My husband and I love outdoor things and history of this area. Any castles or museums to not miss off from the big tourist attractions? We have a car. We love this country.
Thanks, Debbie
I am not a castle person, but I've seen references to Predjama Castle (think there are tours going there), and it is just off your driving route. You'll also be going right past the Postojna Caves (highly developed for tourism, but worth seeing nonetheless) and the more naturalistic Skocjan Caves. I'd suggest one of the cave systems, not both.
I'm not familiar with Slovenian Istria, but I took a one-day bus tour of Croatian Istria in 2015. I enjoyed the medieval towns of Motovun and Groznjan. I don't know whether you have enough time in Piran to include a bit of Croatia. There are occasionally slow-ups at border crossings; I imagine it's worse around weekends and during the peak beach season.
I'm sure Dejan will have some good ideas for you.