Piran in 2 days
Walls, square, bell tower and museums on day one, the salt pans or a beach on day two, and Monday shuts three places.
- Walls
- €4, winter 8:00–18:30, summer 8:00–21:00
- Maritime Museum
- €5, September–June daily 9:00–17:00
- Aquarium
- €7, Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–19:00
Two days in Piran split along one line: what works every day, and what shuts on Monday. The walls never take a weekly break, while the Maritime Museum, the Tartini Museum and the aquarium are closed on Mondays. The plan gives the old town to the first day and the nature around it to the second, and the short section after day one says what to do if your Monday falls on day one.
Walls, square, bell tower, museums
Be on the walls when they open at 8, for €4. The walk links three defensive towers and rewards an early start, since the town is still quiet below you. The walls are closed when the weather turns bad, so a gale or a storm sends you straight to the next stop.
Tartini Square comes next. It was the inner harbour until 1894, and the monument to Giuseppe Tartini, a violinist born in Piran, was unveiled in 1896. The Venetian House on the edge of the square is a Gothic building of the 15th century, and it is the only one around the square with its original facade.
The bell tower of St George's, in Adamičeva Street, is about 46 metres tall. Hours follow the season: every day from 9 to 20 between May and August, 10 to 18 in April, September and October, and weekends only, 10 to 16, from November to March.
Choose fish or fritolin. Fritolin pri Cantini serves fried seafood from a self-service counter, and Gostilna Pavel on the waterfront grills fish and shellfish for those who prefer a table.
The Maritime Museum in the Gabrielli Palace costs €5, and from September to June it works from 9 to 17. The Tartini Museum costs €4. Between June and September it keeps hours of 9 to 12 and 18 to 21.
Walk the waterfront toward Punta, then have dinner at Tri vdove on the same side, where the fish is fresh.
Half a day outdoors
The Sečovlje salt pans cover 650 hectares at the mouth of the Dragonja, and the salt is still made by hand. Entry is €7 from 1 April to 31 October. The Salt Museum is closed from November to March, so a winter visit means the pans alone.
Choose between two coasts. Fiesa is a pebble beach under pines, with shallow water, showers and toilets, and no lifeguard. Portorož is the livelier choice, reached by city bus line 1, with managed beaches and sunbeds. Go to Fiesa for shade and calm water, and to Portorož for everything else.
If there is a third day
Koper is the easy third day by Arriva bus, a town with a cathedral from the second half of the 12th century and a terrace over the Gulf of Trieste. The Škocjan Caves are the longer trip. The main route is a UNESCO site since 1986, and a ticket costs €24 in July and August and €16 in winter. Wear shoes with grip, because the route has about 1,000 steps and the air inside stays at 12°C.
Where to next
Day trips from Piran
→Portorož and Strunjan by city bus in half a day, the Sečovlje salt pans in half a day, Koper by bus and the Škocjan Caves in a full day.
Ljubljana · 93 km
→Slovenia’s capital with no cars in the centre: Plečnik’s bridges, a riverside market and a castle on the hill
How well does Piran suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like Piran
Three places with the closest scores, from any country.
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