Bohinjska Bistrica, Bohinj's gateway by rail

Staying here and getting to the lake

For motorhomes, Bohinjska Bistrica matters, because the station car park is one of the few places in Bohinj where you can stay overnight. The tourist office is on Mencingerjeva ulica, the first you reach coming from Ljubljana. If you’d rather sleep by the water, Lake Bohinj and Ribčev Laz are a short bus ride away, free with the Bohinj card. And for touring by camper in general, see Slovenia by motorhome.

The Bohinj railway and the car train

The Bohinj line is, says Tourism Bohinj, one of the most scenic and history-rich railways in Slovenia. It reaches Bohinjska Bistrica from Jesenice on one side and Nova Gorica on the other, and you can take a bike on board. From the station you continue to the lake by bus or taxi.

The most useful thing for drivers is the car train. It loads vehicles and runs through the Bohinj tunnel to Podbrdo, Most na Soči and Nova Gorica, linking Gorenjska and Primorska. It runs daily, and the advice is to be at the station at least 20 minutes before departure. Timetables are published by the railway operator, Slovenske železnice.

Two museums on the valley

The Bohinj History Museum is housed in the birthplace of Tomaž Godec (1905-1942), a leatherworker known as a skier and sports organiser and the first partisan from Bohinj. The permanent exhibition runs through the valley’s story from the earliest settlers to the two world wars, with a section on leatherwork, and the museum hosts temporary exhibitions, evening events and workshops.

The Historia Bohinj collection on Triglavska cesta focuses on the 20th century. It starts with the building of the Bohinj tunnel, moves on to the two world wars and the inter-war years and ends with the post-war period and Slovenia’s war of independence. During the First World War Bohinj was a staging and rest area for troops bound for the Soča front, and the collection reflects that.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Bohinjska Bistrica before prices climb.

Iron, Zois and a summer festival

Iron shaped Bohinj for more than 2,500 years. In the 16th century there was an ironworks at Bohinjska Bistrica, at a spot called Na Pozabljenem, and in 1777 the valley’s ironworks were bought by Žiga Zois, the patron who later backed the first ascent of Triglav. In summer, BistricaFEST stages free concerts on selected Saturdays outside the Joža Ažman cultural centre, with art markets, vinyl fairs and a second-hand book sale.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Bohinjska Bistrica and choose by the reviews.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Bohinjska Bistrica before prices climb.