The back story
The Slovenian coast & Karst: the back story
Great show caves, the Lipizzaner horses and Venetian-flavoured Piran, from the Karst to the sea.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Jakub Hałun · CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsThe Karst holds some of Europe’s great show caves and the original home of the Lipizzaner horses. On the coast, Piran’s marble square, the salt pans and sunset tables above Portorož await.
Into the caves
At Postojna, a visit begins on an underground railway before a guided walk through halls of formations, with the olm on show in the Vivarium. Nearby, Predjama Castle is built into the mouth of a cave halfway up a sheer cliff. At Škocjan, UNESCO-listed since 1986, the Reka flows through a vast underground canyon crossed by the Cerkvenik bridge.
The Lipizzaners of Lipica
The Habsburgs founded the stud farm at Lipica in 1580, and it remains the original home of the Lipizzaner horses. Tours visit the stables and the herds, and on some days there are riding performances. Back in Postojna, Bistro Štorja, new to the MICHELIN Guide Slovenia in 2026, makes a good lunch stop.
Piran and the salt pans
Piran’s Tartini Square was once the inner harbour, and its marble oval is framed by the town hall, the courthouse and the red Gothic Venetian House. Above, the bell tower of St George’s, modelled on St Mark’s in Venice, looks out to Croatia and Italy. South of Portorož, the Sečovlje salt pans are still worked in the traditional way.
The Škocjan Caves have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1986.
Our advice: buy Postojna Cave tickets online and bring warm clothes.
Why it's on our list
- Into the caves
- The Lipizzaners of Lipica
- Piran and the salt pans
Location
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