Postojna: Caves, Rivers and Culture

A tour of Pivka Cave follows the underground river, bringing the course of the water into focus alongside the cave itself in Postojna. Cave visits, exhibitions and a regional trail offer different ways to plan your stay.

Cave Visits with Different Highlights

Visitors with a combined ticket for Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle can use a paid shuttle bus between the two attractions. The seasonal service is subject to availability; check before your trip whether the shuttle operates on your date. A guided tour of Predjama Castle is also available via an app and is included in the admission price.

The Vivarium is located 50 metres from the entrance to Postojna Cave. Its karst biology exhibition covers karst geology, the underground environment and typical cave animals. The tour is unguided, so you can explore the exhibition at your own pace.

The tours of Pivka Cave and Black Cave also offer different highlights. In Pivka Cave, the tour follows the underground Pivka River. In Black Cave, it passes through large chambers and horizontal passages with dark stalactites. The experiences thus differ in both the course of the river and the cave spaces and their formations.

Underground Rivers and Their Paths

Pivka Cave is one of the last two karst caves along the underground Pivka River before it disappears and resurfaces in Planina Cave. There, the cave features Europe’s largest confluence of underground rivers: the Pivka and Rak re-emerge at the surface as the Unica River. The two caves are therefore not only destinations in their own right, but also part of a connected system that follows the water underground.

Collections at Predjama Castle

The Stara Dama Museum is located in the visitor centre at Predjama Castle. It houses a collection about the Isonzo Front in the First World War and a hunting collection. The latter features local woodland animals, different types of hunting, and the work of hunters and forest rangers. Historical hunting equipment rounds out the collection. The subjects range from a specific wartime history to hunting and forest life; a visit lets you explore these different perspectives in the same museum.

The Great Krpan Trail

For those seeking a longer route through the region in addition to cave tours, the Great Krpan Trail is a 110-kilometre circular route through Primorsko-notranjska. Along the way, it passes natural and cultural sights, including intermittent lakes, karst caves, castle ruins and preserved manor houses. Its length and circular route offer a different sense of time and distance from individual cave visits.

The Great Krpan Trail is primarily a marked hiking trail and is also suitable for cycling. When cycling, short detours are required on four sections. After crossing Kalič, the trail reaches Postojna and then returns to Pivka through the valley. Route conditions and markings may change, so check the latest route information before your trip.

Discover more destinations: Landol, Planina, Narin, Razdrto, Prestranek, Stara Vas, Predjama, Pivka, Hruševje, Postojna, Veliko Ubeljsko, Šmihel Pod Nanosom.

For the higher-level travel overview: Slovenia.