Every year in the month of May, the slopes of Golica and the meadows in the villages beneath the Karawanks transform into a true floral fairy tale. Somewhere in the middle, or towards the end of May, beautiful white daffodils begin to bloom. They represent a wonderful natural spectacle that is truly unique and worth seeing in person. But visiting and hiking requires preparation, as in recent years this has become a true tourist attraction. Read on for everything you need to know if you wish to see the daffodils in 2024.
When will the daffodils bloom in 2024?
The blooming of daffodils heavily depends on the length of the winter period. Usually, they bloom towards the end of May. The Tourist Information Center in Jesenice is preparing for the blooming of daffodils this year already in mid-May, more precisely from May 11th to May 19th, 2024. During this time, at the end of both weeks, so on the weekends of May 11th and 12th and May 18th and 19th, they are also organizing a rich program.
However, Slovenia currently has winter conditions, so it is possible that the daffodils will start blooming later. Therefore, you can also decide to visit later and not during the organized program, but be careful not to miss them as they bloom quite quickly.
How to get to the starting point of the hike?
In recent years, visitors have been accustomed to parking in the valley, and organized buses then took them to the starting point, to the village of Planina pod Golico. However, this year THERE WILL BE NO organized bus, and access to the starting point is slightly different.
Visitors will be able to drive to the village of Planina pod Golico with their own transportation; therefore, there will be no organized bus transportation with parking in the valley this year. Parking will be possible in designated parking areas in the village. The all-day parking fee will be 5 euros (payment will be possible only in cash), which can be settled at the information point at the bus stop at Arrivals.
The changed traffic regime will only apply in favorable weather conditions and at the mentioned times, but it will not apply to locals and landowners of properties and holiday homes. There will be increased monitoring by traffic wardens in the village.
Read more about this hike AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE.
Where can you find the most daffodils?
If you are heading out from the starting point at Planina pod Golico, choose the path “across the Suha saddle,” as this is where daffodils are most frequent, and there are also the most of them. The views are fantastic there.
Additionally, you can also find daffodils at Jekljevo saddle, Mali Golica, Jeseniška planina, and around Javorniški Rovt.
Exciting program during the Daffodils Festival 2024
The Municipality of Jesenice has revealed that this year’s festivities during the Narcissus Festival will be rich in entertainment, culture, and sports. The event will take place at the event venue Pr Čop in Planina pod Golico and at other locations in the settlement. This year, the Narcissus Festival will be adorned with significant anniversaries: the new hut on Golica celebrates 40 years, Avsenik’s composition “Na Golici” marks 70 years since its first performance, and in May, the 60th Miss Narcissus will be chosen.
During the first weekend of celebrations, on May 11th, the focus will be on the song “Na Golici” at the Golica Hut, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The Jesenice – Kranjska Gora Wind Orchestra, celebrating 150 years of existence this year, will perform the legendary Avsenik composition. On the same day, the Mountain Rescue Service Jesenice, commemorating its centenary, will demonstrate a helicopter rescue exercise.
On Saturday, May 18th, the traditional Miss Narcissus event will take place, attracting attention for the 60th consecutive year. On the same day, there will also be the event “6 hours of Španov vrh”.
In May, during the blooming of the daffodils, organized hikes and guided tours of the village with a tourist guide will also take place.
More about the hike to Golica
Starting point: Planina pod Golico (980 m)
Destination: Koča na Golici (1582 m)
Time of walking: 1 h 30 min
Difficulty: easy marked way – family friendly hike (kids aged 6 and more can hike this by themselves)
Altitude difference: 602 m
Access to starting point:
From highway Ljubljana – Jesenice we go to the exit Lipce (possible also Hrušica) and follow the road ahead in the direction of Jesenice, and there signs for Planina pod Golico point us on an ascending road (turn-off is marked and is located at health center in Jesenice). The relatively steep road soon brings us in the mentioned village, where we can in May on surrounding meadows admire blooming of daffodils. From Planina pod Golico we drive ahead to the next crossroad, where we notice numerous signposts. Here we continue right and we drive good 50 meters to the parking lot below Savske jame.
Click HERE for the map to the starting point.
Path description:
At the beginning of the parking lot, we notice the signposts, which point us to the left on an asphalt road upwards. After a short ascent, the path brings us to agrotourism Betel and behind it to a crossroad, where we continue right in the direction of Golica. After additional few minutes of walking on the road, we get to the cottage Pri Fencu. Here we need to pay attention, because only few steps further wide marked path branches off to the right, which leads on Golica.
The path ahead ascends through a shorter meadow after which we come into a pleasant shade, on which the path continues. After approximately half an hour of walking, we step on a macadam road which we follow to the right, but only to the bottom station of the cargo cableway.
From the cableway we continue in the direction of the mountain hut Koča na Golici on the path which is relatively steeply ascending through a thinner forest. After a good hour of walking, the path brings us out of the forest on unvegetated slopes from which in front of us we already see the mountain hut. And only a little ahead we come to a crossing, where we continue left (right Struška and Markljev and Pusti Rovt). This in the last part quite steep path we follow to the mountain hut.
Source: hribi.net /hike.uno
