St. Jacob's Trail Radolca (Podbrezje - Radovljica - Bled)

Safety information

Though the walk connects many of the small countryside villages, not all provide a grocery shop or a restaurant. A small snack and a bottle of water will therefore come handy.

Tips and hints

• The picturesque fortified Tabor Church (Our Lady of Sorrows)  on a rock above the motorway from Ljubljana to the Karavanke tunnel  was built some time soon after 1471 as a fortification for the locals to escape from Ottoman raids. One of the paintings in the church was painted by the most prominent Slovenian female painter Ivana Kobilca, who lived in the village for a while.
• Long distance hikers (staying in Podbrezje for the night) can treat themselves with the fish dinner in Tabor restaurant -  one of the best continental sea food restaurants in Slovenia.
• The church of Mery Help of Christians in Ljubno is an older pilgrimage site than nearby (and today much better known) basilica in Brezje. Following an incident in 1692 (when a stonemason struck the statue of Virgin Mary with his hammer) the church became popularly known as the Church of "Stricken" Mary. When in Ljubno, the visit is warmly recommended. The keys for the church can be obtained in the parsonage bellow the church. 
• An extension of the walk via Radovljica Forest Nature trail will only take you about 20 minutes longer, but will make a wonderful addition to the days hike.
• The medieval Radovljica is known for its numerous museums, amidst them the brand new Pharmacy and Alchemy Museum.
• Hiking from Lancovo to Bodešče village, it's well worth to make a 3 minute detour to the picturesque  confluence of the Sava Dolinka and Sava Bohinjka rivers.

Note

Getting there

Arriving from Ljubljana:

Take the A2 motorway from Ljubljana to Jesenice. At Podtabor divison (where the hilltop Tabor church can be wonderfully seen) , turn right for Klagenfurt/Tržič on E652/101. After less than one kilometer, take the first exit left (signpost: Podbrezje, Podnart, Kropa, Zvirče). Drive through the underpass beneath the regional road, to reach the roundabout, where you take the second exit (signpost: Kropa, Podnart, Podbrezje). Drive under the motorway A2, than turn left in the first junction (signpost: Podbrezje). The narrow road takes you into the village and leads towards south/southeast. Turn right by Matijovec tourist farm, and drive up-hill to the upper natural terrace. Turn left in the junction and continue towards the parish church of St. Jacob (parking).

Arriving from Bled, Radovljica or Jesenice:

Take the A2 motorway from Jesenice to Ljubljana. At Podtabor divison, turn right for Klagenfurt/Tržič on E652/101. After less than one kilometer, take the first exit left (signpost: Podbrezje, Podnart, Kropa, Zvirče). Drive through the underpass beneath the regional road, to reach the roundabout, where you take the second exit (signpost: Kropa, Podnart, Podbrezje). Drive under the motorway A2, than turn left in the first junction (signpost: Podbrezje). The narrow road takes you into the village and leads towards south/southeast. Turn right by Matijovec tourist farm, and drive up-hill to the upper natural terrace. Turn left in the junction and continue towards the parish church of St. Jacob (parking). 

Parking

Public parking area can be found opposite St. Jacob's church in the centre of Podbrezje, about 500 meters from the start of the walk.

After parking the car, head north towards the road junction with a large christian shrine. Turn right and descend down to the lower natural terrace towards Matijovc tourist farm. Left of the farm, you will notice a narrow trail ascending diagonally across the meadows towards the church on a small promontory.

Coordinates