Itineraries
Three routes through the Slovenian karst, built around driving times and tour schedules.
Routes that fit together
One day, three days or five.
The itineraries below are built around driving times, tour lengths and the opening patterns of the caves. They assume a start from Ljubljana, but work equally well from the coast, Trieste or Lake Bled with small adjustments.
Each longer route contains the shorter ones, so you can stop when you run out of days.
The classic pair
Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle. About 120 km round trip from Ljubljana.
- 09:00
Postojna Cave
Take a morning tour before the coaches arrive. Allow two and a half hours including the vivarium.
- 12:30
Lunch in Postojna
Or drive straight to Predjama and eat at the inn below the castle.
- 14:00
Predjama Castle
An hour inside with the audio guide, then walk down to the meadow for the view. In summer, add the cave beneath the castle.
- 16:30
Optional: Planina Cave or Rakov Škocjan
If there is daylight left, both are 15 minutes from Postojna on the way back.
Škocjan and the Karst
Prefer wild scenery to decoration? Swap Postojna for the Škocjan Caves. Take a morning tour, walk the rim trail, and spend the afternoon in Štanjel or at the Lipica stud farm. Finish with dinner at a Karst farmhouse; many serve their own Teran and air-dried ham.
With an early start you can do Škocjan in the morning and Postojna in the afternoon. They are 35 minutes apart.
The green karst
Base yourself in or near Postojna or Cerknica.
- Day 1
Postojna and Predjama
As in the one-day route. Stay overnight nearby.
- Day 2
Rakov Škocjan, Lake Cerknica, Križna jama
Walk the natural bridges in the morning. Drive round Lake Cerknica and up Slivnica for the view. Take the afternoon tour of Križna jama to the first lake (reserve).
- Day 3
Škocjan and the Karst
Morning tour of the Škocjan Caves, afternoon in Štanjel or Lipica. Vilenica Cave if it is a Sunday. Return to Ljubljana or continue to the coast.
The full underground
For travellers who want the small caves too.
- Day 1
Županova jama and on to Postojna
Leave Ljubljana by way of Grosuplje for the Mayor's Cave (weekends), then cross to Postojna via Cerknica.
- Day 2
Postojna, Pivka Cave, Predjama
The big cave in the morning, Pivka and Black Cave in the afternoon (summer), Predjama at the end of the day.
- Day 3
Planina Cave, Rakov Škocjan, Cerknica
A torchlight tour of Planina Cave, then the natural bridges and the lake.
- Day 4
Križna jama, then Idrija
The long boat tour of Križna jama if you have managed to book it; otherwise the short one. Drive to Idrija for Wild Lake and the mercury mine.
- Day 5
Škocjan and the Karst
Škocjan Caves, Dimnice or Vilenica depending on the day, and an evening in a Karst village.
An alpine detour
If your trip includes the north, two caves fit naturally. Snežna jama on Mount Raduha combines with the Logar Valley. Pekel Cave is five minutes from the motorway between Ljubljana and Maribor.
In the west, the cable car from Bovec gives a view of the Kanin plateau, home of Slovenia's deepest caves.
Driving times
Approximate, in normal traffic.
| From | To | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ljubljana | Postojna Cave | 53 km | 40 min |
| Postojna Cave | Predjama Castle | 9 km | 15 min |
| Postojna Cave | Škocjan Caves | 33 km | 30 min |
| Postojna | Rakov Škocjan | 15 km | 20 min |
| Rakov Škocjan | Cerknica | 8 km | 15 min |
| Cerknica | Križna jama | 17 km | 25 min |
| Škocjan Caves | Štanjel | 25 km | 30 min |
| Škocjan Caves | Trieste | 20 km | 25 min |
| Ljubljana | Idrija | 60 km | 1 h |
| Ljubljana | Županova jama | 25 km | 30 min |
Questions before you go?
Tickets, temperatures, photography, children: the FAQ has short answers.