Top 5 swimmings spots in Soča Valley
While exploring Slovenia, a visit to the Soča Valley is inevitable. It’s considered to be one of the prettiest parts of the country and it’s often called a paradise for cycling, hiking and watersports. Beautiful, yet cold Soča river never reaches more than 7-14°C in its upper stream, but it’s nevertheless the place to jump into the water after a day of cycling or hiking in the valley.
Many of our touring and mountain-biking routes pass this magical place so it’s only fair to list the places where you can actually jump into this magnificent emerald river.
1) Camp Soča
The first on the list is the confluence of Soča and Lepena rivers, located by the Camp Soča. Surrounded by forested hills and rocky mountain peaks, this swimming place is in the uppermost part of the Soča river of all the listed places. The proximity of the Soča spring can mean only one thing – the water is really cold and hardly reaches 10°C even in summer.
But the white stone beachfront and the natural pools close to the Great Soča Gorge call for swimming and jumping in the water anyway.
Jumping spots just next to the Great Soča Gorge (Photo: Tomo Jeseničnik)
2) Magnetic rock
The second place on the list is called magnetic rock by the locals. It’s located just a 10-min walk from the Kal-Koritnica village or from camps (Toni, Liza, Kovač and Vodenca) east of Bovec. The place is hidden in the forest and is more or less known only by the locals which means more solitude. The hanging bridge over the river only adds to the beauty of the place.
Koritnica is a hidden swimming gem in Soča Valley
3) Napoleon’s bridge across Nadiža
Close to the village Logje some 13km away from Kobarid, Napoleon’s stone bridge across Nadiža river represents a magical place for a refreshing swim. It was built in the beginning of 19. century at the time of Napoleon’s conquest around Europe, hence its name. Surrounded by greenery you won’t be anything but amazed by this place. As a bonus, Nadiža river is warmer than Soča and reaches up to 20°C in summer.
The stone bridge across Nadiža dates back to around 1812 (Photo: Ciril Jazbec)
4) Sotočje
The Sotočje sandy beach in Tolmin is perfect for summer swims, picnics and sunbathing. This is already a third place on this list that’s actually a confluence of two rivers – this time Soča and Tolminka rivers. Many music festivals take place here every summer, bringing a lively vibe to the city of Tolmin.
The famous confluence of Soča and Tolminka rivers
5) Modrej beach
Just next to the town called Most na Soči, the emerald Soča river almost completely slows down. The Modrej beach is therefore one of the safest places to swim in Soča river and also one of the warmest places – especially after the confluence with Idrijca river a 1km further from this beach. Here you also have a possibility to enjoy other water activities, such as kayaking or paddle boarding.
At Modrej beach the Soča river almost completely slows down
Up for other activities in Soča Valley?
Cycling & mountain-biking routes
One of the MTB routes that crosses the Soča Valley is the Trans Slovenia 01 route that explores Slovenia in 7-days on a mountain-bike. It goes from the Julian Alps, across Soča Valley, through vineyards of Goriška Brda and Karst region before reaching the sunny Adriatic coast where one can relax at the beach after a week of biking.
Similar to this route, but appropriate for touring cycling or e-bikes, is the 8-day Bike Slovenia Green Alps to Adriatic route that enables you to taste the delicious and varied typical cuisine along the way. Jumping in the sea at the end is also part of this route.
Scenic landscapes make biking around Slovenia a must-do
Hiking in Soča Valley
If you’re up for some long-distance hiking routes or trekking in Slovenia that goes by the Soča Valley, we recommend the Walk of Peace trail. Although the trail goes along the former WW1 frontline, this route isn’t just about history. The ever-changing nature, landscapes and cuisine along the way are unforgettable!
Meeting the wild goats along the Walk of Peace route