Postojna Cave by train
1 h 30 · 5 kmAll ages, with a pushchair
A 90-minute visit to Postojna Cave: 3.7 km by train, a little over 1 km on foot with a guide and 10 °C all year. Online ticket €34.90.
From €34
Book
Access50 km from Ljubljana
Cave visit1 h 30 min
Temperature10 °C all year
Overall difficultyLow
Visits leave at set times. Arrive half an hour early: the train boards a quarter of an hour before departure, and if you miss it you wait for the next.
What to do
What to do in Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Predjama Castle
1 hFamiliesAll year
A castle over 800 years old wedged into a cave halfway up a 123 m wall, 9 km from Postojna. Ticket €24, open all year.
From €24
Book
Proteus Vivarium
30 minSmall children
A small zoo of cave animals 50 m from the mouth of Postojna Cave, with olms and the Leptodirus beetle. Ticket €12.80.
From €12
How to do it
Plan the trip
Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle
Open every day of the year. In spring and autumn there are fewer groups. In July and August it fills up by mid-morning, but the bus between the cave and the castle runs. In December a living nativity scene is staged inside the cave.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Who you're with
Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle for whoever you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
A train inside a cave
For a small child, the train is already the excursion. The cave is one of the few you can visit with a pushchair.
- What works bestThe train and the walk…
- Where to sleepHotel Jama, 100 metres from…
- Where to eatThe park self-service, quick and…
- Keep in mind10 °C inside: bring a…
What works best
- The train and the walk in the cave, with no steps
- The vivarium, with the olm up close
- The exhibition on the karst, which is short
Where to sleep
- Hotel Jama, 100 metres from the entrance
Where to eat
- The park self-service, quick and with plenty of room
Keep in mind
- 10 °C inside: bring a coat even if it is hot outside
- Folding pushchairs go on the train; changing tables in the toilets
- An hour and a half is the limit for many 3- or 4-year-olds
- The castle, with its stairs, is better with a baby carrier
What to do with young children
Cave in the morning, castle in the afternoon
It is a day that works for all ages: the little ones have the train and the older ones the robber knight's castle.
- What works bestThe first train of the…
- Where to sleepNext to the cave or…
- Where to eatSelf-service in the park; a…
- Keep in mindUnder-14s must always be with…
What works best
- The first train of the morning
- Predjama Castle and the legend of Erazem
- The combined ticket and the summer bus between the two
Where to sleep
- Next to the cave or facing the castle
Where to eat
- Self-service in the park; a restaurant in Predjama
Keep in mind
- Under-14s must always be with an adult
- In summer, book a time slot in advance
What to do as a family
Passages, torches and a canyon underground
They like the train and the stalactites, but what they will remember is the castle with its secret exit and a cave with no light.
- What works bestThe passages of Predjama Castle
- Where to sleepIn Postojna, to do two…
- Where to eatA mixed grill facing the…
- Keep in mindThe cave under the castle…
What works best
- The passages of Predjama Castle
- The cave under the castle, with a torch, from May to September
- The Škocjan Caves, half an hour away
Where to sleep
- In Postojna, to do two caves in two days
Where to eat
- A mixed grill facing the castle
Keep in mind
- The cave under the castle has few places: book
- In summer there is a knights' tournament at Predjama
What to do with teenagers
Where to stay
Where to stay in Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle
Hotel Jama
Why we like it: Sleeping here puts you on the first train of the morning before the coaches arrive.
Country house
Požar Rooms
Why we like it: Rooms above the restaurant, facing the castle. At night, lit up, the village is all yours.
Hotel Kras
Why we like it: On the village square, with restaurants all around and the cave 2 km away.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Postojna Cave and Predjama Castle
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
Facing the castle
Gostilna Požar
What to order: home-style Slovene cooking on the terrace.
Reduced hours out of season: call first
Map
Everything on the map
Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Wrap up warm even in August
Inside it is 10 °C all year and the train is open. Bring a sweatshirt and trainers.
- 2Start with the castle if you arrive late
The groups do the cave first. Predjama first thing is peaceful.
- 3Buy the combined ticket
Cave and castle together work out cheaper than separately, and include the summer bus.
- 4Check the day's timetable
In winter there are fewer departures than in summer; check before you go.
Local tip
Take the first train of the morning. The big chambers, with no other groups behind you, are twice as impressive.
We'd skip it
Eleven to three in July and August. The coaches from Ljubljana, the coast and Croatia coincide, and the train groups follow one another without a break.
What is it and why is there a train?
The cave was carved by the River Pivka, which disappears underground in the Slovenian karst, the limestone plateau that gave the phenomenon its name worldwide. The known system has 24 km of galleries, the largest tourist cave in the classic karst. Because the chambers are far from the entrance, for more than 140 years a train has carried visitors inside: you ride it for one stretch and the rest, about 1.5 km, you do on foot with a guide, among stalactites, columns and a natural concert hall.
At the end you see the olm (Proteus anguinus), a blind, pink amphibian that lives only in these waters, can live to a hundred and can go for years without eating.
Predjama Castle, 9 km away, is built into the mouth of another cave, halfway up a 123-metre wall. It has been there for more than 800 years. Its most famous owner, the robber knight Erazem, withstood a siege of more than a year in the fifteenth century because the cave behind gave him water and a secret exit.
How much time do I need?
The cave, an hour and a half. The castle, about an hour. With the journey between the two and lunch, a full day without rushing.
How do I get there?
By car, 50 km along the motorway from Ljubljana or 53 from Trieste. By train, the Ljubljana–Koper line stops at Postojna; from the station it is a good walk or a taxi to the cave. You reach Predjama by the Bukovje road; there is a shuttle bus from the cave for those with the combined ticket (€2 return), but it does not run all year.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can you visit with a pushchair?
In the cave, yes: paths and ramps are adapted and folding pushchairs go on the train. At the castle there are narrow stairs.
How much does it cost?
The cave, from about €34 for an adult. The combined ticket with the castle, from €49.90. Prices change with the season and sales channel.
Is it cold inside?
Yes: 10 °C all year, with humidity. A light jacket is enough.
Can you do it in a day from Ljubljana?
Yes, it is the classic excursion. By car you are there in 45 minutes.
Can minors go alone?
No. Under-14s enter only with an adult.