no, we don’t rent Pony bikes.)
Slovenian regions through the eyes of a road cyclist
Slovenia is small – there are barely two million of us living here – but due to its geographical location between the Alps, the Mediterranean, the Dinarides, and the Pannonian Plain, it serves road cyclists a very diverse ‘training program’. Each of the regions offers different elevation profiles, a different climate and very different food and wines (or local draft beer). In this respect, Slovenia’s small size is a great advantage: everything is close, everything is so different. Join us on a short journey:
The Julian Alps and Kamnik–Savinja Alps form Slovenia’s high-mountain playground. Long, sustained climbs, technical descents and quiet alpine passes define this region. Roads here demand respect and reward effort with dramatic scenery and crisp mountain air. The climate is cooler, making summer riding pleasant even on demanding days. After the ride, traditional alpine cuisine — hearty stews, local cheeses and seasonal dishes — completes the experience.
To get a better idea, google photos of Vršič (highest road pass), Mangart (highest road), Bohinj Lake (biggest lake), Logar Valley or Soča Valley. Beautiful, isn’t it?
Central and western Slovenia are a favourite training ground for professional riders. (Apart from local matadors, few people know that Primož Roglič trains on the climb to Mount Kum, directly from the highest chimney in Europe in Trbovlje.) Rolling terrain, frequent climbs and endless route variations allow for creative stage design and high mileage days.
The climate is mild and stable for most of the season, ideal from spring to late autumn. Food traditions are rooted in local produce, with simple but refined dishes reflecting Slovenia’s rural heart.
Eastern Slovenia offers smoother profiles, vineyard-covered hills and a gentler rhythm. This is where road cycling naturally blends with gastronomy and wine culture. Climbs are shorter, gradients more forgiving, and routes flow effortlessly through rural landscapes.
The climate is warmer and drier, and the cuisine highlights regional wines, farm-to-table ingredients and long, relaxed evenings.
Stone villages, open horizons and sun-exposed roads define the Karst plateau and the approach to the Adriatic over Slovenian Istria. Winds, limestone terrain and Mediterranean light give this region a distinct character.
Best ridden in spring and autumn (some train there even in winter), it combines scenic riding with outstanding cuisine — seafood, local wines and olive oil — and a softer, coastal climate.
Would you cycle AROUND a chicken-shaped country?
The idea is not new: between 2007 and 2018, the DOS (dirka okoli Slovenije = Race around Slovenia) was a non-stop (day and night) race of about 1,200 kilometers with over 15,000 meters of elevation gain, and today the same route is being used as a five-day humanitarian cycling event. We at Visit GoodPlace can take you on a wonderful cycling holiday along these beautiful routes, which will take you through all the regions listed above. There aren’t many chicken-shaped countries that you can cycle around in such a short time. In fact… There is no other chicken-shaped country in the world. What are you waiting for?
Borderless Riding: Slovenia, Croatia, Italy and Austria
Thanks to our integrated route system, road cycling journeys can naturally extend beyond Slovenia’s borders. Linking our regions with Croatia’s Istrian hills, coastal roads or Alpine passes in Italy and Austria adds depth, variety and a true sense of journey — without logistical complexity.
Top 5 road cycling climbs in Slovenia to try
Since driving on the highest asphalted road in Slovenia is restricted to motor traffic (they have to pay a fee), this means more joy for cyclists. From the village of Log pod Mangartom, more than 16 kilometers of steep climb await you, and at the top, at 2,055 meters above sea level, you will be rewarded with a view of the Italian and Slovenian mountains and valleys.
On this road, which connects towns of Kranjska Gora and Bovec via the highest pass in Slovenia, motorized traffic is also limited from 2025, which means less exhaust fumes. The partly asphalted, partly old paved road will take you to a mountain hut, where you can fill your stomach in the embrace of rocky peaks.
A 20-kilometer asphalt snake leads from the wine hills in Slovenske Konjice to the ski center in the embrace of spruce forests, on which you will sweat upwards and get a dose of the adrenaline downwards.
To visit two romantic Alpine valleys in one day (with a short ride through neighboring Austria in between), you will have to push the pedals hard: 60 kilometers from Kranj, two tough climbs await you. Too much? We know a great farm guesthouse somewhere in the middle …
An approximately 40-kilometer loop from Tolmin will take you along the roads where the Giro d’Italia race took place. On a beautiful spring day, from the top, where the World War I Museum is, you will observe the snow-capped Mt. Krn to the north and the Adriatic Sea to the south.
Send us your wishes:
- Number of days.
- Approx. length/elevation per day.
- Type of tour (guided, self-guided; van-supported YES/NO).
- Your interest in destinations (food, wine tasting, culture, wellness)?
- Which month/dates would suit you most? Our cycling season is from May to Sept in general, depending on the destination.
- Do you need to rent the bike/s? If yes, let us know your height/s.
And we will send you a proposal with pricing options.
