Nanos Cycling Route

The Nanos Cycling Route begins in Postojna and follows Ljubljanska Street towards Ravbarkomanda. There, the route turns left onto a gravel road leading to Black Cave. From the cave, you continue along a paved road past the campsite at Pivka Cave before turning left onto a gravel track in the direction of the hunting lodge and Studeno. The forest gradually gives way to open meadows, and soon you arrive in the village of Studeno.

From there, the route continues through Belsko, where you can make a short detour to Refreshment Stop Prepih for a bite to eat before ascending towards Bukovje. Here begins the route’s longest ascent, taking you up the slopes of Mount Nanos. The paved surface gradually gives way to gravel, while the landscape becomes increasingly forested. After approximately 10 kilometres of climbing, a descent follows towards Strane, where you can visit Slovenia’s thickest and, according to local tradition, also its oldest yew tree. Legend has it that Saints Cyril and Methodius once preached beneath its branches. The route then continues through Malo Ubeljsko and Veliko Ubeljsko to Razdrto, and then past Ecotourism Hudičevec.

The route climbs once more, passing the quarry in Laže before descending towards Slavina. In earlier times, Slavina was the seat of the area’s main parish, and today the impressive Church of St Mary houses an altar transferred from the Church of the Holy Trinity. The journey continues through the villages of Koče and Prestranek, where the route turns towards Prestranek Castle. From there, it leads to Rakitnik, past the airfield, through Stara vas, and back across the motorway to Postojna and the starting point.