Камнік

Late spring to early autumn is the best time. June and September bring warm days and good hiking weather, while July and August are the warmest months, with frequent afternoon storms in the mountains. Winters are cold, and snow covers the high pastures for months.

The biggest annual event is the Days of National Costumes and Clothing Heritage, held over a weekend in early to mid-September. It started in 1966 and is Slovenia's largest ethnological festival, ending with a Sunday parade of more than 2,000 people in traditional dress.

Mali grad is the rocky hill in the middle of town and Kamnik's best-known symbol. Its two-storey Romanesque chapel with a crypt is one of the most important medieval monuments in Slovenia, and the hilltop gives views over the rooftops to the Alps.

Šutna, the old craftsmen's street below Mali grad, is the town's most attractive street, with traditional shop signs and old houses. The birth house of Rudolf Maister stands here, as does Church of the Immaculate Conception, a Baroque church from the 1730s with a separate bell tower kept from the earlier Gothic church.

The Franciscan monastery by the main square has a library of about 10,000 books printed before 1800, including a 1584 Slovenian Bible. Its church of St James holds the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, designed by Jože Plečnik.

Zaprice Castle sits on a small hill at the edge of the old town. The castle houses the Kamnik regional museum and hosts concerts and events.

Stari grad is the ruin of a 12th-century castle on the steep hill east of town. The marked path up takes about 30 minutes, and a terrace at the top serves drinks with wide views.

Volčji Potok Arboretum, about 4 km south of town, is the most visited botanical garden in Slovenia. Its large park is best known for spring flower shows, especially tulips.

Source of the Kamniška Bistrica is a clear, emerald pool at the head of the Kamniška Bistrica valley, about 12 km north of town. The road ends here among high peaks, and the narrow Predaselj gorge is a short walk away.

Terme Snovik is a thermal spa in the Tuhinj valley east of Kamnik, with indoor and outdoor pools, water slides and saunas. It is a good choice for a rainy day or with children.

Many of Kamnik's best moments happen outdoors, in the mountains and on the old pastures above town.

• Ride the cable car to the high pasture: The cable car from the Kamniška Bistrica valley runs all year. At the top of Velika Planina, walk to the herdsmen's settlement, where cattle graze from early June for about three months.
• Watch cheese being made: At the Preskar museum hut on Velika Planina, herdsmen show how trnič, a small decorated hard cheese, is made twice a day in summer.
• Join the Christmas Eve mass on the pasture: Thousands of people climb to the small Chapel of Mary of the Snows on Velika Planina for midnight mass.
• Watch the costume parade: On the Sunday of the September costume festival, more than 2,000 people in traditional dress walk through the old town.
• Climb a high peak: Experienced hikers can climb Grintovec, the highest peak of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, from the head of the Kamniška Bistrica valley. It is a long, steep day in high mountain terrain.

Kamnik sits close to the capital, the mountains and the towns of Upper Carniola, so most day trips take under an hour.

• Velika Planina — about 20 minutes by car to the cable car station in the Kamniška Bistrica valley, then a short ride up. A high pasture with a village of traditional herdsmen's huts and wide mountain views.
• Ljubljana — about 40 minutes by train or 30 minutes by car. Slovenia's capital has a compact old town, a castle and many restaurants along the river.
• Kranj — about 30 minutes by car. A small old town on a rocky ridge above the Kokra river canyon.
• Škofja Loka — about 45 minutes by car. One of the best-preserved medieval towns in Slovenia, with a castle and an old bridge.
• Bled — about 1 hour by car. The famous lake with its island church and a castle on a cliff.
• Logarska dolina — about 1.5 hours by car. A glacial valley on the far side of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, with waterfalls and farms below steep walls.

For the mountains right above town, see Velika Planina and the wider Kamnik-Savinja Alps.

Other towns in Upper Carniola make good next stops: Kranj, Škofja Loka, Radovljica and Bled. The capital, Ljubljana, is less than an hour away.

• By air: Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport is about 16 km from Kamnik. A taxi or rental car is the easiest transfer, at about 20–25 minutes.
• By train: Trains run from Ljubljana to Kamnik in about 40 minutes, roughly once an hour. Get off at Kamnik Mesto, the stop next to the old town. Slovenian Railways
• By bus: Arriva buses run to Ljubljana many times a day; the trip takes about an hour. Arriva timetables
• By car: From Ljubljana it is about 25 km and 30 minutes, via the A1 motorway (Domžale exit) or the A2 motorway (Vodice exit).

• On foot: The old town, both castle hills and Zaprice are all within a 15-minute walk of the main square.
• Buses: Regional Arriva buses link Kamnik with nearby villages. Bus service up the Kamniška Bistrica valley is limited, so check the timetable before relying on it. Arriva
• Cycling: The flat valley floor south of town is easy to ride, including to the arboretum. Roads into the mountain valleys climb steeply.
• Tourist information: The office on the main square (Glavni trg) has maps and current timetables. Visit Kamnik

• Is a car worth it?: Not for the town itself, which is small and walkable. A car is very useful for the mountain valleys, the arboretum and the spa, where buses are infrequent.
• Parking: There are car parks around the edge of the old town; the centre's narrow streets are best explored on foot. At Kamniška Bistrica, park by the lower cable car station.
• Motorways: The fastest roads from Ljubljana use motorways, which need an e-vignette.
• Mountain roads: Roads into the high valleys are narrow and winding, and car parks at popular trailheads fill early on summer weekends.

Look out for trnič, the small, decorated hard cheese made by herdsmen on Velika Planina, and for trout from the Tuhinj valley. In the mountain huts above town, simple dishes like sour milk, buckwheat žganci and stews are the usual meal after a hike.

In town, the best area for a meal or coffee is the main square (Glavni trg) and Šutna street, where cafés and small restaurants line the old houses. On Velika Planina and at the head of the Kamniška Bistrica valley, the huts and inns serve home cooking with mountain views.

Kamnik is a very safe town with little crime. Normal care with valuables is enough, even during the busy September festival.

The main risks are in the mountains. Trails in the Kamnik-Savinja Alps are steep and often exposed, and summer afternoons bring sudden thunderstorms. Start early, carry rain gear and check the weather forecast before a hike. Ticks are common in forests and meadows, so check your skin after walks.

Kamnik was first mentioned as a town in 1229, when it was a trading post on the road between Ljubljana and Celje. In the Middle Ages it was one of the main centres of the Bavarian counts of Andechs, one of the most powerful families in Carniola, and the town even had its own mint.

The two castle hills show how the town was guarded. Stari grad, the Upper Castle, controlled the trade route from Styria, while Mali grad stood on the small rock in the middle of town. Stari grad was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1511 and later abandoned. Its ruins still stand on the hill east of town.

Below the castles, Šutna grew as a suburb of craftsmen. Later, Franciscan monks settled by the church of St James. Their friary and its old library still survive. In the 20th century, the architect Jože Plečnik added his chapel there and several monuments in and around the town.

Quick practical facts for Slovenia at a glance: