-Europe.Slovenia.Piran-
Piran a western town on the Slovenian coast has a lot of character – I visited Piran fairly recently , earlier in the year and wondered why I have not done so earlier. If I had to compare the town , I would say it struck me as having a similar feel to Venice, just way less touristy. The Italian feel is not accidental as the Istrian Peninsula was under Roman rule a long long time ago.
Table of Contents
Spending the day in Piran
Tartini Square
The smell of the blue sea greeted us as soon as we stepped out of the car at the garage. We took the shuttle all the time in sight of the coast. There is a bar entrance leading to the centre. In the heart of it all is the Tartini Square, a picturesque area with the City Hall in the foreground and the belltower of the Church of St. George in the background. On the Saturday that we visited there were a few open-air stalls for the locals to hawk their goods.
The square was named for Piran born Giuseppe Tartini, a violinist and composer of Italian descent. The square has plenty of cafes and small eateries where people commonly have their cuppa while people watching. Narrow alleyways lead away from the Square.
Piran Harbour
Near to the Square is the harbour or marina where the smaller boats including fisher boats are docked.
Piran Waterfront
On the other side is the peninsula and waterfront where one can enter the blue water for a swim. The promenade is a nice walk with plenty of restaurant options. It can get crowded around meal times during high season.
Church of St Klement Bell with Bell Tower is at the Cape (light tower ??)
Getting Here and Parking:
There is a bus service from Ljubljana central to Piran and here is the Link. Travel time is around 2 hours and the bus leaves almost hourly. If you are there with a car be aware that parking is only available outside the historic centre. We parked at Fornače parking with multi-level park. There are already nice views when you park on the higher levels.
There is an elevator which you can take to the lowest level to get to the free shuttle bus to the historical centre.
There is the time schedule for the bus at the stop.
If you are staying in a hotel in Piran centre , you should enquire about Parking and how to drop off your luggage.
Spending the day in Piran
Church of St Klement Bell Tower in Piran[/caption]
To get to the church, from Tartini Square walk up the hill. It is around a 15 -20 minute walk up the hill. The church has a small entrance free, as well as the belfry tower. It is also a good view from up there. Another good view point is from the old Piran city walls with a 2 Euros entrance fee.
In conclusion Piran is really worth visiting , it reminds me of Little Venice , much in part due to the Belfry is a smaller version of San Marco. As proof how much I liked my day out in Piran , I have my photo reminder 🙂
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Day Trip Ideas:
-The End-
I skipped Piran on my trip to Slovenia because I was going to Croatia after and decided to spend most time in the mountains and lakes of Slovenia, and the coast of Croatia. However, Piran does look like a pretty little coastal town and since you compare it with Venice, I’m sure its pretty awesome, minus the only negative of Venice, the crowds. Tartini Square seems to have a great vibe, would love to walk around and have some great wine and food in the patio restaurants.