Brda, vineyard hills between the Alps and the sea

Things to see in Brda: villages and castles

The best-known village is Šmartno, walled and studded with defensive towers, first recorded in 1317. Nearby is Dobrovo Castle, a Renaissance castle built in the early 17th century on the site of a 13th-century one, which now holds a museum and work by the painter Zoran Mušič. Vila Vipolže, built as a hunting lodge for the Counts of Gorizia and later the Venetians turned into an elegant villa, has centuries-old cypresses in front that the Brda Tourist Board says are the oldest in Slovenia.

Above the village of Gonjače, on 321 m Mejnik hill, stands a monument to the 315 Second World War victims from the right bank of the Soča, by Janez Boljka with verses by France Bevk, and beside it a 23 m lookout tower with 144 steps, built in 1961. On a clear day you see Brda, the Julian and Carnic Alps, the Dolomites, the Gulf of Trieste, the Karst and the Vipava Valley.

Brda wine and Rebula

Marl soils, known locally as opoka, give mineral, fresh and elegant wines, according to the Brda Tourist Board. The best-known varieties are Rebula, Green Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, and native Rebula even has its own masterclass, Brda Home of Rebula. The Slovenian Tourist Board points out that Klet Brda has the largest wine cellar in the country and that several local winemakers rank among the world’s top hundred. The rest of the country’s wine is in the guide to Slovenian wine.

Food and festivals

Brda’s cooking revolves around local, seasonal produce. The signature dish is frtalja, an omelette with finely chopped fresh herbs such as lemon balm, chives, fennel shoots, feverfew or costmary. There’s fruit, olive oil, honey, spirits and, increasingly, organic grapes, fruit and olives. Many tourist farms serve their own food and wine. Šmartno’s food festivals, such as St Martin’s, which in 2026 falls on 7 and 8 November, celebrate the young wine with tastings and stalls.

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

Brda on foot and by bike

Brda is a cycling paradise, with some 280 km of routes that avoid busy roads and squeeze through the villages’ narrow streets, and e-bikes and e-scooters can be hired. For walking there are the Kožbanjšček gorges, a natural monument with the Krčnik natural bridge, the Sabotin peace park and the Alpe Adria Trail. The general routes are in the guide to cycling in Slovenia. Autumn, with St Martin’s festival in Šmartno, is to my mind its best moment, and Slovenia in autumn covers the rest of the season.

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

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