The caves of Slovenia
Twelve caves are open to visitors. They range from a 24-kilometre system with its own railway to an ice cave high in the Alps.
Which cave is for you?
Use the table to compare, then open a cave for detail.
Slovenia has registered more than 14,000 caves, but only a small number are fitted with paths, lighting or guides. They differ far more than photographs suggest. Postojna is vast, comfortable and busy. Škocjan is about scale and the sound of a river far below. Križna jama is silent, unlit and visited in small groups by boat.
If you have time for one cave, choose between Postojna and Škocjan according to temperament: decoration or drama. If you have time for two, do both; they are 35 minutes apart by car. The smaller caves reward travellers who prefer a guide with a lamp to a crowd with headsets.
The caves side by side
Lengths are the surveyed length of the whole system, not of the visitor route.
| Cave | Where | System length | Known for | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postojna Cave | Postojna, Inner Carniola | about 24 km | Cave train, the Brilliant, olms | All year |
| Škocjan Caves | Divača, Karst | about 6 km | Underground canyon of the Reka, UNESCO | All year |
| Predjama Castle | Predjama, near Postojna | about 14 km | Cave castle, bat colony | Castle all year; cave in summer |
| Križna jama | Lož Valley | about 8 km | Chain of underground lakes by boat | All year, by reservation |
| Planina Cave | Planina | about 6.6 km | Confluence of two underground rivers | Mainly spring to autumn |
| Pivka & Black Cave | Postojna | part of Postojna system | Collapse doline, river passage | Summer |
| Vilenica Cave | Lokev, Karst | over 1.3 km | Guided tours since 1633 | Limited days |
| Dimnice Cave | Markovščina | about 6 km | Two 'smoking' shafts, underground stream | Limited days |
| Županova jama | Grosuplje | about 0.7 km | Seven dripstone halls | Weekends in season |
| Kostanjevica Cave | Kostanjevica na Krki | about 2 km | Dripstone, bats | Spring to autumn |
| Pekel Cave | Šempeter, Savinja Valley | about 1.2 km | Underground waterfall | Spring to autumn |
| Snežna jama | Mount Raduha | about 1.3 km | Ice formations at 1,500 m | Summer weekends |
Postojna or Škocjan?
Postojna is the easier visit. A train does much of the distance, the paths are level and the formations are close enough to study. It suits families and anyone who dislikes steps.
Škocjan asks more of you: there are several hundred steps and a long walk back up from the doline. In return you get an underground gorge that has no real equivalent among Europe's show caves.
The caves without crowds
Križna jama admits only a handful of people a day to its inner lakes, to protect the calcite barriers that hold the water. Planina Cave, Dimnice and Vilenica are run by local caving clubs and volunteers; tours are in small groups and often by hand-held lamp.
These visits need planning, because opening days are limited.
Want to go beyond the paths?
Wild caves are for trained cavers. Slovenia's caving clubs run courses and guided introductory trips.