Things to do in Piran

Piran is the Venetian town on Slovenia's short Adriatic coast, built on a narrow peninsula around Tartini Square, the marble-paved plaza named after the violinist born here in 1692. Narrow lanes climb behind it to the 15th-century town walls, where on a clear day you can see across the water into Italy and Croatia.

It is compact enough to walk in an hour, though most people stay longer for the harbour, the church tower, and the seafood restaurants along the quay. Piran sits about 120 km from Ljubljana, roughly a 90-minute drive, which makes it a long day trip or a better one-night stop.

Unlike its neighbour Portoroz a few minutes down the coast, Piran has no sandy beaches or resort hotels; it is a town to walk, not a base to swim from.