Plan your route
It might sound like an obvious piece of information but it is necessary to emphasize it in order to make sure you take the most optimal route possible. Here are some detailed guidelines on how to achieve that.
We strongly discourage you from using Via Michelin for planning your trip because it might recommend a more time consuming route via nearby Croatian border. Although a bit shorter, the road on the Croatian side is in poor condition and as such will slow you down and you’d want to avoid it at all costs. Please use Google Maps to discover the best travel route or follow our route guidelines below.
Coming by car, plane, train, bus and car pooling.
Coming by car
Coming by your car with your mates might be the best and most convenient option.
From Ljubljana Airport/Klagenfurt/Graz/Munich/Kozakov
Head towards Ljubljana, when on Ljubljana’s southern ring take the exit toward Ljubljana South (Ljubljana Jug/Kocevje). Continue straight toward Kocevje onto route 106, passing Ribnica and Dolenja Vas. Shortly after passing Dolenja Vas take the right turn heading toward Gotenica/Kocevska Reka. When in Kocevska Reka turn right toward Borovec/Osilnica. At the village of Borovec turn right again and follow the road until descending to Osilnica. At the end of the 18 hairpins descend turn left until reaching Sela/Osilnica. The campsite is adjacent to Hotel Kovac and its access is marked by road signs.
From Trieste/Venice/Milano
Head towards Ljubljana; after passing Postojna take the exit Unec and follow the direction Cerknica. Continue straight toward Ribnica. In Ribnica turn right toward the direction Kocevje. Shortly after passing Dolenja Vas (near Ribnica) take the right turn heading to Gotenica/Kocevska Reka. When in Kocevska Reka turn right toward Borovec/Osilnica. At the village of Borovec turn right again and follow the road until descending to Osilnica. At the end of the 18 hairpins descend turn left until reaching Sela/Osilnica. The campsite is adjacent to Hotel Kovač and its access is marked by road signs.
From Zagreb/Rijeka
Head towards town Delnice; after passing Delnice continue north towards Slovenian border (border crossing Petrina). After passing the border, take sharp left in the direction of Kuzelj/Bosiljeva Loka/Osilnica. Continue for 18 km and you’ll reach your destination. The campsite is adjacent to Hotel Kovac and its access is marked by road signs.
Here are some of the possible route durations for easier reference:
- From Ljubljana: 1h 15min
- From Rijeka (HR): 1h 15 min
- From Ljubljana Airport: 1h 35min
- From Zagreb (HR): 2h
- From Trieste (I): 2h 20 min
- From Venice (I): 3h 30min
- From Klagenfurt (A): 3h
- From Graz (A): 3h 20min
- From Munich (D): 6h
- From Kozakov (CZ): 9h
If you’re traveling alone, don’t own a car, or living far away, a car might not be the preferred way. Here are some other options for travel.
Coming by plane
If coming by plane might take a bit more logistical planning but it’s all part of the adventure, right? For those of you coming by plane we compiled some useful guidelines in order to find the most optimal and cheapest option to reach the venue.
Nearby airports (in order of preference)
- Ljubljana Jože Pučnik airport (airport code LJU)
Duration to Osilnica: 1h 50min - Trieste Friuli Venezia Giulia airport (TRS)
Duration to Osilnica: 2h 25min - Zagreb Pleso airport (ZAG)
Duration to Osilnica: 2h - Rijeka Omisalj airport (RJK)
Duration to Osilnica: 1h 15min - Venice Marco Polo airport (VCE)
Duration to Osilnica: 3h 20min - Venice Treviso airport (TSF)
Duration to Osilnica: 3h 30min
You can book a shuttle service from airport directly to the event in Osilnica – please see pricing and booking information here. on this page.
In case shuttle won’t be possible the best scenario would be to rent a car at the airport. For cheapest car rentals you can consult the site to find best deals possible.
How to search for best possible connection at a fraction of a regular airline ticket price?
Ljubljana airport is obviously the best airport to fly to. But if you’re not from London or Brussels, you’re options are quite limited to fly to, especially with low cost airlines such as Ryanair or Easyjet. Thus, you’d have to consider flying in to any of above-mentioned airports in order to save some serious money. To find out which low cost airline flies to which airport the best is to check these two sites:
http://www.flylc.com/
http://www.jumblefly.com/
What about my baggage allowance?
Complying with airline rules and regulations can be a stressful ordeal, especially for a longboarder with lots of heavy luggage in odd dimensions. According to our experience with traveling low-cost, it always pays off checking two things: allowed maximum weight and allowed maximum dimensions of your bag. This way you will save yourself a lot of hustle when checking in your baggage. Beware of any surcharges for your luggage! They are almost always ridiculously astronomical, especially on a low cost airline. These airlines are quite particular about allowed dimensions/weight and are not negotiating one bit in case your baggage exceeds even 100 grams or 5 cm above their maximum weight/dimensions allowance. It just so happened that on one such occasion I had to put a set of wheels in my coat jacket in order not to be charged for one extra kilo! The pretty girl at the counter will simply and hastily direct you to their airport customer counter where you will be charged an unreasonable amount according to the number of excess kilos.
In order to avoid this from happening we strongly suggest you buying the simplest and cheapest hockey bag. I paid for mine around 60 EUR at a local hockey shop (didn’t even know that they exist!). It comes in at around 38” length and fits my board perfectly. Besides, a great advantage of such bag over a regular longboard-dedicated bag is that it’s wheeled and offers a lot of extra space. I can easily fit all my gear in, including leathers, camping gear, extra wheels, and the helmet, and still would not be exceeding 23 permitted kilos. All other extra stuff you can carry with you in a carry-on.
So to summarise, look for a simplest and cheapest wheeled hockey bag and forget about the hassle and trepidation at check-ins! You will never again be charged for oversize luggage and you will never again be charged extra just because you’re carrying “sports” equipment. Now, if you are a longboard dancer or if your board exceeds 38” in length then such bag is not going to be very suitable for you.
Coming by train
If you relying on a good old train to get you to your exciting and long-awaited longboard vacation, it definitely has some adventurist appeal and advantages over traveling by plane. Although not the quickest method, there’s no hustle with the luggage allowance, it’s way more comfortable, plus you get to see and enjoy the breathtaking scenery, especially of you’re crossing the Alps on the way. Besides, your adventure begins the moment you step on the train!
Just make sure you don’t oversleep your exit stop. Once you arrive to Ljubljana train station you can get a shuttle to Osilnica (more info on shuttles can be found here). Please mind that the shuttle service has to be reserved well in advance – find more information here.
Train from Ljubljana to Kočevje
You can also take the train from Ljubljana to Kočevje, and then a bus from Kočevje to Osilnica, but be sure to check the schedule of both. The bus is not driving on weekends, while from Monday to Friday it goes once per day, at 15:45.
Coming by bus
There are regular bus services to Ljubljana from all major European cities. Please check eurolines.com in order to get tickets at a bargain prices. Once you arrive to Ljubljana bus station we’ll arrange a shuttle to Osilnica for you (more info on shuttles can be found below). Please mind that the shuttle service has to be reserved well in advance.
There is also a daily bus service to Osilnica and back to Ljubljana, from Monday to Friday, at 14:15 and 05:30, respectively. However, we encourage you to book a shuttle and save yourself lots of waiting at the station and extra traveling time.
Coming by car pooling
In the age of shared economy, this might be a viable alternative to ponder on! Sharing your ride and traveling costs has never been easier. You will be able to brag to your friends how you managed to come to KnK Camp for peanuts, basically. Plus, more money in your pocket means more money to spend on a fun-lovin’ raffle game at night!
Check following sites to find and secure your ride:
https://www.mifaz.com/
https://www.blablacar.de/
https://prevoz.org/intl/
Mind that the second site is in German and third site is in Slovenian. If you need some help with that kindly let us know, we’d be more than glad to help you out!
If you happen to know another car-pooling site from your part of the world do let us know and we’ll include it here. Sharing is caring!