Piran is situated at the tip of the Piran peninsula on the Gulf of Piran. It borders Croatia to the south, and the municipalities of Izola and Koper to the east and faces Italy across the Gulf of Trieste and the Adriatic Sea. With Piran closed off to traffic except for the residents, the best way to see Piran is on foot. Start out by visiting the many beautiful buildings in Piran and then hike the many footpaths around the city.
The beautiful oval-shaped main square, Tartinijev Trg, has a statue of the famous violinist Giuseppe Tartini. The lovely 19th-century City Hall, the most impressive building on the square, stands behind the statue. This was once the marina, but after it silted up, it was paved over with white stone. The only church on Tartinijev Trg, the relatively diminutive Church of St. Peter has roots going all the way back to 1272, but took its present classical form in 1818. An exquisite relief above the main entrance depicts Christ bestowing the keys to the Heavenly Kingdom upon Peter.
Continuing up the steep, narrow streets past Tartinijev Trg, you will come to the lovely Minorite Convent and its early-14th-century Church of St. Francis of Assisi. In the convent courtyard, stop to admire the root of a 500 year old indigenous olive tree called the Piran Buga. You may also be in for a special treat if you visit in summer and be able to hear the monks chanting. 
Get bird’s eye views of Tartinijev Trg and all of Piran by climbing up the hill to the impressive St. George’s Church which overlooks the town. St. George’s has a bell tower modeled on St. Mark’s Campanile in Venice and Venetian School of Art paintings in a soothing white-and-silver interior. Parts of the alter look as though silvery stars are sparkling against a deep blue night sky.
Climbing the steep cobbled streets further still, follow ulica IX.Korpusa up the hill from Tartinijev trg, you can reach the city walls. They once ran from the sea all the way to the harbor, and seven crenelated towers are still intact along the 200 meter stretch. From atop the towers, there are magnificent views over Piran and the Adriatic.
Climbing down the hill, one of the many footpaths in Piran will take you along a scenic hike of the coast to the town of Fiesa. While there are no beaches in Piran (you can swim off one of the many piers along the harbor), you can locate some rocky beaches along the hike from Piran to Fiesa. The water was crystal clear and much calmer on this side of the peninsula, which is why it is one of Emma’s favorite beaches. Perfect for a swim to cool off after climbing the steep hills!Be sure to stop by the Tourism Office on Tartinijev trg for a map of the footpaths around Piran. The Piran-Fiesa-Portoroz-Piran loop is a lovely hike. The Strunjan Tunnel path (8km) transports you from the bustle of Portorož to salt pans of Strunjan via the tunnel of the former narrow-gauge Trst-Poreč railway line.
Kenneth Hoffer says
Enjoyed your web page on Piran. I don’t like Facebook. Do you mind if I use your photo from the walls on my Piran page?
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Hi Kenneth,
I’m glad you enjoyed my post on Piran. Will you credit the photo to me and link back to my website? If so, I don’t mind if you use it.
Pascal says
I’ve been to both Ljubljana and Zagreb. Both were really nice. The thing that seems to keep a lot of toruists away is just that they don’t have super popular attractions like places such as Paris. But they both had an incredibly comfortable feeling, all the locals were really nice and spoke excellent English, everything was cheap (except hotels in Zagreb), and the food was incredible! I was pretty naive when I went there, expecting them to be war-torn, and I’m sure at least Zagreb was at one point, but both were beautifully rebuilt. Definitely worth going to for a relaxing vacation. I’ve heard great things about the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia and about Bled in Slovenia, but I haven’t been there.
Kenneth Hoffer says
PS: It looks as if we travelled many of the same paths. Will have Piran page uploaded in several days. I wanted to take a swim but just never got the courage to cross the gravel.
Bethaney says
How pretty! I’m really looking forward to exploring Eastern Europe.
Jennifer Dombrowski says
How fun! Eastern Europe is fantastic. If you’re in Slovenia in July, also check out Bled. They have a festival to celebrate their heritage and light 10,000 floating candles on the lake.
Jesper says
We visited Piran a few years ago and it really is an amazing town. Great sunsets and a nice view over the mediterranean 🙂
Jennifer Dombrowski says
Glad to hear you enjoyed Piran, Jesper! It’s the Adriatic Sea, though. 🙂
Tara Conway says
Hi Jennifer! My boyfriend and I are planning to visit Slovenia and we were wondering if you can see Italy from Piran. If yes, what parts of Italy can you see? Thank you for the hiking advice!