Otocec Castle

Otočec is the only Slovenian castle built on an island, sitting on a small piece of ground in the middle of the Krka with a wooden bridge to each bank. It began in the thirteenth century as a fortification on the river bank and ended up surrounded when the channel was cut behind it. Burned in the war and rebuilt in the 1950s, it has run as a hotel and restaurant ever since, so the interiors are hotel interiors rather than historic rooms.

What you actually see

• The island setting - the only Slovenian castle standing in the middle of a river.
• The two wooden bridges - the approach from either bank of the Krka.
• The courtyard - the inner court, open to those eating or staying.
• The Krka - the slow green river running around the walls.

When to go

Year round; the grounds and the outside are always accessible. Summer brings weddings and events that close parts of it. Autumn mist on the river is good for photographs.

Honest expectations

It is a hotel, and non-guests see the outside, the bridges and the grounds rather than historic interiors. Events and weddings can close the island entirely. The restaurant is expensive by local standards.

Nearby

Novo Mesto is west, and Kostanjevica na Krki is southeast.