Petehovac Viewpoint

The 964-metre hill of Petehovac rises directly above the town of Delnice — the highest town in Croatia — and is a beloved local hiking destination for its stunning panoramic view. A well-graded forest road climbs 3.5 km from the town to a small ski resort with a modest single T-bar (Croatia's cheapest ski pass) and a lovely wooden mountain hut serving hot mulled wine, sausages and forest-mushroom stew. From the ski slope top, a 15-minute uphill walk brings you to the summit cross with a jaw-dropping view over the sea of forested peaks of Gorski Kotar in every direction. In clear winter weather you can see the snow-covered Julian Alps on the Slovenian border. Petehovac's short but steep runs are a beloved training ground for local children learning to ski, and the price (around €12 a day) is quite likely the cheapest lift ticket in Europe. In summer the ski trails become fantastic mountain-biking downhill routes. The town of Delnice itself is worth a wander: pretty Habsburg-era wooden villas, a small museum with excellent Gorski Kotar ethnographic material, and one of Croatia's oldest working railway stations from 1873.