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The Postojnska Park Complex is composed by the Postojna Cave and the Predjama Castle. They are one of the best of Slovenia tourist attractions, having almost 1 million tourist annually. This number does not really surprise us because the Postojna Cave is one of the most beautiful things we have ever seen in life. And the Predjama Castle has a such awesome story as well.
By the way, we have a complete guide of what to do in Slovenia, explaining how to get around, the nature, the cities, itineraries, activities and much more. Have a look on that too!
Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle Index
- How to get to Postojna Cave
- How much is the Postojna Cave tickets (and Predjama Castle)
- The Postojna Cave tour
- The Chambers inside Postojna Cave
- What is the Postojna Cave
- What not to do in Postojna Cave
- Olms, the inhabitants of the cave
- Predjama Castle
- How to get from Postojna cave to Predjama Castle
- Where to sleep in Postojna Cave
How to get to Postojna Cave
There are essentially three ways of getting to Postojna Cave and the Predjama Castle (they are located within the same complex, 9km apart from each other):
- You can drive there: Postojna Cave is located 50km from Ljubljana via the A1 motorway. Going by car to Postojna Cave from Ljubljana is probably the easiest way. You can also reach it by the A1 motorway from Koper or Trieste (Postojna motorway exit No. 41, which is 2km from the entrance).
- You can take public transportation: there is a bus stop just by the cave. There are buses coming from Ljubljana, Koper or Nova Gorica that stops over there (check buses timetable here). There is also a train station in Postojna town, where you can take a bus from there to the cave.
- Or you can take a guided tour leaving from Ljubljana, Trieste or even Croatia. This can be very convenient if you don’t drive as you will be picked up and dropped off from your hotel (tours costs average U$ 80 with everything included – have a look here).
* If you are planning a road trip in Slovenia, make sure to make a quotation at Discover Cars, which in our opinion is the best and most affordable car rental search engine.
How much is the tickets for Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle
- Just the cave: 28,50 Euros
- Just the castle: 17,50 Euros
- Cave + castle: 40,90 Euros
You also have the chance to visit the vivarium and the Expo Cave Karst. The Vivarium is the research laboratory for the olms. The Expo Cave Karst is an interactive exhibition on events that resulted in the cave. Both single tickets is 10,90 Euros.
- Cave + Vivarium+ Expo Cave Karst: 39,90 Euros
- Full Park Experience (All of the above): 49,50 Euros
For further information, check it out here.
How is the Postojna Cave tour
The cave is about 24 km long. However, only 5km of them is opened to the public. The nicest part is that 3,5 km is done by train! That’s right, this is the only cave in the world with a train to take its visitors around its interior. The remaining 1,5 km you do by foot and with a guide. The whole tour takes about 1 hour and half.
Just bear in mind that the temperature of inside the cave is around 10 degrees Celsius, which means is very cold! So, don’t forget your coat!
That wasn’t our first cave. In fact, we have visited quite a few during our travels, such as the Cango Cave in South Africa and Ali Sadre Cave in Iran. However, none of them were as majestic as the Postojna Cave.
The cave is divided in many chambers, galleries and passage ways, and each of them are unique. Its uniqueness are due to the difference in age, sizes, colours and shapes of the stalagmites, stalactite and speleothems – the latter also known as “curtains”. It is surely a totally worth visiting activity in Slovenia – probably one of the best!
What are stalagmites, stalactites and speleothems?
Ok, no need to switch to Google right now. Stalagmites are those columns inside a cave that grow from bottom up. On the other hand, stalactites are the columns that grow from the ceiling down. Once they touch each other, they are known as columns. The speleothems are another type of formation which remind us of a curtain, as it is thin, wavy and long in length, not necessarily in height.
How are the chambers inside Postojna Cave (what to expect from your visit!)
The chambers of Postojna Cave in Slovenia are named accordingly to its appearance. The most famous chambers inside the cave Postojna are:
Spaghetti Hall
The Spaghetti Hall, plenty of little thin and fragile stalactites hanging from the roof.
White Hall
The White Hall, all very white from the excess of limestones and also where it is the most famous stalagmite known as “Brilliant”. It has 5 meters high and it has already become a symbol of Slovenia.
Concert Hall
Concert hall is the largest of all where it holds classic music concerts during the end of year festive holidays as well as other events. How cool would be to see a concert inside a cave?!
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These are just to name a few of the many galleries, but they have a lot more, one more beautiful and surreal than the other – just remember that there are 5km to explore inside Slovenia’s Postojna Cave!
What is the Postojna Cave and how it was formed?
The Postojna cave was “shaped” by the Pivka River. This river goes through the Slovenian subsoil until it meets with another river and breaks through the surface once again, this time as Unica River.
We visited Postojna Cave during a bike trip from Italy to Slovenia. Check the video of when we arrived in the Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle in Slovenia:
What not to do in Postojna Cave
The number of tourists that visit the attraction is really high and is hard to control them all. For instance, our group had about 50 people for one guide only and, despite the numerous pleas from the guide not to touch anything, people insisted in touching absolutely all stalagmites and stalactites they saw.
Our skin has a bacteria that, when it gets in touch with the surface of the cave, it inhibits its formation. One stalactite takes about 30 years to grow 1mm. Just to barely touch is enough to destroy the whole process. Therefore, imagine the size of the negative impact in this environment due to the lack of care by its visitors. That’s the reason we cannot touch the cave’s rock formations.
We spoke with many people about that. After all, Slovenia is proud of holding the title “The most sustainable country in Europe”. But this episode upset us dearly. What we heard from everybody is that just 1/4 of the cave is opened for tourism when the rest is protected and far from the reach of the public.
Olms, the inhabitants of Postojna Cave
The Olms are a kind of an albino blind pre-historic salamander living in the interior of the cave. They can live for up to 100 years, reach up to 25cm in length and survive up to 10 years without being fed – kind of the perfect pet for travellers ;). In a long time from now, people thought they were babies of dragons. It’s a name carried to our days as they are still known as Baby Dragons. However, their original name is Proteus Anguinus.
In 2016, a female laid 50 eggs, which 22 gave birth. Yeeey! This fact impressed the Slovenians and the international community as the Olms reproduce every 10 years and, never before, this process had been observed by specialists.
At the end of the tour, there is an aquarium where you can see some of the baby drag…we mean, cave salamanders. Once again, despite the numerous pleas by our guide not to use light towards these animals – they are sensitive to light, people have not hesitated in flash their mobile lanterns to record, take pictures and see them better.
The Predjama Castle
If you are visiting the Postojna Cave, DO NOT miss on the Predjama Castle! Seriously, this is the most fascinating castle we have ever seen. It was built within a 123 meters high rock and it is the only castle in the world of this kind.
Some people might also know it as Postojna Castle, but it is not. Predjama means “in front of the cave” in Slovenian – Pred=in front of; Jama=cave. The Predjama castle dates back to the XIII century.
The whole idea of the construction of this castle is that, although it lacks in comfortability to its – previous – residents, it makes up for security, which was far more important during the Middle Ages. There are many myths which surrounds Predjama Castle. You can find out about them during the tour, which an audio guide is provided at the entrance.
The most interesting though, is of a prince who was sieged by the Holy Roman Emperor for over a year. No one from the Roman Army could penetrate the castle to capture him. And the prince could obtain supplies for the residents (other families, servants, etc…) through hidden tunnels below the castle. The end of this story we leave for you to discover when you visit the place! But, as today we have Google, the biggest spoiler on earth, we will give the spoiler ourselves right now:
Below the castle, there is also a cave, which is said to be incredibly beautiful. As it is a place for hibernation of bats, its entrance are opened from May to September only, during the warmer months.
Get from Postojna Cave to Predjama Castle
The two attractions are about 9km away from each other. There is a transfer, but (always a but…) it is only available during the high season – July and August. The other months, you will have to manage on your own. Order a cab or go by bike, just like us!
As we were cycling through Slovenia we managed to camp just near by – as you can see from our video above. It was awesome!
Where to sleep in Postojna Cave
Just opposite the entrance of the cave, there is the Postojna Jama Hotel. It’s a luxurious hotel with daily packages combined with the entrance to the cave and castle – quite worth checking, by the way. You will easily find places to eat as well, as the whole complex has plenty of restaurants, bars and coffees. Otherwise, you can stay and eat in the centre of Postojna town, with many hotels and B&Bs.
If you stay in the Postojnska Jama Hotel, you will get discount on the entrance fees of Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle! Find the rates for the Postojnska Jama Hotel here.
Find out other options to sleep in Postojna town in this link.
*This Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle in Slovenia tour guide post was originally written in 2017 and updated in 2022.
See the summary of this article in the FAQs below
The cave is about 24 km long. However, only 5km of them is opened to the public. The nicest part is that 3,5 km is done by train! That’s right, this is the only cave in the world with a train to take its visitors around its interior. The remaining 1,5 km you do by foot and with a guide. The whole tour takes about 1 hour and half.
Indeed, the best option is by car. You rent one car from Ljubljana and your life will be easier visiting the Postojna Cava and Predjama Castle. However, if you are depending on public transport, there are a bus stop just by the cave. There are buses coming from Ljubljana, Koper, Nova Gorica, and even Croatia, that stops over there.
There is also a train station in Postojna town, where you can take a bus from there to the cave. Surely, however, an easier way is to go on a tour arranged from your hostel/hotel in major cities, such as the ones we have cited above.
The Postojna cave was “shaped” by the Pivka River. This river goes through the Slovenian subsoil until it meets with another river and breaks through the surface once again, this time as Unica River.
That wasn’t our first cave. In fact, we have visited quite a few during our travels, such as the Cango Cave in South Africa and Ali Sadre Cave in Iran. However, none of them were as majestic as the Postojna Cave. It is divided in many chambers, galleries and passage ways, and each of them are unique. Its uniqueness are due to the difference in age, sizes, colours and shapes of the stalagmites, stalactite and speleothems – the latter also known as “curtains”. It is surely a totally worth visiting activity!
If you are visiting the Postojna Cave, DO NOT miss on the Predjama Castle! Seriously, this is the most fascinating castle we have ever seen. It was built within a 123 meters high rock and it is the only castle in the world of this kind.
The two attractions are about 9km away from each other. There is a transfer, but (always a but…) it is only available during the high season – July and August. The other months, you will have to manage on your own. Order a cab or go by bike, just like us!
