Guide: Coastal region and Karst

Coastal region and Karst

A surprise awaits us on every kilometer of Slovenian coast. The Cliff of Strunjan (Strunjanski klif) is a natural reserve with thick layers of marl and sand-stone that rises up to 60 meters above the sea and is because of that the highest cliff along the entire Adriatic Sea.

In the sun are basking the Sečovlje Saltpans (Sečoveljske soline) where salt – also called the white gold - is being produced continuously since the 13th century. In their immediate vicinity more than 150 species of birds also nest.

 
The towns of Piran, Izola and Koper are inviting the guests with their medieval image, while Portorož, mentioned for the first time in 1251, with its numerous hotels and congress halls, sport airport, spas, casino, and a rich picking of cultural, entertainment and sporting events.

Only a stone’s throw from the coast the beauties of Slovenian Istria await you with its picturesque villages. Among the Hrastovlje are the most famous due to the church of Holly Trinity painted with narrative late gothic frescos of the Dance of the Death.

In the coastal hinterland we find the Karst (Kras). In the cellars of stone-made houses excellent wines are being poured and remarkable prosciutto is ripening on the winds of Karst. It is a paradise for the gourmands and the lovers of Karst underground beauties. Postojna Cave (Postojnska jama), mentioned for the first time already in 1213, is at the moment with more than 26 million visitors the most visited cave in Europe.

Škocjanske jame (Škocjan Caves) are listed on the UNESCO list of world natural and cultural heritage. The beauties of the Križna Cave can be seen in rubber boats with the assistance of carbide lamps. And in Slovenia there is also probably the oldest tourist cave in the world – Vilenica near Divača that was visited by the tourist for the first time already in the forst half of the 17th century.  

A particular celebrity of sorts of Slovenian caves is the proteus anguinus or the ‘human fish’, which is also the largest known cave animal in the world. But from Karst stem also the noble Lipizzaner horses. Lipica, where the stud farm was standing already in 1580 houses today a popular tourist center with riding school, hotels, a pool, a golf course and a casino.