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.

By plane
The closest airport is south of Portoroz,, close to the Croatian border. At a distance of ca. 15&thinsp;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.

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.

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

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




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


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.

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



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.

Go next
Ferries to Italian destinations Trieste and Venice are leaving from the. There is no proper ferry terminal but there are some amenities on the pier, including toilets. Other Slovenian destinations can be reached over the road:
 * Trieste — 1 hour away
 * Venice — 2½ hours away
 * Slovenian coastal towns: Portorož, Izola and Koper
 * Divača and the Škocjan Caves — 1 hour away.
 * Istria region of Croatia