Alpe-Adria Trail with children: 145 kilometers, seven days, and one big family adventure

145 kilometers, seven days, and one big family adventure.

When I told my kids we would spend a week hiking the Alpe-Adria Trail, I had a general idea of what it would be like. But I didn't really know how it would turn out. I didn't know how they would cope after three, four, or six consecutive days of hiking, how they would carry heavy backpacks, deal with the heat and early mornings, and most importantly, if all three of us would still be in good spirits at the end.

The idea was mine, and my older son had wanted to join me on a longer hiking adventure for some time. The Alpe-Adria Trail seemed like an excellent choice for a first attempt. Not only because it's beautiful, but also because it runs through Slovenia, keeping us relatively close to home. If anything went wrong, someone could come pick us up, and if it became too much for one of the kids, we could adjust or end the trip.

This was very important to me with the whole idea. I didn't want the goal to become more important than the children's well-being.

In the end, we covered 145 kilometers and ascended 4,412 meters in seven days. But the numbers are actually the least important part of this story.

Much more important is everything that happened in between.

What is the Alpe-Adria Trail?

The Alpe-Adria Trail is an approximately 750-kilometer-long international hiking trail that connects three countries: Austria, Slovenia, and Italy. The trail begins at the foot of Grossglockner in Austria and continues all the way to Muggia on the Adriatic Sea. It is divided into 43 stages, averaging about 20 kilometers each.

The Slovenian section is approximately 145 kilometers long and is divided into eight official stages. It starts in Kranjska Gora, from where the path crosses Vršič and enters the Soča Valley, continues towards Bovec and Tolmin, then begins to alternate between the Slovenian and Italian sides, winding through Goriška Brda towards the Karst and the sea.

This diversity is what attracted me most to the trail. In a few days, the landscape completely changes. You start among the high peaks of the Julian Alps, then walk along the emerald Soča River, past waterfalls and gorges, over former battlefields of the Isonzo Front and Kolovrat, and then the world slowly calms down, the mountains recede, and Goriška Brda opens up before you with vineyards, orchards, and small villages.

Of course, we adapted this trail to our liking. We didn't plan the stages in advance, and I didn't want our schedule to be set in stone. I decided a day or at most two in advance, mainly depending on how the children were feeling. It was important to me that we had access to food, water, and accommodation nearby, and we adjusted everything else as we went.

And this flexibility proved to be one of the best decisions in the end.

How did we prepare for seven days of hiking?

We didn't do any special training before leaving. The children are used to walking and hiking (how to achieve this? Try my Handbook for Parents of Young Hikers first), but they hadn't completed a series of long hikes before this to specifically prepare for a multi-day route.

However, I talked a lot with them about what awaited us. They knew we would be walking practically all day, that it would be hot, that we would have to be careful with water, that we wouldn't always have restaurants available, and that we would sleep in a tent. They also knew that we would spend a night outside a designated camp.

Each carried approximately four to five kilograms. In their backpacks, they had their clothes and two liters of liquid, and Urban also carried a sleeping bag, as we had one shared for all three.

I had a much heavier backpack and felt it very well towards the end. It contained everything we needed for our little hiking life (the exact equipment list is below).

Before leaving, I had quite a few concerns. My biggest worry was whether they would be able to persevere when the walking became difficult. On a day hike, you can reach the car or go home after a few hours. But here, you have to reach the next point. If you're in the middle of nowhere, you can't simply say it's over for the day.

The children also had to understand this.

Day 1: Kranjska Gora – Vršič

14 km | 891 m ascent

We arrived in Kranjska Gora with a logistical combination of train and bus, and our hike started quite late, around noon. Fortunately, the weather that day was cloudy, which was very helpful for our first ascent.

On the first day, we immediately tackled one of the most famous parts of the Slovenian Alpe-Adria Trail: the ascent to Vršič. The official Kranjska Gora–Trenta stage is 22.6 kilometers long and includes approximately 950 meters of ascent, connecting Kranjska Gora with the Trenta Valley via Vršič. Vršič is the highest road pass in the Julian Alps, and one of the major highlights of this stage is the views of the surrounding peaks.

For the children, the climb was predictably quite difficult, but their legs were still rested, and they persevered well. For me, the most beautiful view was towards Ajdovska Deklica and the high peaks, which made even the considerable climb seem a bit easier.

Somewhere along the way, we were caught in a downpour, and that's when I first thought that the weather would be one of the factors we would have to take very seriously all week. Fortunately, it wasn't too bad, and we ended the day at Vršič.

We stayed at Poštarski dom, where we were very satisfied. The staff was friendly, the food good, and the lodge exceptionally clean, which you especially appreciate after a full day of walking and with children. We were also able to shower.

The first day was behind us, and although we only covered "just" 14 kilometers, I knew it was only the beginning.

Day 2: Vršič – Trenta – Soča Valley

21.18 km | 354 m ascent

The next morning began with a descent from Vršič towards Trenta. After yesterday's ascent, the feeling was very pleasant, and we reached the hut quite quickly. There, we ate the breakfast we had brought with us, ordered hot drinks, and continued.

The official Kranjska Gora–Trenta stage leads over Vršič, and the next, Trenta–Bovec, is 21.3 kilometers long and mostly follows the Soča Valley. You walk along a well-marked path through the valley along the emerald river. We knew the path and had walked it several times before.

We didn't go all the way to the source of the Soča. The hut was enough for us, and the children got a stamp for the Slovenian Mountain Trail there, and with that, the goal was achieved, and we continued downhill.

The most beautiful part of that day was actually the water. We walked practically all the time in its vicinity in the valley, and this is a huge advantage with children in summer. When it gets hot, you can sit in the shade by the river, cool your feet, and continue.

In Trenta, we realized that we wouldn't get a hot lunch that day, so we bought more food at the store. The midday rest by the Soča was excellent. We sat in the shade by the river, the children fell asleep, and so did I. When the heat subsided, we continued. As far as we could walk.

We persevered all the way to Camp Jelinčič. The camp was quite full, and the food was good.

Day 3: along the Soča to Bovec and on to Žaga

23.2 km | 262 m ascent

On the third day, we continued along the Soča Valley, past Lepena towards Bovec. The Soča, forests, bridges, pools, and views of the surrounding mountains.

The official Trenta–Bovec stage is 21.3 kilometers long, and the next stage, Bovec–Drežnica, is 22.7 kilometers long and also mostly follows the Soča River before starting the climb towards Drežnica at the end.

In Bovec, we made a mandatory stop for pizza and burgers and bought more food. Urban was quite disappointed because we had so little time in Bovec. He's used to us staying in Bovec, which is almost our second home, for at least a few days, but this time we were only there long enough to eat and restock.

Then we continued to Boka waterfall and a little further.

Boka is a natural gem on the trail; the waterfall drops 106 meters, then another 30 meters.

To be honest, we were already tired by then. We didn't go to Boka because we still had a lot of energy, but because we had to continue. If we had stayed in Bovec, the next day would have been much harder and more strenuous.

Finally, we arrived at Camp Top Rafting near the village of Žaga, where the reward was a hammock and a charming small camp.

We slept excellently, although the cold surprised us during the night.

Day 4: Log Čezsoški – Trnovo – Drežnica – Planina Kuhinja

24.7 km | 1,205 m ascent

Day four was when I first really thought: Okay, now it's getting serious.

Up to Trnovo, it was beautiful. In the morning, we walked mostly on flat ground, along the river and with beautiful views. But then we left the valley and started gaining altitude.

At the same time, it was getting hotter and hotter. The last part of the asphalt road was quite arduous.

On the way, we stopped in Drežnica at Melanie's, who welcomed us into her home. We sat under the air conditioning for a while, ate, cooled down, and then continued towards Planina Kuhinja. Soon after the ascent began, I was no longer completely sure that we would actually reach our goal for that day.

The path was steep, and perseverance required a lot of encouragement. The children really had to grit their teeth on the climb.

The official Bovec–Drežnica stage is 22.7 kilometers long, and then the official Drežnica–Tolmin stage leads through the area of former military paths and cultural landscape, also connected with the lives of the inhabitants of this area.

We adapted our version of the route to end the day at Planina Kuhinja.

The crisis moment came somewhere before the Italian chapel Planica. But then such a beautiful view opened up before us that everything was forgotten for a few minutes.

We arrived at Planina Kuhinja only around six in the evening.

Upon arrival, I sat down. I was really tired. But the children were still swinging and running around the hut all evening, as if their day was only halfway through.

That's when I first seriously realized that the children apparently had much more energy than I had attributed to them.

And then another reward followed: dinner in the hut. Kobariški štruklji (buckwheat dumplings) and goulash with gnocchi were almost therapeutic after such a day.

Day 5: Planina Kuhinja – Tolmin – Labrca

14 km | 63 m ascent

After the hardest day, we needed a slightly calmer pace.

In the morning, we had a hearty breakfast in the hut, slept in, and then descended towards Tolmin. This part of the trail was quite different from the previous days. Instead of high mountains and steep ascents, we were accompanied by smaller, secluded villages, old houses, and blossoming meadows. Everything was very peaceful, almost romantic. On the other hand, it was sad to see how everyone was moving away in search of a more comfortable life.

The terrain was easy, mostly gravel, and in places we walked on a path. The view of the Soča remained with us, but the problem was the heat, especially on the flat section between Camp Gabrje and Labrca.

At Camp Gabrje, we stopped by the Soča, swam, lounged in the shade, and the children did what they did almost every day during our week: they dozed off.

Midday naps became part of our routine. And I think that was one of the reasons they persevered so well.

After the previous difficult day, they were even incredibly good-humored on the way down. They sang, chatted, and Klara talked practically all the time.

In the afternoon, we arrived at Camp Labrca, where we had pizza, set up our tent, and then went to Tolmin for supplies for the next few days. This was the most expensive camp on our trip, but also quite crowded, so we heard practically all our neighbors in the evening.

But after such a day, we quickly fell asleep.

In the morning, we knew a tough climb to Kolovrat awaited us.

Day 6: Labrca – Kolovrat – Solarij – Klinac

20.9 km | 1,231 m ascent

If the fourth day was difficult due to the heat and steep ascent, the sixth was difficult primarily because fatigue had already accumulated.

The first part of the journey was arduous. A steep climb to the Kolovrat open-air museum awaited us, and we literally crawled to the top. The official Tolmin–Tribil Superiore stage is 19.3 kilometers long and has approximately 1,280 meters of ascent, making it officially considered a demanding stage. From the Kolovrat ridge, views open up towards Tolmin and the Soča Valley.

When we reached the top, we descended to the Solarij hut. There we ate and rested, then continued across the border into Italy.

The landscape began to change again. We walked through smaller villages and along paths, and the day was slowly turning into evening.

Here we first really started to feel the problem with water. Until then, we had been very lucky with it, as we could replenish it quite easily along the way. From here on, it was much harder.

Late in the evening, we started looking for a place to sleep.

It was a unique experience. We needed a place that was not too close to people, but at the same time not too remote in the forest, flat enough, and soft enough so that we could sleep normally at all.

In the end, we found it just before the village of Klinac.

Wild camping.

And it's interesting that this particular overnight stay was the children's favorite.

There were ponies next to us, and we could finally lie down horizontally.

Klara was already very tired. But the children were still excited about sleeping wild. I, however, heard every rustle during the night and slept more lightly.

Day 7: Klinac – Castelmonte – Breg pri Golem Brdu

26.2 km | 860 m ascent

In the morning, we got up at six, quickly packed up our small camp, leaving only a little trampled grass behind.

The last day awaited us. In the morning, we didn't know it would be the last day.

The path to Castelmonte was very varied. All the time up and down, up and down, and all we wanted was some flat ground. The heat was getting worse, and with it, the concern about water.

In fact, the day before, on the climb towards Kolovrat, I had already started to notice that early rising was affecting the children. We all tolerated the heat worse, so I started wondering if continuing was even still sensible.

As we approached Brda, I made a decision.

Enough is enough.

I didn't want the last part of the journey to become just perseverance for what reason!? Even less did I want the experience I wanted to give them for life to become unpleasant.

We had already done enough.

Actually, a lot.

We reached Breg pri Golem Brdu along a beautiful route and past vineyards, but the last part of the path was not particularly beautiful. Lots of asphalt and steepness.

When we reached the tourist farm in Breg - hallelujah! There we took off our backpacks.

And I was especially very proud.

The best luxury after seven days

After several days of camping, including the last night wild camping, we treated ourselves to something that seemed almost absurdly luxurious after a week: we booked a room at the Breg tourist farm.

Our own room.

A bed.

A shower.

Urban's comment was the best:

"What, all this is for us?"

We celebrated with pancakes.

The next day, we went home. We took a taxi to Gorica and then a train home.

When I finally took off my backpack, I was most proud. Because we persevered together for seven days and also knew how to say enough at the right time.

What did we take with us?

For a multi-day hike with children, I realized before we even left that one of the most important things would be the weight of the backpacks. Everything you take with you, you also have to carry, so I wanted to take as little as possible, but at the same time enough to be prepared for different conditions.

Each child had their own backpack. Water took up the most space and weight. Each had two liters of liquid, which seemed to me to be the minimum I wanted them to carry for a summer hike. In areas where there was plenty of water, of course, we didn't keep full supplies all the time.

A very important thing, however, was that each had their own hydration bladder or hydration system. I would highly recommend this for such a hike with children. When a child has a water bottle in their backpack or has to ask every time: "Mom, I'm thirsty, Mom, can I drink?", drinking quickly turns into whining. I swear I would have gone crazy on the first day. With a hydration bladder, it's simple. When they're thirsty, they take the mouthpiece and drink. Independently. Without stopping and taking the bottle out of the backpack.

In addition, it seemed to me that they drank in smaller sips from the bladder, so they didn't drink large quantities of water at once. This was especially convenient when we had to conserve water more.

I recommend the hydration kit from Freemove. With the code NIKAFM10, you can get a 10% discount on your purchase.

The children had very few clothes with them. Each had only one spare T-shirt and one pair of shorts, one long-sleeved item, long pants, and a windbreaker. We only had a few pieces of underwear, I think three for each, and we washed them as we went in the camps. We did the same with socks. Each had two pairs.

For socks, we swear by Furam zase, which performed excellently on the trip. No blisters, and after so many days of walking, that's a pretty important piece of information for me. When purchasing Furam zase products, you can use the code NIKA10.

The children also had some smaller snacks, and Urban also carried a sleeping bag. We only had one sleeping bag for all three.

I took the rest of the equipment: my clothes, basic toiletries, first aid, a tent, two sleeping pads, rain ponchos, a windbreaker, long-sleeved shirts, towels, wet wipes, and some toilet paper. For toiletries, I really went minimalist: a toothbrush, a small tube of toothpaste, and a mini bar of soap that we also used for washing clothes.

Everyone had their own thin sheet for sleeping in mountain huts.

For sleeping, we only had two self-inflating pads.

I also carried a burner, gas, and a pot, but today I would probably leave that at home. In seven days, we only cooked for ourselves twice (soup from a packet), so the weight of the gas and everything that goes with it wasn't worth carrying, in my opinion.

Most of our food was bought along the way anyway, and we ate out at least once almost every day.

Equipment list

Children:

• backpack
• 2 l of water in a bladder
• spare clothes
• 2 pairs of socks
• some snacks
  

Me:

• tent
• 2 sleeping pads
• my spare clothes
• windbreaker and long sleeves
• rain poncho
• basic toiletries
• first aid
• towels
• wet wipes and toilet paper
• sleeping sheets
• burner, gas, and pot
• approximately 4 l of water
• most of the food and snacks

How much did it all cost?

To be perfectly honest, I was a little surprised myself at how much it all added up. The hike wasn't a classic vacation where we'd pay for a hotel and restaurants every day, but expenses quickly accumulate with three people.

Over seven days, we spent approximately €1,000 for the entire trip.

This means approximately €143 per day for all three of us.

We ate out at least once a day; usually, we ordered two main courses, three drinks, and a dessert. For such a meal, we paid between €36 to €54, depending on the location.

For accommodation, we spent a total of €506. We slept twice in a mountain hut, in campsites, one night wild camping, and for the end, we treated ourselves to a room with breakfast at a farm stay. That last night, after a week of tents, shared bathrooms, and wild camping, felt like pure luxury.

One important thing about the costs

On the trip, we saved a lot by always carrying some food with us. On the other hand, after 20 or more kilometers of hiking, you quickly crave a substantial meal and a cold drink, so I think that these approximately €1,000 for seven days and three people was a completely realistic cost for such an adventure.

And if I were to go again, I wouldn't significantly cut costs on food or water. On such a hike, good nutrition and enough fluids are much more important than a few saved euros.

What did I learn about my children?

Mostly, that children have an incredible amount of energy.

After reaching our destination, I would just sit down. But the children would get some time for free play and still have energy to spare.

No "off" button. Seriously.

Of course, it wasn't ideal all the time. They did argue over some silly things, like who would get the first bite and similar nonsense, but otherwise, we had a very good time. We talked a lot, sang, and planned Klara's birthday. In fact, we planned it for two days, and in quite intricate detail. :)

There were also some crises.

When it got too tough, we stopped. Rest, water, a snack, candies and lollipops, which were allowed without restrictions this time, and then we continued.

When the "I can't go on" moment came, I encouraged them not to take that as a final decision. First, just "a little further." To that bend. To the next shade. To the next rest. And often, "a little further" eventually turned into "I can do it."

I often encourage them to change "I can't" into "I can." Even when it's hard.

Very hard.

But you can still do it.

You can do it!

You can do it even when it's hard!

Would I recommend the Alpe-Adria Trail to families with children?

Yes, but not by setting a specific number of kilometers to cover in advance.

Official stages are mostly around 20 to 25 kilometers long, and some have considerable elevation gain. For example, the official Tolmin–Tribil Superiore stage is approximately 19 kilometers with about 1,280 meters of elevation gain.

Therefore, for a family, I would recommend adjusting the route to the children, not the other way around.

If the children are used to hiking, don't underestimate them. At the same time, listen to them carefully and always have the option to shorten the day.

For us, it also worked very well that we didn't have reservations. We had a rough plan, and then each day we decided how far we would go.

For summer hiking, I would be especially mindful of the heat. If you can, start early, do the hardest climbs before the peak heat, and then take a longer break without feeling guilty.

And water. Always check where you can refill. On our hike, it was a real lifeline until the Italian part, and after that, we started paying much more attention to our supplies.

Why did I want us to go in the first place?

I wanted them to learn to persevere even when it's incredibly tough. To understand that some things require effort and that a difficult moment doesn't mean you have to give up.

At the same time, I wanted something that I find perhaps even more important today: to be together.

Truly together.

Without distractions, without the daily rush from one obligation to another, without the feeling that we had to be somewhere at a certain time. All day it was just the three of us, moving and in nature.

And it's interesting that I myself was much more relaxed on this trip than on our usual daily hikes.

I wasn't constantly preoccupied with how much more we had to hike. We had all day. If we needed a rest, we rested. If there was a river nearby, we went into the water. If we were hungry, we ate. If it was hot, we found shade. We had everything with us.

I think my relaxed attitude also influenced them.

And maybe that's one of the reasons we made it so far.

In the end, it's not about the kilometers

Looking back now, I am most proud of my mini-team.

They surprised me every single day. Every day they kept going, even though they were tired. Every day we added a few kilometers, some elevation gain, and some new memories.

And when I finally took off my heavy backpack, I wasn't thinking about not continuing further.

I was thinking about what we had already accomplished.

145 kilometers. 4,412 meters of elevation. Seven days.

And three people who hiked them together.

I hope they will remember Soča, the swing on Planina Kuhinja, pizza in Bovec, sleeping next to ponies, candies on the incline, our conversations, singing, and planning Klara's birthday.

And maybe even that feeling when, after seven days, we finally took off our backpacks and knew:

"What champions we are. We did this really well!"

:)