Must-see attractions in Southwestern Slovenia

  • Ancient illustration (1490)  of  the Dance of Death in the church of Hrastovlje, Slovenia. 29th June 2011. For editorial use only ; Shutterstock ID 586578413; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Church of the Holy Trinity

    Southwestern Slovenia

    What attracts most people to this little church is the famous Dance of Death or Danse Macabre, a fresco that shows 11 skeletons leading the same number of…

  • Postojna Cave

    Postojna Cave

    Southwestern Slovenia

    The jaw-dropping Postojna Cave system, a series of caverns, halls and passages some 24km long and two million years old, was hollowed out by the Pivka…

  • Slovenia, Karst Region, Skocjan, View of Skocjan Caves Park

    Škocjan Caves

    Southwestern Slovenia

    Touring the huge, spectacular subterranean chambers of the 6km-long Škocjan Caves is a must. This remarkable cave system was carved out by the Reka River,…

  • Predjama castle

    Predjama Castle

    Southwestern Slovenia

    Predjama Castle, 9km from Postojna, is one of Europe's most dramatic castles. It teaches a clear lesson: if you want to build an impregnable fortification…

  • White Lipizzan Horses running; Shutterstock ID 342228359; Your name (First / Last): Anna Tyler; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: destination-image-southern-europe

    Lipica Stud Farm

    Southwestern Slovenia

    The stud farm can be visited on very popular, 50-minute guided tours. The interesting, informative tours are available in a number of languages; a tour…

  • Križna Cave

    Southwestern Slovenia

    You can explore most Slovenian caves on foot, but Križna (Cross) Cave, one of the most magnificent water caves in the world, is one of few where you can…

  • Tartinijev Trg

    Piran

    The pastel-toned Tartinijev trg is a marble-paved square (oval, really) that was the inner harbour until it was filled in 1894. The statue of a nattily…

  • Cathedral of St George

    Piran

    A cobbled street leads from behind the red Venetian House Tartinijev trg on to Piran's hilltop cathedral, baptistery and bell tower. The cathedral was…

  • Titov Trg

    Koper

    In the centre of old Koper, Titov trg is a Venetian-influenced stunner; mercifully, like much of the Old Town’s core, it is closed to traffic. On the…

  • Cathedral of the Assumption

    Koper

    Plumb on Titov trg is the Cathedral of the Assumption and its 36m-tall belfry, now called the City Tower, with 204 climbable stairs to superb views. The…

  • Praetorian Palace

    Koper

    On the southern side of Titov trg is the white Praetorian Palace, a mixture of Venetian Gothic and Renaissance styles dating from the 15th century and the…

  • Bell Tower

    Piran

    The Cathedral of St George's free-standing, 46.5m bell tower, built in 1609, was clearly modelled on the campanile of San Marco in Venice and provides a…

  • Mediadom Pyrhani

    Piran

    This exciting new multimedia, interactive museum takes you on an innovative journey through Piran's historical story, with a 'time machine' and numerous…

  • Lake Cerknica

    Southwestern Slovenia

    Since ancient times, periodic Lake Cerknica (Cerniško Jezero) has baffled and perplexed people, appearing and disappearing with the seasons. Cerknica is a…

  • Notranjska Regional Park

    Southwestern Slovenia

    This 222-sq-km park is a real biodiversity hotspot and holds within its borders a good deal of the region's karst phenomena, including the intermittent…

  • Trg Brolo

    Koper

    Linked to Titov trg to the east, Trg Brolo is a wide and leafy square of fine old buildings, including the late-18th-century baroque Brutti Palace, now…

  • Snežnik Castle

    Southwestern Slovenia

    Surrounded by parkland, the restored 16th-century Renaissance Snežnik Castle is one of the loveliest and best-situated fortresses in Slovenia. Entrance is…

  • Kidričeva Ulica

    Koper

    On the north side of Kidričeva ulica are several churches from the 16th century, including the Church of St Nicholas, plus some restored Venetian houses…

  • Sečovlje Salina Nature Park

    Slovenian Coast

    This 750-hectare saltpan-studded area, criss-crossed with dikes and channels, has a wealth of birdlife – 290 species have been recorded here.

  • Trg 1 Maja

    Piran

    Trg 1 Maja may sound like a socialist parade ground, but it was the centre of Piran until the Middle Ages, when it was called Stari trg (Old Square). The…

  • Venetian House

    Piran

    One of Piran’s most eye-catching structures is the mid-15th-century Gothic Venetian House, with its tracery windows and balcony, in the northeast of…

  • Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum

    Piran

    Located in the 19th-century Gabrielli Palace on the waterfront, this museum's focus is the sea, with plenty of salty-dog stories relating to Slovenian…

  • Carpacciov Trg

    Koper

    One of the most colourful streets in Koper, Kidričeva ulica, starts at Carpacciov trg, where the Column of St Justina commemorates Koper’s contribution –…

  • Kostanjevica Monastery

    Western Wine Regions

    On a 143m hill south of the train station (signed 'Grobnica Bourboni'), this monastery was founded by the Capuchin Franciscans in the early 17th century…

  • Rakov Škocjan

    Southwestern Slovenia

    Rakov Škocjan is a beautiful, 2.5km-long gorge lying some 6km west of Cerknica. The Rak River, en route to join the Pivka River at Planina Cave, has…

  • Planina Cave

    Southwestern Slovenia

    Planina Cave, 12km to the northeast of Postojna Cave, is the largest water cave in Slovenia and a treasure-trove of fauna (including Proteus anguinus)…

  • Vivarium Proteus

    Southwestern Slovenia

    Just near the entrance to the Postojna Cave is the Vivarium, the cradle of a special branch of biology: speleobiology. Postojna provides shelter to dozens…

  • Punta Lighthouse

    Piran

    Punta, the historical ‘point’ of Piran, still has a lighthouse, but today’s is small and relatively modern. Attached to it, however, is the round,…

  • Prešernov Trg

    Koper

    The 17th-century Italian family who erected the fountain in Prešernov trg was named Da Ponte; thus it is shaped like a bridge (ponte in Italian). At the…

  • Heritage House

    Southwestern Slovenia

    This project, which opened in 2015, aims to preserve the cultural and natural heritage of the Notranjska Regional Park, and to that end it stages public…

  • Goriško Museum

    Western Wine Regions

    Three kilometres east of the town, the Goriško Museum resides in the impressive, 17th-century Kromberk Castle. The collection spans rich period…

  • Museum of Lake Cerknica

    Southwestern Slovenia

    In the village of Dolenje Jezero you will find the Lake House Museum, with a 5m-by-3m, 1:2500-scale working model of Lake Cerknica. It shows how the…

  • Expo Postojna Cave Karst

    Southwestern Slovenia

    This well-designed, kid-friendly space displays details of karst phenomena in an engaging manner, and tracks cave exploration. Most interesting is all the…

  • Besenghi degli Ughi Palace

    Izola

    Izola’s most beautiful building – albeit looking a little worse for wear – is this late-baroque palazzo below the Parish Church of St Maurus. Built…

  • Čevljarska Ulica

    Koper

    Atmospheric Čevljarska ulica, a narrow commercial street for pedestrians, runs south from Titov trg. As you walk under the arch of the Praetorian Palace,…

  • Forma Viva

    Portorož

    Perched atop the Seča Peninsula south of town (beyond the marina), Forma Viva is an outdoor sculpture garden with some 130 works carved in stone. The real…

  • Minorite Monastery

    Piran

    The Minorite Monastery has a lovely cloister, and the attached Church of St Francis Assisi was built originally in the early 14th century but enlarged and…

  • Almerigogna Palace

    Koper

    At the end of Čevljarska ulica and down the stone steps is the Almerigogna Palace, a painted Venetian Gothic palace (now with a very basic pub on ground…

  • Church of St Clement

    Piran

    Just behind Punta lighthouse, the round, serrated tower of the Church of St Clement (originally built in the 13th century but altered 500 years later)…

  • Parish Museum of St George

    Piran

    The Parish Museum of St George includes the Cathedral of St George's treasury and catacombs; it also allows you to access the church's interior. Items of…