Piran

Piran is probably the most beautiful of Slovenia's coastal towns, perched on a tiny piece of land jutting into the sea. It feels more like an Italian coastal town, without all the Italian tourists, and for good reason: Piran was part of the Venetian empire from the late 13th century to the end of the 18th century.

By plane

There is a small airport located 15km away in Portorož, called Portorož international Airport. Although it is an international airport, there are relatively few flights from foreign states.

By train

There is no train service to Piran. Nearest station is in Koper.

By bus

Frequent buses connect Piran to Izola, Koper (20 minutes), and Trieste (1 hour), and there is a free shuttle service to the adjacent resort of Portoroz. From Ljubljana, there are buses roughly hourly, taking 2-2.5 hours for the journey depending on route. Schedules are available online.
Buses also connect Piran with Bernardin and Lucija every 15 minutes.

By boat

Boat service is also available regularly from Venice.
During the summer there are 3-4 boats per day between Piran and Trieste. The journey time is around 1 hour.

By foot

Piran is very small and it takes 30 minutes to walk from one end to the other.

By car

Cars are generally not allowed in the old town and even when they are it is not a lot of fun since the streets are very narrow and parking costs €24 per day. There is parking available outside the town center. The biggest lot is along the waterfront at Fornače, but reserved only for local inhabitants and busses. At Fornače there is also a parking house with the same name, which costs about €17 per day; another parking house is Arze and costs €12 per day . The city provides a free shuttle bus to and from the parking lot Fornače and Tartinijev trg roughly every 15 minutes (in Slovene) (in Italian).

• Tartinijev trgthe beautiful oval-shaped main square, with a statue of the famous violinist Giuseppe Tartini. This was once the marina, but after it silted up it was paved over with white stone.

• Venetian HouseThe red building on Tartinijev trg, is a fantastic example of gothic Venetian architecture and the oldest building on the square. Built by a rich Venetian merchant to house his mistress, spot the inscription between the upper windows: it says Lassa pur dir, or "let them talk".

• Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum

  phone: +386 5 671-0040
  address: Cankerjevo nab 3
  Has several exhibits that tell the story of Piran's maritime history and culture.

• Church of St. George (Cerkev sv. Jurija)The inside is quite beautiful. Nice view of the city and harbour from the belltower.

• Watch the SunsetPreferably from a bar on the waterfront with an aperitivo in hand.

• SwimThere is no beach, but you can swim in the sea from the many piers scattered about.

• Diving Schoolexplore the clear Adriatic Sea.

• Climb to the top of the city wallstake in the view of the peninsula

• Walk along the coastal path from the Church of St. George to Fiesaabout one kilometer each way

Unlike many of the other towns along the Adriatic coast, there are few shops with postcards, souvenirs, football (soccer) jerseys, etc. There is a small shop about halfway up the hill on ulica IX.Korposa that advertises handmade Slovenian crafts. At the central square there is a shop where you can buy high quality sea salt from the local sea salt evaporation ponds.

Many of Piran's restaurants are located along the waterfront (Prešernovo nabrežje), with open air seating and great views. The food and service is generally good, but many of the restaurants tend to have similar menus (meat, fish, mixed grills, etc.) and similar prices. Restaurants away from the main waterfront area can be a bit cheaper. There are also a number of pizzerias and gelato shops scattered around the town. If you want fresh produce, there is sometimes a market behind the municipal building off Tartinjev trg.

• Fontana

  phone: +386 5 673-1200
  address: Gallusova ulica 2
  A small restaurant with a veranda that serves seafood and Slovenian dishes.

• Gostilnica

  phone: +386 5 673-2226
  address: Prešernovo nabrežje
  Wide selection of seafood dishes.

• Neptun

  phone: +386 5 673-4111
  address: Župančičeva ulica 7
  A small restaurant one street back from the harbour that specializes in seafood.

• Pavel

  phone: +386 5 674-7101 and +386 5 674-7102
  address: Prešernovo nabrežje
  On the waterfront with tables indoors and outdoors. Serves a variety of meat and fish dishes.

• Pizzeria Batana

  phone: +386 5 676-2517
  address: Kidričevo nabrežje 4
  Pizzeria on the inner harbour.

• Pri Mari

  phone: +386 5 673-4735
  address: Dantejeva 17
  Small restaurant that specializes in seafood.

• Restaurant Miralonda

  phone: +386 5 676-2514
  address: Stjenkova 1
  Mixed menu with seating along the waterfront.

• Restaurant Riva

  phone: +386 5 673-2225
  address: Gregorčičeva 43
  Serves a variety of meat and fish dishes.

• Tri Vdove

  phone: +386 5 673-0290
  address: Prešernovo nabrežje 4
  Waterfront restaurant with a mix of meat and fish dishes.

Clubs

For clubbing, it is better to go to Koper or Portorož.

• Tri papige

  phone: +386 5 673 24 49
  address: Kidričevo nabrežje 4
  Night Club

With a shortage of hotel accommodation the best option can be to take a 'private room', (rent out a room in a local's house). Several local tourist agencies keep lists of such rooms and will book them for you. Don't expect the owners to speak English, but they are generally very helpful and are experienced in hospitality. Standards vary: sometimes you'll get towels for a shower, sometimes not. But regardless, it will certainly be an experience and a chance to meet some locals.

Budget

• Val Hostel

  phone: +386 5 673-2555
  address: Gregorčičeva 38a
  Open year-round, this hostel has 22 rooms with 2, 3, and 4 beds per room.

• Youth Hostel Piran

  phone: +386 40-752660
  address: Vodopivceva 9
  Situated on a pedestrian area, right in the heart of the old part of town. All rooms have a TV. The bathroom and the kitchen is shared between 4 rooms.

Mid-range

• Hotel Barbara Fiesa

  phone: +386 5 617-9000
  address: Fiesa 68
  Air-con, 6 Superior rooms, 36 Plus rooms, all with balcony overlooking the sea/lake, phone, satellite TV, minibar, WC and shower.

• Bed & Breakfast - Miracolo Di Mare

  phone: +386 51 44 55 11
  address: Tomšičeva 23
  Completely renovated B&B with 12 tastefully decorated double and twin rooms. All rooms have a satellite TV, WC and shower. Free WiFi access and bike rental.

• Max Hotel

  phone: +386 5 673-3436
  address: Ulica IX.Korpusa 26
  A small hotel with just 6 double rooms. All rooms have a TV, bathroom and shower.

Splurge

• Hotel Piran

  phone: +386 5 676-2502
  4-star hotel with 80 rooms and 10 suites, Internet room and WiFi access.

• Hotel Tartini

  phone: +386 5 671-1665
  address: Tartinijev trg 15
  There are 43 rooms, many which look out at the square or the sea.

• Slovenian coastal towns: Portorož, Izola and Koper
• Divača and the Škocjan Caves - 1 hour away by car.
• Istria region of Croatia
• Trieste, Italy - 1 hour away
• Venice, Italy - 2.5 hours away