Understand
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.
Get in
The nearest airport is in Trieste, about 90 minutes away by coach. Trieste is served by Ryanair, from London, among others.
There is no train service to Piran. Frequent buses connect to the nearby coastal towns of Izola
and Koper, 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.
Get around
Piran is very small. The only way to get around is to walk, but it's probably only 30 minutes maximum from one end to the other.
Cars are generally not allowed in the old town and even when they are it's 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 and costs about €8 per day. The city provides a free shuttle bus to and from the parking lot and Tartinjev trg roughly every twenty minutes.
See
Do
Buy
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.
Eat
There are plenty of seafood restaurants by the sea (along Prešernovo nabrežje), but most of them are touristy and expensive.
Drink
Sleep
With a shortage of hotel accommodation the best option can be to take a 'private room', ie 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 surprisingly that doesn't seem to matter even if you speak no Slovenian - they're generally very helpful and remember, they've done this before. 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.
Get out
Piran is close to the other Slovenian coastal towns of Portorož, Izola and Koper.
Further afield, Divača and the Škocjan Caves are about an hour away by car. A short drive to the south lies the Istria region of Croatia with beaches, more Venetian towns and Roman ruins.
Piran (Italian Pirano) is a town and municipality in southwestern Slovenia on the Adriatic coast along the Gulf of Piran. The municipality has 16,758 (2002) inhabitants and covers a 46.6 km² area. The town has 4,576 (2002) inhabitants on an 1 km² area. The municipality is bilingual, both Slovenian and Italian are official languages. It borders on the south with Croatia, on the north (on the sea) with Italy and on the east with the municipalities of Izola and Koper.
The highest peak is 289 m high (Baretovec pri Padni). The municipality's festival is on October 15, which celebrates the foundation of the first naval detachment Koper in the year 1944. The municipality has an international airport and a marina.
Piran is an old Mediterranean town situated at the tip of the Piran peninsula along the Gulf of Piran. The town resembles a large open-air museum, with medieval architecture and a rich cultural heritage. Narrow streets and compact houses give the town its special charm. Piran is the administrative centre of the local area and one of Slovenia's major tourist attractions.
Piran is the birthplace of composer and violinist Giuseppe Tartini (born April 8, 1692), who played an important role in shaping its cultural heritage. The town's main square, Tartini Square (Slovenian: Tartinijev trg, Italian: Piazza Tartini), is named after him.
To mark the 200th anniversary of Tartini's birth, the people of Piran decided to erect a monument in his honour. Venetian artist Antonio dal Zotto was commissioned to create the larger-than-life bronze statue of the "maestro", which was eventually mounted on its pedestal in 1896. The statue dominates the square, overlooked by the Cathedral of St. George.
Twin towns
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