Autumn in the Soča Valley – a season of movement and flavours
4. 9. 2026
From 4 September to 11 October 2026, the Soča Valley invites you to enjoy one of the most beautiful times of year for exploring nature – on foot, by bike and through the stories of inspiring people. This year, the Soča Valley Hiking and Biking Festival will once again bring together guided hikes and cycling tours, boutique experiences, talks by top Slovenian athletes, cultural events and the flavours of the local environment.
The autumn festival story will be rounded off by two major culinary celebrations – Jestival, a festival of flavours and art in Kobarid on 3 October, and FrikaFest, a traditional rural festival in Tolmin on 10 October.
As the bustle of summer gradually gives way to quieter days and the Soča Valley glows in warm autumn colours, one of the most beautiful times to discover it begins. The views become clearer, the trails more pleasant, and nature takes on a completely different character. It is at this time, from 4 September to 11 October 2026, that the valley will come alive to the rhythm of the Soča Valley Hiking and Biking Festival.
The festival brings together everything that makes autumn in the Soča Valley so special: active experiences in unspoilt nature, discovering cultural heritage, authentic stories of local people, outstanding sporting experiences and local cuisine. Guided hikes and a variety of cycling tours will invite visitors to set out and explore, while this year’s programme will be marked in particular by exceptional guests from the world of sport:
- Petra Majdič,
- Andrej Hauptman,
- Alenka Klinar and
- Jani Brajkovič.
Starting in Bovec – on two wheels, among local flavours and with Petra Majdič’s story
This year, the festival will begin on Friday, 4 September, when the opening of the Soča Valley Hiking and Biking Festival, organised in cooperation with the 10th anniversary Blitz Bovec Marathon, will fill Bovec’s main square with activity.
The programme will begin as early as 9 a.m. Visitors will be able to test Elan e-bikes and join a free guided e-bike tour around the Bovec Basin, while younger visitors can enjoy a cycling skills course. Throughout the day, providers included in the Iz Doline Soče collective brand will present their products, produce and cuisine in the square. A special touch will also be added by the first public recording of the Peloton Slovenija podcast on Slovenia and the Julian Alps as a cycling destination.
The evening will belong to one of Slovenia’s most successful athletes. At 7.30 p.m. in the main square, Petra Majdič, with her talk Our Path, will speak about the road to top results, goals, perseverance and the moments when we have to step outside our comfort zone. Her sporting story is one of victories, but also of trials, decisions and finding a way forward – themes that reach far beyond the world of sport.
The festival opening in Bovec will continue on Saturday, 5 September, when the evening programme will be enlivened by a concert by the band Čuki.
Four sporting stories, four perspectives on success, setbacks and the right decisions
One of the strongest highlights of this year’s festival is the accompanying programme, which brings outstanding names from Slovenian sport to the Soča Valley. Petra Majdič will open the festival story in Bovec, followed by Andrej Hauptman, Alenka Klinar and Jani Brajkovič – each with a different story and perspective on sport, success and the challenges behind the results.
On Friday, 11 September, Kobarid will host Andrej Hauptman with his talk How Winners Think – Life Inside a Team at the World’s Greatest Cycling Races. The former elite cyclist and current sports director of UAE Team Emirates XRG will take visitors behind the scenes of professional cycling. Drawing on his experience from the world’s biggest races and his work with today’s top cyclists, including Tadej Pogačar, he will reveal what separates the good from the very best and what role trust, discipline, motivation, teamwork and long-term thinking play in achieving top results.
Just a few days later, on 17 September, Alenka Klinar, in her talk Making the Right Decisions in the Mountains – Between Climbing, Body and Mind in Tolmin, will open up a different and very personal set of topics. Through her experience of overtraining, an accident and recovery, she will talk about sport and climbing, but also about nutrition, psychological challenges and finding a balance between ambition and the ability to listen to yourself. It will be a story about the decisions we make in the mountains and those we must make in life.
On Friday, 25 September, the Ciril Kosmač Library in Tolmin will host a conversation with Jani Brajkovič entitled From a Spiral of Successes and Setbacks. The former professional cyclist will speak openly about his sporting and personal journey, successes and failures, and the lessons that difficult life experiences can bring. The conversation will explore perseverance, inner strength and how to find a healthier and more sustainable way forward after a setback.
The four stories are connected by a common thread: behind every success there is a path. And paths – both real and symbolic – are at the heart of the festival.
On foot to viewpoints, stories and lesser-known corners of the Soča Valley
The heart of the festival remains its organised hikes, which allow visitors to discover the Soča Valley in the company of experienced guides and through stories that are easy to miss when exploring independently.
The programme ranges from easier outings to more demanding mountain tours. The very first festival weekend will feature Livška štorija, a hike among stories, nature and views above Livek, an exploration of the underground labyrinth of First World War caverns at Vodice, and a hike along part of the Juliana Trail and Alpe Adria Trail near Bovec.
Later in September, lovers of the high mountains will also find plenty to enjoy. The programme includes the 22nd traditional mountaineers’ gathering on Črna prst, a demanding hike to Bovški Gamsovec (2329 m), a hike to Stol with guided birdwatching, and the traditional cross-border hike from Bovec across Skutnik to the Kot mountain pasture above Resia.
The festival also preserves events that have become part of the area’s hiking tradition over the years – from the 16th hike along the Bevk Trail to the 32nd traditional Breginj–Muzec–Breški Jalovec–Brezje hike, where hikers can choose from different routes. Two stages of a guided hike along the Soča Trail, a hike along the Rapallo Border and an October hike along the Na svoji zemlji themed trail also offer special experiences.
The common denominator of all these events is the opportunity to experience the landscape more slowly – step by step, through views, stories and encounters with people who know and live in this place.
The Soča Valley on two wheels
Cycling also has an important place in this year’s programme. Guided tours reveal different faces of the valley and the wider Julian Alps area and are designed both for those who prefer e-bikes and for road cycling enthusiasts.
The cycling rhythm of the festival will begin at the opening in Bovec with a free guided e-bike tour around the Bovec Basin, followed by a real treat for well-prepared road cyclists – a group ride from Tarvisio on an epic loop over the Vršič and Predel mountain passes.
The programme also includes a cycling tour through Učja and across Sella Carnizza, discovering the trails along the Soča and the cheese-making tradition by e-bike, a road cycling tour from Bovec to Most na Soči, and the special experience Finding Inner Balance by E-bike.
As with hiking, the goal of cycling is not simply to reach a particular point. The journey offers a different perspective on the area – slower than travelling by car, yet dynamic enough to discover many faces of the valley in a single day.
World Tourism Day – Open Day
Once again, 27 September, World Tourism Day, will be a special festival day, when some of the Soča Valley’s best-known natural and cultural attractions will open their doors to visitors free of charge.
Free admission will be available to Tolmin Gorges, Kozjak Waterfall and Kluže Fortress. Two free guided tours will also be organised in the Tolmin Gorges, while at Kluže Fortress the programme will be complemented by a performance by the 1313 Society.
It is a day when visitors can discover some of the valley’s most beautiful stories in a different way – through expert guidance, storytelling and experiences that add a new dimension to a natural or cultural attraction.
Boutique experiences “Iz Doline Soče”
The festival is also complemented by guided experiences carrying the Iz Doline Soče quality certificate, intended for those who want to get to know the area through its people, traditions and flavours.
At Kolovrat, the history of the First World War will come alive through A Soldier’s Story from the Isonzo Front. In Bovec, the experience It Smells Like Mushrooms – From Forest to Plate will connect the discovery of nature with local cuisine, while in Most na Soči Eye of the River will reveal stories of the place by the emerald water. A very special culinary story is also offered by the experience Nothing better than a pig at the Pr'Lukčevih Farm.
These are experiences in which the visitor is not merely an observer. The focus is on contact with local people, the stories of the place and taking the time to truly feel and understand the destination.
From the mountains to the big screen
In addition to major sporting names, the accompanying programme will feature a number of other events. On 2 October in Log pod Mangartom, Nadija Šuler, with her talk Our Mountain Guides in the Works of J. Kugy and H. Tuma, will shed light on an important part of the mountaineering history of this area, while on 4 October the Memorial Church of the Holy Spirit in Javorca will open its doors free of charge.
Towards the end of the festival, the story returns to Bovec. On Friday, 9 October, Stergulc House will screen The Future of Climbing, the best climbing film of the 20th Festival gorniškega filma. The documentary explores the development of modern climbing and the challenges faced by natural climbing areas due to its growing popularity.
Autumn flavours in the Soča Valley
Autumn in the Soča Valley is not experienced only through sights and movement. It is also experienced through flavours. That is why two major culinary events, filling Kobarid and Tolmin on the first and second Saturdays of October, are an essential part of the festival season.
On Saturday, 3 October, Kobarid will host Jestival – Festival of Food and Art. Once again, Kobarid štruklji will be at the heart of the event, accompanied by a rich culinary selection from the Soča Valley and the wider Julian Alps area, local products and a cultural programme. The flavours of Jestival begin even before the event itself, as local restaurants will also offer special Jestival menus.
One week later, on 10 October, the autumn celebration will move to Tolmin, where FrikaFest – a traditional rural festival will mark the time when life from the high mountain pastures slowly returns to the valley.
The main role will of course belong to frika – a simple yet highly characteristic dish made from potatoes and cheese – while visitors will also be able to enjoy cheeses and other local delicacies. FrikaFest is not just a culinary event, but a celebration of the tradition of living mountain pastures, cheese-making and a way of life that has shaped the Soča Valley for centuries.
Jestival and FrikaFest show in the most delicious way that nature, people and cuisine are inseparably connected in the Soča Valley.
An autumn worth experiencing
The Soča Valley Hiking and Biking Festival 2026 is an invitation to spend autumn outdoors – on the trail, on a bike, in the company of inspiring people and enjoying good food.
It is an opportunity for those looking for a sporting challenge, families who want to discover nature together, mountain and cycling enthusiasts, listeners of inspiring stories and everyone who appreciates authentic local cuisine.
From 4 September to 11 October, the Soča Valley invites you to discover its trails, flavours and stories. On foot, by bike or around the table.
Full programme and registration:
Soča Valley Hiking and Biking Festival 2026
