Hello guys,

Let me present you Štanjel (->map), one of the prettiest little village in the Karst Region.
The village has about 375 inhabitants and stands 312 meters above sea level.
Let me put it this way…
If paradise was a village, Štanjel would probably be it.

The oldest and most interesting part of the village is up on a hill.
You cannot miss it because you’ll see the castle and the church at the top of the hill.
The castle was built in the 17th century and severely damaged during WWII.
It has been slowly rebuilt after the war. Even now, it is still under renovation.
Back in 2016, when I first saw the castle, it was still in pretty bad shape.
Now it looks very different.

When you’ll pass the walls of the former fortress, you will discover a very cute little village with many old houses and charming alleys.

Behind the walls of the castle, you’ll find a charming courtyard and a Restaurant.
This is a great place to relax in the shade during the summer.
The restaurant behind the wall of the castle is called “Grad Štanjel”.
I like to go there and have a drink during the summer.
The food is also pretty good and waitresses are very nice.
You can seat outside in the courtyard or seat inside.
Should you choose to go inside, you’ll be able to have a great view of Štanjel through the large windows.

If you have time, go to the highest point of the hill.
The view from up there is fantastic.
You’ll see the valley, the village, the forrest and the surrounding hills and mountains.

One part of the village in particular is really worth a visit.
It is beautiful garden called the “Ferrari’s Garden”.
It looks like a little paradise on earth.
This fairy-tale garden has a pool with a beautiful little stone bridge at its centre.
Many couples (from Slovenia and other countries …as far as japan) go there to take pictures of their wedding ceremonie.

From the garden, you’ll have a breathtaking view of the valley of Vipava and the surrounding hills and Mountains.

You’ll probably see a little church about 1 km away, at the top of a hill.
That is “Saint Gregory Church”.

If you have time, take the little path going downhill (and then uphill) near the Farrari’s Garden.
That path crosses the forrest and will lead you to the “Saint Gregory Church”.
It should take you about 15 to 20 minutes on foot to get there.
From there, you’ll be able to take good pictures of Štanjel.

After that, go back to the Ferrari’s Garden.
Now that we are back in the garden, we’d like to go back to the parking lot, in front of the castle.
To do just that, I recommend you to take another path … not the path leading to the main entrance.
Leave the garden behind you and walk along a path (under the trees). It goes downhill around the village towards another exit.
This path is just fantastic. Do not hesitate to sit on a bench and watch the valley and the mountains.
It should take you less than 10 minutes to arrive at a huge gate, not far from the main entrance of the castle and just 80 meters away from the parking lot.

My friend backpackers …I did not forget you.
You are visiting Slovenia and you don’t have a car.
No problem ! There is a train station in Štanjel.
The train Station of Štanjel is about 12 minutes away (on foot) from the center of the village.
The village is just 20 minutes away (by train) from the city of Sežana.
From Sežana, you’ll be able to take the train to go to Ljubljana (1h50), koper (1h30), Nova Gorica (52 minustes) etc …

If you’d like to sleep in Štanjel, there’s a nice hostel about 150 meters from the church.
A friend of mine slept there for 2 nights last year and she was very glad because it was clean and not expensive.

One last recommendation for local people or people who might spend a few nights in Štanjel.
There is a little village called “Cehovini” just 5 kilometers away from Štanjel.
There, you’ll find a tiny square just next to the main road crossing the village. You will see a little fountain with drinking water.
Bring empty water cans (or empty bottles) and take as many liters of water as you need.
I know a guy from a neighbouring village who drives 20 km to go there.
He takes 150 liters of water, which is enough for him and his family to last a month.
We do the same now. The water has a very good taste.

My tips for Štanjel:

1/Park your car -> Here.
2/ Go see the Ferrari’s Garden.
3/ Go to the top of the hill and enjoy the view.
4/ Go sit in the courtyard (behing the wall of the castle) and get a drink at the Restaurant.
5/ Walk along the path leading to the “Saint Gregory Church”.
6/ Take the train to visit other cities in Slovenia (Sežana, Šempeter pri Gorici, Nova Gorica, Ljubljana).
7/ Go get drinking water in Cehovini (little village just 5 km away).