Mangart and Slovenia's highest mountain road

Driving the Mangart road

The Mangart road is a narrow 12 km asphalt road that gains 980 m and runs through five tunnels cut into the rock. Italian soldiers built it in 1938, and it has had several overhauls since. Some stretches are exposed, so drive patiently, always give way to traffic coming up and keep your lights on in the tunnels. It closes in winter and opens when snow allows, usually from late spring to autumn.

In 2026 it comes with restrictions. A rockfall forced the closure of the final stretch, and from that point to the top no cars, bikes or walkers may pass. You can drive to kilometre 9, to a car park just past the turn-off for the hut. For safety and to keep the saddle from overflowing, only 90 vehicles can be up at once, controlled by an automatic barrier with a counter, and there’s an environmental fee. In summer a fire on Planja, near Bovec, closed the road until it was under control, and it reopened on 31 July. The full rules are in the table.

Mangart Saddle

The saddle, at 2,055 m, is the starting point for the summit and the finish for many road cyclists. It is, in the local tourist board’s words, a botanically rich area, with meadows that fill with flowers in summer and are home to marmots, ibex and jackdaws. To the south you see Rombon, Jerebica, Jalovec and Loška stena, and on the other side, the Belopeška lakes in Italy. Some agencies run tandem paragliding flights from here, and in autumn the beech woods and larches make it a fine spot for photography.

The hut on the saddle is closed in 2026 for renovation, so bring food and drink. Soon after the road begins there’s a sheep pasture that has been in use for more than five centuries, grazed by the Bovec sheep, an indigenous Slovenian breed, where Bovec cheese is made to an old recipe.

Climbing to the summit

Two classic routes lead from the saddle to the top, the Slovenian route and the Via Italiana, both high-mountain routes, and winter conditions can still turn up on the summit climb early in the season. The Soča Valley Tourist Board reminds visitors that Mangart lies inside Triglav National Park, so take your litter back down, and asks you to be properly dressed and equipped because the weather changes fast. With Mount Triglav, it’s one of the great peaks of the Julian Alps. If you’re new to the area, the valley’s hiking routes are a good way to build up to it.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Bovec for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

Mangart in winter

With the road closed, Mangart belongs to off-piste skiers, winter hikers and organised toboggan runs down the road itself. It’s no place to improvise, and I wouldn’t go without a mountain guide.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Bovec for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.