Predjama Castle - Impressive, Impregnable and A Brilliant Day Out
- Work To Wonders
- Jun 12
- 3 min read
Slovenia is one of Europe's best-kept secrets. A small Alpine nation in the Balkans, it's usually overshadowed by its nearby neighbours (Italy, Croatia, and Austria) when it comes to tourism. But those who refuse to overlook it find a nation with stunning mountain views and its gorgeous fairy-tale capital, Ljubljana, not to mention the extraordinary views at Lake Bled.
If you are going to Slovenia, the mountains, the lake, and the capital city are probably where you will go.
But Slovenia has another quite impressive secret. It has a quite special castle. This is not the castle in Ljubljana. It's Predjama Castle. This castle has an ace up its sleeve.
The name 'Predjama' means 'in front of the cave'. Behind this storied, well-preserved medieval castle is the giant four-story high cave. This cave has openings into the nearby countryside. These were a means of smuggling provisions into the castle while it was under siege, which made it virtually impregnable. Seeing inside the castle was fascinating on its own. Leaving the back of the castle and entering the cave was absolutely enthralling.
We went there with our primary school-aged daughter (as she was then). She loved it. It felt to her like 'Horrible Histories' come to life.
But our day out wasn't done.
Our tour guide then took us to the Postojna Cave. Here you get to ride the rails of the world's first cave train deep underground. You then wander subterranean walkways around stalactites and stalagmites, in a surreal wonderland.
On the car ride back to Ljubljana, we asked our daughter what she thought of the trip. She quickly answered, 'Best day out ever!'
We tend to agree.
So if you're in this part of Europe, give your children a dose of reality that will stay with them for years. Take them to Predjama Castle and the Postojna Cave. Trust us: they will love it.
How to get there
There aren't many flights from the UK to Ljubljana - just British Airways and EasyJet from London. However, there are two other ways to get there. You can either take the Flixbus or Itabus from Venice Mestre (around 3.5 hours) or the Flixbus from Zagreb (around 2.5 hours). Zagreb, and especially Venice, both have more flight connections.
We recommend staying in Ljubljana and taking a tour to Predjama and Postojna. Public transport isn't so regular to both.
To see a map of the very best Slovenia has to offer, click here.
How we did it
We did a bit of a 'Race Across The World' style tour! We flew into Zagreb, saw the city, and visited the utterly jaw-dropping Plitvice Waterfalls. We then traveled from Croatia to Slovenia by train (which is no longer possible). After seeing Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Predjama, and Postojna, we then took the bus to Venice, stayed in Venice Mestre (to save money - this was before Venice instituted a tourist tax), and flew home from Venice.
We booked our tour through Viator.
If you choose a good time to go there (i.e. any time but winter) and have the energy to do this, it will be the adventure of a lifetime.
Our Top Tips
It's absolutely worth getting a guide for this tour. Their stories of medieval goings-on will enthrall and entertain your children, particularly the story of Erazem, who met with a rather unfortunate end...
Book a private or small group tour if you can. They are relatively inexpensive. However, we don't advise taking a combi tour with Lake Bled. They are at almost opposite ends of the country. Lake Bled deserves a day out on its own and can be easily reached from Ljubljana.
Wear appropriate footwear and clothes. The caves are natural. Expect them to be damp and a little cold.
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