Skocjan Caves (and possibly Lipica Stud Farm) - Questions

ViaMichelin.com estimates the driving time from Plitvice to the Skocjan caves at 3 hr. 50 min. Be very careful if you use GPS for driving directions. There appear to be at least two places in Slovenia called "Skocjan", and they are not in the same part of the country.

I don't remember the name of the route I took through the caves; it wasn't the shortest one. I do remember that the walk from the ticket office down to the entrance kept me on my toes. It was somewhat downhill, and there were wet leaves about. To keep up with the guide, I had to walk a bit faster than I would normally done on that type of surface. There are also some places inside the cave where one goes up or down stairs. I don't remember any issues there, so there must have been handrails. You will have a guide through the caves themselves but probably not for the remainder of the walk.

Please note that the Google Maps routing shows the primary option via Prezid, the border town between Croatia and Slovenia. Only EU, EEA, and CH passports are taken at that crossing - not US passports. You'll need to cross at Rupa, which takes longer.

Also google maps likely does not factor in the wait times at the border. Count on adding 30-60 minutes, depending on the day of travel.

All paths at Skocjan require quite a bit of walking and a lot of stairs. My 8 year old did it, though.

Emily, I believe you selected the wrong Skocjan Caves listing in Google Maps, driving via Prezid makes no sense otherwise and Google Maps routes via Rupa for the correct cave location, at least on my laptop. They have had that wrong listing in the middle of nowhere for ages now and have not taken it down despite complaints. Furthermore, there are many villages and towns in Slovenia called Skocjan adding to the potential confusion for visitors.

I agree about accounting for waiting times at the border. There likely won't be more than 15 minutes or so, but it's better to be on the safe side in case there are.

Ah, you are correct. I thought something looked odd when I did that. Hopefully the OP doesn't make the same mistake either and end up in the middle of nowhere.

A visit to Predjama Castle is also a nice addition to the caves.

Thank you all so much for your helpful replies. Based on the driving distance and border crossings, we will likely visit the caves the following morning before heading to Lake Bled.