Yes, Slovenia does have a coastline. It’s part of the Istria peninsula, which is mostly Croatian, but has a stretch of Slovenian coast. It’s not much, but the approximately 46km are very pleasant! I spent some time around Piran and wondered why this wasn’t more well known. It was only June, so the main school holidays hadn’t started yet and there was a pleasant amount of tourists around. But still, buses dropped off groups of tourists at the small bus station on the water, at the edge of town. I came off the public bus and headed to my hostel. It was a pleasant enough place in one of the side streets.
Piran
Piran was named for the fires (pyr in Greek) that were lit at the tip of its peninsula to assist passing ships. Kind of like an old form of lighthouse. It became prosperous thanks to the salt pans, just below Portorož. They traded with Venice and were therefore somewhat independent. But it does mean that there is a lot of Venetian influence in the town. The bell tower on the hill is remarkably similar to the Campanile on St. Mark’s Square in Venice, although somewhat smaller. During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Ottoman armies moved further into Serbia and Croatia and many Slavs fled West. They found refuge in Piran. The town built walls to be safe from the Ottoman threat. In the 18th century, following the fall of Venice, Piran was incorporated in the Austro-Hungarian empire. Napoleon intervened briefly, before it returned to the Austro-Hungarian Habsburgs. After WWI it was briefly annexed by Italy. And after WWII the region was made neutral, as part of the Free City of Trieste, before becoming part of Yugoslavia. This town has seen it all!
Walking around is a delight. There are plenty of cute streets and small squares with cafés. And you can’t really get lost. You just wander through the streets until you pop back out on the coastal boulevard, which runs almost all around town. Following the coast will always get you right back to Tartini square or the bus station. Violinist Giuseppe Tartini was born here in 1692. The square is named after him, at the spot where his birth house stands. But back then, most of the square was part of the harbor. It wasn’t filled up until later. In the square you can enjoy Venetians architecture and the backdrop of St. George’s church on the hill. The hill offers a pretty good view itself too, but for a true high point, you head to the old city walls. It’s a bit of a trek, but it was worth it. From the walls you watch out over the entire town, spread out on the small peninsula.
Walking to Portoroz
Portorož, or Port of roses lies about an hour’s walk away. Where Piran is the historical cute town, with small streets and old buildings, Portorož is the resort town where people come to swim and relax in big hotels. The walk over is super nice, all along the coast and with many swimming spots on the way. First I passed Fornače, a beach which is largely concrete along the water, but with a small pebble beach. A bit further along though, just before the Grand Hotel Bernardin, I found my favourite spot. There’s also a big slab of concrete, but it’s slightly lower than the sidewalk and has wooden platforms on it. So people were a bit spread out there, each on their own wooden platform. From there some steps lowered into the water. It was perfect.
After the hotel is a small center with some restaurants and shops. Then you pass the old salt warehouses that are now used for exhibitions. And then you are suddenly in Portorož. There is a big beach where you can rent beds and umbrellas. The scale is different here. No lying on your towel on the concrete. The main beach in Portorož is made of sand and lawns, with many chairs on it. There’s even an outdoor pool if you prefer to stay out of the sea. There are volleyball nets and a floating obstacle course. There’s even a casino in town! A total contrast, but so close that you can enjoy both worlds.
Hiking from Izola to Piran
I had some energy to let out and wanted to see more of the region. So I took the excellent local bus to Izola to start a coastal hike. It was still quiet in Izola, with largely empty streets, only a few people in the water and most people having coffee on a terrace. I wasn’t quite sure how the route would go, but found my way along the harbor and away from town. I passed a big shipyard where they’d painted a walking path on the concrete. It felt like a bit of a treasure hunt, because I had pictures of the route online, so I was occasionally checking if the photos matched what I saw. At the other end of town was a big youth camp. It was filled with Germans that were using the sports fields. Next I climbed up to Belvedere. There was a holiday park with great views over the bay and towns in the distance.
A highlight of the walk was the Moon Bay, close to Strunjan. The bay with the pebbly beach lay right below some steep cliffs. I approached through forest and got beautiful views. But the path down got me curious. I could hear people below. There was a tiny strip of beach with few people on it. It was the perfect picnic and swim break. Like everywhere, the water was crystal clear. It was fabulous! When I got back up I noticed a noise. There were fire fighter planes making loops and dropping water. This was all above the sea, so I suppose it was an exercise. But it was impressive to see the rain of seawater come down from the yellow planes. After a big parking lot I got to Strunjan itself. There was a lot of beach and then some smaller paths past the salt flats. On the other side I had to climb a hill again. Eventually the road took me to Fiesa, the other beach of Piran. It’s kind of hidden behind the big wall of St. George’s church and is more pebbles and rocks. From the beach there was one last climb, up the path to the church. You literally head through the wall and end up in Piran. Despite the heat, this was an amazing half day activity.
Logistics
Trail Directions: I found this page with a photo guide of the trail between Koper and Piran.
Transport: Arriva has great local transportation around the region. I took their buses to Trieste and Ljubljana, but also between the coastal towns.
Excursions: From Piran or Portorož you can easily do a trip to Trieste! Trieste is worth a few days, for instance to check out Miramare and a hike.
