Look at the above picture and think of the first place that comes to mind. I bet that Slovenia doesn’t come to mind. We usually don’t associate Slovenia with turquoise sea, pristine beaches, Venetian architecture, terracotta roofed houses and delicious seafood. But that’s exactly what we found in a little coastal paradise called Piran or as the locals call it “Venice of Slovenia”.

Piran is really well connected by road to the capital city of Ljubljana with buses every half hour. After a short 2 hour bus ride through the mountain ranges, lush corn fields, barns, windmills – basically a  typical European countryside, we arrived in Piran. The driver doesn’t need to announce that you are in the town because you literally reach the land’s end. Take a step back and you will be in the Adriatic sea. 

Tartini Square

The town is small enough to walk around and the beautiful Tartini Square is the official “town center”. It has a government buildings on one side and remaining area is surrounded by trattorias, gelaterias, wine and cheese vendors (So Italian, right?). The floor glistens in the afternoon sun and tastefully painted buildings accentuate the beauty of the center.

Bell Tower

The bell tower adjacent to St. George’s church is a constant sight no matter where you are in the town as it literally “towers” over the town. It is modeled after the campanile of San Marco in Venice staying true to the Venetian influence on the city. After climbing up the hill and then 146 winding steps inside the tower we reached the top to a narrow gallery with 360 degree view. I almost dropped my camera when the bell rang on the hour. It is really loud!

From the top, you can see the spread of terracotta roofed houses with their little gardens and balconies, the hustle-bustle of the town center, turquoise Adriatic sea and also the walls of Piran.

The view from the top is all the reminder you need that you are in beautiful Europe!! 🙂

Walk around the town alleys

Best way to really explore any town is to just walk around and you will be amazed at all the things you discover. We found a terrific street farmers’ market selling juicy fruits just on a wide street in a residential area. We found small small shops selling handmade souvenirs, scarves and also ‘air of Piran’. 

Food in Piran

Seafood

Bordered by the sea on three sides means Piran has the freshest supply of seafood in Slovenia. We found a cozy spot called Fritolin Pri Cantini, a hole in the wall shack selling fresh grilled squids and crispy Sardines. Even though this was in one of the back alleys, it was flocked by locals and tourists alike! Seafood is not our first choice but seeing the enthusiasm of people willing to wait upto an hour, convinced us to give it a try. We are SO glad we did!

Gelato

Another example of Italian influence and the best one for us was that every corner had a gelateria with their different and amazing flavors. Days spent in Piran= 1, Total scoops of gelato consumed =  embarrassingly high number!

Things we learned

• Piran is becoming a very popular tourist destination being on a very short strip of coast in Slovenia.
• There are frequent buses from Ljubljana that cost around €12 one way and get you there in 2 hours. ( Don’t sweat it if you didn’t buy in advance, you can buy it from the bus driver too!)
• There can never be enough flavors of gelato but mango rules them all! 😉