Osp is a small village in the southwest of Slovenia, just a few kilometers from Trieste in Italy and is home to one of Slovenia’s major climbing spots. There is a wide range of well-bolted single and multi-pitch routes in solid limestone. The Mediterranean climate allows climbing all year round, although it gets very hot in summer. Since we had a great trip to Slovenia once, in June we decided to try to get to Osp by train. Here is the description of our great trip.
How to get there
1. Night train from Munich to Ljubljana: The night train (called “night jet” by ÖBB) usually departs later in the evening from Munich east station. This daily train (to the final destination Zagreb or Rijeka) takes about 7 hours to Ljubljana. We opted for the cheapest option, so we only booked a seat on the train instead of a sleeping compartment. However, as the train was quite crowed, we would recommend spending a little more money to enjoy a good night’s rest in a sleeping compartment. Overall, our train ride was a positive experience: cheap, no time loss, and no stress, as we woke up in Ljubljana feeling refreshed.
To make our trip more relaxed and also because Slovenia’s capital is very beautiful, we decided to stay one night in Ljubljana. So we went for breakfast, found a hostel near the train station, and enjoyed our day sightseeing.
As there are a few buses to Črni Kal every day, you can easily continue to Osp the same day you arrive in Ljubljana.
2. Local bus from Ljubljana to Črni Kal: In front of the main railway station in Ljubljana, a cheap local bus departs about three times a day for the final station, Koper. This bus stops in Črni Kal, which is a small village not far from Osp. It takes around two hours by bus to get to Črni Kal.
3. Walking or hitchhiking from Črni Kal to Osp: There is no bus available from Črni Kal to Osp. You can either walk about 45 minutes or try to hitchhike. Luckily, we met a nice guy who gave us a lift to the campsite in Osp. On the way back, the lady managing the campsite kindly drove us to the bus station.
Where to stay
The family-owned campsite Vovk is a small and natural campground with friendly people, located in Osp. At the campsite, you can get a coffee or a cold drink and food is available on the weekends. There are also some bed and breakfasts in Osp, if you don’t want to carry all your camping gear.
How to reach the crag(s)
From the campground, it is easily possible to walk to every climbing spot in the area. The main crag is called Osp. You cross the road and walk up a small street for less than 5 minutes. The first climbing routes can already be found there. From here you continue on a steeper nice trail to other sections of the crag. Near the campsite you can find another crag called Misja pec. It's a 10 - 15 minutes walk along the road and through the forest. There is also another crag near Crni Cal that requires a longer walk by the road.
Tips
On our rest day we wanted to do a day trip from Osp, so we decided to visit Koper, the only Slovenian city by the sea. It was super quick, easy, and cheap to get there: we took the bus from Osp (3 minutes from the campsite) to Koper’s main bus station. Recommendation for food in Koper: Avokado (Snacks), Chada thai cuisine & bar (amazing thai food).
The only difficulty we had was finding a supermarket. Due to all the stuff we had to carry, we didn’t take any food with us. The next supermarket is six kilometres away, which is no problem by car, but it was quite a long walk. Luckily, we found nice people on the campsite who gave us a lift to the nearest supermarket.
How to book the trip
The night train from Munich to Ljubljana can be booked here. The earlier you book your ticket, the cheaper it will be. You can choose between different options of comfort. Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to take your bike on this train (but ÖBB offers some night trains, where this is possible and hopefully this option will be expanded in the future). The bus ticket from Ljubljana to Črni Kal is available at the bus ticket sales right at the main train station in Ljubljana.
About the author
Vanessa & Manuel Fink from Blaichach, Allgäu
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This is a great description! You want to start your next trip right away!
Thanks! I felt the same 😉
Crni Kal is actually a good climbing destination in its own right (depending on the grades you’re looking for). I would have never expected a Bus to stop there in the middle of nowhere, thanks for the info!
I agree, it is a great crag! I was also positively surprised that there was a bus stop there. Thank you for your positive feedback, we are happy if the information helps 🙂