Theodore_S, okt. 2022
Had a great time on this tour. Starting up the trip is a little nerve-wracking because you get nervous until they pick you up from the location. But indeed, the tour guide came on-time and everything worked out. The van said, "Roundabout Travel" and was hard to mistake for something else.
Škocjan Caves is an amazing place to visit. However, it's a lot of walking, and if anyone in your group is not in at least moderate shape, this may not be the tour to take them on, as the tour guide (not the one driving the tour van, but a specific guide from the caves) walks very quickly in order to keep tourists moving through the caves. There are hundreds of steps, both up and down. I recommend light clothing or layers if you can; for me, I wish I wore short sleeves, even though it was fall when I did this. Even though the cave is cool, the pace of the tour made a lot of people emerge from the cave with large sweat marks on their shirts.
Once you finish, you have a choice of a red, yellow, or green path that you can take back to the top. The green path is a short walk up some more steps followed by a funicular. The yellow and red paths are increasingly longer and more strenuous. The red path is not an option for people on this tour because it takes too long. And unfortunately, if people take the yellow path, it also increases the wait time for everybody else, which cuts into your time at Piran.
After that, it was onto the prosciutto/wine tasting, which was delicious. (Local prosciutto is made by drying it in the winds that are common for Slovenia.) It was at a simple, non-descript restaurant that you wouldn't know about unless you were a local. (I don't even think the building had a sign on it, yet it was full of people.) They also serve freshly-baked bread and local olive oil. The tour guide put it up to a vote as to whether or not we wanted to stop there (as it costs extra and also takes time). Unfortunately in our group, we were split about 50/50. Thankfully everybody was easygoing and though we ultimately went, I could see a situation where not everybody would be pleased about this democratic decision.
The stud farm was a quick photo stop. You can check out the horses ultimately destined for the Spanish Riding School, and snap some pictures. Tip: Bring something to feed them if they're close to the fence. Unfortunately, you have no guarantee of seeing them, as they may or may not be grazing close to the roadside. So please set your expectations accordingly.
After that, it was on to Piran. In between stops, our very knowledgeable guide would give us some fascinating information about what we were about to see. I was very impressed with his wide-ranging knowledge. Piran is a free stop to do whatever you want to. I honestly wish there were a little more time to spend in this town, as it is a beautiful place on the Adriatic coast. If you choose to eat, that's about all you will have time to do, and if you opt to do some sightseeing instead of eating, you may end the day hungry. No matter what you do, you will only get a taste of the town. Tip: Save these coordinates in your phone's map software before you go: 45.52816, 13.56800. That's the spot at Tartini Plaza where your tour guide will meet you with the vehicle, unless they tell you otherwise.
The last stop on this tour will be Predjama Castle, which you might visit at night depending on the time of year. It's a very interesting place where the castle is built into the side of a cliff. Hopefully, your guide might share some interesting stories about the castle. Whether you get there when it's dark or light out, you will not go inside, as that's not part of this tour. But there are separate tours that do visit the castle inside.
All in all, this was a wonderful full-day experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone. The only reason I gave this four stars instead of five is because the time in Piran felt too short, and also, the tour guide didn't use deodorant, and he could have used some.