Driving the Vršič Pass: 50 hairpins

The road in numbers

• Summit altitude: 1,611 m
• 50 numbered hairpins – 24 on the Kranjska Gora side, 26 on the Trenta side
• The northern hairpins have cobbled sections
• About 40 minutes' drive from Lake Bled to Kranjska Gora

History

The road was built during the First World War by Russian prisoners of war. The wooden Russian Chapel on the northern side commemorates those killed by an avalanche and is one of the most photographed stops on the route.

Stops you should not miss

• Lake Jasna in Kranjska Gora at the start of the climb
• The Russian Chapel on the northern side
• The view from the summit and the mountain hut
• The source of the Soča and the Juliana alpine botanical garden in Trenta
• Bovec and the emerald Soča at the end of the descent

Driving tips

• The pass is usually closed in winter and after snowfall – check road status before you go
• Expect many cyclists and motorcyclists; drive patiently and carefully in the bends
• Early morning and late afternoon are the most beautiful and least busy
• Cobbled hairpins have less grip in the rain

Suggested loop

Bled – Kranjska Gora – Vršič – Trenta – Bovec, then over the Predel Pass past Lake Predil into Italy and back through Tarvisio to Kranjska Gora and Bled. The full loop is about 170 km and makes a perfect day trip with stops.