Piran: beneško mesto na rtu med morjem in solinami
Piran stands on a narrow cape that juts into the sea, so the town ends where the water begins. The streets are narrow and shady, the houses squeezed one against another, and at the top opens a square that was once a harbour. It is precisely this density that makes Piran feel different from the other seaside places in the country.
The old town is closed to traffic, so a visit means walking. The distances are short, as from the car park to Tartini Square and on to the tip of the cape you walk only a few minutes. You can get to know the town in a single afternoon, though a reason for a longer stop is quickly found.
Tartinijev trg in srce mesta
Tartini Square was, until the end of the nineteenth century, an inner harbour, which was then filled in and paved. Today it is elliptical, white and open, surrounded by a Venetian palace and the town hall, with a statue of the violinist Giuseppe Tartini in the centre, who was born in Piran in 1692.
Okoli trga se začne mreža uličic, ki vodijo proti morju in navzgor proti obzidju. V starem mestnem jedru se ne izplača iskati bližnjic, ker so prav stranske poti tisto, kar si obiskovalci najbolj zapomnijo.
Cerkev svetega Jurija in mestno obzidje
Above the town stands the Church of St George with a bell tower that is a smaller version of the one on St Mark's Square in Venice. The platform in front of the church is a viewpoint and freely accessible, so climb up to it before descending back among the streets.
Higher up the slope rise the town walls with towers, preserved in several belts. The climb up to them is short and steep, and from the top, in clear weather, you can see all the way to the Alps.
Morje, kopanje in Fiesa
Swimming in Piran takes place at laid-out bathing areas along the coast, where the entries are arranged with steps and platforms rather than a sandy beach. For a more relaxed day it pays to walk the coastal path to Fiesa bay, which begins beyond the town bathing area.
Ob Fiesi sta dve jezerci, ločeni od morja s peščenim nasipom, kar je za slovensko obalo posebnost. Pot od mesta prehodite tudi zvečer, ker je večino časa v senci.
Soline in zaledje
Nekaj kilometrov južneje ležijo The Sečovlje Salt Pans, a landscape of shallow basins, channels and embankments, where salt is still produced in the traditional way. The landscape park is at the same time a well-known bird-watching area, as you can watch migratory birds right from the embankments between the basins.
The hinterland above the town is Istrian: olive groves, vineyards and villages on the ridges. If you have half a day, you can drive or cycle up to the panoramic villages above the bay and return towards the sea by another route.
Kaj početi v Piranu?
The basis of a visit is walking, as the square, the streets, the walls and the coastal path to Fiesa link into a single loop. In summer the programme expands to swimming, boat trips and guided tours of the town that explain the Venetian background of its architecture.
Out of season the town is at its most pleasant, because the streets are empty and the sea is still there. Check doživetja v Piranu in izberite tisto, ki ustreza letnemu času vašega obiska.
Piran z otroki
With children, the combination of short distances and water works well. A walk to the tip of the cape, where the sea opens on three sides, and a swim at the bathing area can fill a whole morning, without any transport in between.
For the afternoon choose the aquarium by the mandrač, a boat trip, or the salt pans, where children can walk along the embankments between the basins. The narrow, stepped streets are not kind to a pushchair, so a baby carrier is often more practical.
Piran v dvoje
For a quieter visit, choose the early morning or the time after dinner, when the day visitors withdraw. A walk around the cape at sunset is the best-known choice, and yet it is still the best.
If you want a view from above, climb up to the Church of St George or onto the walls, where the town looks like a whole rather than a string of alleys.
Kaj in kje jesti v Piranu?
Kuhinja je istrska in morska: ribe, školjke, testenine s tartufi, oljčno olje iz zaledja in refošk. V restaurants by the mandrač and on the square the offer is most concentrated, while the quieter eateries are in the side streets.
The salt pans also produce Piran salt and fleur de sel, which you can buy in the town and take home as a local gift.
Kje prespati v Piranu?
The offer in the town itself is modest because of the limited space, so arrange your accommodation in advance, especially for summer weekends. Available are hotels and druge namestitve v jedru in tik nad njim.
Če iščete več izbire, poglejte v sosednji Portorož, which is a good three kilometres from Piran and has most of the hotel offer on this part of the coast. Between the two places there is also a laid-out coastal path, so you do not need a car for a day visit to the town.
Kam na izlet iz Pirana?
Najbližja sta Izola z ribiškim pridihom in Koper z največjim starim jedrom na obali, oba znotraj pol ure. Proti jugu so soline in naprej istrsko zaledje.
Za cel dan se lahko pomaknete v notranjost proti Krasu, where the sea gives way to a stony plateau, wine and the underground. The distances are short, so combining the sea and the Karst in a single day is entirely feasible.
