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Piran at sunset from the hill above the town, St George's church and its bell tower on the headland over the red roofs and the harbour
The peninsula from the hill by the town walls · St George's above the harbour
Town brief · 45.5281°N 13.5683°E

Piran

Slovenia has under fifty kilometres of coast, and Piran is the town on it to sleep in: you can swim before breakfast and watch the sun set from St George's terrace without ever needing a car.

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Why you should go

Ninety seconds on Piran

How long
One or two nightsone for the town, one for Strunjan or the salt pans
Getting around
On foot inside the wallsbuses run along the shore to Portorož and Izola
When
June to Septemberthe busiest weeks are July and August
Language
Slovene and Italian, both officialthe town is Pirano on every sign
Money
The euro, since 2007cards are taken almost everywhere
Airports
Trieste TRSabout 75 km by road; Ljubljana LJU is about 150 km
How long

How many days do you need in Piran?

One or two nights. One full day covers the old town, the walls, the bell tower of St George's and a swim. Day trippers from Trieste and Koper leave in the evening, so the town is quietest early and late.

Getting around

Do you need a car in Piran?

No. Cars are kept out of the old town, and drivers leave them in the Fornače garage at its edge, with a shuttle bus into Tartini Square about every quarter of an hour. Buses run along the coast to Portorož, Lucija and Izola, and the shore promenade to Portorož is a flat walk of about forty minutes.

When

When is the best time to visit Piran?

June to September, when the sea is warm enough to swim. July and August are the busiest weeks, and the summer concerts of the Piran Musical Evenings fill the monastery cloister. Outside summer the town is quiet and the swimming ladders are left to the locals.

Language

What language is spoken in Piran?

Slovene and Italian are both official in Piran. English is widely spoken in the hotels, cafés and ticket offices.

Money

What currency does Piran use?

The euro, which Slovenia adopted in January 2007. Cards are accepted in most hotels, restaurants and shops, and there are cash machines in the old town and in Portorož.

Airports

Which airport do you fly into for Piran?

Trieste (TRS) in Italy is the closest, about 75 kilometres by road. Ljubljana Jože Pučnik (LJU) is about 150 kilometres away. Buses run from Ljubljana's bus station to Piran and Portorož. Venice is a longer transfer.

The old town fills one small peninsula, and you can cross it on foot in ten minutes. Give the morning to the walls and the bell tower, the hot middle of the day to the water, and the evening to Tartini Square.

There is no sandy beach in the old town. You swim from ladders along the promenade toward the lighthouse, or follow the coast path east to the pebbles at Fiesa. For sand and loungers, walk the shore or take the bus to Portorož.

Sleep inside the old town if you want the square at night and the sea outside the window. Most rooms there are small apartments up steep stairs, so pack light. Portorož, three kilometres along the shore, has the big hotels with pools, and a frequent bus back into Piran.

There is no train to Piran. Buses from Ljubljana take about two and a half to three hours, and the nearest railway station is Koper, a short bus ride up the coast. On Saturdays from May to mid-October a catamaran sails to Venice in about three and a half hours; book it ahead.

With a second day, walk the cliff path at Strunjan in the morning or take the bus or a bike south to the Sečovlje salt pans by the Croatian border. Izola, a working fishing town, is about twenty minutes along the coast by bus.

Things to do

14
  1. Piran Town Walls

    Piran Town Walls

    Fortress · 30 min

    Walk the surviving stretch of Piran's walls for the view the town is known by: red roofs, church towers and narrow lanes packed onto one small peninsula, with the Adriatic stretching out beyond them.

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  2. Sečovlje Salt Pans

    Sečovlje Salt Pans

    Park · 2 hr

    Walking the Lera pans, you are on one of the last two salt-pan areas left on the Gulf of Trieste, where salt is still raked by hand.

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  3. Tartini House

    Tartini House

    Museum · 30 min

    Worth the short step off Tartini Square: inside the house where Giuseppe Tartini was born, you stand beside his own violin and under wall paintings his relatives commissioned.

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  4. Tartini Square

    Tartini Square

    Landmark · 30 min

    Tartini Square is the centre of Piran and the place you sit down: an oval of white Istrian stone ringed with café terraces, with the whole old town around it.

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  5. Aquarium Piran

    Museum · 30 min

    Before you swim, snorkel or take a boat out from Piran, step inside to see the octopus, squid, urchins and fish that live in the water around the town, kept in small tanks above the remains of a medieval church.

    View more →

  6. Cape Madona

    Landmark · 1.5 hr

    Bring a mask and snorkel: the water off the lighthouse is the clearest you will find in town.

  7. Fiesa Lakes

    Beach · 1.5 hr

    Walk out here when you want a pebble beach instead of the ladders on the town promenade.

  8. Forma Viva

    Park · 1 hr

    Come here for an hour of quiet among the olive trees when the beach at Portorož is too crowded.

  9. Kempinski Palace Portorož

    Hotel

    Book here if a pool and a spa matter more to you than waking up inside the old town.

  10. Minorite Monastery of St Francis

    Monastery · 30 min

    Step into the cloister at midday, when the square outside is at its hottest.

  11. Portorož Beach

    Beach · 3 hr

    Choose this beach when you want sand, showers and a lounger instead of rocks.

  12. Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum

    Museum · 1 hr

    Go before the salt pans: the museum explains what you will see on them.

  13. St. George's Parish Church

    Church · 30 min

    Climb the bell tower for the view straight down onto Tartini Square and the boats in the harbour.

  14. Strunjan Nature Park

    Park · 2.5 hr

    Set aside a morning for the longest stretch of this coast with no buildings on it, and bring a swimsuit.

Basemap Meridian · data © OpenStreetMap
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Sources 2

The official pages this guide was checked against.

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