Skiing in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia – A week of pure winter joy

A week of pure winter joy – Skiing in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.

Slovenia for a ski trip seems to take people by surprise. It’s a little more off the beaten track than many of the European ski resorts. But with fantastic skiing, friendly, hospitable people and extremely reasonable in-resort prices it’s the perfect place for a family trip to the snow. This is our trip with Crystal Ski.

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About Skiing in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia

We arrived in Slovenia in December. Winding our way through twisting mountain roads, high up in to the Julian Alps.

Fir trees feathered down the craggy hilltops and Alpine wooden houses sat with their expansive log piles.

It all looked so Austrian. Which wasn’t so surprising as we were only a few miles from the Austrian border.

Kranjska Gora is a beautiful, picturesque little town with the feel of a real community, not simply one created for the snow sports fans or mountain walkers.

There are bakeries selling huge round loaves, restaurants serving up local delicacies as well as catering for their visitors, cafes and a supermarket.

People nod greetings to one another as neighbours do and there is a sense of this being a real living place.

The main square

We loved the central space of the old town which is pedestrianised with a chocolate-box style market surrounding the church. Which itself looked straight out of a fairytale.

The stalls here were full of Slovenian crafts: intricate glasswear, carved wooden hearts and chunky knitwear and traders whipping up waffles and hot chocolates. It was the perfect place to come for a lunchtime wander.

Skiing in Kranjska Gora with kids

Of course the main reason to head to Slovenia was to get on the snow again. After our first foray last year with our skiing trip to Norway with Crystal Ski we were so excited to hit the slopes again.  

In fact the children could not wait to get going.

We were all booked in to six days of ski school, every morning on the slopes for an hour and a half of learning.

We found the Slovenian temperament to be perfect for guiding our children further in their skiing journey. With gentle encouragement, kind smiles and positivity they thrived, learning to ski their way down the mountain with ease and grace.

It was wonderful to watch them and brought tears to my eyes to see them so confidently mastering this skill. At ten and seven years old the children were perfectly placed to take their recently learned skills to the next level and they grasped the opportunity.

Other activities

Each day was packed full of activity. Skiing would take place every morning and then we would come back to our lovely little apartment, the Vitranc Apartments from where we could watch the snow action on the slopes and cook up some hot lunch.

Our apartment

Our apartment was all part of the package with Crystal Ski. Along with flights, transfers, ski hire and lessons.

It was fantastic to have it all organised for us. The staff in the Kranjska Gora resort were wonderful and ensured we had everything we needed.

I’ve wanted to visit Slovenia for the longest time, I knew I would love it and I really did. It has such a lovely soul to it.

Day trips when Skiing in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia – A week of pure winter joy

Because of its location it’s possible to take a number of day and half day trips with Crystal Ski too. Including to nearby Lake Bled, to Ljubljana. And crazily as it seemed to me until I looked at the map, even to Venice.

We decided to take one of the half day tours to Ljubljana and set off after lunch in a mini bus to the capital.

Heading through majestic mountain passes to the lights of the city. Ljubljana is simply stunning.

It was quiet when we visited with the few people who were around mainly drinking in the little coffee shops lining the canal.

There was a Venice-like look to much of the city but without the tourists or slightly unreal feel of its Italian counterpart.

The tour was perfectly timed with a brief look around some of the main sites before time to explore ourselves.

We browsed the artisan shops, peered in Churches that were so ornate your eyes widened to take it all in. And we explored the old town under the ever steady gaze of the city’s castle on the hill.

When the cold forced us to retreat we ended up in a little cafefor the thickest, and most delicious hot chocolate ever.

We adored our trip in to Ljubljana and it’s definitely left us wanting more.

Enjoying the week

Our other afternoons were all spent in Kranjska Gora.

Swimming became a daily excursion, to the pool overlooking the slopes with little slides and toys for the kids. It was hard to drag them out, but fortunately there was plenty of fun in the town to explore too.

And we loved trying the local food. From wood-fired pizzas in the centre to some wonderful Slovenian stews followed by blueberry strudel and apple and polenta dumplings.

There was plenty more in the town that we didn’t get to, from snowshoe walks to ice skating. We did make it out to the sledge run a few times which was so much fun.

What we thought – Skiing in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia – A week of pure winter joy

As ever with Crystal Ski, it’s the skiing which takes centre stage and we all thought it was great.

With runs for every ability it was nonetheless best suited to beginners and intermediates and the whole resort embraced families completely.

I feel so lucky to have been able to give my children this wonderful gift of learning to ski. I can envisage family holidays through the tricky teenage stage, snowy get-togethers every year and my children being able to enjoy trips away with their friends filled with activity and fun.

It’s something they’ve embraced so completely. They have skiing duvet covers at home, wear t-shirts with skis across the front and have their certificates and medals from their Crystal Ski courses hung up in their rooms.

They’re proud and I’m proud of them. Slovenia really was the perfect location to just enhance this love that we now all have.

To find out more about skiing in Kranjska Gora with Crystal Ski click here. And check out our ultimate guide to skiing with kids for lots more tips and inspiration.

An ultimate guide to the ski resort of kranjska Gora

The top 10 things to do in Ljubljana with kids

Best ski wear

Watch our short film of our time Skiing in Kranjska Gora With Crystal Ski here.