On the GO! 2025 Smuggling Tour (ŠvercTura) you can travel back to the time when courage, creativity and longing for a better life shaped the fate of people on both sides of the Slovenia-Italy border.
After the World War 2, locals skillfully smuggled goods while dodging customs officers. Now, in 2025, this fascinating era comes to life in ŠvercTura – an interactive adventure that lets you walk in the footsteps of smugglers.
-
Your guide knows many stories, anecdotes and fates of the people for whom smuggling was at times a necessity of life. Photo: Ana Rojc
The Smuggling era
After the World War 2, the borders between Slovenia and Italy became a theatre of secret commerce, as locals on both sides engaged in the art of smuggling – known locally as ''švercanje''. Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention, and the residents of this region were nothing if not inventive. With Italy's markets offering goods that were scarce in Yugoslavia, and vice versa, an underground economy flourished.
Everyday items like coffee, sugar, cigarettes, and jeans became prized contraband.
-
Coffee was a golden currency and smuggling coffee was a great business for the people at the border. It was not just a drink – it was a ticket to a world of privilege! Photo: mizar/Depositphotos.com
-
Denim trousers were dreams of every young Yugoslav. They were smuggled in double-bottomed suitcases. Photo: filphoto/Depositphotos.com
Smugglers, or ''švercarji,'' developed many creative methods to outwit border patrols, turning the act of crossing the border into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse. But those trades weren't merely about profit; it was a lifeline that connected communities and showcased the indomitable spirit of the borderland inhabitants.
-
Slovenians usually smuggled meat, brandy (žganje), cheese, and honey into Italy, while bringing back jeans, building materials, toys, and of course, coffee. Photo: Ana Rojc
Reliving the past with the GO! 2025 Smuggling Tour
Fast forward to 2025, and the once risky paths of smugglers have been repurposed into the ŠvercTura – an interactive, amusing experience that invites tourists to step into the well-worn shoes of the smugglers.
The adventure begins at Europe Square in Nova Gorica, a symbolic starting point where East meets West. Participants are there acquainted with their mission: to smuggle the ''hot stuff' across the border without attracting the attention of the ever-vigilant customs officers.
The tour is designed to be both educational and entertaining, blending historical anecdotes with interactive challenges.
As you travel the route to the final destination – the Smuggling Museum in Pristava, you cross the border multiple times. Each crossing presents its own set of playful obstacles, that keep you questioning if you will successfully sneak that ''illicit'' sack of coffee past the watchful eyes of the border guards.
-
The smuggling tour starts at the Europe Square and leads to the Museum of Smuggling at Pristava, crossing the border several times along the way. Photo: Ana Rojc
-
Throughout the tour, you will journey across the both sides of the border. Photo: Ana Rojc
About the smuggling expeditions
Tours are conducted in Slovenian, Italian, and English, under the leadership of an experienced guide (and smuggler). Each excursion lasts approximately two hours. During this time, the team walks on both sides of the border, smuggles east and west, visits the Smuggling Museum, and learns a lot about life on the border. To maintain the intimate and boutique experience of a smuggling operation, group sizes are kept small.
This ensures that every contrabandist has the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the experience.
In preparing the tour, the Public Tourist Institute of Nova Gorica and the Vipava Valley collaborated with Goriški Muzej. For those eager to test their smuggling skills, reservations can be made through the official ŠvercTura website https://sverctura.si/en/.
-
People at the border were owners of the border crossing document. Photo: Ana Rojc
Crossing borders
Whether you're a history enthusiast, an adventure seeker, or someone looking for a unique way to spend the afternoon, the Smuggling Tour promises an experience that's both enlightening and entertaining. So, put on your best smuggler's disguise, show your cunning, and travel the blurred lines between past reality and present game-like experience. After all, in the world of Smugglers, the border is just a line waiting to be crossed …
Date: 12. March 2025
Time to read: 2 min
