Introducing Postojna, Slovenia
Postojna is a modern town in southwestern Slovenia, where most people come to visit its remarkable cave. The town was first mentioned in historic documents in 1226, but excavations revealed that the area was populated already in the Paleolithic Era. Postojna became a borough in 1432 and obtained town rights only in 1909. Today it has about 9,200 inhabitants and is the economic, administrative, educational and cultural centre of the Inner Carniola (Slovene: Notranjska) region of Slovenia. The town takes its name from an old Slovenian word for White-tailed eagle, a large bird of prey that used to nest on the Sovic hill that rises above the town on its northern side.
The vast majority of visitors come to Postojna to visit the Postojna Cave, an awe-inspiring 24-kilometre-long cave system of underground passages, galleries, tunnels and chambers with calcite formations, stalactites and stalagmites abounding in a variety of shapes and colors. First opened to the public on 17 August 1819, the cave is situated on the northern edge of the town. More than half a million people visit it each year. Thanks to Postojna’s transformation into a tourist town, there are now four hotels and many other guesthouses, bed and breakfasts and private accommodation options for every traveler’s budget in the town. An array of restaurants, cafés and bars can be found in the town too. For culture lovers, the town offers museums and galleries, especially worth seeing is the Karst Museum in the centre of the town. Many interesting events take place in the town throughout the year and especially in the spring and summer months. The most popular are the Furman Festival, the Erazem’s Medieval Tournament and the Zmaj ‘ma Mlade Festival. The surrounding countryside offers possibilities for jogging, hiking, horseback riding, cycling and other sports activities. For adventure seekers of all ages, there’s a well-managed adventure park right next to the cave featuring swing bridges, ladders, climbing nets, ropes and zip wires.
Postojna is not only a lovely town in itself, but can be used as a great base for exploring parts of central Slovenia as well as the Karst region that extends towards the Adriatic Sea. Only 8 kilometres to the northwest of the town is the magnificent Predjama Castle, one of the world’s most dramatic castles that sits nestled in the mouth of a cave and is set within a 123-metre-tall rock face. Other major attractions nearby are the Skocjan Caves, the Lipica Stud Farm and the medieval coastal town of Piran.
Postojna can be easily reached by car on the A1 motorway from the directions of Ljubljana or Koper on the coast. From Trieste (Italy) it can be reached by taking the A3 motorway towards Divaca, followed by the A1 motorway to Postojna. Driving time from Ljubljana is about 40 minutes, from Trieste (Italy) about 35 minutes and from Rijeka (Croatia) about an hour. Bus connections link Postojna’s main bus station to Ljubljana, Koper, Rijeka and Trieste several times daily. The main bus station is located near the town centre. Postojna is also on the main train line linking Ljubljana with Trieste. The railway station is located approximately one kilometre from the town centre.
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Overall Rating: The Postojna Cave is a stunning underground system of passages, caverns, magnificent halls and stunning stone sculptures that are more than 20 km long. It is the most visited cave in Europe and the only cave with a double-track railway in the world, where visitors can experience a thrilling train ride through the extraordinary beautiful underground landscape. Visitors explore almost 6 km of the cave. |
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Overall Rating: The Predjama Castle is a beautiful renaissance castle built in the mouth of a cave in the idyllic village of Predjama in the Karst region of Slovenia. It was constructed in the Gothic style in the 13th century and is considered to be one of the more significant architectural masterpieces of that time. To prevent easy access, the castle was built under a natural rocky arch high in the stone wall. |
| The accommodation options in Postojna can be divided into six main categories: hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, apartments, farm stays and hostels. |
Thanks to Postojna’s transformation into a tourist town, there are now five hotels in Postojna, so, if you're planning to visit Postojna and would like to stay in a hotel, read on and find out which are the ones that we recommend. |
A nice guest house offers a friendly and relaxed travelling experience. Most Postojna guesthouses are family owned and operated, and offer a homey atmosphere and friendly service. There are several good guesthouses in Postojna and the surrounding area, find out which are the ones that we recommend the most. |
Many local residents in Postojna offer apartments for rent in their houses. It’s a very popular budget-oriented option when you are staying in Postojna. But be careful, the rates and quality vary seriously, so always do a good research before you book an apartment! |
Bed-and-breakfasts are always a good lodging option. They are a great place to meet fellow travelers, learn more about the area from knowledgeable hosts, and enjoy a hearty breakfast before hitting the road. There are a few good B&Bs in Postojna, find out which ones we recommend the most. |
Hostels provide wallet-friendly, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed in a dormitory or a private room and share a bathroom, lounge and usually a kitchen. Postojna is a small town and currently only has one hostel. Luckily it's a very nice one. Find out if it suits your needs. |
Farm stays can encompass a range of accommodations from rural bed and breakfasts to working farms. Some farmstays are quite luxurious, with comfortable rooms and delicious homemade breakfasts each morning; in this sort of accommodation, your closest contact with the farm itself may be a leisurely stroll across a rolling pasture. Other farmstays offer more hands-on activities, which could include milking cows, feeding livestock, collecting eggs, etc. If you want a nice experience on a farm, stay at one of the farmstays listed here, they are the best in the Postojna area and really worth staying at. |
Postojna Pictures
View our image gallery that proves you absolutely have to visit Postojna!
Elevated view of the town. Image by Tiia Monto / CC BY-SA 3.0
The Titov Trg Square in the centre of the town. Image by Tiia Monto / CC BY-SA 3.0
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Postojna is a small, modern town with just a few more than 9,000 inhabitants. Each year, more than half a million travelers come here to visit the Postojna Caves, a remarkable underground system of passages, caverns, halls and surreal stone sculptures that lie just below the town’s surface. The town is very tourist friendly and features a number of restaurants, cafés and bars as well as a very interesting museum in the town centre dedicated to karst phenomena. |
Postojna Cave is a stunning underground system of passages, caverns, magnificent halls and stone sculptures that are more than 20 kilometres long. It's the most-visited cave complex in Europe. Here's a stunning photo gallery with 50 breathtaking photos taken by professional photographers! |
A beautiful picture gallery containing 15 high resolution photos of the Postojna Cave taken by tourists and amateur photo enthusiasts who have visited the cave! |
The most unique and the most famous living nativity scene in Slovenia is staged along a 5 kilometre path inside the jaw-dropping Postojna Cave. Each year more than 150 performers are acting out the Biblical story of Christmas in 16 scenes set along the path. The nativity scenes are open to public for five or six days in the week between Christmas and New Year. |
This beautiful renaissance castle was constructed in the Gothic style in the 13th century and is considered to be one of the more significant architectural masterpieces of that time. To prevent easy access, the castle was built in the mouth of a cave under a natural rocky arch high in the stone wall. |
Location of Postojna on the map
Address: Titov trg 1, 6230 Postojna, Slovenija
Latitude and Longitude Coordinates: 45.775482, 14.212495
GPS coordinates: 45° 46′ 31.7352” N 14° 12′ 44.982” E
Region: Inner Carniola (Slovene: Notranjska)