St Thomas Church (or Sveti Tomaž), located just outside Ljubljana, is a beautiful church nestled in the hills of Northern Slovenia. The viewpoint offers a iconic Slovenian view, and it’s not that well known so you’ll hardly find anyone here! Sveti Tomaz itself is easy to find as you can see it on Google Maps but the iconic viewpoint with the mountain backdrop is a bit harder to find. In this blog post I will explain how to find the viewpoint to photograph St Thomas Church (Sveti Tomaz) as well as some tips on the best time to go.
How to Find the Viewpoint to Photograph St Thomas Church (Sveti Tomaz)
1) Pinpoint Skofja Loka on the map
Skofja Loka is the nearest town to Saint Thomas Church, so it’s an easy location to pinpoint when driving there.
2) Take the 403 towards Železniki
From Skofja Loka take the 403 towards Železniki, but you only want to drive to Praprotno.
3) Turn left just after Praprotno
Once you’ve driven through Praprotno you want to take the left turn towards Spodnja Luša.
4) Take the third left towards Rantovše
Keep driving until you see a sign for Rantovše (it should be the third left / the second big left). Drive up this twisting road past the Adrenalinski park Storž.
5) Arrive at the viewpoint!
The viewpoint is located on a flat grass layby just next to the road and across the valley from St Thomas Church (Cerkev Sv. Tomaž on Google Maps). You should see the church to your left as you arrive. If you have any problems then the coordinates are 46°10’30.1″N 14°13’39.3″E 46.175022, 14.227577.
Map of the Saint Thomas Church viewpoint
How can I get to the viewpoint?
The viewpoint for Sveti Tomaz is located on the side of the road so you can drive directly there! DON’T follow Google Maps as it will take you on a shorted unpaved road between Sveti Tomaz and the viewpoint (as seen below). It will be a lot faster for you to follow my directions above.
How to Find St Thomas Church (Sveti Tomaz)
You will find St Thomas Church about a 40 minute drive North West of Ljubljana. You just need to search for Cerkev Sv. Tomaž on Google Maps. To drive there you can follow the same directions for the viewpoint but when you get to Praprotno you will want to turn left towards Sveti Tomaz.
Best Time to Photograph St Thomas Church (Sveti Tomaz)
The best time to shoot Sveti Tomaz is in the morning during sunrise, this is when you will get the softest light as well as atmospheric mist. If you come during winter you will have the best sun as it rises directly to the right of the church, illuminating the side of the church and hill.
Saint Thomas Church is not lit at night so I wouldn’t recommend shooting at dusk or dawn.
I personally went in the afternoon before sunset (during the summer) as we couldn’t make it there for sunrise and still found it worth the visit.
Where to stay to visit Saint Thomas Church.
I would recommend staying in Ljubljana which is just a 40 minute drive away from the church. We stayed in a private room at Hostel DIC. It included breakfast and free parking and was within walking distance to the centre.
I hope you get some beautiful photos of Sveti Tomaz and the surroundings mountains. The viewpoint really is the perfect spot to get an iconic Slovenia photo.
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Slovenia Road Trip Itinerary (7 to 10 days) - The Ginger Wanderlust
January 14, 2020 at 1:22 pm[…] you are into photography, then I would also recommend driving 45 minutes out of Ljubljana to Sveti Tomaz. A beautiful church situated on a hill with dramatic mountains in the […]