Čatež ob Savi - Veliki Cirnik (čez Bambreg)

Access to starting point:
a) Leave the Dolenjska motorway at the Čatež ob Savi exit, then at the roundabout select the exit for Čatež ob Savi and Brežice. Continue along the road running parallel to the motorway. When the main road turns right into the underpass, we turn left towards the centre of Čatež ob Savi (direction Cerklje ob Krki). We drive through the settlement, just before Gostilna Pension Les we turn sharply right onto Rimska cesta. After a short ascent we arrive at the church of St. Jurij, where a few parking spaces are available. We can park here or continue approximately 100 metres further to a larger parking area at the end of the road, located near the former Motel Čatež.
b) Drive to Brežice and follow the signs for Čatež ob Savi. Immediately after the underpass beneath the motorway, turn into the centre of the settlement. Before Gostilna Pension Les, turn sharply right onto Rimska cesta. Drive along it to the church of St. Jurij, where parking spaces are provided, or continue another 100 metres to the parking area at the former Motel Čatež, where the road ends.

Route description:
From the place where we parked, we first walk to the end of the road, then turn left onto the footpath. This ascends along the edge of the meadow to a cart track, where we step onto the marked path. The latter actually starts near Gostilna Pension Les, but there are no parking spaces arranged for hikers there.
We follow the path to the right to the edge of the forest, where a junction awaits us. Here a path branches off to the left leading along the stations of the way of the cross, while we continue straight ahead on the path marked with Knafelc markings. The path enters the forest, where we soon turn left onto a marked footpath that ascends somewhat more steeply, higher up rejoining the cart track (which in the meantime makes a longer left serpentine). We also continue following the markings and signs for sv. Vid. Higher up the path leads us through a small valley, after which we reach a marked junction on a small pass.
We continue right in the direction of Sobenje vasi, Veliki Cirnik and Stojdraga (the latter settlement is already on the Croatian side of the state border), while to the left the path leads to the church of sv. Vid (5 minutes). In the continuation we descend gently along a wide cart track that takes us past a weekend house to a narrower asphalt road. We follow it to the right, but only for a short time, as the markings soon direct us back onto the mountain path through the forest. Several junctions follow, where we consistently follow the markings, then we begin to descend towards the settlement Žejno. Just before the settlement the path forks.
We choose the left path, along which there are white markings (slightly to the right the usual path continues, marked with Knafelc markings). The path brings us from the forest to the settlement Žejno, where at the farm and nearby house we reach the main village road. Here we carefully cross the road, turn right and walk briefly along the sidewalk, at the first junction we turn left, where we bypass a small playground on the right side.
We continue past a few houses, then a footpath branches slightly to the left from the road, along which higher up we notice the continuation of white dots and lines. The forest trail soon brings us to a cart track with several consecutive junctions, where we carefully follow the white markings. Even higher, where we cross a gravel road twice, we continue to follow the white lines and dots. Higher up a beautiful view opens from a still not too overgrown clearing, reaching from Donačka gora and Boč to Pohorje. The path returns to the forest, where we leave the last cart track and ascend along a pleasant forest path in a few minutes to the Shelter at Vesela Micka on Veliki Cirnik.

Čatež ob Savi - junction below sv. Vid 0:30, junction below sv. Vid - Žejno 0:25, Žejno - Veliki Cirnik 1:10.

Description and photos refer to the condition in May 2026.

Along the route: Razpotje pod sv. Vidom (360m), Razpotje pred Žejnim (253m), Žejno (257m)

We recommend: trips from the same starting point, similar trips