The fairytale Predjama castle in Slovenia

Welcome to this new blog post! In this post I would like to invite you on a journey to the fairytale world of knights at Predjama castle in Slovenia.

My journey to Predjama

After a road trip in Italy in fall 2023, I spontaneously visited Predjama on the way home. This spontaneous stopover was definitely one of the highlights of the entire trip. During a guided tour I learned a lot of exciting things about the castle, which I would now like to share with you.

The cave castle of Predjama

In western Slovenia, an 800-year-old medieval wonder sits on a 100-meter-high rock face. Predjama Castle was always considered impregnable because of its location. In fact, no attacker has ever managed to conquer the fortress.

In addition, there was a network of secret passages from which knights went on raids. Predjama castle is the largest cave castle in the world. Numerous bats also live in the huge cave behind the castle.

Location and surroundings

The castle is located in the small town of Predjama, which is less than an hour away from the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, and the same distance from the Italian coastal city of Trieste, near the Slovenian border.

The castle is located in a wooded valley, between many hills. A relatively winding small country road leads there. Further down in the valley there is a car park, from there you have to walk uphill to the castle. In the buildings not far from the castle there is a souvenir and ticket shop, as well as a restaurant.

From the castle windows you have a good view over the valley. Incidentally, hundreds of years ago, when the lord of the castle lived there, there were no trees in the valley. This meant that attackers could be spotted very quickly on the horizon, as there was a wide open space.

Tours

You can visit the castle inside with a guided tour or an audio tour. You can also book a tour of the adjacent cave. You can also enter the front part of the cave with just a ticket for the castle tour. There are separate tours for the rest of the cave, but these are only offered in the summer months.

In the castle you can enter numerous rooms and immerse yourself in the history of Predjama castle. You will get exciting information and have an unforgettable experience.

The cave

After visiting the castle, you cross a narrow wooden bridge into the cave. Steps lead up a little higher and you can look outside through a large hole. You can see interesting rock formations and stalactites.

On the other side of the castle there is also a terrace with a great view, which is carved into the rock. The steps lead from a lower terrace between the rock walls to the viewing platform. Incidentally, the lord of the castle lost his life on the lower terrace when a boulder fell from the rock roof above.

The cave is what makes Predjama castle so special! If you are in Slovenia or near the border in Italy, you should definitely plan a visit to the largest cave castle in the world!