more stuff to see at Skocjan cave

Skocjan cave is massive, Unesco protected and more & more visitors to Slovenia know about it.. but how many of you spend more than the standard 2 hours?!

We always encourage our guests who like a bit of a walk to do at least the 2nd self guided tour at the cave, but of course this takes the extra time that the average visitor to Green Slovenia just doesn't have, as they have often totally misjudged the amount and scale of things to do here! Hence Skocjan caves get their 2 hours of attention and then off you zoom to the next wonder of nature!

And for many, the main cave guided tour is more than enough to blow your mind for the day at the sheer scale of this massive hole underground and the power of the water gushing through.. It is an underground experience that you will never forget.

    exit for skocjan cave in green slovenia    path in skocjan cave slovenia

But if you knew that the village of Skocjan and the cave park itself hold more secrets for you to find.. all this just over 20 mins from the Lodge, then maybe you would allocate a little more time to explore.. we suggest a minimum of half the day.

BREAKING NEWS.. Especially in the busier summer months vists to Skocjan Cave really need to be booked in advance ONLINE.. better at least the day before or as soon as you know your plans..

You can choose your time slot, here is a LINK TO THE SKOCJAN CAVES BOOKING PAGE..

All those people who have been to Skocjan cave and have not seen the amazing "Queen's view", can now kick themselves.. Imagine a view, just a 5-10 min walk from the ticket office where you can look across a massive hole big enough to swallow the largest pyramid, with a stunning church sitting opposite on top of a sheer green cliff and deep down below the mouth of the cave with the river gushing out?

For us, this is the very best view in Green Slovenia and this is saying something! Now how could you miss out on that!

    walking in skocjan cave    skocjan hoehle in gruen slowenien
There isn't a sign that says "best view in Slovenia", but all you do upon exiting the cable car thingy that brings you back from the cave, or having walked back yourself, is to look for a sign for the "Queens view" or vista, (see below right), which can be found just before you get back to the café and ticket office. There is a path, which is actually a fab longer nature trail, that leads off right.. just follow this for 5-10 mins and don't forget your camera!

The cave's website is pretty good, but can be a bit confusing about what tours are on offer and when, so quite simply, as a minimum, you should definitely do the main guided tour and the self guided tour number 2. Depending on what time of year you visit, the self guided tour might not be available.. we went last time in late September and we were incredibly lucky as the only tour available was the main tour, but there was some path maintenance being done, so we got to go alongside the powerful river where it flows into the cave, normally only available on the self guded tour.

People were just standing there next to the river gasping at the sheer power of it all!

    funicular tram back from skocjan cave    sign post to the queen's vista at skocjan cave

There is also a little village just down the road from the cave car park with several little micro museums and a great walk up to that beautiful church we mentioned that you can see from the other side of the second largest hole in Europe. The history of the village, particularly the gruesome truth of how the cave was first explored, the amazing views and history on offer here in the village of Skocjan make this place an unmissable addition to your time in Skocjan.

So if you also explore the nature trail or walk to the cave from the church and find the old steps down into the hole, or do the second or third tour or visit a few museums.. you can see how easily you could spend the whole day here!

When you consider that Lipica, the home of the world famous Lipizzaner horse is also just a few minutes down the road from Skocjan, direction Divaca, then you probably need to get down to breakfast on time!!

A few more Little Tips for your Day out at Skocjan:

In the busier season, there will most likely be at least 2 or even 3 English speaking groups. We recommend just waiting your time for the last group.. it will be smaller and will not contain the pushy, noisy people desperate to get into the first or second English group. If you are prepared to wait just a little longer to get inside this truly world class natural phenomenom then you will get exactly the same tour with less hassle and an overall better cave experience!

There is a little village called Lokev not far from the cave, in between Divaca and Lipica with several very, very good restaurants. If you don't believe us, then believe the numerous Italians who come over the border to eat in these restaurants and Italians know about food. Lokev is a long thin village, in fact the largest village in Slovenia. Do be patient in finding a parking space and you will be rewarded with a fab Slovenian eating experience!

If you do go to Lokev and / or to Lipica, then be prepared to stop after just a few minutes at a tiny car park on the way out of Divaca, on the left side just a bit after the main roundabout. Look for a little explanation sign at the car park, park up and behind the green bushes and trees you wil discover yet another massive hole!

This is a prehistoric cave that collapsed millions of years ago and left a crater a bit like a volcano or a meteor strike! You can walk all around here and peer over the edge and just listen to all those other cars driving past with absolutely no idea what they are missing!

Most of our guests return from a trip to Skocjan completely overwhelmed by the size & power of nature.. we wish you a fab day out at the cave.

Email: info@lipizzanerlodge.com

Address: Landol 17, Postojna 6230, Slovenia

Phone: +386 5620 3443
Mobile: +386 40 47 0239 or +386 40 37 8037

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