From Austria to Slovenia, with a loop in the Italian Alps
The Alpe Adria Trail starts at the foot of Grossglockner, Austria's highest mountain (3,798 m). 21 stages take you through Carinthia, a mountainous Austrian state with numerous lakes and the Hohe Tauern National Park. The route then crosses into Slovenia, at the Jepca pass in the Karavanke range.
An alternative loop (stages R1 to R7) follows the course of the River Gail from east to west, south of the Austrian town of Villach, before branching off to cross the Italian border into the Carnic Alps. This cross-border stage (R3) is classified as having a high degree of difficulty, due to its significant positive altitude difference of 1,321 m. It crosses the Carnic Alps before descending into the Val Canale and ending in Valbruna, revealing sumptuous mountain scenery.
Stage R4 links Valbruna to Tarvisio via the massifs of the Julian Alps and the sanctuary of Monte Lussari, an important pilgrimage site with a typical postcard village. From the terraces of the restaurants and refuges, the panorama of high limestone walls and imposing peaks is sublime.
The next stage (R5) starts from Tarvisio, a well-known winter sports resort and a pleasant, lively town in summer. After skirting the course of the Slizza torrent, the route passes through meadows and deep forest to the Fusine lakes, two glacial lakes crowned by the Mangart massifs. At the end of the hike, the Luigi Zacchi refuge, nestled in an amphitheatre of mountains, offers room and board.
The R6 route crosses the Slovenian border and passes various sports facilities, such as the ski jumps at Planiza. At Kranjska Gora, it joins the main Alpe Adria Trail route. The next four stages cross western Slovenia from north to south. The trail winds through the Triglav National Park and along Slovenia's most beautiful river, the crystal-clear Soča. It then follows the course of the Isonzo River.
From the Julian Alps to Cividale del Friuli
Stage E27 starts in the Slovenian town of Tolmin, in the Isonzo valley, and ends in Italy at Tribil di Sopra. To cross the border, you have to cross the Kolovrat mountain ridge, which rises to around 1,100 m. At the summit, the spectacular panorama more than repays the effort of the climb: on one side, the massifs of the Julian Alps form a seemingly impassable rampart; on the other, the view stretches as far as the Adriatic. The Kolovrat was the scene of violent clashes between Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops during the First World War. The route takes in the open-air museum of the "Third Italian Line of Defense", where trenches and fortifications have been painstakingly salvaged and restored.
Stage 28 takes the hiker to Cividale del Friuli, a peaceful and attractive town, but also one of Friuli's major sites, listed by Unesco for its exceptional vestiges of the Lombard era. Cividale is well worth a more in-depth visit to discover the Tempietto Longobardo and the Ratchis altar on display at the Museo Cristiano. The other highlight of the stage is the Castelmonte sanctuary, perched atop a forest-covered ridge and surrounded by a fortified medieval village, just a few kilometers from Cividale.
From the vineyards of Friuli to the Gulf of Trieste
Stage 29 winds its way through the vineyards of the Colli Orientali del Friuli DOC zone. It passes through agritourisms and wineries, with opportunities for visits and wine tasting. It then crosses the Slovenian border to Breg, the starting point for stage 30, dedicated to the Goriska Brda, an idyllic wine-growing region with picturesque villages. On stage 31, the boundaries are crossed once again, reaching another DOC area of Friuli, the Collio. This hospitable region, where rows of vines shape the landscape, promises fine food and wine discoveries.
Stage 32 passes through the vine-growing communes of the Collio, before leaving the hills for the alluvial plain of the Isonzo. At the end of the route, the pretty town of Gradisca boasts a number of pleasant café terraces where you can cool off and rest your legs.
The next stage (E33) is one of the longest on the Alpe Adria Trail. It crosses the Isontino, a region tragically marked by the conflicts of the Great War due to its strategic location on the border between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The open-air museum at Monte San Michele, near San Martino al Carso, features three itineraries punctuated by trenches, galleries and memorials. The trail then reaches the Carso or Karst Plateau, a dry limestone plateau that divides the province of Trieste from Slovenia. The route crosses the Doberdò and Pietrarossa Lakes Nature Reserve, home to a rich ecosystem with numerous aquatic species, birds and mammals such as the wildcat and golden jackal. Finally, the Gulf of Trieste comes into view, with Duino and its picturesque castle at the finish.
From stage 34 to 37, the route skirts the coastline, guaranteeing panoramic sea views, and makes incursions into the Carso plateau. It first follows the Rilke trail to Duino and reaches Prosecco, from where there is a magnificent view of Miramare Castle. It then continues into the Carso to Lipica and the Val Rosandra Nature Reserve, passing through steep, impressive landscapes, criss-crossed by gorges, caves and dolines. Finally, from Bagnoli della Rosandra, you return to the sea, which can be seen from the wild high plateaus. Muggia, a charming little port on the Gulf of Trieste, is the finishing point of the Alpe Adria Trail.
The Alpe Adria Trail in practice
The official Alpe Adria Trail website(www.alpe-adria-trail.com) details all the stages, specifying the degree of difficulty (easy, medium or difficult), total length, estimated walking time, positive and negative gradients, and the best time of year to complete the trail. The site is available in English, German, Italian and Slovenian. It also includes the complete GPS route and accommodation addresses. An app is available on Apple Store and Google Play. A guidebook and free leaflets can also be ordered from the website.
The booking centers in Carinthia (Austria), Slovenia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, whose contact details can be found on the website, will be your best allies in organizing your trek: they will book accommodation for you, organize luggage transport and, at the end of your itinerary, provide a shuttle service to take you back to the starting point.
