We don’t have many regrets when we travel, but we regret having only 2 days in Bovec with kids. During the entirety of our stay, we couldn’t stop talking about how beautiful the mountain setting around Bovec is.
We’ve travelled extensively to mountain towns around the world, and we can say Bovec is one of the most stunning mountain locations we’ve ever visited. And as a huge bonus, there are a ton of fun things to do with kids in Bovec.
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6 Fun Things to do in Bovec with Kids
In addition to being an incredibly beautiful location, there’s also a ton of active, kid-friendly things to do in Bovec. We had unfortunate timing for our visit to Bovec with kids as the town received over a months’ worth of rain during our 2 day visit. This enormous amount of rain forced us to change our plans several times, but we still had a great time visiting Bovec with kids.
Below, I’ll share the things we did in Bovec with kids, and then I’ll share some of the other kid-friendly activities which we were unable to do because of the weather.
1. Soča River Walk
We are fortunate enough to live near Banff National Park in Canada, which is home to a few lakes which have some of the most spectacular water color on earth (Moraine Lake, Peyto Lake, etc). So, it’s no small compliment when we say that the color of the Soča River water is truly incredible.
We were lucky enough to walk the shores of the Soča River at the tail end of our 4-day family-friendly hiking tour in the Julian Alps. The crystal clear, green water of the Soča River is unlike anything I’ve ever seen – and this was on a cloudy day. I can only imagine how vibrant the green river water would have been on a bright, blue sky day.
The Soča River doesn’t flow directly through Bovec, so you many need to drive to a trailhead or need to walk approximately 30 minutes from town to reach the river. If you are a fan of the beautiful things in nature (and if you are visiting Bovec with kids, I assume you are), then the extra effort is totally worth it.
We walked roughly 10 km / 6.2 miles one way from the Klin Campsite all the way to Bovec, but there are other walking trails along the Soča River near Bovec which might suit your family better.
AllTrails Map
One popular kid-friendly walking trail which begins in town and takes you along the Soča River is the Bovec Loop.
2. Soča River White Water Rafting with Kids
Our original plan for our first full day in Bovec with kids was to go canyoning. But due to an intense overnight rainfall (60 mm / 2.4 inches over 24 hours), the family-friendly canyoning tour was deemed unsafe and was cancelled.
Not wanting to waste a day in such a beautiful mountain setting, we started looking for family-friendly water sports. We ventured out in the rain and visited the Soča Splash office on the main street in Bovec. They offer a family-friendly white water rafting tour on the Soča River, but they were also unsure if it would be safe to proceed. We made our booking with the understanding that it may be cancelled.
The rain had let up a bit leading up to our kid-friendly white water rafting tour, and Soča Splash gave the tour a green light. Due to the much higher than normal water levels, they decided to skip more dangerous parts of the tour. This was our first time white water rafting with kids, so we were absolutely fine with them cutting the scarier parts off the tour!
After getting our rafting gear, we hopped into a van and headed to our entry point on the Soča River. We geared up and then followed our guide to the shore of the river, where he gave our group a good introduction to white water rafting.
Before long, we were in the water white water rafting with our kids on the Soča River! Unlike the previous day when we walked along the Soča River with our kids, the river was no longer crystal clear – it was white, murky and significantly higher than before. It was a thrill to be racing along with the very strong current!
I spent as much time as possible looking around and enjoying the truly stunning mountain scenery around Bovec, Slovenia. But I also spent a lot of time looking at my kid’s feet, making sure they were firmly strapped into place (they did great!).
Our kids laughed so much and had such a great time on our family-friendly white water rafting tour on the Soča River. When we hit a big wave and got soaked, they were thrilled!
To me, the big highlight was floating past the Boca Waterfall, the highest waterfall in Slovenia. The Boca Waterfall appears out of nowhere, in the middle of a cliff face, as if leaving the mountain through its mouth. (Boca means “mouth”). Typically in August, the Boca Waterfall is a trickle, but with the significant rain, it was gushing from the mountain so powerfully, it was a magnificent sight!
We always try to make the most of a bad weather day when we travel with kids. On a rainy day in Bovec, why not do a family activity which will make you wet anyways – like white water rafting!
3. Hike From Bovec to the Virje Waterfall (Slap Virje)
When our kid-friendly Bovec canyoning trip was cancelled on our first day in town, we immediately rescheduled it for our second day. Unfortunately, the rain remained strong and steady, so we were not surprised when our canyoning trip was cancelled a second time due to unsafe conditions.
One thing we learned from our white water rafting trip the day before was that the Bovec waterfalls are incredibly powerful due to all the rain. Seeing the power of the Boca Waterfall was something we won’t soon forget. With no water-based activities available to us, we elected to take a short hike from our Bovec hotel to the Virje Waterfall.
The short family hike to Slap Virje should have only taken 45 minutes, but the trail was so wet and muddy that it took us over an hour. It was an enjoyable walk through the rural areas of Bovec, passing fields of sheep, country chapels, small rivers and through some stretches of beautiful forest.
The pictures we’ve seen of the Virje Waterfall show a beautiful, tranquil waterfall trickling into a calm, glasslike pool of emerald water. With the large rainfall, we had a very different experience.
When we arrived at the Virje Waterfall, you could barely stand at the edge of the river. The violence of the Virje Waterfall was something to behold. The spray from the waterfall soaked everyone from head to toe in mere seconds. We love experiencing the power of nature and visiting the Virje Waterfall after such a major rain event was something we’ll never forget.
To find your way to the Virje Waterfall, just follow the suggested walking path on Google Maps.
In addition to the fun kid-friendly Bovec activities we enjoyed during our family visit, here are some of the other activities families can enjoy with kids:
4. Bovec Canyoning with Kids
This was the activity that got away. We booked this kid-friendly Bovec canyoning trip not once, but twice, but each trip was cancelled due to the weather. The opportunity to go canyoning in the incredible Soča River looked so amazing. We’re genuinely sad that we missed this opportunity.
This photo was taken from a prior family canyoning trip during our visit to Zillertal, Austria with kids.
5. Ziplining in Bovec with Kids
On a recent visit to La Fortuna with kids, we had a great time ziplining with our kids. Ever since that fun experience, our kids have been asking for another opportunity to try ziplining. As it turns out, the longest zipline park in Europe is in Bovec. What a shame the weather forced us to miss this fun family activity in Bovec!
This photo is our kids ziplining in Costa Rica.
6. Soča River Kayaking
Another amazing way to enjoy the beauty of the Soča River would be to get out on some kayaks. There’s a tour operator who runs a special family-friendly kayaking trip on the Soča River for kids aged 10+.
Where to Eat in Bovec with Kids
Bovec is a reasonably small mountain resort town, but there are several really good kid-friendly restaurants.
Svinjak Bar & Grill
Our first night in Bovec with kids was after a 23 km – 14 mile hike all the way from Triglav National Park. We were in the mood for something really satisfying, and juicy hamburgers sounded perfect.
The Svinjak Bar & Grill was just a minute away from our Bovec hotel, which was also perfect as we had no interest in walking far for food.
Celine ordered a Lemmie Burger with Brie cheese, truffle mayo and a black bun, while the kids each got a bacon cheeseburger. Ever since trying one in Austria, I’ve been ordering cevapcici sandwiches every chance I get.
The food at Svinjak Bar & Grill was so good, we decided to return for our final evening in Bovec with kids. Usually the food isn’t as good on a repeat visit to a restaurant, but we thought it was every bit as delicious on our second visit to this kid-friendly Bovec restaurant.
Pizzerija Črna Ovca
There’s something about a dreary, wet day that makes you crave comfort food, so for our second night in Bovec with kids we sought out the best pizza restaurant in town. Črna Ovca (which translates as “Black Sheep”) is a few blocks off the main road in Bovec, but it was worth the effort to find it. The pizza was excellent!
Where to Stay in Bovec with Kids
Over the course of our three nights in Bovec with our children, we stayed in two separate hotels.
Hotel Alp
Our first night of our family trip to Bovec was our final night on our kid-friendly hiking tour through the Julian Alps. Our tour company put us up at the Hotel Alp, which is right in the centre of town.
We stayed in two hotel rooms at the Hotel Alp, each with two single beds. In addition to its excellent location, the Hotel Alp also had an extensive buffet breakfast.
Garni Hotel Bovec
For our two remaining nights in Bovec, we transferred to the Garni Hotel Bovec. It’s a few minutes walk from central Bovec, but the trade-off was a better living space for us. This kid-friendly Bovec hotel has 2-bedroom apartments – one bedroom with a queen sized bed, while the other has 2 single beds.
The compact apartment also has a small kitchen, enabling us to enjoy some family meals ‘at home’, instead of eating out at restaurants (which gets tiring after a while, especially when traveling with kids).
Final Thoughts on our Family Trip to Bovec
Despite the very, very wet weather we had in Bovec with kids, we still managed to have a great time. We took advantage of the wet weather to have experiences which are not usually available in typical summer conditions. We’re already talking about another family trip to Bovec to try all the kid-friendly activities we missed out on.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our visit to Bovec with kids. Despite the terrible weather, we fell in love with this beautiful Slovenian mountain town, and we would love to return. If you’d like to keep reading about our active summer holiday to Slovenia, we followed up our visit to Bovec with kids with a self-guided family-friendly cycling tour around Lake Bled.
Dan Brewer is an intrepid family travel blogger with a passion for exploring the world's most captivating destinations. With 58 countries under his belt and a sense of wanderlust that knows no bounds, he has made it his life's mission to share his travel experiences and insights with fellow families who love to travel.
When Dan isn't traveling with his wife and kids, he's either out enjoying the Canadian Rockies he calls home or working on one of his three travel sites (Family Can Travel, Travel Banff Canada and Ultimate Sports Road Trip).