Piran

Piran (Italian: Pirano) is a city in the Coast and Karst region of Slovenia.

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

Tartinijev trg, the central square of Piran

By plane

See also: Coast and Karst#Get in

The closest airport is south of Portoroz, 1 Portoroz Airport (POW  ^IATA), close to the Croatian border. At a distance of ca. 15 km from Piran, it is the smallest of 3 international airports in Slovenia, however, it has few international connections.

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 2-2½ hours for the journey depending on route. Schedules are available online.

Buses also connect Piran with Bernardin and Lucija every 15 minutes.

Flixbus has regular services to/from nearby Portoroz, which buses calling at the 2 Portoroz coach station.

By boat

There is a catamaran service from Venice twice a week operated by Venezia Lines departing from the San Basilio ferry terminal. The journey takes 2.5 hours and costs €55.

During the summer there are 3-4 boats per day between Piran and Trieste. The journey time is around 1 hour.

Get around

By foot

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

By bus

There is a free bus travelling along the coast between Piran and Portoroz, stopping at Bernardin. Closest bus stop is 1 Tartini Square.

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 centre. 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 isparking house Arze-, which 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. See (in Slovene) or (in Italian).

See

Inside the Church of St. George

• 1 Tartini Square (Tartinijev trg). 24/7. The 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. Free.  
• Venetian House. The 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". 
• 2 Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum (Pomorski muzej), Cankerjevo nab 3 (south of Tartini Square), ☏ +386 5 671-0040. Jul-Aug: Tu-Su 09:00-12:00, 18:00-21:00; Sep-Jun: Tu-Su 09:00-12:00, 15:00-18:00. Has several exhibits that tell the story of Piran's maritime history and culture, housed in a historic palace. €3. 
• 3 Church of St. George (Cerkev sv. Jurija). 07:00-22:00 daily. A Roman catholic church built on the hill top in Venetian Renaissance style in the early 16th century. The inside is quite beautiful, although it's closed with a gate outside sermon hours which means only peeking in from the door is possible. Free.  
• 4 Reliquary (adjacent to the Church of St. George). It houses various religious artefacts, archaeological finds, and historic artworks. Only takes 15 minutes to look around, but requires a fee to get in. €2. (updated Sep 2022)
• 5 Bell tower (zvonik). A faithful replica of the San Marco Campanile in Venice. For a fee it's possible to climb the tower, which offers a magnificent view over the city and the bay. €2. (updated Sep 2022)
• 6 Magical World of Shells Museum (Čarobni svet školjk), Tartini Square 15, ☏ +386 40 729 555, toll-free: +386 40 700 053, svet.skoljk@gmail.com. 10:00-19:00 daily, closed on Mondays. Operated by the Mediterranean Institute and curated by Jan Simič, the museum has a collection of 3,000 shells and aquatic creatures on display, including exotic ones. €4. (updated Sep 2022)
• 7 Aquarium (Akvarij), Kidričevo nabrežje 4, ☏ +386 5 673 25 72, akvarij@upr.si. 10:00-21:00 daily. Small aquarium with a variety of sea creatures. A tour takes only around 15 minutes, and kids tend to enjoy it. Also nicely cool inside, so a great activity during the hottest times of the day. €8. (updated Sep 2022)
• 8 Lighthouse (Piranski svetilnik) (Punta). A beautiful lighthouse tower. (updated Sep 2022)

Do

• Watch the Sunset. Preferably from a bar on the waterfront with an aperitivo in hand. 
• Swim. There is no beach, but you can swim in the sea from the many piers scattered about. 
• Diving School (northern side of the town). Explore the clear Adriatic Sea. 
• 1 City walls (Mestno obzidje), Ulica IX Korpusa. A section of the historic city walls, which were part of the fortifications protecting the city to the west. The northern section is open to the public, and its 4 watch towers are the highest points in Piran which means they offer fantastic views! The wall and towers have very narrow and low access with uneven steep steps, and not at all recommended for children or the elderly. €3. (updated Sep 2022)
• 2 Coastal path to Fiesa. 24/7. Walking and cycling path, about 1 km each way, following the cliff face and pebble beaches. Free. 

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. At the central square there is a shop where you can buy high quality sea salt from the local sea salt evaporation ponds.

Eat

Piran's coast with colourful buildings, swimming piers and restaurants

Many of Piran's restaurants are found 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.

• 1 Gostilnica, Gregorčičeva ulica 35, ☏ +386 5 673-2226. Wide selection of seafood dishes. €10-20 for mains. 
• 2 Neptun, Župančičeva ulica 7, ☏ +386 5 673-4111, gbojan@siol.net. 12:00-16:00 and 18:00-00:00. A small restaurant one street back from the harbour that specializes in seafood. 
• 3 Pavel, Prešernovo nabrežje, ☏ +386 5 674-7101, +386 5 674-7102. 11:00-00:00 in the summer. On the waterfront with tables indoors and outdoors. Serves a variety of meat and fish dishes. €8-16 for mains. 
• 4 Pizzeria Batana, Kidričevo nabrežje 4, ☏ +386 5 676-2517. Tu-Su 11:00-22:00. Pizzeria on the inner harbour. 
• Pri Mari, Dantejeva 17 (close to the Fornače parking lot.), ☏ +386 5 673-4735. Small restaurant that specializes in seafood. €8-16 for mains. 
• Restaurant Miralonda, Stjenkova 1 (in the Hotel Piran), ☏ +386 5 676-2514. Mixed menu with seating along the waterfront. 
• Restaurant Riva, Gregorčičeva 43 (along the waterfront, almost at the tip of the peninsula), ☏ +386 5 673-2225. Serves a variety of meat and fish dishes. €8-16 for mains. 
• Tri Vdove, Prešernovo nabrežje 4, ☏ +386 5 673-0290. Waterfront restaurant with a mix of meat and fish dishes. €8-16 for mains. 

Drink

Clubs

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

• Tri papige, Kidričevo nabrežje 4, ☏ +386 5 673 24 49. Night club. 

Sleep

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, Gregorčičeva 38a, ☏ +386 5 673-2555. Open year-round, this hostel has 22 rooms with 2, 3, and 4 beds per room. €25, breakfast included. 
• Youth Hostel Piran, Vodopivceva 9, ☏ +386 40-752660, hostelpiran@gmail.com. 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. €22. 

Mid-range

• Hotel Barbara Fiesa, Fiesa 68 (outside of the old town on the bay between Piran and Strunjan and near Portorož), ☏ +386 5 617-9000. Air-con, 6 Superior rooms, 36 Plus rooms, all with balcony overlooking the sea/lake, phone, satellite TV, minibar, WC and shower. €55-60. 
• Bed & Breakfast - Miracolo Di Mare, Tomšičeva 23, ☏ +386 51 44 55 11. 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. €70, breakfast included. 
• Max Hotel, Ulica IX.Korpusa 26 (in the middle of the old town), ☏ +386 5 673-3436, info@maxpiran.com. A small hotel with just 6 double rooms. All rooms have a TV, bathroom and shower. €70, breakfast included. 

Splurge

• 1 Hotel Piran (on the harbour), ☏ +386 5 676-2502. 4-star hotel with 80 rooms and 10 suites, Internet room and WiFi access. €74-134. 
• 2 Hotel Tartini, Tartini Square 15 (close to the harbour), ☏ +386 5 671-1665, info@hotel-tartini-piran.com. There are 43 rooms, many which look out at the square or the sea. From €82. 
• 3 Vila Piranesi. (updated Sep 2022)

Go next

Ferries to Italian destinations Trieste and Venice are leaving from the 3 harbour. There is no proper ferry terminal but there are some amenities on the pier, including toilets.

• Trieste — 1 hour away
• Venice — 2½ hours away

Other Slovenian destinations can be reached over the road:

• Slovenian coastal towns: Portorož, Izola and Koper
• Divača and the Škocjan Caves — 1 hour away.
• Istria region of Croatia