Vršič from Bovec: 20 km of valley, then 26 hairpins to the pass

Most people meet Vršič from the north, out of Kranjska Gora. From the south it is a different road and, in our view, the better climb: 32 km from Bovec, up the Soča and the Trenta valley, then 26 hairpins to the top at 1,611 m. It is also the side the Tour of Slovenia raced up in June 2026, the first time the race had crossed the pass in 13 years. Here is how it is built, how to ride it and what to check first.

The climb: a valley, then a wall of hairpins

The Soča valley tourist board counts 50 hairpins on Vršič, 26 of them on this side and 24 on the north. Almost all of this side's climbing is in those bends. The numbers below are from our track.

• Bovec to Trenta: the valley. The first 2 km drop from Bovec to the river at about 410 m. Then the road follows the Soča upstream for some 16 km at barely 1–1.5%, through the village of Soča and into Trenta.
• Upper Trenta: the ramp. Around the 18th kilometre the valley narrows and the road tilts to 3–4% for four kilometres. This is where the day starts to count.
• The hairpins: the climb proper. From about 22 km the road starts switching back up the head of the valley, and the last ten kilometres climb roughly 900 m at close to 9%. Our steepest kilometre is 11.1%, and the last two kilometres to the pass average over 10%, so it does not ease at the top.

The board's page lists what you pass on the way up: the Juliana Alpine Botanical Garden, the Mlinarica gorge, the turn-off for the source of the Soča, the Julius Kugy monument and a viewpoint. Near the top the forest of beech, spruce and larch gives way to grey scree and dwarf pine. The source of the Soča is signed from hairpin 49 and is a 15-minute walk from the hut at the end of the side road. The board warns that the upper part is very demanding and protected with wire ropes, so not one for cleats.

How to ride it

The south side punishes riders who treat 32 km as one climb. It is a 20 km warm-up and a 10 km climb, and the warm-up decides how the climb goes.

• Ride the valley at endurance pace. Stay in zone 2 to Trenta. Every watt above it is one you will want in the hairpins. Pacing a climb with power explains why an even effort wins.
• Then settle, don't attack. For most amateurs the last ten kilometres take 50 to 75 minutes, so ride them at 85–90% of FTP. If you have something left at the pass buildings, you paced it right.
• Gear for 9%, not for the valley. A compact with a 32 or 34 sprocket keeps your cadence up in the bends.
• Eat before the hairpins. Have a bar and a full bottle before Trenta; there is little time to unwrap anything once the road kicks up.
• The descent is the north side. If you carry on to Kranjska Gora, the cobbled bends are on that side and are slippery when wet. Our guide to the north side covers them, and descending faster and safer covers the rest.

The road the Russians built, and the race that came back

The road over the pass was built by Russian prisoners of war during the First World War. The tourist board dates it to 1915. That is why some still call it the Russian road, and why a memorial mass is held each year at the Russian Chapel on the north side.

On 20 June 2026 the fourth stage of the Tour of Slovenia, Kranj to Kranjska Gora, came over the Predel pass from Italy, down the Soča valley and up through Trenta to Vršič. The stage had more than 4,000 m of climbing and the organiser rated Vršič hors catégorie. Florian Lipowitz reached the top alone, his Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe teammate Giulio Pellizzari caught him on the descent, and the pair rode into Kranjska Gora together with Lipowitz taking the stage.

When to go, and how to get back

• Season. The pass is closed in winter because of snow and avalanches. The tourist board calls spring and autumn the most beautiful seasons and summer very busy. Check that the road is open before you set out.
• Traffic and the top. For the 2026 season the Municipality of Kranjska Gora made passing the barriers free but did not allow parking at the very top of the pass. If someone is meeting you with a car, arrange it in Trenta or on the far side.
• The bus back. In 2026 free buses ran across the pass in both directions between Bovec and Kranjska Gora from 1 June to 30 September. The notice does not say whether they carry bikes, so ask before you count on one.
• Make it a loop. The tourist board's Juliana Bike stage between Kranjska Gora and Bovec is 62.9 km with 1,585 m of climbing. Ridden from Bovec, the natural loop goes over Vršič, down to Kranjska Gora and back over Predel to Bovec. It is a long day with two passes. Our Soča valley guide has easier days for the rest of the week.

Ride it in Moveee Indoor

The route on this page is the real road from Bovec to the pass, with its height at every point. In Moveee Indoor your smart trainer reproduces that gradient, and the world around you is built from map data of the real valley. You will feel the Soča valley flatter you for twenty kilometres and then the hairpins arrive. Holding back through that long false flat is the lesson this climb teaches, and the trainer is the cheap place to learn it.

Ride it once to find your number for the last ten kilometres, and again before your trip to see whether a gentler valley gives you a faster climb. Your ride is saved with its power data, so the two are easy to compare. Riding another app? Download the GPX above and load it there.

The short version

32 km from Bovec, but really 20 km of valley and 10 km of climbing, with 26 hairpins to 1,611 m. Ride the valley at endurance pace, hold an even effort through the bends, and gear low. Check that the pass is open, find out about the buses, and keep the loop over Predel for a long summer day.