Hrpelje-Kozina, where the Karst meets the hills of Brkini

What Hrpelje-Kozina is

Hrpelje-Kozina has 5,451 people and covers 194.8 km², and its largest settlement is Hrpelje, with 1,188. The caves of Divača and Škocjan are very close, to the north. Brkini rises to between 400 and 750 m and, according to the Karst Tourist Office, from a satellite it looks like a green oasis in the middle of the Karst, because its flysch soil is far younger than the limestone. Where the water from its hills reaches the limestone, it sinks and forms caves and blind valleys.

What to see, Ajdovščina and Rodik Mythical Park

Above the village of Rodik, by the road from Kozina to Divača, rises Ajdovščina, a hill from which the old routes were controlled. Its foundations go back to the Early Iron Age, when a wall 2 m wide was built, and the ruins visible today belong to the 4th and 5th century stronghold, one of the best preserved in Slovenia, with remains of houses and streets.

Rodik is also rich in mythology. Folk tradition says a pond on Čuk Hill was home to the lintver, a dragon or giant snake. The Mythical Park tells the story with 12 stone markers spread along two trails, which you can follow on foot or by bike from the visitor centre.

Brkini, apples and brandy

Brkini has been fruit country since the late 18th century, and by the 19th its apples and plums were already sold in Trieste, Rijeka, Vienna, Paris and London. The best-known product is Brkinski slivovec, a plum brandy with a protected designation of origin, and the signature dish is sweet potato dumplings with a plum inside. At carnival the škoromati come out, which the Karst Tourist Office describes as the oldest carnival costumes in Europe recorded in historical sources.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Kozina before prices climb.

Slivje and Tone Kralj’s frescoes

In Slivje, the church of St Martin, from 1697, holds frescoes by the painter Tone Kralj. He painted them in 1943 and 1944 and, in the middle of the war, dared to dress the villains of the Bible stories as fascists.

Getting to Kozina

Kozina lies by the coast motorway and on the regional road towards Rijeka. Kozina gets buses from Ljubljana, eight on Monday 19 October 2026 against four on Saturday 24, per the bus station planner. To the south-east, Brkini continues towards Ilirska Bistrica; what is left of the region I cover in the coast and Karst.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Kozina before prices climb.