Hi guys,

Today, I am going to show Kamnik (->map).

This town of 30,000 inhabitants is located in the northern part of Slovenia.
It is about 30 minutes away by car from Ljubljana.
The city is also not far from the Arboretum Volcji Potok (just 5 km).
From the centy center, it should take you 10 to 12 min by car to go to the Arboretum.
So basically, you can very easily visit Kamnik and the Arboretum in a day.

The old town of kamnik is not big but it is very beautiful.
I went there in July 2018 and I spent a couple of hours visiting it.
Kamnik is one of the best preserved medieval town in Slovenia.
It lies at the foot of the Savinja Alps ( a mountain range in northern Slovenia).

I especially liked walking in an old paved street called Šutna.

That street with its old houses is absolutly beautiful.
Walk along that street, look at the architecture of the houses and
try to go inside the Parish Church of Mary’s Immaculate Conception.
There are a few nice little shops and bars/restaurants in that street.
When the weather is nice, you can drink/eat at the terrace of a bars/restaurants and enjoy the beauty of that street.

Just before the beginning of Šutna street, you’ll see Mali Grad (meaning “Little Castle”).

This little castle is what remains of an old 12th century castle built at the top of a hill.
The castle burned at the end of the 13th century and the remainder of the castle was almost completly destroyed by an earthquake in 1511.
The only thing left and still standing is a three-storey romanesque chapel, a defensing tower and the remnants of defensing walls.
Walk up towards the chapel and you’ll have a great view over the old town, the valley and the Savinja Alps.

Another place to visit is the Zaprice Castle.

This castle was originally built in the 14th century.
It had been rebuilt a first time in the 16th century (after the 1511 earthquake)
and a second time in the 17th and 18th century in Baroque style.
The castle serves now as a museum and a venue for cultural events.
Walk up near the castle and enjoy the view over the old town.

Other place, other highlight -> The Franciscan Church of Saint Jacob and its monastery.

The church and the monastery were built in the late 15th century.
Go inside the church and look at the wonderful paintings, the sculptures and the altar.

Before leaving Kamnik, I wanted to try a local restaurant.
I asked a local where I could find a good restaurant where locals go and that is not expensive.
The man recommended me to go eat at Gostilna Korobac.
This restaurant is located on Šutna street (at n°76) near the red light, in front of a primary school.

I had a vegetarian soup, fried chicken with fries and a desert.
I will be honest with you, I was not impressed with their fried chicken,
BUT … the vegetarian soup was absolutly fantastic and the desert was not bad at all.
Just for this vegeterian soup, it was worth going there.
I talked a bit with the owner of the restaurant and he told me than they specialized in vegetarian dishes.
If you go there and order a vegeterian dish, there’s a good chance you might enjoy it as well.

 

My tips for Kamnik:

1/ Go see Mali Grad.
2/ Go see the Zaprice Castle.
3/ Take a long stroll in Šutna.
4/ Go inside the Franciscan Church.
5/ Go eat lunch at Gostilna Korobač.
6/ Go visit the Arboretum Volcji potok (5 km away).