A Journey to the Slovenian Village of Sveti Tomaž
Sveti Tomaž, Slovenia (ISO 200, 4.5 mm, f/2.8, 1/50 s)
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Sveti Tomaž is a place I found through social media. Just a lone hilltop with a single church building, standing amidst clouds and high lying mountains. it looked like a dream and knowing that I was going to travel to Slovenia months later, I knew I had to make some time to see this tiny village.
The village of Sveti Tomaž lies in the Prlekija HIlls and was once part of the Styria region of Europe. The name Sveti Tomaž translates to ‘Saint Thomas’ though its official name is Tomaž pri Ormožu (meaning 'Thomas near Ormož').
Check out my drone video of Sveti Tomaž, Slovenia below!
How to get to Sveti Tomaž
The easiest and most convenient way to reach Slovenia is to fly. Book your flight to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, via Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (Airport Code: LJU). From there, you can take a taxi or bus to Ljubljana city center (there are no ride sharing services just yet in Slovenia like Uber, Lyft, or Bolt).
For those who want to save a few Euros, taking the Ljubljana airport bus is a great, cost-effective way to reach the city center of Ljubljana. The bus journey takes 45 minutes and costs 4 Euros. Just take public bus number 28 (Bus timetable here).
From Ljubljana city center, I rented a car and drove 45 minutes Northwest of Ljubljana to reach the village of Sveti Tomaž.
As far as other options to get here if you don’t have a car, you can see if there is a local tour operator that will do a custom trip for you and you can make Sveti Tomaž one of your points of interest.
There is also a way to get to Sveti Tomaž by bus, albeit it is a bit longer:
First you take a bus from Ljubljana Bus Station to the town of Škofja Loka. Buses go there every 30 minutes to 1 hour in frequency and the ride takes 37 minutes. You can search for exact times and buy tickets here.
Then you transfer buses in Škofja Loka and take the next bus towards Železniki and stopping at Praprotno pri Selščic. This part of the journey should only take about 8 minutes and 3 stops.
From Praprotno pri Selščic bus stop, it is then a 2.6 km walk (about 45 minutes), uphill to finally arrive at Sveti Tomaž.
PROTIP: Before making this bus journey, ensure that you have devised a bus journey for your way back so you don’t get stranded at Sveti Tomaž or Škofja Loka on your way back to Ljubljana.
If you like some of my photos that you have come across, just know that I have many prints showcasing a variety of landscapes, including Slovenia, available for purchase below! (Sold as Posters, Canvas, or in Metal-Frames and Wooden-Frames).
I usually try to time my arrival to a specific destination by how the light will look once I arrive. I woke up before sunrise in Ljubljana and took my rental car to Sveti Tomaž as the sun was coming up.
At the time I only saw clouds during the drive and felt rather disappointed that the visibility of Sveti Tomaž and the church that accompanies it would be obfuscated. Nonetheless, while ascending towards the village and through the clouds, there was a point where the haze disappeared, and I was welcomed with a warm, orange glow of the sun.
Sveti Tomaž, Slovenia (ISO 400, 4.5 mm, f/2.8, 1/40 s)
It was such an incredible time to come as the views of the entire area, coupled with the low lying clouds, and partially covered the colorful autumn forest, made for great photographic composition.
This was in Autumn so I believe the sunrise at this point had to have been around 7-8am. Which means I left Ljubljana around 630am.
Sveti Tomaž, Slovenia (ISO 200, 4.5 mm, f/2.8, 1/50 s)
When are arrive at the village, you will find that there is really no tourist infrastructure, just the St. Thomas Church and some homes. This means that you should be extra careful not to encroach on the properties of these landowners. This means be careful where you park your car, where you walk on the way to and from the church, and what you decide to take photos of.
I parked out of the way in a flat area off the main village road and flew my drone for a shorter duration than I usually do, since it was the morning time and I felt bad about creating a buzzing noise for the locals.
Sveti Tomaž, Slovenia (ISO 100, 4.5 mm, f/2.8, 1/200 s)
The St. Thomas Church that the village is known for has origins that date back to the Roman times. It was renovated back in the 15th and 16th centuries. In the 18th centuries, the church underwent further repairs to reflect the Baroque style that was prevalent at the time.
The belfry on the south side of the church endured much damage during WWII bombings in 1944. Renovations on the structure, including the belfry, were carried out in 1965. Then again in 1997, more renovations were performed. Luckily, no more are needed in the present time!
Sveti Tomaž, Slovenia (ISO 200, 4.5 mm, f/2.8, 1/40 s)
As I mentioned before, Sveti Tomaž is usually a place that is a short stopover on your larger Slovenian road trip. Bearing that in mind, Slovenian has plenty of amazing cities and landmarks to check out. Feel free to check out my blog posts below on some of these other wonderful destinations in this country, culminating in my EPIC Slovenian Road Trip Guide.
Ptuj (Blog Post: Check out the small Slovenia town of Ptuj)
Maribor (Blog Post: Take a trip to the wine region of Maribor, Slovenia)
Bled (Blog Post: Why Bled is the best city in Slovenia to visit)
Triglav National Park (Blog Post: The best places to see in Triglav National Park in Slovenia)
Piran (Blog Post: Why Piran is a hidden gem in Slovenia)
Slovenian Road Trip Summary (Blog Post: The Epic Slovenia Road Trip)
