Tucked into the side of a cliff, built directly into stone walls with caves for hallways sits Predjama Castle. With construction beginning in the early 1200s, this stunning castle has evolved over the centuries into the medieval marvel you can visit today. Complete with a storied history of Slovenia’s Robin Hood taking up residence in the castle, using its secret cave passageways to sneak in and out undetected by nearby enemies, until his untimely death by cannonball as he took care of business in the latrine. True story. I have the magnet to prove it.
But if that fascinating history of the castle isn’t enough to convince you to make the day trip, the beauty of not only the castle itself, but the surrounding area should be enough to do so. The castle hosts many lookout points into the lush green valley out front, with rolling hills and a charming village just beyond.
And if views from above aren’t your thing, what about views from underneath? Just down the road and part of a package deal with Predjama Castle are the Postojna Caves, a subterranean system of caves 370 feet below the surface. They span over 15 miles, with the visitor path taking you through 3.25 miles (2.25 by train and 1 by foot) of the whole length. On this tour, you’ll see stalgmites and stalagtites, and hopefully some of the famous salamanders nicknamed “baby dragons.”
Whatever your preference is, a day trip to Postojna is a must when you’re in Slovenia, and here are some general tips on how to make the most of it! And if you want to see how best to fit it into your overall trip, see my perfect itinerary here!
Getting To the Caves
Your goal is to get to Postojna Caves, even if you’re just going to Predjama Castle and skipping the caves like we did. There are multiple ways to do this.
By Car
If you have a car rental, you can drive right up to Postojna Caves and park right there. Note that parking costs 6 euros for the day at Postojna Caves. If going to the castle as well, you can drive and park right by it as well for 3 euros per hour.
By Train or Bus
The town of Postojna has a train and bus station with frequent arrivals. Most visitors come in from Ljubljana, and there are multiple options throughout the day that travel directly to Postojna in 1 to 1.5 hours. You can check timetables and buy your tickets for the train online here or the bus here, but you can also buy your tickets in person at the Ljubljana Station. They do accept credit card.
Once you get off at Postojna, there’s no real way to get to the caves except walking or taxi. While I had read online that Ubers were available and that there would be plenty of taxis waiting at the train station, that couldn’t have been further from the truth. The train station was a ghost town and there were no available Ubers nearby. This may be the case during peak season, but I wouldn’t bank on it. Thankfully, the 25 minute walk to the caves was pretty easy. If you do decide to walk, you may get a chance to see this cute little fella, who seems to be a local celebrity.
But if you don’t want to or can’t walk it, you may want to schedule a taxi. We used this taxi service to transfer between the caves and the castle (more on that in a bit) and the driver couldn’t have been a nicer guy! Highly recommend!
Pearsons Transport
Phone: 386 41 959 037
Email: matjaz.vrcon@gmail.com
By Tour
Of course, if you want to skip all the hassle of logistics and sit back without having to worry about anything, you can always book a full tour with transport! We found every option we looked at to cost about $50 more per person than venturing out on our own, so that’s why we opted to take a train and walk to the caves and transfer to the castle. But if you’d like to let someone else do all the planning, you can find plenty of tour options to choose from here!
Getting to the Castle
Whether you’re doing just the castle, like we did, or the castle and the caves together, you have to figure out how to get to the castle. It’s about 6 miles from the bus station, so not exactly walkable like the caves are. While we were able to wing it, I want to save you the stress of having to figure it out yourself when you get there! There are really only three ways to get there:
By Car
As noted above, you can park right near the castle for 3 euros per hour. If you then want to go to the caves, you can drive and park there was well for 6 euros for the day.
By Shuttle
This was not an option when we went, so don’t rely on it! It seems this shuttle service only runs during peak season, starting late June and ending late September. You can check the exact dates and timetable here.
The shuttle takes about 20 minutes and costs 2 euros per person one way, which is payable by cash to the driver. The pick up spot is just down the street from the cave entrance – you’ll walk or drive right past it when you arrive. The shuttles can fill up during peak season, so there may be a little bit of a wait!
By Taxi
If you’re not there when the shuttle is running and you didn’t drive yourself, your only real option to get to the castle is by taxi.
When coming from the caves, the ticket office can help you call a taxi, like they did for us. It cost 20 euros for the ride, but we were lucky to share that with another couple who happened to be going to the castle at the same time. It’s cash only, so make sure you have some on hand.
If you’re not going to the caves and want to skip the walk, you can always just call the taxi service yourself and have them pick you up at the bus/train station and take you directly to the castle. If you are planning to do this, I would recommend calling ahead and letting them know what train or bus you’ll be on and expected time so they can plan your pickup.
Here is that taxi information again:
Pearsons Transport
Phone: 386 41 959 037
Email: matjaz.vrcon@gmail.com
📣Your trip to the castle, whether from the caves or the station, will need to be round trip. So make sure you make a plan to get back to the caves or station via shuttle or taxi if you did not drive yourself.
Buying Your Tickets
You can buy your tickets ahead of time online here or in person at the caves or castle. Tickets for both the caves and the castle are 49.9 euros, just the caves are 34.9 euros, and just the castle are 24 euros. Or if you want access to both along with all the special exhibits, you can get the full ticket for 59.9 euros.
Keep in mind that tickets to the caves are timed, so you have to plan to be there at your specific ticket time. Tickets to the castle are open for any time during the day. However, tickets can sell out to both during peak season, so plan ahead if you’re traveling sometime in the summer!
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I need to plan to spend?
We spent 90 minutes at Predjama, and probably could have spent another 30 minutes if we really took our time reading everything. All in all, our day trip from Ljubljana, including transportation and lunch, took about 5.5 hours.
The cave tour also takes about 90 minutes.
So if you are planning to do both, plan for probably around 5 hours total in the park, plus transportation time.
Where to eat nearby?
Both the caves and the castle have restaurants and cafes nearby. Nothing fancy, these are pretty basic offerings, but they’re available in a pinch. We ate at Gostilnica Predjamka, sitting outside with perfect, unobstructed views of the castle. There are also some restaurants in the town of Postojna if you’d like a grab a bite before or after your walk/taxi ride.
Can I stay nearby?
The town of Postojna has multiple hotel options nearby if you didn’t want to do this as a day trip. If you REALLY want to stay close, there is a hotel right on the grounds of the park, right to the caves! You can book that hotel here.
What else is there to do nearby?
If you have a car, you can also go onto Piran, a beautiful seaside village, or explore another cave at Skocjan Cave. Or you can see Lipizzan horses at the nearby Lipica Stud Farm. If you’re in the mood for a hike, hop on over to Nanos for some great views of the valley below. You can also take a guided hike with BEARoundme to go see some of the more furry locals!
Are the caves and castle wheelchair accessible?
Unfortunately, given the castle’s multiple stairs, Predjama Castle is not wheelchair accessible. However, you can still enjoy the exterior view and the views from outside! If you struggle with stairs, please be aware that this castle does have many steep and uneven staircases that may be difficult.
Postojna Caves ARE wheelchair accessible though! Be aware that there are some steep ramps, so you may need assistance with that if planning a visit.
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