The Ultimate Guide To Visiting Slovenia’s Postojna Cave

In the past 200 years, Slovenia’s Postojna Cave has attracted 36 million visitors from around the world, and after my visit there, its not difficult to see why. Visitors to the country flock to Postojna Cave to see for themselves the natural wonder that lies there, 24 kilometers of incredible stalactites in all different shapes, colors and sizes. If you find yourself planning a trip to Slovenia, be sure to put these caves on your list, but before you go, here’s everything you need to know!

Location

Postojna is easily accessible not only from Slovenia, but also neighboring Italy and Croatia, making it an ideal day or 1/2 day trip for those looking to experience the magic of the caves.

• From Ljubliana: 35 minute drive, 1 hour bus ride (approx. 6 Euro)
• From Trieste, Italy: 35 minute drive, 1 hour bus ride (approx. 8-20 Euro)
• From Croatia: Less than hour drive to Croatian border

I opted to take the bus from Ljubliana and enjoyed the 1 hour ride through Slovenia’s stunning countryside. The bus station is close to both a tourist information center and the caves. As tours generally leave every hour, be sure to allow around 15 minutes to walk to the caves.

Cost:

• Adults: 23.90
• Students: 19.10
• Children (over 15): 14.30
• Children (under 5): 1.00

Tickets can be purchased online or in person. Before going, I recommend checking out the Postojna Cave website to check opening and tour times, and to also check out some of their other tour packages to see if they are right for you.

The Postojna Cave Tour

The standard tour includes a 1.5 hour journey through the caves. As the temperature in the caves remains a constant 50 degrees fahrenheit, I highly recommend bringing a sweater or wearing something warm, although you can rent a coat at the cave’s opening. The tour begins at the underground railway, where visitors board a train that follows the cave’s twists and turns for 3.7 kilometers until visitors are delivered to the beginning of the walking path.

The train ride is the perfect way to listen to the free audio guide and learn about some of the cave’s history, while also taking in some of the splendor of the surrounding underground world. I especially appreciated the train ride, as I needed a rest from walking so much earlier in the day!

The rest of the tour takes place on foot before catching the train back to the cave’s opening, and this section of the tour was my favorite part. For around an hour, I followed the guides and the footpath through the underground labyrinth of archways, stalactites and stalagmites 2 million years in the making, as I took in the unique underground landscape surrounding me.

The cave itself is beautifully lit, with lights accenting the unique formations and brilliant colors of some of the deposits. Each step was more incredible than the last, and as the path lead me from one gallery to the next, I was astounded by the variety of formations hidden away in the caves, which were hollowed out over millions of years by the underground Pivka River.

Tour Highlights

In total, visitors are able to explore 5 km of the 24 km cave system on the tour. While the entire experience is enjoyable, there are several tour highlights which I found to be especially captivating on this subterranean adventure.

Great Mountain

After exiting the train, visitors immediately head along the path to the “Great Mountain” one of the largest caverns in the cave, filled with immense towering stalactites formed over thousands of years.

“The Beautiful Caves” 

The beautiful caves are exactly what they sound like, a collection of three of the most beautiful and unique parts of the caves. The Spaghetti Hall, Red Hall, and White Hall are each named after their unique features.

The so-called Spaghetti Hall features long thin stalactites that resemble spaghetti, but I preferred the audio guide’s romantic description of “petrified rain”.

The White Hall is thus called because of it’s brilliant white calcium deposits and stalagmites and stalactites.

There is also the Red Hall, which consists of reddish-orange formations due to the mixture of other minerals along with the calcium deposits.

Brilliant

This stalagmite is believed to be the cave’s most beautiful stalagmite, and has long been regarded as a symbol of Postojna. The 5 meter tall brilliant white limestone formation is believed to be around 50,000 years old, and stands alone in an otherwise reddish color hall.

Proteus

Another symbol of Postojna is the Proteus or Olm, which means human fish. These large transparent amphibians may be blind and extremely sensitive to light, but they live up to 100 years! At the end of the tour, you can take a peek at these fascinating cave-dwellers in one of the cave’s underground aquariums.

The Postojna Cave is one of the most interesting and unique sites I have ever visited and is truly one of nature’s wonders! The bizarre and unfamiliar underground world is sure to leave a lasting impression and definitely makes it on my list of some of the coolest natural phenomena I have ever seen. If you are planning on spending more time in this area, be sure to check out the 800 year old Predjama castle, which is built into a cliff just a few kilometers from the site.

If I were to visit again in the future, I think I would look into booking one of Postojna’s adventure tours, a guided tour through the cave’s darkest caverns not seen on the standard tour. Adventurers can explore the cave with a guide and a headlamp, and experience the life of a cave explorer for a day while navigating rock and water obstacles and connecting with the cave’s natural inhabitants-bats! For a great article on visiting the castle, check out this post by my friends at Conversant Traveler.

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Is a visit to the caves on your bucket list? What are some of your favorite natural wonders? Let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget to check out my other posts on Slovenia!

• My Glamping Getaway at Big Berry Luxury Camp, Slovenia
• Living Local In Slovenia: What To Do And See In Bela Krajina
• Surprising Slovenia: Stunning Street Art in Ljubljana