Intermodal sections: train + bike (At Postaja, 2 km from Most na Soci, you can catch the train to Nova Gorica)

Things to see en route

This trip takes us to the middle course of the Soča; you pedal among many natural beauties, dams, bridges, lakes, waterfalls but also many historical and cultural splendours which make the ride fascinating and engaging. From Kobarid you follow the left bank of the Soča reaching Tolmin, on a panoramic road, and from here you go to Most na Soči, with its characteristic lake squeezed in between the mountains, to arrive then on an asphalted road up to Kanal, crossing the famous XVI century bridge, the symbol of the town, destroyed and rebuilt many times. You must also see the Kontrada square with its Gothic House and the parish church of the Assumption dating back to 1431. The route continues towards Plave, the theatre of many battles during the Great War: now the river becomes narrower and tortuous and you can enjoy the view pedalling on a safe gravel cycling lane. The vegetation continually changes: from beech tree woodlands to more thermophilic formations, with the addition of Mediterranean flora. The aromas of the mountains now give way to Mediterranean essences. At the end of the cycling lane the railway bridge at Solkan appears impressively, with its stone arch which is the widest in the world, an engineering masterpiece from the beginning of the XX century. From Solkan you quickly reach Nova Gorica, joined to Gorizia by Piazza Europa, symbol of fraternity between the two towns.

Description

You leave from Kobarid, where there are many interesting historical places nearby as well as unique natural sites. After crossing the Napoleonic bridge, turn right and follow the left river bank towards Tolmin, to then continue towards Most na Soči and then reach Kanal, a beautiful little town with a Baroque influence. The symbol of the town is certainly the bridge, architectural archetype: with ancient origins, destroyed and rebuilt many times, mentioned also in Hemingway’s Farewell to Arms, it continues to be at the centre of the town’s social life, so much so that it has become, from its 17 metre height, a trampoline for a famous international diving competition. Now you follow the left bank and the Soča becomes more tortuous, giving us wonderful views. You pass through the towns of Plave and Prilesje with the Sveti Ahac church. A cycling path next to the river leads us under another important bridge, a railway bridge this time: we are near Solkan and this bridge holds a world record. In fact with its 4533 square limestone bricks from the Nabrežina quarries and its length of 85 metres, it is the longest single-arch bridge in the world made from cut stones. After the railway bridge, you go towards the new Solkan bridge which leads to Nova Gorica, the town which rose as the Slovenian counterpart of the Italian Gorizia, after the second world war. Of historical interest we can see the railway station, located on the Transalpine line and just a few metres away from the Italian border, which you must cross to visit the fine historical centre of this Friuli town. In the hills at the edge of the town there is the Kostanjevica Franciscan convent with the church of the Annunciation, the library and the Borbone crypt.

Conditions: mainly on asphalted road

Useful addresses

Tourist Office Kanal
Pionirska 2, 5213 Kanal
T. +386 05 3981213
tic.kanal@siol.net
www.tic-kanal.si

Tourist Office Nova Gorica
Delpinova ulica 18b, 5000 Nova Gorica
T. +386 05 3304600
tzticng@siol.net
www.novagorica-turizem.com

Railway stations:
Most na Soči, Avče, Kanal, Anhovo, Solkan, Nova Gorica

Adriabike_Brochure_1_3_EN.pdf