Piran

Piran (Italian: Pirano) is a city in the Coast and Karst region of Slovenia. Tartinijev trg, the central square of Piran Understand Piran is probably the most beautiful of Slovenia's coastal towns, perched on a tiny piece of land jutting into the sea. It feels more like an Italian coastal town, without all the Italian tourists, and for good reason: Piran was part of the Venetian empire from the late 13th century to the end of the 18th century. Get in By plane There is a small airport located 15km away in Portorož, called Portorož international Airport. Although it is an international airport, there are relatively few flights from foreign states. By train There is no train service to Piran. Nearest station is in Koper. By bus Frequent buses connect Piran to Izola, Koper (20 minutes), and Trieste (1 hour), and there is a free shuttle service to the adjacent resort of Portoroz. From Ljubljana, there are buses roughly hourly, taking 2-2.5 hours for the journey depending on route. Schedules are available online [1]. Buses also connect Piran with Bernardin, Portorož and Lucija every 15 minutes. By boat Boat service is also available regularly from Venice. Get around By foot Piran is very small and it takes 30 minutes to walk from one end to the other. By car Cars are generally not allowed in the old town and even when they are it's not a lot of fun since the streets are very narrow and parking costs €24 per day. There is parking available outside the town center. The biggest lot is along the waterfront at Fornače and costs about €8 per day. The city provides a free shuttle bus to and from the parking lot Fornače and Tartinijev trg roughly every 15 minutes [2] (in Slovene) [3] (in Italian). See Inside the the Church of St. George Tartinijev trg. the beautiful oval-shaped main square, with a statue of the famous violinist Giuseppe Tartini. This was once the marina, but after it silted up it was paved over with white stone.  edit Venetian House. The red building on Tartinijev trg, is a fantastic example of gothic Venetian architecture and the oldest building on the square. Built by a rich Venetian merchant to house his mistress, spot the inscription between the upper windows: it says Lassa pur dir, or "let them talk".  edit Sergej Mašera Maritime Museum, Cankerjevo nab 3, ☎ +5 671-0040, [4]. 9AM-12PM and 6PM-9PM, Tu-Su during July and August; 9AM-12PM and 3PM-6PM, Tu-Su, the rest of the year.. Has several exhibits that tell the story of Piran's maritime history and culture.  edit Church of St. George (Cerkev sv. Jurija). The inside is quite beautiful. Nice view of the city and harbour from the belltower.  edit Do The view from atop the city walls Watch the Sunset. Preferably from a bar on the waterfront with an aperitivo in hand.  edit Swim. There is no beach, but you can swim in the sea from the many piers scattered about.  edit Diving School, (northern side of the town). explore the clear Adriatic Sea.  edit Climb to the top of the city walls, (follow ulica IX.Korpusa up the hill from Tartinijev trg). take in the view of the peninsula  edit Walk along the coastal path from the Church of St. George to Fiesa. about one kilometer each way  edit Buy Unlike many of the other towns along the Adriatic coast, there are few shops with postcards, souvenirs, football (soccer) jerseys, etc. There is a small shop about halfway up the hill on ulica IX.Korposa that advertises handmade Slovenian crafts. At the central square there is a shop where you can buy high quality sea salt from the local sea salt evaporation ponds. Eat Piran's coast with colorful buildings, swimming piers and restaurants Many of Piran's restaurants are located along the waterfront (Prešernovo nabrežje), with open air seating and great views. The food and service is generally good, but many of the restaurants tend to have similar menus (meat, fish, mixed grills, etc) and similar prices. Restaurants away from the main waterfront area can be a bit cheaper. There are also a number of pizzerias and gelato shops scattered around the town. If you want fresh produce, there is sometimes a market behind the municipal building off Tartinjev trg. Fontana, Gallusova ulica 2 (on Trg 1.maja (May 1st Square)), ☎ 5 673-1200. A small restaurant with a veranda that serves seafood and Slovenian dishes.  edit Gostilnica, Prešernovo nabrežje, ☎ 5 673-2226. Wide selection of seafood dishes. €10-20 for mains.  edit Neptun, Župančičeva ulica 7, ☎ 5 673-4111. 12PM-4PM and 6PM-midnight. A small restaurant one street back from the harbour that specializes in seafood.  edit Pavel, Prešernovo nabrežje, ☎ 5 674-7101 and 674-7102. 11AM-midnight in the summer. On the waterfront with tables indoors and outdoors. Serves a variety of meat and fish dishes. €8-16 for mains..  edit Pizzeria Batana, Kidričevo nabrežje 4, ☎ 5 676-2517. Pizzeria on the inner harbour.  edit Pri Mari, Dantejeva 17 (close to the Fornače parking lot.), ☎ 5 673-4735. Small restaurant that specializes in seafood. €8-16 for mains.  edit Restaurant Miralonda, Stjenkova 1 (in the Hotel Piran), ☎ 5 676-2514. Mixed menu with seating along the waterfront.  edit Restaurant Riva, Gregorčičeva 43 (along the waterfront, almost at the tip of the peninsula), ☎ 5 673-2225. Serves a variety of meat and fish dishes. €8-16 for mains.  edit Tri Vdove, Prešernovo nabrežje 4, ☎ 5 673-0290. Waterfront restaurant with a mix of meat and fish dishes. €8-16 for mains.  edit Drink Clubs For clubbing, it is better to go to Koper or Portorož. Tri papige, Kidričevo nabrežje 4, ☎ 05 673 24 49. Night Club  edit Sleep With a shortage of hotel accommodation the best option can be to take a 'private room', (rent out a room in a local's house). Several local tourist agencies keep lists of such rooms and will book them for you. Don't expect the owners to speak English, but they are generally very helpful and are experienced in hospitality. Standards vary: sometimes you'll get towels for a shower, sometimes not. But regardless, it will certainly be an experience and a chance to meet some locals. Budget Val Hostel, Gregorčičeva 38a, ☎ +386 5 673-2555, [5]. Open year-round, this hostel has 22 rooms with 2, 3, and 4 beds per room. €25, breakfast included.  edit Youth Hostel Piran, Vodopivceva 9, ☎ '''+386 40-752660''' (hostelpiran@gmail.com), [6]. checkin: after 13h; checkout: 10h. Situated on a pedestrian area, right in the heart of the old part of town. Double, triple and four bed rooms, free WI-FI, kitchen, located 50m from Tartini square. €20.  edit Hostel Pirano, Alma Vivoda 3 (100m from the main bus station), ☎ '''+386 31-627647''' (hostelpiran@gmail.com), [7]. checkin: after 14h; checkout: 10h. Located in the historic part of Piran just 300 metres from the central Tartini Square. Double, four and six bed rooms, free WI-FI, located in the center, 30m from the sea, 20m from the market. €17.  edit Mid-range Hotel Barbara Fiesa, Fiesa 68 (outside of the old town on the bay between Piran and Strunjan and near Portorož), ☎ +386 5 617-9000, [8]. Air-con, 6 Superior rooms, 36 Plus rooms, all with balcony overlooking the sea/lake, phone, satellite TV, minibar, WC and shower. €55-60.  edit Bed & Breakfast - Miracolo Di Mare, Tomšičeva 23, ☎ +386 51 44 55 11, [9]. Completely renovated B&B with 12 tastefully decorated double and twin rooms. All rooms have a satellite TV, WC and shower. Free WiFi access and bike rental. €70, breakfast included.  edit Max Hotel, Ulica IX.Korpusa 26 (in the middle of the old town), ☎ +386 5 673-3436 (info@maxpiran.com), [10]. A small hotel with just 6 double rooms. All rooms have a TV, bathroom and shower. €70, breakfast included.  edit Splurge Hotel Piran, (on the harbour), ☎ +386 5 676-2502, [11]. 4-star hotel with 80 rooms and 10 suites, Internet room and WiFi access. €74-€134.  edit Hotel Tartini, Tartinijev trg 15 (close to the harbour), ☎ +386 5 671-1665 (info@hotel-tartini-piran.com), [12]. There are 43 rooms, many which look out at the square or the sea. From €82.  edit Get out Slovenian coastal towns: Portorož, Izola and Koper Divača and the Škocjan Caves - 1 hour away by car. Istria region of Croatia Trieste, Italy - 1 hour away Venice, Italy - 2.5 hours away This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!