Must-see attractions in 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…

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…

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

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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

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

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…

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…

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

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…

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 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…