Kranjska Gora
Kranjska Gora: the back story
The back story
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Dreamy Pixel · CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout Kranjska Gora: the back story
Tucked into the Upper Sava valley where Slovenia meets Austria and Italy, Kranjska Gora is an Alpine village beneath the limestone walls of the Julian Alps. In winter it is the country’s great racing stage; in summer, the gateway to Triglav National Park.
The racing village
Kranjska Gora has hosted international ski races for generations. The Vitranc Cup, a men’s World Cup giant slalom and slalom on the demanding Podkoren slope, reaches its 66th edition on 2 and 3 January 2027, forty years after Bojan Križaj won the slalom here. Four weeks later, on 29 and 30 January, the women’s World Cup returns to Podkoren under the historic name of the Golden Fox, a race that began in Maribor in 1964.
The ski area
RTC Žičnice runs the lifts above the village and at Podkoren, 13 in all, serving 18 slopes, with floodlit night skiing, the Žičko kids’ area and a separate area at Mojstrana. The 2026/27 price list puts an adult day at €50, a family day for two adults and two children at €140 and an adult season pass at €580, making this one of the best-value resorts in the Alps.
Where Slovenia meets Austria and Italy, the World Cup comes to the village slope.
Beyond the pistes
A short drive west lies Planica, the valley of the giant ski-flying hills, and the emerald springs of Zelenci. Lake Jasna, at the foot of the Vršič road, mirrors the peaks in every season; the pass itself, with its 50 hairpins and the wooden Russian Chapel, is usually closed in winter. Gozd Martuljek, next door, has become a quiet address for boutique hotels and some of Slovenia’s finest cooking.
Every budget
Families can stay in guesthouses and apartments in the village, mid-range skiers in the big hotels at the foot of the slopes, and those after something rarer at Chalet Sofija, which holds two MICHELIN Keys, or at the boutique hotels newly included in the 2026 MICHELIN hotel selection.
Our advice: buy your pass in the November presale, book early for the race weekends, and on a clear day drive out to Planica and Lake Jasna before the light goes.
Why it's on our list
- Slovenia’s oldest ski resort
- The 66th Vitranc Cup
- The Golden Fox returns
- Planica, Zelenci and Lake Jasna
- A €50 day pass
Kranjska Gora in brief
From the Kranjska Gora tourist board and RTC Žičnice Kranjska Gora (October 2026).
Race calendar 2026/27 · 2
2–3 Jan 2027: 66th Vitranc Cup, men’s giant slalom and slalom, Podkoren, 29–30 Jan 2027: Golden Fox, women’s giant slalom and slalom, Podkoren
History
- 1964the Golden Fox races begin in Maribor
- 1987Bojan Križaj wins the Vitranc Cup slalom
- 2026three Kranjska Gora hotels join the MICHELIN hotel selection
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Kranjska Gora: the back story before you go.