Velika Planina, the herders' village that climbs into the Kamnik Alps every June

Cable car, prices and closure until 15 November

The lower station is at Kamniška Bistrica 2, Stahovica, 3 km before the end of the valley and about 10 km from Kamnik. Parking is free. The cable car takes 5 minutes and the Šimnovec chairlift, an extra paid when you buy your ticket, 5 to 7 minutes to Zeleni rob, saving about 45 minutes of uphill walking. From there it is about 15 minutes’ easy walk to the settlement. The return ticket is valid for 14 days, there is a family ticket and cards are accepted.

In 2026 the cable car and chairlift ran until Wednesday 14 October and are closed from 15 October to 15 November for annual works. During that time the plateau is still open on foot, and the operator asks walkers to choose their route carefully, check the weather and set off early because the days are short. I could not find ticket prices published for 2026, so check the Velika planina website before you go.

What to see on Velika Planina

The cable car and chairlift take you to the top near Gradišče, the highest point, with the great Alpine peaks to the north and the Ljubljana Basin to the south. From there you stroll down to the settlement.

In the settlement stands the Preskar hut museum, the only hut that keeps the original architecture with oval walls. The earlier hut burned down in the last days of the Second World War and Andrej Preskar built the present one in the summer of 1945 in the same shape. It shows herders’ life in the 19th century, and in the 2025 season it opened from 10am to 3pm between 1 June and 15 September, with an €8 ticket and a daily trnič-making demonstration at 1pm. Above the settlement is the Chapel of Our Lady of the Snows, burned at the end of the war and rebuilt by the herders in 1988; its feast day is 5 August.

Trnič is the plateau’s cheese, decorated with carved patterns. Herders made two identical pieces, kept one and gave the other to their sweetheart at the end of summer. If she accepted it, she accepted his courtship.

The herders’ settlement

According to the Slovenian Tourist Board, it is one of the largest herders’ settlements in Europe. Visit Kamnik counts about 200 huts on the plateau, 63 of which form the herders’ settlement, one for each of the 63 holders of grazing rights. Most of them come from thirteen villages below Velika Planina and Krvavec, and together they own about 380 head of cattle.

At the beginning of June they bring the cows up and stay for about three months, a grazing tradition Visit Kamnik traces back five hundred years. That is when the plateau comes alive, with cowbells and herders offering sour milk, žganci and mountain tea. Out of season the huts are still there, but the scene is different.

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

Getting there and when to go

By car, drive past Kamnik towards Kamniška Bistrica and Gornji Grad, and turn left in Stahovica; it is about 5 km further to the car park. Ljubljana airport is 28 km away. On public transport, the operator points to Arriva’s summer services, so outside summer a car or a trip from Ljubljana is the practical choice. The operator recommends at least two or three hours up top.

I would go between June and early September, when the herders are there, and combine it with Kamnik town or the Volčji Potok arboretum. It also features in day trips from Ljubljana and in the guide to central Slovenia.

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